Ever since being made available to the public, Disney+ has been red hot as of late, even taking away viewership and subscribers from streaming giant Netflix. But like Netflix, Disney+ also has an amazingly huge library of content both old and new, and that’s why we made a shortlist of older Disney films that you should definitely get back to.
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
As much as Angelina Jolie is one of the best actresses in the world, her incarnation of Maleficent still pales in comparison to the OG classic Disney villain that drew the attention of audiences back then to the darker and less sweet Disney princess animated film.
WALL-E (2008)
Wall-E is probably Pixar’s greatest masterpiece. The film was fresh, ambitious and anything but mainstream to begin with. Who does an animated feature with the first thirty minutes not having any dialogue whatsoever. But that’s the charm of this little movie, it has heart in a dystopic world reveled by mankind to the point of collapse and the tiny robot that could who redeems everything by using his emotion.
The Princess and the Frog (2009)
When Pixar rolled into town, the Mouse House temporarily stopped their production of their classic animated features. Good thing they decided to return to their roots back in 2009 (I wish they’d do some more of those classic styled animation masterpieces of theirs today) when they whipped out their version of The Princess and the Frog. Not only is the story set in New Orleans, but it was the first Disney movie that featured an African-American Disney princess. Back then it didn’t do that well in the box office because to be fair, it was a bit ahead of its time, but if it was produced today? Move over 2019 Lion King and Aladdin.
Tangled (2010)
Ah, the predecessor of Frozen. A fresh re-telling of the Rapunzel fairytale and this will probably land me in hot water, but I think Tangled is better than Frozen. The story is better, the jokes are funnier, the characters more fleshed out. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Frozen when it came out. I mean, I love Idina Menzel since her Rent and Wicked days. But as much as Frozen is seen and logistically a way more successful film, it doesn’t have a grumpy horse and a cute chameleon.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Quasimodo led the last bastion of Disney’s golden age of animated films. After Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is probably the most despondent of all of the above classics. I mean c’mon, don’t you think this is where shows like Supernatural got their broody and existential characters? And again, just like Princess and the Frog, if this was made today? Given that the world has championed acceptance and empathy, this would have been a more successful film.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Arguably the best Holiday film in existence, this award-winning movie touts family and a more mature take on still upholding the spirit of the Christmas season to heart.