Kids must be having an absolute with Disney Plus. I would have gone crazy for this as a kid. I would’ve rewatched all the Star Wars, Pixar, Disney Classics, and of course, the best of them all, High School Musical movies over and over again.
The amount of choice can be a little overwhelming, though. Sometimes I spend about an hour looking for a movie to watch. (In the end, I give up and just watch The Mandolorian again).
Here is a guide to some of the best Disney Plus movies for kids.
Mulan (1998)
Mulan is one of the best Disney Plus movies for kids. To stop the Huns from invading China, the Chinese emperor orders one man from every household to take up a sword and fight.
Mulan has only one man in her house, her father, who can barely walk without his cane and is in no state to help fight the Huns. She then disguises herself as a man and takes her father’s place, working to save him along with the entire nation.
For one thing, it’s really great seeing a strong female lead in a hero’s journey story like this. I like how Mulan takes it upon herself to save her father. It’s inspiring to see her going from barely being able to wield a sword to a skilled warrior who takes on an entire army of Huns.
The music in Mulan is amazing too. The song that plays over the training montage “I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” is one of my favorite Disney songs, besides the groundbreaking masterpiece that is “Get’cha Head In The Game” from High School Musical.
This movie also has the best artstyle in any of the Disney animated features. It looks like a moving Chinese painting.
The Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Movies
The Diary Of A Wimpy Kid movies are perfect for middle schoolers. These movies are a great addition to Disney Plus for kids and the adults will probably enjoy them too!
The movies are based on the popular never-ending Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney follow Greg Heffley on a comedic journey through one of the darkest, scariest places on Earth: middle school.
There are four Wimpy Kid movies and only three of them are on Disney Plus – Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick Rules, and the Long Haul. The first two are great, but while the Long Haul has its moments, it’s the weakest one of the series.
Phineas And Ferb The Movie – Across The 2nd Dimension
Based on the cartoon series on Disney Channel, Phineas and Ferb along with the rest of the gang get trapped in an alternate dimension, where another Dr. Doofenshmirtz rules over a dystopian tri-state area. They run into their alternative selves, battle an army of evil robots, and take part in lots of hilarious fun.
It’s just as funny, imaginative, and smart as the series. This is one of the best Disney movies for kids on Disney Plus.
The best parts of the movie are when the characters run into their alternative selves in the second dimension. My favorite joke is when Doofenshmirtz-1 hears Doofenshmirtz-2’s backstory, where the only reason he turned into a tyrannical, sinister dictator was that he lost his toy train when he was kid.
Adults will enjoy this one too. It is mostly for kids, but there are lots of jokes that’ll make older viewers laugh.
Inside Out
The first line of the Inside Out movie sums up the main concept pretty well: “Do you ever look at someone and wonder ‘what is going on inside their head?'”
In this brilliant Disney Pixar movie, you meet the voices inside your head.
As of now, this is one of the cleverest features Pixar has created. The characters and environment are all a metaphor for what’s going in the main character’s head. For example, if the main character is in an emotional crisis, the environment will start crumbling apart.
It’s a lot of fun seeing the mind represented in a movie. It answers questions like where dreams come from, why you forget things, and why songs get stuck in your head. This Disney Plus movie is great for all the family to watch.
The Princess And The Frog
It’s the classic Princess and the Frog tale, but with a few twists along the way…
The Princess and the Frog movie stands up there with some of the Disney greats, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty. Though, it doesn’t compare to the magnum opus of storytelling that is High School Musical (OK just kidding).
This Disney Princess movie has a very positive message. You have to work hard to accomplish your dreams.
Here it strays far away from the typical messages in Disney movies, which say that everything you ever wished for will just land at your feet.
Monsters University on Disney Plus
Ever wondered how Sulley and Mike met? Find out it in this prequel to Monsters Inc., where in order to get back into Monsters Univerity’s scare program, Sulley and Mike have to beat the odds and win the formidable Scare Games.
To be honest, this is far from being the best movie on this list. It’s no where near as imaginative, funny, or heart-warming as the other Pixar movies.
However, what saves it is its message. I won’t say what it is, as it will spoil the movie, but all I’ll say is it offers a different perspective on college that isn’t really talked about much. You’ll know what I mean when you see it.
Disney Pixar Cars on Disney Plus
Most kids have seen this already, but any that haven’t should do as soon as possible.
Lightning McQueen’s journey to his big race in California goes awry after he is detained for accidentally tearing up the main road in the small, quiet town of Radiator Springs. Before he can get back on the road to California, he must fix the damage he’s done in Radiator Springs. There, he takes part in hilarious antics, makes new friends, falls in love, and learns some valuable life lessons.
Kids will adore this movie, along with the two sequels. It’s funny, inspiring, and it has lots of really exiciting, fast-paced races.
Zootopia
Zootopia is one of the best animated features Disney has produced this past decade.
In a world populated entirely by animals, Judy Hopps, a bunny, attempts to prove that she can be a policewoman, where her colleagues don’t believe a small bunny is as capable as some of the bigger, tougher policemen.
In the forefront is your traditional Disney movie, with lots of cute characters, funny moments, adventure, action, etc., but beneath that is a story of prejudice, and how people manipulate other’s prejudices to meet that own ends.
So pretty heavy stuff for a Disney movie.
It’s a great way of teaching children about racism and prejudice. Of course, those are very complex topics, and it doesn’t cover them in their entirety, but it gives at least a basic understanding of them.
Mary Poppins
An absolute classic. Everyone needs to see the Mary Poppins movie at some point in their lives.
Two kids, Michael and Jane, are in need of a new nanny after their last one quit, unable to handle them. The new nanny, Mary Poppins, turns out to have magic powers, and takes the kids on all kinds of adventures, along with their friend with a – well… let’s say unusual cockney accent, Bert.
Pretty much everything is perfect in this movie. It’s runtime is over two hours, but it only feels like 30 minutes – it’s that good!
All the songs are fantastic, and some of them are Disney’s best, like “Feed The Birds” or “Spoonful Of Sugar.”
The dance numbers are just as good – the one for “Step In Time” where they’re dancing on the rooftops goes on for nearly 10 minutes, but it has so much energy and life that those minutes go by like seconds.
High School Musical
Last, but certainly not least, is the holy trinity of cinema: the High School Musical trilogy.
The High School Musical movies follow six teens – Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Ryan, and Sharpay – as they face some of the challenges of High School, like learning that they don’t always have to go with the status quo, or trying to figure out what they want to do after they graduate. This is all tied with huge dance numbers and lots of great songs.
They’re a lot of fun to watch because they’re very cheesy. It’s funny to see a very polished, cookie-cutter, perfect looking High School and to see the entire campus suddenly burst into a full on dance number in an instant.
Though to be fair, they do get into slightly more serious subject matter from time to time. The third movie is mainly about them trying to figure out what they want to do after High School, and while they’re still very over-the-top, some of the characters stories are compelling.
It’s worth at least one watch, and is most certainly one of the best movies for kids on Disney Plus.
How to Watch Disney Plus
Disney Plus is an essential streaming service for Disney fans. It has a huge range of things to watch – not just the obvious Disney movies. You can get the details at Disney +
Pricing starts at just $69.99 a year or $6.99 per month.
You will want to see our guide to Best Movies for Teens, or maybe the 20 Best Movies to Watch on Disney Plus. If you enjoy animation check out the Best Animated Movies on Disney Plus
If Pixar is more your thing then you must check out Best Disney Pixar Shorts on Disney Plus.
Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.