All of the major streaming services — from Netflix to Apple TV+, HBO’s Max, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, and more — serve different audiences, fill a variety of niches, and do certain things very well. When it comes to Disney’s streaming platform, for example, there’s no question that Disney+ is the place to go for family and kid-friendly entertainment, along with original content from top brands like Marvel, Pixar, and, Star Wars. And in this post, we’ve curated a list of the best kids movies available to stream right now on Disney+, just in case you need help sorting through it all.
And when you’re doing perusing the titles below, be sure and check out the rest of our coverage concerning all things Disney+, ranging from Hulu content coming to the platform later this year, to a preview of the upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka — as well as what’s next for Marvel TV shows on the platform.
Kids movies on Disney+, from Pixar gems to live-action remakes
Arranged in no particular order, the kids movies below encompass some of what I think are the best that Disney+ has to offer, starting off with a few Pixar gems.
Luca
- Stars: Enrico Casarosa
- Summary: Luca is set in a gorgeous, Italian Riviera seaside town. This coming-of-age story takes place over the course of a summer that, for two friends, is filled with gelato, pasta, and scooter rides — as well as sea monsters below the water’s surface.
Wall-E
- Director: Andrew Stanton
- Summary: This space adventure is hands-down my favorite Pixar movie of all time. The perpetually curious protagonist is an adorable robot named Wall-E, who’s spent hundreds of lonely years doing the job he was built for — and then he meets a sleek new search robot named Eve, and it’s love at first sight.
Coco
- Director: Adrian Molina and Lee Unkrich
- Summary: Another of Pixar’s all-time great kids movies, Coco is about a boy who dreams of becoming a great musician and goes on a adventure to discover the mysteries behind the stories and traditions of his ancestors.
Big Hero 6
- Director: Chris Williams and Don Hall
- Summary: With 2014’s Big Hero 6, Walt Disney Animation Studios reminded everyone that Pixar is not the only game in town. This heartfelt family adventure is a kids movie but one that all ages can enjoy, built around the adorable personal companion robot Baymax — and the special bond he forms with robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada.
Mulan
- Director: Niki Caro
- Summary: Disney’s live-action remake strategy hasn’t always worked, but when everything snaps into place just right the results are really special. 2020’s Mulan remake is an example of this, forgoing the whimsy inherent in the animated original for a much more adventurous and rousing tone in this story of a fearless young woman who risks everything to become one of China’s great warriors.
Aladdin
- Director: Guy Ritchie
- Summary: While we’re on the subject of Disney live-action remakes — and kids movies available to stream on Disney+ — this is another winner worth checking out if you missed its theatrical run in 2019. You know the story. Street urchin, magic lamp, sassy genie, Princess Jasmine, and Jafar, all brought to life here and reimagined for a new generation of viewers.
Wreck-It Ralph
- Director: Rich Moore
- Summary: Per Disney, “For decades, Ralph has played the bad guy in his arcade video game. But in a bold move, he goes on an action-packed adventure to prove that he is a true hero with a big heart in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Wreck-It Ralph.”
Raya and the Last Dragon
- Director: Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada
- Summary: Another gem from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Raya and the Last Dragon is set in the fantasy world of Kumandra — where, long ago, humans and dragons lived in harmony. The dragons sacrificed themselves back then to save humanity, when an evil force threatened the land. Now, 500 years later, that same evil has returned — and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to save the day.
Encanto
- Director: Jared Bush and Byron Howard
- Summary: Another magical fantasy along the lines of Coco, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Encanto is about an extraordinary family (The Madrigals) who live in a magical house hidden in the mountains of Colombia. Every child in the family has a unique magical gift, except one — and, of course, it’s eventually up to her, Mirabel, to save her family from danger.
Ice Age
- Director: Chris Wedge
- Summary: Per Disney, “A woolly mammoth loner with a tragic past joins a wisecracking sloth and a scheming saber-toothed tiger on a perilous journey to reunite a one-year-old boy with his hunter father.”
The Peanuts Movie
- Director: Steve Martino
- Summary: From Blue Sky Studios, the creators of the Ice Age films, this animated film brings to life one of the most beloved comic strips of all time — starring Snoopy and his owner and pal Charlie Brown.
