Disney Plus is full of brilliant films, from classic animations to the latest Star Wars and Marvel films.
It’s not just Disney classics either, with a massive – and growing – library of movies from 20th Century Fox, which Disney bought out a few years ago. This opened up the catalog far beyond the family favorites that Disney itself is best known for.
All of this means there’s absolutely plenty to choose from, leaving even the best of us stuck with that dreaded streaming service panic: What am I actually watching!?!
This is where we come in. From old school animations to live action favorites – and of course everything from Pixar, Star Wars, And Marvel – we’ve done our best to select the best movies we’ve found on Disney+ so far. This includes exclusives like Soul and the Predator prequel Prey.
If you’re looking for a series rather than a feature film, take a look at the best TV shows on Disney Plus.
The Lion King
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This is Disney at its best. Iconic songs, beautiful 2D animation and a story that will literally make you sob every time you watch it (right, just us?), as you follow the heir to the kingdom, Simba. The realistic 2019 remake is also on the service, but the original blows it up anyway.
High fidelity
John Cusack is phenomenal in this 2000 classic about a misanthropic music store owner working through his past relationships to figure out where they all went wrong. It’s since been reversed for a TV show starring Zoe Kravitz (which you’ll also find on Disney+), but the original is hard to beat – and just as great for one of the rare Jack Black performances that is. intolerable. intentionally.
die hard
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All three original (read: good) Die Hard movies can be found on Disney+, but it’s the first that’s truly an undisputed classic (not to mention the disputed Christmas movie). Bruce Willis is iconic as a New York cop caught up in a terrorist attack at an office Christmas party, casually reinventing the action genre along the way. Decades later, it still feels like he hasn’t aged a day.
Big Hero 6
This collaboration between Disney animation and Marvel results in a geek’s dream. Big Hero 6 features six (go figure) random superheroes, including the big, adorable inflatable robot Baymax. We dare you to watch and not cry.
Fly
One of the gnarliest horror films featured on Disney+ (as part of its Star catalog), The Fly is arguably David Cronenberg’s magnum opus: body horror par excellence, with enough oozing, oozing, and flaking that you’ll never feel the same about that little itch on your thigh again. Having Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis as the ’80s power couple at the heart of it all doesn’t really hurt either.
personal customer
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You probably don’t deeply associate Disney with avant-garde introspection, but in Personal Shopper, it delivers one of the best movies in years to fall into that category. A post-Twilight Kristen Stewart stars, a fashion shopper for the wealthy in Paris who searches for signs that her recently deceased twin brother is still out there. Powerful and poignant, it’s a slow burn, but worth the wait.
The French connection
If you need a good reason to watch The French Connection, it’s because it continues perhaps the most influential car chase ever on celluloid. Either way, it’s a fantastic slow-burn crime, but the pressure of the building is released when Gene Hackman’s detective Doyle sends his car hurtling through the streets of New York – in some shots, dodging real pedestrians – chasing a criminal on an elevated train.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
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One of the latest MCU movies – and a key part of the franchise’s Phase Four – Multiverse of Madness sees Marvel stepping into horror for the first time, helped in large part by Evil Dead director Sam Raimi. It’s surprisingly gruesome for a Marvel movie, and includes more of Raimi’s directorial talent than we’re used to seeing from the studio, which feels like a welcome change of pace from the MCU. .
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
It might be a controversial choice, but The Last Jedi is by far the best movie in Disney’s latest Star Wars trilogy and the best in the franchise since Empire (which you’ll also find on this list, of course). It’s smart enough to shed some of the show’s dead weight and find new aspects of the mythology to explore, features a fitting finale to the Luke Skywalker arc, and has perhaps the most striking visual of all. all movies from a galaxy far, far away.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Roger Rabbit was a first of its kind: bringing together real actors with some of the most iconic cartoons, including Jessica Rabbit and Bugs Bunny. It also features Christopher Lloyd as the film’s villain, Judge Doom. As a warning, you’ll never see him as Doc from Back to the Future again after this. He is terrifying.
Extraterrestrial
When Disney announced it would be adding Fox’s back catalog to Disney+, many people’s first question was, “Even Alien!?”
And apparently, yeah, even Alien. And not just Alien, but all of its sequels, good and bad – except for the abysmal Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.
Soul
The Soul is firmly on the weird end of the Pixar spectrum – it’s about a middle-aged jazz musician who finally gets his big break…and then dies. And that’s just the first five minutes.
What follows is a strange meditation on life and the afterlife, with Jamie Foxx as the recently deceased Joe – desperate to return to his body – and Tina Fey as a troublesome young soul who accompanied. It’s silly, sweet, funny, poignant, and more. Simply put: it has a soul.
Thor: Ragnarok
The first two Thor movies never really made the most of the character’s obvious potential, but with Thor: Ragnarok, director Taika Waititi got a free hand to make things weird. The main stroke of genius was turning it into a Hulk buddy comedy, but let’s not forget Cate Blanchett’s Evil Gothic Queen, Tessa Thompson’s queer icon Valkyrie, or Jeff Goldblum’s Flash Gordon, dismissing the alien ruler. Probably the best MCU movie to date, which is saying something.
Follow-up Thor: Love and Thunder is now also on D+, but it’s definitely not as good as this one.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Okay, the Pirates of the Caribbean series has probably gone on a little too long and now looks likely to get the dreaded reboot treatment. However, this 2000s classic is the pinnacle of pirate movies, with Hans Zimmer’s most nautical theme, and just the right amount of ridiculousness. Just ignore whatever came after.
Prey
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Who would have bet that we would actually have a great Predator movie in 2022? After years of silly sequels, it took director Dan Trachtenberg to set the series back a few hundred years to reinvigorate the beast, following the electric Amber Midthunder as a Comanche hunter facing a new kind of threat. As good as Arnie’s original.
Romeo + Juliet
Baz Luhrmann’s finest film is this anarchic take on Shakespeare, best remembered for its fusion of modern setting (and soundtrack!) with archaic language – perfectly encapsulated by the sidearm Sword. 9mm. Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes are the stunned lovers, while the late Pete Postlethwaite gives an always welcome turn as the priest who unwittingly helps bring about their demise.
Aquatic Life with Steve Zissou
It would be tempting to argue to declare The Life Aquatic director Wes Anderson’s best film, but it’s certainly one of his most charming – and representative. Anderson favorites like Bill Murray, Anjelica Huston and Willem Dafoe pack the cast; the soundtrack is made up of Portuguese covers of David Bowie hits; and isn’t afraid to switch abruptly into stop-motion animation when the time demands it.
nomadland
The Best Picture of 2021 Oscar Winner Isn’t Exactly a Classic Disney Film – But It’s East an absolute masterpiece. And director Chloe Zhao has since followed it up with the Marvel Eternals movie, so the House of Mouse clearly loves it.
Here, Frances McDormand plays an aging nomad who left a suburban life to live in a trailer and travel the heartland of the United States in search of seasonal work.
Nomadland never pulls its punches, but is also open to the romance of life on the road, offering a nuanced and balanced portrayal of the economic forces that can drive people out of stable lives and onto the road – and the unexpected beauty that can keep there.
Barbaric
21st century fox
Warning: Barbarian is intense. Like, intense intense. For example, even horror veterans should be warned intensely. But this thrill ride is also hugely fun, with a vicious sense of humor and some excellent needle-dropping moments that twist your expectations. But still…intense.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star wars to end all star wars. The Rebel Alliance struggles to stand up to the might of the Empire, while Luke Skywalker continues his Jedi training with Master Yoda. If you’re somehow new to Star Wars, we recommend watching Star Wars first for full context – and to get the full impact of one of the biggest cinematic twists in history. history.
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