The 25 Best Movies on Disney+ Right Now

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This article is updated frequently as titles are added to Disney+. *New titles are indicated with an asterisk.

The catalog at Disney+ is one of the deepest of any streaming service. That’s what happens when you’re owned by the company that owns pretty much everything. Since the merger between Disney and Fox, the mega-company now hosts brands so big that they get their own section on the site like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Add in the entire history of the most famous animation studio in the world and you have a catalog that’s virtually impossible to boil down to a manageable list…but we’re going to try.

You probably know what’s on Disney+ — pretty much everything your kids want to watch — but maybe you forgot about the full range of what they have to offer. Below you’ll find an array of styles, eras, and age ratings (G through PG-13) from the Mouse House, limited to 25 entries, but we’re restricting ourselves to one Star Wars film as a representative for all of them, and trying to spread the rest of the entries out among Pixar, Disney animation, Disney live-action, and stuff that might otherwise fall through the cracks. That’s what we’re here for.

Animated Films

Beauty and the Beast

Year: 1991
Runtime: 1h 32m
Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Rating: G

A formative chapter in the history of Disney, this 1991 blockbuster became known as the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. It should have won. It’s a gorgeous movie, a moving retelling of a classic legend with beautiful animation and unforgettable original songs. There’s a passion to the artistry here that’s too often lacking from Disney movies, and it’s one of the main reasons it’s one of the biggest ever.

Beauty and the Beast watch on disney+

Encanto

Year: 2021
Runtime: 1h 52m
Directors: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Rating: PG

Released in theaters during the pandemic, this Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature didn’t really take off culturally until it dropped on Disney+ on Christmas Eve. From that point on, Encanto became enormous, charting original songs all over the world and becoming one of Disney’s biggest modern films. It’s easy to see why audiences were charmed by this culturally vibrant, vibrantly colorful artistic expression.

Encanto watch on disney+

Frozen

Year: 2013
Runtime: 1h 45m
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Rating: PG

When people talk about the major event movies in the history of Disney, the tale of Anna & Elsa has to be a major part of the conversation. More than just an animated blockbuster, Frozen became a legitimate phenomenon, already sparking a sequel, toys, games, theme park rides, and a Broadway musical. It is quite simply one of the most beloved animated films ever made.

Frozen watch on disney+

Inside Out

Year: 2015
Runtime: 1h 35m
Director: Pete Docter
Rating: PG

One of Pixar’s best films ever gets viewers into the mind of a teen girl named Riley (Kaitlyn Dias) and the emotions that live there, centered by Joy (Amy Poehler) and Sadness (Phyllis Smith), who end up on a journey through the young girl’s inner being. Visually striking and perfectly voiced, there’s also a theme here that’s important for young viewers about how life takes a blend of happiness and misery. A sequel will be released in 2024, and it has a high bar to reach to match the original.

Inside Out watch on disney+

The Lion King

Year: 1994
Runtime: 1h 33m
Directors: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Rating: G

A key part of the Disney Renaissance, this animated classic is one of the most beloved Disney films in the history of the company. It’s one of the Disney movies that became more than just a movie, inspiring sequels, theme park attractions, and even a massive hit Broadway show. People keep returning to the story of Simba as it gets passed down from generation to generation, probably earning a new fan somewhere in the world every single day.

The Lion King watch on disney+

Moana

Year: 2016
Runtime: 1h 51m
Directors: John Musker, Ron Clements
Rating: PG

Doesn’t it feel like this movie grows a little more popular every year? Sure, it was a hit when it came out, but there’s a kid somewhere singing “How Far I’ll Go” right now, and it feels like it has to be one of the most rewatched modern Disney movies for a reason. It’s visually striking, thematically resonant, and perfectly voiced. It also doesn’t hurt to have memorable tunes that keep kids and their parents coming back to hear them again.

Moana watch on disney+

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Year: 1993
Runtime: 1h 19m
Director: Henry Selick
Rating: PG

It doesn’t have to be Halloween or Christmas to enjoy the story of Jack Skellington, brought unforgettably to life by the great Henry Selick and his buddy Tim Burton. This inventive, creative, original film has grown in popularity with every passing generation as parents pass it down to their kids. It’s also held up better than most family films of its era, largely because of how much it trusts kids to be able to handle darker themes and its unforgettable visuals.

The Nightmare Before Christmas watch on disney+

Ratatouille

Year: 2007
Runtime: 1h 52m
Director: Brad Bird
Rating: G

Brad Bird would quite simply be one of the best family filmmakers of all time if he had only made The Iron Giant or The Incredibles, but he made this gem too! The man is a master of the animated form, and that’s certainly true regarding this fable about a rat who becomes a master chef in Paris. A wonderful tale about fulfilling unexpected dreams, it’s one of Pixar’s best.

Ratatouille watch on disney+

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Year: 1937
Runtime: 1h 27m
Director: David Hand
Rating: G

The one that started it all has to be on the list, right? There’s no Disney+ without Snow White, the first full-length animated feature for the little company co-founded by Mr. Walt Disney. There’s a reason people keep returning to the tale of Snow White and her friends. And it really shaped the legacy of the entire Disney brand for generations to come. Sure, it might look a little dated to modern kids, but even they will eventually give in to its magic.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs watch on disney+

Toy Story

Year: 1995
Runtime: 1h 24m
Director: John Lasseter
Rating: G

As Snow White is to Disney, Woody & Buzz are to Pixar. The iconic characters took the world by storm with their first film, the true breakthrough for Pixar, and a movie that changed modern animation forever. Every kid on Earth dreamed at some point about what would happen if their toys came to life, and the geniuses at Pixar turned that idea into movie history. All four films, of course, are on Disney+, and they’re all worth revisiting.

Toy Story watch on disney+

WALL-E

Year: 2008
Runtime: 1h 39m
Director: Andrew Stanton
Rating: G

As creatively original as any mainstream animated film ever made, WALL-E is the tale of a lonely robot, one of the few remaining on an Earth that has become a massive garbage dump. When he falls in love with a probe robot named EVE, he ends up aboard a spaceship speeding across the galaxy. Visually inventive and brilliantly written, this is easily one of Pixar’s best.

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WALL-E watch on disney+

Live-Action Films

Avatar: The Way of Water

Year: 2022
Runtime: 3h 15m
Director: James Cameron
Rating: PG-13

Are we still talking about the cultural footprint of Avatar after the 2022 sequel made over $1 billion? Never doubt James Cameron. The director’s long-delayed return to Pandora is finally on Disney+, and it should be noted that it looks fantastic, clearly being given a more-detailed 4K video treatment than a lot of streaming offerings. Cameron is clearly never leaving Pandora — he’s working multiple sequels set there — so you better get to know this world with repeat viewings on your favorite streaming service.

Avatar: The Way of Water watch on disney+

The Avengers

Year: 2012
Runtime: 2h 25m
Director: Joss Whedon
Rating: PG-13

There were hit MCU movies before Joss Whedon’s mega-blockbuster but this is really the first “event movie” in the franchise, making it clear how much these films were going to build to these tentpoles every few years. It’s still a remarkably entertaining action flick, one that knows not to take itself too seriously, and one that really defined the MCU (and modern blockbusters) for the next generation.

The Avengers watch on disney+

Black Panther

Year: 2018
Runtime: 2h 18m
Director: Ryan Coogler
Rating: PG-13

Is this the best Marvel movie? It’s certainly in the conversation. Why? Well, it’s one of the few times that it feels like a director was given creative freedom in a system that often makes movies that look exactly the same. Black Panther has its own unique personality and energy, thanks largely to Ryan Coogler’s incredible craftsmanship and passion, but also because of the great cast, including the dearly-missed Chadwick Boseman.

Black Panther watch on disney+

Captain America: Winter Soldier

Year: 2014
Runtime: 2h 18m
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Rating: PG-13

One of the best Marvel movies ever made, the second Captain America flick deconstructed the patriotism of the first movie and the character that gave it a name. The result is a film that plays like a ‘70s paranoia thriller, complete with a legend of that era in a crucial role: Robert Redford. This is arguably the leanest Marvel movie, one that never drags and contains some of the company’s most accomplished action sequences.

Captain America: Winter Soldier watch on disney+

The Indiana Jones franchise

Year: 1981
Runtime: 1h 56m
Director: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG or PG-13

After bouncing around the streamers, the adventures of Indiana Jones have finally exclusively settled on Disney+ just in time for the release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Catch up with the entire saga of Harrison Ford’s beloved characters in the four other films while you wait for the 2023 sequel to join them. Of course, the first movie is still unequivocally the best of the bunch, one of the few films that could arguably be called perfect.

Raiders of the Lost Ark watch on disney+

Iron Man

Year: 2008
Runtime: 2h 7m
Director: Jon Favreau
Rating: PG-13

Is this the most influential modern blockbuster? It certainly changed the landscape by virtue of being the first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But it’s not just an “important” movie. It’s still a wildly entertaining one too, anchored by a charming performance from Robert Downey Jr., whose work here really shaped everything about the MCU to come. Go back to the beginning and see where our modern superhero craze really became a cinematic weapon of mass destruction.

Iron Man watch on disney+

The Muppet Movie

Year: 1979
Runtime: 1h 35m
Director: James Frawley
Rating: G

Consider this entry a placeholder for the entire film legacy of the Muppets that lives on Disney+, although the first movie is probably still the best. Produced while The Muppet Show was still on the air, it’s a wonderful distillation of what people love about Kermit, Ms. Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and the rest of the gang. It’s got great star cameos and some of the best movie music ever, especially the timeless “Rainbow Connection.”

The Muppet Movie watch on disney+

National Treasure

Year: 2004
Runtime: 2h 11m
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Rating: PG

The world of National Treasure is about to return with a third film and a new series for Disney+. So it’s time to catch up on the first movie about Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicolas Cage), a historian who ends up on his own Indiana Jones adventure when he discovers there’s a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence.

National Treasure watch on disney+

Pete’s Dragon

Year: 2016
Runtime: 1h 47m
Director: David Lowery
Rating: PG

When people talk about the dire lack of creativity in the live-action adaptations of classic animated films like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, they shouldn’t forget about what is easily the best of this subgenre. The director of A Ghost Story and The Green Knight adapted the 1977 animated musical of the same name into a gorgeous fable about an impossible friendship between a boy and his dragon. It’s a beautiful movie.

Pete’s Dragon watch on disney+

The Princess Bride

Year: 1987
Runtime: 1h 38m
Director: Rob Reiner
Rating: PG

One of the most beloved fantasy films of all time, this adaptation of the book of the same name by William Goldman was an instant hit. Regularly appearing on lists of the funniest and most romantic films ever made, the tale of Westley and the Princess Buttercup was even inducted into the National Film Registry in 2016. It’s a classic, a movie that works well for all ages because of its big heart, sharp wit, and creative soul.

The Princess Bride watch on disney+

Rookie of the Year

Year: 1993
Runtime: 1h 45m
Director: Daniel Stern
Rating: PG

People who were of a certain age in 1993 probably remember this film with nostalgic fondness. It was a surprising hit that summer, telling the story of a kid who has arm surgery that makes him into a Major League Baseball star. Critics thought it was pretty mediocre when it came out, but it’s the kind of film that kids loved at the time and those kids may now be the parents who want to pitch it to a new generation.

Rookie of the Year watch on disney+

The Sandlot

Year: 1993
Runtime: 1h 42m
Director: David Mickey Evans
Rating: PG

This family flick made almost no impact when it was released but has become a sports movie favorite every time such a list is released. What is it about the story of L.A. kids playing ball in the summer of ’62 that has made it so timeless? We can all see ourselves in one of the kids in The Sandlot, and there’s a sense of revisiting our own childhood in this sweet, funny modern classic.

The Sandlot watch on disney+

Star Wars

Year:  1977
Runtime: 2h 5m
Director: George Lucas
Rating: PG

Consider this entry a placeholder for your favorite Star Wars movies, all of which have an exclusive home on Disney+. Of course, the original is still the favorite for a lot of people (it’s that or The Empire Strikes Back), the movie that changed, well, everything. A sci-fi blockbuster like no other, Star Wars became an industry with the story of a boy fated to save the universe from pure evil.

Star Wars watch on disney+

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Year: 1988
Runtime: 1h 43m
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Rating: PG

Who doesn’t love this movie? A breakthrough in live-action/animation hybrid, it’s just a wildly entertaining action-comedy, anchored by not just its incredible effects but a perfect performance from the great Bob Hoskins. The actor plays a private investigator who is brought in when a toon named Roger Rabbit has been accused of murder. Incorporating elements of noir with the history of animation resulted in one of the biggest movies of its era.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? watch on disney+

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