Disney+ launched just last November and in its first six months it has already become arguably the biggest streaming player in the game next to Netflix. By now, you’ve probably been through most of the buzzy Disney+ originals the streamer has debuted since its launch, and you’ve no doubt revisited some of the classics among the very best movies available on Disney+. Which puts you in the “What To Watch Now?” stage of your Disney+ relationship… and we’re here to help.
This guide to 80 hidden gems on Disney+ includes movies with great Tomatometer scores that never found the big audience they deserved (Millions, Queen of Katwe); nostalgic favorites (The Sandlot, Cool Runnings); underrated Disney animated films (Basil the Great Mouse Detective, A Goofy Movie); gripping documentaries courtesy of Disneynature and National Geographic (Jane, Free Solo); and some Fresh picks for the really young ones out there (did you know all the Tinker Bell features are Fresh on the Tomatometer)?
Some will be movies you’ve never heard of, some will be movies you’d forgotten about, and many will be movies you’ll be surprised to discover are available on the service.
We’ve grouped our guide into categories to help you get straight to the stuff you and your family are looking to discover: adventures and dramas, comedies, animated movies, documentaries, nostalgic faves, and stuff for young kids. If you want to dive even deeper into the streaming service’s offerings, we’ve got you covered with the guide to the best originals on Disney+, best movies available on Disney+, and even Disney+’s weirdest offerings. So… get bingeing.
Found a hidden gem on Disney+ that’s not on our list? Let your fellow fans know in the comments.
Critics Consensus: An action-packed, if anachronistic, look back at pulp matinee serials, The Rocketeer may ring hollow with viewers expecting more than simple fun and gee-whiz special effects.
Synopsis: Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) is a cocky stunt pilot in love with a beautiful actress, Jenny Blake (Jennifer Connelly). When [More]
Critics Consensus: Extra! Extra! Read all about Newsies instead of suffering through its underwhelming musical interludes, although Christian Bale makes for a spirited hero.
Synopsis: In this musical, homeless New York City newsboy Jack "Cowboy" Kelly (Christian Bale) befriends two newcomers to his trade, brothers [More]
Critics Consensus:Queen of Katwe is a feel-good movie of uncommon smarts and passion, and outstanding performances by Lupita Nyong'o and David Oyelowo help to elevate the film past its cliches.
Synopsis: Living in the slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, is a constant struggle for 10-year-old Phiona (Madina Nalwanga) and her [More]
Critics Consensus: An inspirational crowd-pleaser with a healthy dose of social commentary, Remember the Titans may be predictable, but it's also well-crafted and features terrific performances.
Synopsis: In Virginia, high school football is a way of life, an institution revered, each game celebrated more lavishly than Christmas, [More]
Critics Consensus: Bolstered by impressive special effects and a charming performance from its young star, Flight of the Navigator holds up as a solidly entertaining bit of family-friendly sci-fi.
Synopsis: This 1978 Disney adventure tells the story of 12-year-old David (Joey Cramer) who lives with his family in Fort Lauderdale, [More]
Critics Consensus: One of Disney's finest live-action adventures, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea brings Jules Verne's classic sci-fi tale to vivid life, and features an awesome giant squid.
Synopsis: In 1866, Professor Pierre M. Aronnax (Paul Lukas) and his assistant Conseil (Peter Lorre), stranded in San Francisco by reports [More]
Critics Consensus: With strong performances and director David Lynch at the helm, The Straight Story steers past sentimental byways on its ambling journey across the American heartland.
Synopsis: A retired farmer and widower in his 70s, Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) learns one day that his distant brother Lyle [More]
Critics Consensus:Return to Oz taps into the darker side of L. Frank Baum's book series with an inventive, dazzling adventure that never quite recaptures the magic of its classic predecessor.
Synopsis: Dorothy discovers she is back in the land of Oz, and finds the yellow brick road is now a pile [More]
Critics Consensus: State-of-the-art special effects and an appealing performance from Warwick Davis can't quite save Willow from its slow pace and generic story.
Synopsis: Enter the world of "Willow." Journey to the far corners of your imagination, to a land of myth and magic, [More]
Critics Consensus: This glossy edition of White Fang shaves off the rough-hewn edges that made Jack London's epic story so distinct, but gorgeous photography and heartfelt performances make this an appealing adventure.
Synopsis: This adaptation of Jack London's wilderness tale focuses on young Jack Conroy (Ethan Hawke), who has arrived in Alaska to [More]
Critics Consensus: Despite all the underdog sports movie conventions, the likable cast and lush production values make The Greatest Game Ever Played a solid and uplifting tale.
Synopsis: Blue-collar Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) fights class prejudice while mastering golf, a game guarded by the upper crust. Employed as [More]
Critics Consensus: The arresting and dynamic visuals, offbeat details and light-as-air storytelling make James and the Giant Peach solid family entertainment.
Synopsis: Featuring stop-motion animation and live action, this inventive adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved children's tale follows the adventures of James [More]
Critics Consensus: Ambitious but flawed, The Black Cauldron is technically brilliant as usual, but lacks the compelling characters of other Disney animated classics.
Synopsis: In the land of Prydain, lowly pig herder Taran (Grant Bardsley) dreams of becoming a gallant knight. Young Taran receives [More]
Critics Consensus: It certainly lacks the polish and creativity of other Disney animated features, but DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp delivers an action-packed romp with decent humor and plenty of diverting silliness.
Synopsis: Scrooge McDuck finds a magic lamp with Huey, Dewey and Louie and their girlfriend, Webby. [More]
Critics Consensus: The Great Mouse Detective may not rank with Disney's classics, but it's an amiable, entertaining picture with some stylishly dark visuals.
Synopsis: Rodent supersleuth Basil and his bumbling partner must thwart evil Ratigan's plot to depose the Mouse Queen. [More]
Critics Consensus: Though basically a TV cartoon stretched out to movie-length, Recess has enough successful jokes and smart writing to make it a worthwhile view.
Synopsis: The school year is finally over, and T.J. Detweiler is looking forward to a fun-filled summer. Boredom quickly sets in [More]
Critics Consensus:The Rescuers Down Under achieves moments of genuine wonder while adding Outback flavor to its charmingly modest story, making for a sequel that outdoes the original.
Synopsis: Cody (Adam Ryen), a boy living in the Australian outback, frees a rare golden eagle from a trap. When an [More]
Critics Consensus:A Goofy Movie offers enough of its titular ingredient to satisfy younger viewers, even if most parents will agree that this beloved character deserves better.
Synopsis: Though Goofy always means well, his amiable cluelessness and klutzy pratfalls regularly embarrass his awkward adolescent son, Max. When Max's [More]
Critics Consensus: Though its characterizations are weaker than usual, Treasure Planet offers a fast-paced, beautifully rendered vision of outer space.
Synopsis: The legendary "loot of a thousand worlds" inspires an intergalactic treasure hunt when 15-year-old Jim Hawkins stumbles upon a map [More]
Critics Consensus:The Great Muppet Caper is overplotted and uneven, but the appealing presence of Kermit, Miss Piggy and the gang ensure that this heist flick is always breezily watchable.
Synopsis: In the second live-action Muppets film, intrepid journalists Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo snag an assignment reporting on a British jewel [More]
Critics Consensus: A perfectly light, warmly funny romantic comedy that's kept afloat by Ron Howard's unobtrusive direction and charming performances from Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah.
Synopsis: A young boy saved from drowning by a beautiful mermaid, falls in love with her 20 years later when she [More]
Critics Consensus: Like the French farce it's based on, Three Men and a Baby is too self-satisfied with scatalogical humor to qualify as a bundle of joy, but the role of makeshift daddy brings out the best in Tom Selleck.
Synopsis: New York City roommates Peter (Tom Selleck), Michael (Steve Guttenberg) and Jack (Ted Danson) are all successful and happily unmarried, [More]
Critics Consensus: Even as its special effects take center stage, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids still offers a charming, high-spirited sense of adventure for the whole family.
Synopsis: When kids sneak into inventor Wayne Szalinski's (Rick Moranis) upstairs lab to retrieve an errant baseball, his experimental shrink ray [More]
Critics Consensus: Writer-director Nancy Meyers takes the winning formula of the 1961 original and gives it an amiable modern spin, while young star Lindsay Lohan shines in her breakout role.
Synopsis: Twins Annie and Hallie are strangers until happenstance unites them. The preteen girls' divorced parents, Nick and Elizabeth are living [More]
Critics Consensus: Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger add strong performances to an unexpectedly clever script, elevating 10 Things (slightly) above typical teen fare.
Synopsis: Kat Stratford is beautiful, smart and quite abrasive to most of her fellow teens, meaning that she doesn't attract many [More]
Synopsis: A UFO captained by a cat-like extraterrestrial (Ronnie Schell) is intercepted by the U.S. Military. The spacecraft's feline pilot, who [More]
Critics Consensus: Though less Muppet-centric than the original trilogy, Muppet Treasure Island is an energetic, cheerful take on Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure, with typically solid gags.
Synopsis: Kermit, Long John Silver (Tim Curry) and Young Jim Hawkins (Kevin Bishop) set sail for riches using a dead pirate's [More]
Critics Consensus: It doesn't probe as deep -- or tell as many hard truths -- as it could have, but Don Hahn's look at Disney's rebirth offers a fascinating and surprisingly candorous glimpse into the studio's past.
Synopsis: Through extensive use of archival clips, documentarian Don Hahn explores how Walt Disney Animation Studios broke out of their mid-1980s [More]
Synopsis: Legendary Walt Disney animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston helped create the studio's signature style. In this documentary, the pair [More]
Synopsis: This lyrical documentary uses high-definition photography, narration by French actress Zabou Breitman and an elaborate score to illuminate the life [More]
Critics Consensus:Jane honors its subject's legacy with an absorbing, beautifully filmed, and overall enlightening look at her decades of invaluable work.
Synopsis: Jane Goodall, a young and untrained woman, challenges the male dominated scientific consensus of her time with her chimpanzee research [More]
Critics Consensus:Free Solo depicts athletic feats that many viewers will find beyond reason - and grounds the attempts in passions that are all but universal.
Synopsis: Alex Honnold completes the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan's 3,000-foot vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park. [More]
Critics Consensus: A fervent call to action where there is no time to waste, lest our future be left in the mud; Leonardo DiCaprio makes it his mission to deliver this urgent message Before the Flood.
Synopsis: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio meets with scientists, activists and world leaders to discuss the dangers of climate change and possible solutions. [More]
Critics Consensus: It may be shamelessly derivative and overly nostalgic, but The Sandlot is nevertheless a genuinely sweet and funny coming-of-age adventure.
Synopsis: When Scottie Smalls (Thomas Guiry) moves to a new neighborhood, he manages to make friends with a group of kids [More]
Critics Consensus:Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen's superficial tendencies are unlikely to appeal to older viewers -- though its colorful candor is decidedly not intended for them in the first place.
Synopsis: Mary Elizabeth Cep (Lindsay Lohan) is an ambitious teen girl who goes by the name of Lola and aspires to [More]
Critics Consensus:Rookie of the Year gets some laughs from its novel premise, but a high strikeout rate on jokes and sentimental fouls keeps this comedy firmly in the minor leagues.
Synopsis: A freak accident causes 12-year-old Little League player Henry (Thomas Ian Nicholas) to become such a powerful and accurate pitcher [More]
Critics Consensus: Harmlessly hokey yet never much more than mediocre, Hocus Pocus is a muddled family-friendly effort that fails to live up to the talents of its impressive cast.
Synopsis: For 30 years the Sanderson Sisters have been casting spells, now see them back on the big screen for a [More]
Critics Consensus: Disappointing even by the relaxed standards of live-action children's entertainment, A Kid in King Arthur's Court stands as a rare near-total misfire from Disney.
Synopsis: When a violent earthquake rocks Southern California, hapless teenager Calvin Fuller (Thomas Ian Nicholas) finds himself careening through a hole [More]
(Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)
In Wes Anderson movies, dogs usually get the short end of the whimsy stick. The rampage began in The Royal Tenenbaums, when the family beagle is crushed by a car driven by Owen Wilson on mescaline. Since then, dogs are routinely killed, poisoned, and abandoned. As if to repent, Anderson is releasing a new stop-motion adventure all about dogs…who are crushed, killed, poisoned, and abandoned. But, hey, it’s called Isle of Dogs, a pun when said aloud about how much Anderson loves man’s best friend. Sure, dude.
Seriously, though, Isle of Dogs is a terrific tribute to the purity and loyal spirit of dogs, one that also can’t help take a few potshots at cats . The cats versus dogs debate has been raging since time immemorial, but today we’re going to solve it like true 21st century people: by throwing up a bunch of numbers on your screen! We’ve taken the 20 highest-rated dog movies, and the 20 highest-rated cat movies, and averaged out a Tomatometer for each list. The animal has to be the main crux of the plot, and movies where the dogs and cats share top billing are not included — so no Incredible Journeys or Milos & Otiseses.
The Tomatometer speaks (or barks, in this case): Dog movies get the edge over cats! But why stop there? Continue on as we break down the stats even further.
RUFF SKETCHES & FE-LINE DRAWING
Buena Vista Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Animated dog movies:101 Dalmatians, Snoopy, Come Home, Lady and the Tramp, My Dog Tulip, Bolt, Frankenweenie Average Tomatometer: 91%
Animated cat movies:The Rabbi’s Cat, The Lion King, The Cat Returns, Puss in Boots, A Cat in Paris, The Lion King 1 1/2, The Aristocats Average Tomatometer: 84%
With a little imagination, you can draw a line from the earliest cave drawings to Space Chimps 2: Zartog Strikes Back. Since the beginning, we’ve observed and studied animals around us, for re-creation on whatever canvas available. So it’s no surprise that cartoons, our updated cave art, are synonymous with talking animals, and that a significant portion of the top 20 cats and dog movies are animated. For our canine pals, the average Tomatometer for the seven animated movies is 91%. For our kitty compatriots, the T-meter for the six animated movies equals 84%, thanks to Walt Disney (The Lion King), Studio Ghibli (The Cat Returns), and Dreamworks (Puss in Boots). Why has Pixar not made the effort? Are they secretly running some anti-cat ring from their basement dungeon in Emeryville? Look into it, people.
Two documentaries pop up on the cat list: Kedi, an endearing look at strays in Instanbul, and African Cats, featuring cheetahs and lions in Kenya. From the streets to the tundra to your apartment, cats remain in our eyes independent, mysterious, and almost otherwordly. Probably why we make more documentaries about them than dogs. Dog movies revolve around their connection with humans, good fodder for tugging at the heart strings in narrative films. And the only dog documentary here, Heart of a Dog, is indeed about a dog’s bond with its master, artist Laurie Anderson. It’s 96% on the Tomatometer, while the two cat documentaries average 88%.
KILL YOUR (ANIMAL) DARLINGS
Movies where the dog dies:Old Yeller, White Dog, My Dog Tulip, My Dog Skip, Eight Below Average Tomatometer: 86%
Movies where the cat dies: The Lion King, Harry & Tonto, The Black Cat Average Tomatometer: 88%
Some people refuse to watch movies knowing the dog is going to die. But how does canine death affect the Tomatometer? Movies where a dog is killed (on-screen or off) average 86%, two percentage points down from the top 20’s 88%. But when the cat dies, the average Tomatometer actually goes up, also to a healthy 88%. What happened to the stereotype of film critics being cat people? Or is this all some twisted projection of resentment upon their own pets? You be the judge.
BITING THE HAND
Criterion Collection
Movies where the dog bites someone:White God, 101 Dalmatians, White Dog, A Boy and His Dog, White Fang 2 Average Tomatometer: 85%
Movies where the cat scratches someone:Two Brothers, Puss in Boots, Roar, Cat’s Eye Average Tomatometer: 75%
Enough about killing your pets. What happens when feral instinct rears its furry head and cats and dogs attack people? With dogs, critics seem pretty okay with it: the average Tomatometer only drops to 85%, and frankly, some of the people deserve it, like the burglars in 101 Dalmatians. And we’re including Blood from A Boy and His Dog; he doesn’t bite anybody, but he does help himself to some human delicacies, if you catch our post-apocalyptic drift. Meanwhile, critics are no fans of cat scratch fever: the average rating drops to 75% in movies where cats go on the offense. Keep those claws in your paws, kittens.
The Nut Job 2: Sometimes They Nut…Again! hits theaters this Friday with August hopes of doing better than the original‘s 10% Tomatometer score or $64 million domestic gross. Those kinds of numbers don’t exactly light fires under investors’ coin-saddled asses, but unnecessary animated sequels have happened before! And will happen again! And now they’re the focus of this week’s gallery! From 1,001 Land Before Times to that one Pocahontas where she travels to England and wrestles unobtanium from the local savages to fund John Dunbar’s peyote habit, here’s 24 more animated sequels nobody asked for (and how they turned out).
“Little Miss Sunshine,” one of the hottest properties at Sundance, was purchased Saturday by Fox Searchlight for more than $10 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film, starring Steve Carell, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, and Greg Kinnear and directed by first-timers Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton, tells the farcical story of a dysfunctional family that that bands together to enter the youngest daughter in a beauty pageant. This may be the richest deal in festival history; Miramax purchased “Happy, Texas” for $10 million in 1999.
"The Incredibles," Pixar’s latest animated feature, won Best Animated Feature, Best Director, Best Character Animation, and six other categories in the 32nd Annie Awards on Sunday, Variety reports. Disney’s "The Lion King 1 1/2" won Best Home Entertainment Production; "SpongeBob SquarePants" won Best Animated Television Production; "Lorenzo" won Best Animated Short Subject; and Disney’s "On the Front Line" DVD took home the Special Achievement award.
67%
39%
94%
- -
