The 32 Best Movies on Disney+ Right Now (March 2023)

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't find anything good on Disney+ to watch. And don't let anyone tell you that you can't dunk. The newest entry on our list of the best movies to watch on Disney+ is Chang Can Dunk, a fun family film about a high schooler who makes a bet that he can dunk by the end of the school year. Also new on the list are the Oscar-nominated films Le Pupille and Fire of Love, both of which were very worthy of the prize.

You'll notice that movies like Stars Wars: A New Hope aren't on this list, but before you call us a bunch of bantha fodder, know that this is a list of the best movies on Disney+ right now. We already know one of the first things you did when you got Disney+ was to go through the good Star Wars films, so there's no need for them to be on here. Same with the bigger Marvel and Pixar movies from years past. This list is reserved for the new releases (whether they're new to the world or just new to Disney+), the Disney+ originals that you can't watch anywhere else, hidden gems, and our own personal favorites, like arthouse film director David Lynch's relatively obscure family movie The Straight Story. 

More recommendations:

• The Best Shows on Disney+ to Watch Right Now
• The Ultimate Guide to HBO Max, Netflix, and More in March 2023

Last updated March 13; newer additions are at the top

Chang Can Dunk

For fans of: Kobe, heartwarming stories, plyometrics, life lessons

Year: 2023
Director: Jingyi Shao
Stars: Bloom Li, Ben Wang, Dexter Darden
Genre: Comedy, Family, Drama
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 77

This unassuming Disney+ original film follows a 5'8" Asian-American sophomore (Bloom Li) in high school who bets his basketball star bully that he will be able to dunk by the end of the school year. A film about determination, dreams, and family, it's a movie that seems totally traditional until it isn't; the big dunk attempt happens with plenty of movie left. Gather the family around for life lessons in humility and responsibility. And throwing it down! -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

Le Pupille

For fans of: Youthful rebellion

Year: 2022
Director: Alice Rohrwacher
Stars: Alba Rohrwacher, Melissa Falasconi, Greta Zuccheri Montanari
Genre: Short Film, Drama, Comedy
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: n/a

This adorable Italian short film (38 minutes) may bring Disney+ its first Oscar for an original release. Nominated for Best Live Action Short Film at this year's Academy Awards, Le Pupille follows a gaggle of plucky girls in a boarding school who are under the thumb of the no-nonsense nuns who run the joint as they put on a production of the midnight Nativity scene on Christmas Eve. The whole film looks like it was snatched straight out of the olden days, with authentic costumes, the graininess of 35mm film, and hand-drawn title cards. Cute! -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

Fire of Love

For fans of: Magma, French New Wave, love stories

Year: 2022
Director: Sara Dosa
Stars: Maurice Krafft, Katia Krafft
Genre: Documentary
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 83

This stunning film is nominated for Best Documentary at this year's Academy Awards, and for good reason. Fire of Love introduces audiences to Maurice and Katia Krafft, a pair of charismatic French volcanologists who bucked the stuffy stereotypes of scientists from the 1970s to early 1990s. Director Sara Dosa also innovates with a stylish collage of the Kraffts' massive library of film footage, multimedia animations, groovy music, and entrancing editing. But what makes Fire of Love better than the sum of its parts is the fascinating love triangle between Maurice and Katia, who were married, and the explosive volcanoes that drew them in. It's a nature documentary, a profile of a couple who found love against all odds, and an art film in one splendid package. -Tim Surette [Trailer]       

Disenchanted 

For fans of: Princesses, sequels, Amy Adams

Year: 2022
Director: Adam Shankman
Stars: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, Maya Rudolph, Idina Menzel, James Marsden 
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Family, Musical
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 50

The long-in-the-works sequel to the 2007 fantasy romantic comedy Enchanted is finally here, with Amy Adams returning to the role of Giselle. Set 10 years after the original, the sequel finds Giselle and her husband Robert (Patrick Dempsey) leaving New York City for the suburbs, where their fairytale life gets disrupted by their fixer-upper house, a scheming neighbor played by Maya Rudolph, and tensions with their teenage daughter Morgan (Gabriella Baldacchino). Giselle casts a spell to make everything perfect, and it only makes things worse. She has until midnight to fix it. Between this and the next movie on the list, Disney+ has completely cornered the market on direct-to-streaming sequels that come out many, many years after the original. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Hocus Pocus 2

For fans of: More witches, more Bette Midler, more flying vacuums

Year: 2022
Director: Anne Fletcher
Stars: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, Doug Jones, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Sam Richardson, Hannah Waddingham 
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 55

The sequel to the cherished Hocus Pocus is Disney+'s big Halloween release of 2022, bringing the Sanderson sisters back together almost 30 years after the original movie. Maybe the movie doesn't live up to the fawning nostalgia of our youth or justify the sequel many of us clamored for — we didn't really have great taste as kids, did we? — but you can't NOT be curious to see what the witches are up to. The story is mostly the same — a couple of teens accidentally summon the Sandersons and must stop them from becoming immortal — and the performances lose a little sizzle over the decades past. But it's resonating enough with fans that it's become Disney+'s most-watched original movie so far. -Tim Surette [Trailer | Review]

Thor: Love and Thunder 

For fans of: Jokes that seem kind of funny in context if you don't compare them to actually funny jokes

Year: 2022
Director: Taika Waititi
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Jaimie Alexander, Taika Waititi, Russell Crowe, Natalie Portman
Genre: Superhero, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 57

The movie where we, as a society, realized we were getting tired of Taika Waititi's schtick. Chris Hemsworth continues to be Thor, Natalie Portman returns as Jane Foster after almost a decade away, the Guardians of the Galaxy are there, and Christian Bale is the bad guy, Gorr the God Butcher. It is what it is. It made a lot of money in theaters, and now it's on Disney+. If my dismissive tone offends your Marvel fandom, let me assure you that I respect this movie for what it is. If you like Marvel movies, this a big slab of juicy, marbled Marvel for you. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Lightyear

For fans of: Toy Story, robot cats, low-key Tim Allen cancellation

Year: 2022
Director: Angus MacLane
Stars: Chris Evans, Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi
Genre: Science Fiction, Animation, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 60

Lightyear is the movie-within-the-movie that inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy in the Toy Story films, but despite being by far the lowest-rated theatrically released movie in the Toy Story franchise, it's still entertaining. The very science-fictiony story follows a human Buzz on a mission to return home safely with his crew after he's stranded on a distant planet, all while facing a threat to humanity, natch. Chris Evans provides the voice for Buzz instead of Tim Allen — he is a different Buzz, after all — but the real draw here is Sox, a robotic cat who accompanies Buzz on his adventures. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Logan

For fans of: Westerns, superheroes with an edge

Director: James Mangold
Stars: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant
Genre: Superhero, Action, Western, Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 77

There's a thriving subgenre of superhero movies that are watered-down versions of great non-superhero movies. Joker is a fake Scorsese movie that shamelessly steals from Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, to name one glaring example. One of the best, least cynical versions of this type of movie is Logan, a movie about metal-clawed superhero Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) that's heavily influenced by Clint Eastwood's classic Western Unforgiven. Jackman retired from playing the iconic character with this film, and he leaves it all on the floor, giving the best performance of his career as a past-his-prime antihero who puts his spurs on one last time in order to transport a young girl (Dafne Keen) with powers like his own across the country to safety. Writer Michael Green's screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award, because it has a depth that superhero movies — scratch that, most movies — don't usually possess. -Liam Mathews [Trailer}

Zombies 3 

For fans of: DCOMs, inclusion

Director: Paul Hoen
Stars: Meg Donnelly, Milo Manheim, Trevor Tordjman, Chandler Kinney
Genre: Musical, Family, Romance
Rating: TV-G
Metacritic score: n/a

The Zombies made-for-TV musical franchise began on the Disney Channel in 2018 and has now fully migrated to Disney+, where this is streaming exclusively. They're lighthearted little high school movies about a town where monsters and humans live together and resolve conflicts through song and dance. In Zombies 3, some aliens come to town to participate in the "international cheer-off," which raises suspicions among the townspeople until they learn how to accept the visitors. It's very silly, and the sets and costumes look like they cost about $200 altogether, but it's fun, positive stuff for kids to watch. The first two Zombies movies are on Disney+, too. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Rise

For fans of: Giannis "the Greek Freak" Antetokounmpo, inspirational sports dramas

Director: Akin Omotoso
Stars: Uche Agada, Ral Agada, Jaden Osimuwa, Elijah Shomanke, Yetide Badaki, Dayo Okeniyi
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sports
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 74

This uplifting sports movie tells the true story of two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family, who overcame a lot of adversity to become a family of NBA champions. Charles (Dayo Okeniyi) and Vera Antetokounmpo (Yetide Badaki) emigrated from Nigeria to Greece in search of opportunity, but faced discrimination and threats of deportation while they struggled to provide for their sons. But it turned out three of the five boys were really, really good at basketball, and would grow up to each win NBA championships. In the film, Giannis is played by newcomer Uche Agada. It's an inspiring, well-told story of hard work, perseverance, and family. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

For fans of: When a director's distinctive style comes through in a Marvel movie

Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez
Genre: Superhero, Action, Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Horror
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 60

Benedict Cumberbatch returns as sorcerer Stephen Strange in this superhero blockbuster. Set after the events of WandaVision, Multiverse of Madness follows Strange as he tries to protect a teenage girl named America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), who has the ability to open doorways between dimensions, from Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), the rogue former Avenger who wants to use America's powers to reunite with her family. It's directed by Sam Raimi, an influential filmmaker in the horror (The Evil Dead) and superhero (Spider-Man) genres, and has more pronounced horror elements than any previous Marvel movie. There's a moment in it that's actually pretty scary! -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

For fans of: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Lonely Island

Director: Akiva Schaffer
Stars: John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, KiKi Layne
Genre: Comedy, Family, Mystery
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 66

John Mulaney and Andy Samberg are the voices of chipmunk icons Chip and Dale, respectively, in this hilarious, heavily Who Framed Roger Rabbit-influenced live-action/animated hybrid. It's directed by Samberg's Lonely Island compatriot Akiva Schaffer, and it has that comedy troupe's silly-smart sense of humor. Dale looks computer-animated because he got "CGI surgery," to give an example of the type of jokes in this movie. The plot is that Chip and Dale, who starred on a show together in the early '90s but had a falling out, reunite to help catch a criminal who's kidnapping famous toons. It operates in the same self-referential, satirical vein as Space Jam: A New Legacy, but handles the tone much better. It was the surprise winner of the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie in 2022. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

We Feed People

For fans of: People helping people

Director: Ron Howard
Stars: Jose Andres
Genre: Documentary
Rating: TV-14
Metacritic score: 77

Ron Howard directs this National Geographic documentary about Jose Andres, Michelin-starred chef and founder of the World Central Kitchen, an NGO that provides meals to people affected by natural disasters. Andres is an inspiring figure, and this moving documentary shows the work that goes into organizing large-scale food preparation and delivery operations in disaster areas. -Liam Mathews [Trailer] 

Polar Bear

For fans of: Ursus maritimus, Catherine Keener's voice

Director: Alastair Fothergill, Jeff Wilson
Stars: Catherine Keener, some polar bears
Genre: Documentary, Nature
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: n/a

Brr! This Disneynature documentary follows a polar bear as she grows up from a cub alongside her mother and brother to becoming a mama bear herself in an increasingly inhospitable climate. It's always been difficult to survive in the Arctic, but climate change has made it even harder than it used to be. This documentary doesn't shy away from that, but it's not all gloom and doom, either, as it focuses on themes of hope, resilience, and family that the bears embody. Catherine Keener narrates with her inimitable raspy voice. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u (A Sour Film)

For fans of: Olivia Rodrigo, road trips

Director: Stacey Lee
Stars: Olivia Rodrigo
Genre: Documentary, Music
Rating: TV-14
Metacritic score: 66

Olivia Rodrigo began her career as a Disney Channel child actor and is currently the star of a Disney+ show, but her ascent to pop superstardom was not Disney-branded. Her debut album, Sour, has a Parental Advisory sticker and was released by Geffen Records, whose catalog includes albums from Nirvana and blink-182. But now Disney has found a way to directly profit off Sour with the Disney+ documentary driving home 2 u. The doc gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Rodrigo's chart-topping album and features new arrangements of some of the album's songs. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Turning Red

For fans of: Cute animals, coming-of-age stories, boy bands

Director: Domee Shi
Stars: Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Hyein Park, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Animation, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 83

The early '00s get the animated period piece treatment in Pixar's latest family film. Turning Red follows Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old, boy band-obsessed Chinese-Canadian girl who suddenly starts turning into a giant red panda when she gets excited. It is, as you may have gleaned, a metaphor for puberty. It's a Pixar movie, so you know it's going to be emotionally resonant, fun for kids, and maybe even a little more fun for adults, and beautifully animated. The fur effects on this one are immaculate. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

West Side Story

For fans of: Classic musicals, remakes, Spielberg

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose, Rita Moreno, Mike Faist, David Alvarez
Genre: Drama, Romance, Musical
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 85

Steven Spielberg's West Side Story is the kind of movie that makes the case that some remakes are good, actually. If you're familiar with the Broadway musical, the 1961 film, or even just Romeo and Juliet, you already get the general idea: In 1957 New York, a young couple fall in deep, sweeping love at first sight, but their burgeoning romance fuels an all-out war between two rival gangs. Yes, Spielberg's film has "I Feel Pretty," "America," and all the iconic Sondheim-Bernstein songs, but it also miraculously breathes new life into a familiar story with poignant updates (it's kind of about gentrification now! The Sharks actually speak to each other in Spanish!) and great performances from Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno, who starred in the original film and plays a whole new character here. It's a true old school movie musical, the kind of big, exuberant thing that'll make you lean back in your chair and say, "Ah, cinema." -Allison Picurro [Trailer]

Free Guy

For fans of: Video games, Ryan Reynolds

Director: Shawn Levy
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Lil Rel Howery, Joe Keery
Genre: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 62

This special effects-travaganza was one of the biggest box office hits of 2021 — a very weird year at the movies — and got unexpectedly positive reviews from critics who couldn't help but be charmed by Ryan Reynolds, one of Hollywood's most likable personas. Reynolds plays Guy, a non-player character in a video game who one day decides to take charge of his destiny and start doing what he feels like. This leads to him helping a gamer/computer programmer named Millie (Jodie Comer) try to take down an evil game company CEO (Taika Waititi) who stole code from her. It's a pleasant, undemanding watch that seems more like a straight-to-streaming movie than a theatrical blockbuster. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Encanto

For fans of: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Disney musicals, family

Director: Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush
Stars: Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo
Genre: Musical, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 75

Encanto is a hit Walt Disney Animation Studios musical, featuring all-new songs from tunesmith Lin-Manuel Miranda that tell the story of a family in Colombia who are bestowed with magical powers. Well, all except for one of the daughters (Stephanie Beatriz), who must work to bring her family back together when their powers begin to disappear. The movie itself is very popular, but its biggest song, "We Don't Talk About Bruno," has taken on a life of its own. Every kid in the world knows the words. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

The Beatles: Get Back

For fans of: John, Paul, George, and Ringo

Director: Peter Jackson
Stars: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr
Genre: Music, Documentary
Rating: Not rated
Metacritic score: 85

In 1969, a documentary crew filmed the Beatles as they were recording what ended up being their final album, Let It Be, and preparing for their famous concert on the roof of their label's office building, their final live performance, which was documented in the 1970 film Let It Be. This three-part, eight-hour docuseries is built out of the hundreds of hours of unused archival footage from those sessions. The film was painstakingly restored by director Peter Jackson, who cut it into a fly-on-the-wall documentary that simply shows the lads from Liverpool at work. It's the most unvarnished look at the Beatles' creative process ever, capturing them at unguarded moments of interpersonal tension and spontaneous joy. It will test the patience of anyone who isn't a Beatles diehard, but even casual fans will want to check out the complete rooftop concert in Part 3. -Liam Mathews [Trailer] 

The Rescue

For fans of: Happy endings after going through a lot to get there, group efforts

Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
Genre: Documentary
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 84

National Geographic's acclaimed documentary on the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue from Free Solo directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin was worth the wait. It tells the thrilling stories of the divers who risked their lives to save members of a boys soccer team and their coach who were trapped in an underwater cave system. It became a race against time, as an intensifying monsoon season threatened to cut the boys off for good. This is one of those documentaries where knowing how it ends does nothing to diminish the power of the story. -Tim Surette [Trailer] 

Jungle Cruise

For fans of: Swashbuckling adventures, a wisecrackin' Rock, totally OK movies

Director: Jaume Collet-Sera
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramirez, Jack Whitehall
Genre: Action-Adventure
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 50

Most people subscribe to Disney+ for the Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars movies, but let's not forget the lot from Walt Disney Pictures. (Yes, John Carter is on Disney+!) The latest big WD movie to hit Disney+ is the 2020 action-adventure Jungle Cruise, which, yes, is based on the Disneyland ride of the same name, but is more than just a guy on a boat making bad puns (though Dwayne Johnson does do an extended bit on that). Johnson plays a man with a boat who helps a woman (Emily Blunt) and her brother (Jack Whitehall) go deep into the Amazon to find a mystical place before the bad guys do. It's a family-friendly film that's entertaining but not TOO entertaining. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Edward Scissorhands

For fans of: Swoon-worthy romance, gothic imagery, topiary sculptures

Director: Tim Burton
Stars: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 74

Director Tim Burton was inspired by the popular drinking game Edward Fortyhands when dreaming up this classic romantic fantasy film. While growing up in the suburbs, he watched his classmates tape 40oz bottles of malt liquor to their hands, which made him imagine "what if instead of bottles, the hands were scissors?" All right, that's a joke — Scissorhands came first, not Fortyhands — but still, the drinking game shows the cultural impact and legacy of the 1990 film, which was added to Disney+ in late 2021. It stars Johnny Depp as the titular Frankenstein's monster, a sweet, sensitive young man who's isolated from society because he's different but just wants to love. Depp and Winona Ryder, who plays Edward's love interest Kim Boggs, were at the peak of their powers, as was Burton, whose sense of gothic whimsy was perfected here. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Enchanted

For fans of: Amy Adams, princess parody, New York Frickin' City

Director: Kevin Lima
Stars: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Susan Sarandon
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Musical, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 75

Step out of the usual Disney mold with this rom-com that's a wink and a nudge at Disney's animated classics and that finally hit Disney+ in late 2021. Amy Adams stars as Giselle, your typical singing and dancing wide-eyed animated Disney princess who gets transported to live-action New York City, where she gets life lessons in reality and New Yorkers get dazzled (or irritated) by her naïveté and innocence. It's appropriate for all audiences, with silly high jinks for the kids and Disney satire for the grown-ups. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Hamilton: An American Musical

For fans of: American history, fake rap, Broadway musicals

Director: Thomas Kail
Stars: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Renée Elizabeth Goldsberry
Genre: Musical, Historical, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 90

If somehow you haven't already seen the concert film version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's era-defining Broadway musical, you might as well change that now. It's one of those rare cultural phenomena that actually live up to the hype. Don't let Miranda's cringe-inducing lip-biting selfie keep you from experiencing art that really is as good as people say it is. Miranda plays Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, who rises from nothing to become one of the most influential voices in the creation of the American government. You've heard all about why it's culturally important, about how it brings hip-hop to musical theater and reclaims American history for people of color. But do you know how good a song "Wait for It" is? -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles

For fans of: Billie Eilish, SoCal, orchestras supporting pop stars

Director: Patrick Osborne and Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Billie Eilish
Genre: Concert film
Rating: TV-14
Metacritic score: n/a

Singer/artist/pop star Billie Eilish plays the entirety of her 2021 album Happier Than Ever in sequential order on stage at the famed Hollywood Bowl in this concert film that branches out from Disney+'s usual fare. Sometimes Eilish is on stage with just a drummer and guitarist for her more intimate songs, sometimes she's joined by the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the grander songs. In interstitials, she's even animated almost like a Disney princess as she drives along the coast, and drones tower over Los Angeles to give a birds-eye look at the city. Watch it as a superfan or throw it on in the background during your cocktail party and you'll be fine. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Science Fair/Own the Room

For fans of: Kids who are smarter than you, inspiring stories, STEM

National Geographic hosts a pair of films from directors Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster about kids making a difference in the world that are so delightful you'll want to watch more than one, which is why both are on this list. 2018's Science Fair follows nine kids from around the world as they compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, and 2021's Own the Room follows five kids from different countries as they compete in the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards. The formula is the same because Costantini and Foster have found one that works well: These precocious kids are doing amazing things and inspiring others to do the same, not from any sense of self-interest, but from a desire to make the world a better place. This is hope for our future in documentary form. -Tim Surette [Own the Room Trailer | Science Fair Trailer]

George of the Jungle

For fans of: Brendan Fraser, live-action adaptations of old cartoons

Director: Sam Weisman
Stars: Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church
Genre: Comedy, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 53

This 1997 comedy is one of those movies kids watched over and over again on VHS, and one of the main reasons why Brendan Fraser is currently beloved by the internet (hence its relevance on this list). Fraser plays the titular Tarzan-type dude who was raised by animals in the African jungle and is brought to San Francisco by Ursula Stanhope (Leslie Mann), his Jane. It's silly stuff — it's based on a Saturday morning cartoon from 1967, after all — but Fraser sells it with his sweet, wide-eyed naivete and gift for physical comedy. -Liam Mathews [Trailer] 

Free Solo

For fans of: Heights, people doing things that you would never do

Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
Stars: Alex Honnold
Genre: Documentary, Sports, Thriller
Rating: NR
Metacritic score: 83

Disney+ is home to the 2019 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Feature, a white-knuckle thriller following mountain climber Alex Honnold as he attempts the absolutely unnecessary yet oh-so impressive task of free climbing — no harness, no safety net — Yosemite's El Capitan, a 3,000 foot tall sheer face of granite, against the will of gravity. While not for those with even the slightest hint of acrophobia, Free Solo is a mesmerizing character study of a man who has set his mind on achieving the impossible at the risk of his own life. It's not a spoiler to say he accomplishes his feat, either, but the interesting part is at what cost. -Tim Surette [Trailer]

Luca

For fans of: Cute monsters, sweet coming-of-age stories 

Director: Enrico Casarosa
Stars: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman
Genre: Fantasy, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 71

Pixar's most recent film is one of its lightest. Luca is a gentle, brightly colored romp through Italy in the late '50s from the point of view of Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay), an anxious young sea monster who dreams of escaping his humdrum life as a goatfish herder and exploring life on the surface. But he's afraid, because he's always been told the surface world is dangerous, because humans want to kill sea monsters. He meets Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), a slightly older sea monster who regularly goes up on land. Alberto lets Luca in on a secret: When sea monsters get out of the water, they shapeshift into human forms. Together, they go on a journey of self-discovery and overcoming fear. Since the movie was released, kids have found a new catchphrase to silence the nagging voice in their head that tells them they can't do something: "Silencio Bruno!" -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

The Straight Story 

For fans of: Rural Midwestern life, movies that make you go "WHAT?" when you find out who made them

Director: David Lynch
Stars: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton
Genre: Drama, Adventure, Family
Rating: G
Metacritic score: 86

A wholesome hidden gem of a movie about an old man named Alvin Straight (Richard Farnsworth) who drives his ancient John Deere tractor 240 miles from Iowa to Wisconsin to see his ailing brother, to whom he hasn't spoken in a decade. The plot is really that simple, with Alvin encountering interesting people who help him along his journey. It's a plain-spoken, kind-hearted slice of Americana that still manages to avoid sentimentality. And the wild twist of this G-rated family film is that it's directed by David Lynch, the legendary autuer behind arthouse freakouts like Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. Yes! In 1999, David Lynch made a Disney movie! And it's great! -Liam Mathews [Trailer]