Film Deputy Editor Ed Budds has got you sorted when it comes to what to watch on Disney+
Disney+ is now finally available in the UK. With more than 500 films for you to gorge yourselves on, this vastly impressive collection has an absolute wealth of modern classics and forgotten gems. We’ve rounded up our list of the most essential films available for your consumption, from superhero action-adventures to classic Disney animation and the recent genius of Pixar. The old House of Mouse has of course recently acquired gigantic and shrewd purchases of properties such as Marvel, Star Wars and 20th Century Fox, meaning Disney+ boasts a seriously impressive line-up of feature films that you simply cannot miss on the newest streaming service on the block.
One of the main draws of Disney+ is the entire catalogue of Star Wars films. Every movie is available up to The Rise of Skywalker, which drops soon in the UK. This also includes Solo and the excellent Rogue One, the first two ‘A Star Wars Story’ movies. On top of this is the Original Trilogy, so easy to delve nostalgically back into, now remastered in 4K HDR, looking even more sublimely gorgeous than ever before.
Next up, Disney+ is now the easiest way to work your way through the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, as every MCU film is now available at the click of a button. Except for just three titles: Spiderman Far from Home, Spiderman Homecoming, as they remain Sony properties for now and the quite frankly now irrelevant Incredible Hulk. Whether it’s the charming and hilarious intergalactic mischief of Guardians of the Galaxy, the origin stories of Iron Man, Captain America and Black Panther, or the all-out psychedelic comedy and Taika Waititi helmed Thor: Ragnarok, there is something for all fans, both die-hard Marvel obsessives and newcomers wanting to know what all the fuss is about.
Obviously there’s a special shout out to only the BIGGEST MOST SUCCESSFUL FILM OF ALL TIME, Avengers: Endgame, the utterly spectacular conclusion to the latest phase of the MCU, and the culmination of 23 wonderfully crafted films.
“there is something for all fans, both die-hard marvel obsessives and newcomers wanting to know what the fuss is all about.”
Disney+ also has all of its old classics on offer ready to be revisited such as Cinderella, Mulan and The Little Mermaid, amongst every other animated classic from their back catalogue, including of course Snow White, the film that started it all off back in 1937. This is alongside the new live-action remakes such as Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Lion King and Tim Burton’s take on Dumbo. Or if you lean more towards the new generation of Disney, you can enjoy the fantastic Moana, the singalongs of Frozen or the deliciously sassy and irresistibly Scottish Brave.
One of the most important strands of Disney’s infinite list of properties is Pixar, who redefined animation in the mid-90s with the game-changing Toy Story, and they’ve barely released anything other than stone-cold classics ever since. Let yourself be emotionally manipulated by that ending in Toy Story 3 or the crushing, achingly beautiful opening montage to Up. Recent Pixar meditations on the intricacies of the human brain and all its emotional turmoil in the Oscar-winning Inside Out, as well as confronting death and the grieving process in Coco, are some of the studio’s most impressive recent work. Additionally, there are all the noughties classics such as The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo to binge and re-binge on repeat.
Finally, as well as the truly impressive assortment of juggernaut franchises on offer, there is a wealth of other films acquired by Disney for your viewing pleasure such as Avatar, James Cameron’s epic introduction to the world of Pandora and Na’vi. Not to mention Edward Scissorhands, Cool Runnings and Home Alone. With the arrival of every season of the Simpsons also come the Simpsons Movie, and older hit comedies such as The Muppets, Sister Act and Who Framed Roger Rabbit can all be found on the platform too.
Words by Ed Budds
This article was originally published as part of The Indiependent’s May 2020 charity magazine, which is still on sale and is raising money for the British Lung Foundation. Find out more here.