Best Disney Plus Movies You Can Watch Right Now (Dec. 2020)

THE COMPLETE DISNEY PLUS MOVIE LIST

Home Alone

GREAT CHRISTMAS MOVIES ON DISNEY+

Noelle

CLASSIC CHRISTMAS FLICKS ON DISNEY+

Babes in Toyland

FUNNY MOVIES ON DISNEY+

The Santa Clause

WHAT ANIMATED FILMS ARE ON DISNEY+?

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

The early 2000s were an interesting time for Disney animation. Princess tales took a backseat to movies like Treasure Planet, Atlantic: The Lost Empire, and The Emperor’s New Groove. This also happened to be the time when 2D animation was beginning to get phased out for 3D. It’s hard to imagine Disney greenlighting something like this these days, and that’s what makes it such a special addition to the Disney inventory.

ACTION-ADVENTURE FILMS ON DISNEY PLUS

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi

It’s divisive, but for our money, the Star Wars sequels peaked with The Last Jedi. The film sees Rey seeking the tutelage of Luke Skywalker, who has become a hermit on a far-off planet. It’s up to her to learn the ways of the Jedi so that she can bring down the First Order. It’s a brilliant deconstruction of the Star Wars mythos and stars Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley, and Adam Driver. 

GOOD MOVIES FOR FAMILIES ON DISNEY PLUS

National Treasure

You’ve seen the memes; now watch the movie. Nic Cage stars in this adventure film about a cryptologist who sets out to steal the Declaration of Independence so that he can find a hidden treasure before a group of nefarious criminals do. Sean Bean, Diane Kruger, and Justin Bartha also star in the hit film. 

DISNEY PLUS SPORT MOVIES

Miracle 

Even people who don’t follow sports have heard of the “Miracle on Ice.” This film follows the true story of the U.S. men’s ice hockey team who defied the odds and went on to win the gold medal at the 1980 Olympics. The inspirational film stars Kurt Russell and Patricia Clarkson. 

BEST MOVIES TO WATCH ON DISNEY PLUS NOW

Willow

The dark fantasy film that haunted numerous millennials’ childhoods is now available to watch on Disney+. The film follows Willow, a farmer who takes on the reluctant role of rescuing a baby from an evil queen, who plans on destroying the child to take over the world. It’s one of director Ron Howard’s most beloved works and stars Warwick Davis, Val Kilmer, and Jean Marsh.  

MCU IN DISNEY PLUS

Captain America: The Winter Soldier 

There are numerous movies about “found families.” Guardians of the Galaxy follows in these footsteps with a group of criminals joining forces for good. But it goes deeper than that. Many of the central heroes were forced into their respective lives of crime. Peter was abducted by Yondu’s gang. Gamora is Thanos’s daughter. They all make a decision to do better and become better people together. Your real family can influence you to do wrong, but your found family, the friends you make throughout life, can lead you down a better path. 

GOOD MOVIES ON DISNEY PLUS FOR EVERYONE

The Adventures of Huck Finn

Based on the literary classic, this 1993 film follows a young Huck Finn as he joins up with an escaped slave as they travel down the Mississippi River. The film stars Elijah Wood, Courtney B. Vance, and Robbie Coltrane in a must-watch for any fans of the book. 

DISNEY PLUS DOCUMENTARIES

Diana: In Her Own Words

Diana: In Her Own Words originally aired on Channel 4 in the U.K. The film documents the life of the famous princess and includes video footage of Princess Diana speaking about her own experiences becoming a member of the royal family. If you’re a fan of The Crown on Netflix, then this documentary is must-see viewing.

Born in China follows three different animal families: golden snub-nosed monkeys, snow leopards, and giant pandas. The stories they manage to intertwine with these animals help give them a greater sense of scale. By humanizing the animals, there’s a greater sense of urgency in trying to protect them.

To make sure the documentary crew didn’t get in Alex Honnold’s way, they had to develop a special recording device. Honnold kept this item in his chalk bag, so they could still capture every single sound. It’s an innovative solution and shows how even the most difficult to capture documentary subjects can still end up in gripping detail on camera.

While a musical of sorts has developed about Ratatouille on TikTok, you can now see the original film in all its glory. The Pixar film about a rat who teachers a timid chef how to cook is one of the studio’s best offerings. With the voice acting talents of Patton Oswalt, Ian Holm, and Lou Romano, this is the movie to watch when you’re in search of inspiration. It teaches you how anyone can do anything as long as they put their mind to it. 

A little girl stumbles upon the world of giants and meets the BFG “Big, Friendly Giant.” Steven Spielberg brings his trademark wonder and whimsy to this children’s film that stars Mark Rylance and Ruby Barnhill. 

Live-action and animation come together wonderfully in the classic Disney flick, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The film follows a witch who gets the assistance of three children fleeing from the London Blitz. The kids will use a magic bed to enter a fantasy land and escape from oncoming German troops. Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson star in this musical/fantasy production. 

GOOD MODERN MOVIES ON DISNEY PLUS

Big Hero 6

The merging of Disney and Marvel would inevitably lead to an animated superhero film, and the result was Big Hero 6. It’s an underrated film in Disney’s modern canon. And the creative team behind it wisely decided to not connect the movie with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It stands on its own, telling a heartfelt superhero story without the need to connect it something bigger than what the movie needs to be. 

Director Tom McCarthy went from the Oscar-winning drama Spotlight to a movie about a boy running a detective agency with a bear as a best friend. While the movies are very different, McCarthy keeps his attention focused on the humanity within these characters. There are plenty of zany moments and deadpan jokes in this movie, but the characters and their emotions remain the focal point.  

Rick Moranis had such a wonderful presence on-screen. He comes across as your dad, provided your father had impeccable comedic timing. With roles in films like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Ghostbusters, he became beloved by a generation. He quit acting to take care of his children after his wife passed away, and while we may never see him in another film, we at least have the memories from such joyous movies as this one. 

James Cameron brought us Aliens, so it’s not a surprise to see his fascination with extraterrestrial life on full display in Aliens of the Deep. Cameron journeys into the depths of the ocean, showing how life can thrive in such extreme environments.  It’s a truly remarkable documentary considering the footage they were able to capture, and it shows how dedicated Cameron is as a filmmaker in the way he pushes the limits of technology.

LIST OF THE BEST DISNEY+ MOVIES

Old Yeller

Combining live-action with animation is no easy feat. But even back in 1964, Disney was up for the challenge. To accomplish this, the film relied heavily on rotoscoping. Mattes were created via Sodium Vapor screens. Extensive wire work required the film’s VFX team to take them out of the final frame. It was a marvel at the time, and one in which such care and precision is tough to replicate today.

A prominent problem with many streaming services is the severe lack of older films. It’s hard to find anything prior to the 1980s most of the time, which is why you should take advantage of classic films whenever they’re available. The Sound of Music, which was actually the highest-grossing film of all time from 1965 to 1970. It’s the last Rodgers/Hammerstein collaboration of the era, and it’s a lovely film that should be on every filmmaker’s watchlist. 

Christopher Robin takes a unique spin on the tale of Winnie the Pooh. While other live-action Disney adaptations pretty much parrot what came before, this film allows the titular character to grow up. He’s lost the magic he had as a child until he starts talking to Pooh and pals once again. It’s a heart-warming film that shows you don’t have to lose childhood magic just because you become an adult.

The original book deals with some pretty heavy themes regarding animal imprisonment. The film functions as an interesting adaptation in how it kind of “Disney-fies” the source material to make it more family-friendly. But through it all, it’s still a tear-jerking affair with well-done CGI animals.

Sister Act, a film about a lounge singer going into the witness protection program after witnessing a murder and becoming a nun, is pure fun. There’s a real kinetic energy to film from the jokes to the musical numbers. It’s the perfect family film to pass onto your own children, and it’s held up amazingly well.

What makes the 1998 Mulan so much better than the live-action version? There are a lot of potential answers to this question. But one answer could be in how the original, Mulan is just a normal girl trying to do the right thing. She struggles and develops as an individual after joining the Imperial Army. In the 2020 version, Mulan is magical… for some reason. There’s no growth because she’s already as powerful as she possibly could be. Fortunately, the remake’s presence doesn’t take away from the wonderful original.

Before superhero movies were all the rage, The Rocketeer was viewed as a bit of a gamble. But the film ends up serving as a fun prototype for what the superhero movie would become. It’s good, old-fashioned fun, and it’s easy to see why director Joe Johnston was brought onboard to direct Captain America: The First Avenger.

Reviving a long-existing property is no easy feat. But The Muppets accomplishes just that. It takes what everyone loved about the Muppets in the first place but infuses newfound life. It proved the puppets had a place in the 21st century. Hopefully, there will be plenty more Muppet movies to come.

Lindsay Lohan’s character was originally written as goth. It would have made for an interesting dynamic as her mother takes on a completely different persona and one she’s entirely unfamiliar with. However, by making the character preppy, the movie avoids feeling too dated. The script was rewritten when Lohan appeared at the audition in preppy attire, and now the movie is a Disney classic.

Avatar deserves praise for what it did for motion picture technology. New motion capture filming techniques were utilized, and the film served as a breakthrough for stereoscopic filmmaking. It created the illusion of depth so incredibly well. Other films in the following years tried to hop aboard the 3D train, but none of them had the same care and precision as Avatar. We can’t wait to see how good the sequels look compared to the first one.

Hamilton brings a 2016 performance with the original Broadway cast to the masses. The show won 11 Tonys and reignited people’s interest in musical theater. And you get a similarly thrilling experience watching a filmed version.

The way they filmed the show was to record two live performances and one where the camera crew could actually be onstage. Seeing the emotion on the actors’ faces makes you feel like you have a front row seat to the best show in town.

Toy Story went through numerous iterations. At one point, Woody was described as plainly “a jerk.” But the team at Pixar stuck with it and kept reinventing the story. All the while, they pretty much came up with a bold new animation style that no one had used for a feature-length film before. But of course, movie history was made instead.

So many adaptations of older properties try to mold them into modern reimaginings. But you don’t need to fix what isn’t broken. The Peanuts Movie sees Charlie Brown trying to win favor with the Little Red-Haired Girl, and Snoopy imagines himself as a legendary pilot. It takes what worked so well all those years ago and simply reintroduces these beloved characters to a new audience.

GOOD MOVIES ON DISNEY PLUS FOR KIDS

Tangled

The story of Rapunzel has never seemed quite so… magical. Tangled utilized a mix of traditional animation and computer-generated imagery to create a unique artistic style at the time of release. When all was said and done, the movie took six years and an estimated $260 million to bring to life, making it one of the most expensive films of all time. Frozen may have gotten a lot of the glory out of the new Disney animated renaissance we’re currently in, but Tangled deserves some special attention. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas originated from Tim Burton’s childhood. He was obsessed with holidays growing up because he felt it gave time more texture. He developed the idea for the story while working at Disney but was later fired. He went on to direct successes like Beetlejuice, and the chance to bring The Nightmare Before Christmas was rejuvenated. In contrast to popular belief, he didn’t direct the film, but it’s forever associated with Burton’s unique sensibilities.