Disney+ turned one year old on Thursday, November 12, 2020, and in the last 365 days Disney has added most of its own extensive catalog and the catalogs of its franchises such as Star Wars, Marvel and The Muppets.
This has made Disney+ one of the best streaming services for viewers looking for famous family favorites. Here are some of the absolute best the service has to offer.
The best movies now streaming on Disney+
Avengers: Final
It was a tricky undertaking for Marvel to bring the story of 20 movies to a satisfactory conclusion, but the superhero studio managed to save the day in this epic film and its horde of epic women who set out to save the day.
Fantasy
The culmination of Disney’s golden age, Fantasia, is just that: pure animation for animation’s sake, a symphony of beauty that includes probably the best of Mickey Mouse shorts.
Fantasia Mr. Fox
Because Wes Anderson is known for his precise and accurate stage design, Stop Motion was a logical next step for him, and the result was this delightful all-star Roald Dahl adaptation in which every frame feels like a painting.
Free Solo
If the thrill of Star Wars and Marvel gets too boring for you, Free Solo might be just the thing to get you back on your feet, as it tells the story of a climber known for his breathtaking climbs without ropes.
Hamilton
Hamilton is the best known of the Disney+ releases of the first year and at the same time one of the best, a chance to see the best musical of the last 25 years from the best seat in the house without paying a fortune.
Hidden figures
The story of three black NASA mathematicians, Hidden Figures, is an inspiring demonstration of how much not only blacks live, but black heads count.
From the inside out
Pixar’s latest masterpiece, Inside Out, is the latest of her films, which uses a high concept to reveal the emotional truth about the life of a young girl who deals with adolescence through a hilarious range of personified emotions.
The Jungle Book
Although the 2016 version is probably the best of the live-action remakes (although that doesn’t say much), it’s the original 1967 version you should definitely check out, featuring some of Disney’s best songs and characters.
Wonders on 34th Street
For many, Disney is inseparably linked to Christmas, but one of its best holiday films comes from the Fox catalog that the streamer recently acquired. Miracle on 34th Street not only tells the heartwarming story of a department store Santa Claus who could be the real Santa Claus, but has such a good Santa Claus in Edmund Gwenn that he won an Oscar for this role.
Moana
Frozen got the big box office hits and praise, but Moana is the much better modern Disney movie – and in its jewel-studded crab scene it has the most psychedelic moment Disney has had since Alice in Wonderland.
The Muppet Movie
Marvel and Star Wars are not the only franchises to which Disney now holds the rights. The studio also owns the rights to the Muppets, which means that viewers can see the original (and still the best) of the films of Jim Henson’s creations.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Disney+ ethos of offering only family-friendly rates means that the service lacks truly frightening rates. But what it does have are the festive horrors of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The Peanut Movie
Although this CGI reboot of the classic Charlie Brown and Snoopy comics from a few years ago largely disappeared under the radar, it is a charming treat that brings peanuts to modern times without losing the charm (and gentle melancholy) of the original comics and films.
The Princess Bride
This year, the classic The Princess Bridge received two different new editions from the COVID era. These proved how well this endlessly quoted fairy tale still works in 2020.
Queen of Katwe
With The Queen’s Gambit, one of the most watched limited Netflix series of the year, it is a great time to watch an underrated movie about another chess queen, played by Lupita Nyong’o.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The modern Star Wars episodes are a mixed bag, but Rogue One is one of the good ones, thanks to his willingness to end on a low note. Star Wars fans should also take a look at the previous model in the run-up to the Rogue One series, in which Diego Luna returns as Cassian Andor.
The Sound of Music
The perfect Sunday afternoon movie, The Sound of Musi
