Disney+ proves it's not just for Marvel with these hidden gems available to stream
In today’s day and age, finding the right thing to watch can be pretty challenging: There seem to be a dozen streaming platforms, and each one has endless content. You can spend half your night narrowing down what to watch.
But Disney+ is one of my personal favorites for streaming, mostly because it houses some of the biggest movie franchises we know and love. Even though it houses the greats, there are also a lot of great movies on Disney+ that you might not know are on the application. Make sure you take advantage of your account and check out these films.
“Enchanted” is a fun twist on Disney classics made by Disney themselves. It mixes the storyline of the fairytale princess with an early 2000s rom-com, which is the perfect recipe for a movie. It took a few years for the movie to make it to Disney+ (which was an absolute crime), but now that it’s available for streaming, definitely take advantage of this gem of a film — especially since we’re expecting a sequel soon.
“The Princess Bride” is a beloved classic for a reason. It balances romance, humor, action and heart all in a tidy hour and 40 minutes. Though I'd seen the film plenty of times before getting Disney+, I didn’t realize it was part of its collection until after exploring the app for a while. This film climbs higher on my list of favorites after every rewatch, so even if it’ll be your first time or 10th time watching, it’s always worth a stream.
There are a lot of amazing musical adaptations available on Disney+, and plenty of classics for theater fans to rewatch or broaden their horizons with. “The Sound of Music,” “Oklahoma” and the 2021 adaptation of “West Side Story” (coming to Disney+ March 2) are a few great options.
“Hello, Dolly” is a personal favorite of mine. It’s vibrant and fun, with excellent choreography, great costumes and brilliant performances. Barbra Streisand especially shines in this film adaptation, and you’ll be humming the tunes for days after you’ve seen it. (Bonus: If you’re a “Wall-E” fan, you may recognize a few of the songs that were featured in the film).
If you grew up watching “The Muppets” with Jason Segel and Amy Adams, you have to check out the original Muppet movie from 1979. Just like the 2011 film, “The Muppet Movie” is a musical-comedy with tunes just as catchy and memorable as “Man or Muppet.”
“The Rainbow Connection” warms my heart every time I hear it, and “Movin’ Right Along” even trended on TikTok, so you’ll probably recognize a few of the songs even if you haven’t seen the movie. But even if you have seen it, take a trip down memory lane and check out the first Muppet movie.
“Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
This is the perfect film to watch right now, as it’s just been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The documentary covers the Harlem Cultural Festival, which occurred in 1969 and received little attention at the time.
“Summer of Soul” seeks to rectify this and bring the festival the relevancy in pop culture it deserves. The film has received critical praise and has already won numerous awards. Disney+ currently has a few documentaries, and this is one of the best, especially if you’re keeping up with Oscar nominations.
Don’t get me wrong: I love Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar and classic animated Disney films. But we all know they’re up there, so peruse through this list and find a few films you may not have realized they had available.
From documentaries to musicals to treasured classics, Disney+ has a wide selection to scroll through and some of these might just be worth your watch.
