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While many of us think of Disney+ as a hub for hits of nostalgia, be it a theatrical classic like Aladdin or a Disney Channel Original like Smart House, the streamer carries more adult fare than you might expect. Sure, its library includes all of the content you love from the House of Mouse, such as Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and some forgotten live-action classics. But it also harbors a vast amount of content from Touchstone Pictures, National Geographic, Searchlight Pictures, and 20th Century Entertainment. The options on Disney+ are truly endless for people of all ages, and that’s not a sales pitch but a simple truth.
EW managed to pare down the significant offerings to the 25 best Disney+ movies for adults, including a few perfect for the whole family.
“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” (1954)
Everett Collection
This thrilling, old-fashioned epic follows a professor (Peter Lorre) and his assistant (Paul Lukas) who, along with a harpooner (Kirk Douglas), embark upon a death-defying mission to find the elusive Captain Nemo (James Mason). 20,000 Leagues is a wonderful adventure yarn, with ace performances and some brilliant practical effects for its time.
Where to watch 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Disney+
EW grade: B- (read the review)
Director: Richard Fleischer
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Peter Lorre, Paul Lukas, James Mason, Carleton Young
“Black Panther” (2018)
Just when superhero media felt like it had said all it could, Ryan Coogler brought the genre vital new energy. Black Panther is a proper epic fashioned in a modern way, a historic depiction of Black culture on screen, and a showcase for the talents of its lead actor, the late Chadwick Boseman.
Drawn back to his home nation of Wakanda following his father’s death to assume the king’s throne, T’Challa (a.k.a. Black Panther) becomes the center of otherworldly intrigue as he’s forced to protect his people from the devious Eric Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan). The film is as thoughtful as it is entertaining, a slick and fast-paced essay on the economics of power.
Where to watch Black Panther: Disney+
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o
Related content: Black Panther wins Marvel its first three Oscars
“Blackbeard’s Ghost” (1968)
Everett Collection
The ghost of Blackbeard (Peter Ustinov), a pirate cursed to wander the earth until he completes one good deed, is reincarnated by a down-on-his-luck track coach (Dean Jones), whom he helps to rescue a waning inn from some hooligans. A peak-era live-action Disney comedy perfect for the entire family, Blackbeard’s Ghost also serves as a pristine time capsule.
Where to watch Blackbeard’s Ghost: Disney+
Director: Robert Stevenson
Cast: Peter Ustinov, Dean Jones, Suzanne Pleshette, Elsa Lanchester
“Dan in Real Life” (2007)
Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett
Peter Hedges’ understated dramedy follows widowed columnist Dan (Steve Carell) as he ferries his three daughters to a family gathering, where he falls for the girlfriend (Juliette Binoche) of his brother (Dane Cook, quite good). Things unfurl as you would expect, but Hedges directs with a sure hand. He lets the emotions come about naturally, while Binoche and Carell anchor the film with their unlikely chemistry.
Where to watch Dan in Real Life: Disney+
EW grade: A (read the review)
Director: Peter Hedges
Cast: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Emily Blunt, Dianne Wiest
“Deadpool” (2016)
Tim Miller’s gory and juvenile (in the best possible way) superhero homage-cum-parody follows mercenary Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds), who is transformed into wisecracking avenger Deadpool by a mad scientist. Deadpool is breezy and fun, the two qualities you want most in a comic book movie, but is most notable for being Reynolds' crowning achievement as a bonafide movie star.
Where to watch Deadpool: Disney+
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Tim Miller
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Ed Skrein, T.J. Miller, Gina Carano
Related content: Hugh Jackman dons classic Wolverine suit in Deadpool 3 set photos
“Free Guy” (2021)
After myriad delays, Shawn Levy’s clever action-comedy debuted just as cinemas reopened after the pandemic. It was the perfect product to re-welcome audiences to theaters. Ryan Reynolds stars as the titular Guy, an NPC in a Grand Theft Auto-style video game who suddenly finds himself with a sense of autonomy and purpose. It’s riotously entertaining, with some clever action sequences and sweet turns from Jodie Comer and Joe Keery, but it also has something to say about a culture of men finding meaning/acceptance through committing violence. (If that sounds terribly heady, it’s not.)
Where to watch Free Guy: Disney+
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Taika Waititi
Related content: Ryan Reynolds reveals Disney wants a Free Guy sequel following film's impressive debut
“Free Solo” (2018)
This stomach-dropping doc, chronicling Alex Honnold's efforts to make the first free solo (that is, no ropes) climb up the vertical face of Yosemite’s El Capitan, is one of the most breathless action movies ever made. It’s also something of a cringe procedural, if that’s a thing. Continuously you’ll wonder of Honnold’s efforts, "Is he really going to do that?" or "Certainly he doesn’t have the gall to do that!" Inevitably, though, he does, and even though you know how it all turns out, Free Solo is utterly tense and unpredictable in the best sense.
Where to watch Free Solo: Disney+
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Director: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Cast: Alex Honnold
Related content: The best documentaries on Hulu
“Iron Man” (2008)
Robert Downey Jr. reinvigorated his career, and proved the superhero genre had staying power, with this breezy introduction to the MCU. While Marvel movies have become increasingly weighed down with backstory, both comprehensible and not, Iron Man plays like a breath of fresh air. Watching it in 2023, you might forget how thrilling the story of billionaire inventor Tony Stark, who survives a kidnapping and goes on to construct himself the suit of the title, was for its time.
Where to watch Iron Man: Disney+
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jon Favreau
Related content: Gwyneth Paltrow says Iron Man was originally pitched to her as an 'indie film': 'Oh, okay'
“Jane” (2017)
This lovely documentary from Brett Morgen (Moonage Daydream) chronicles primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking research with chimpanzees. Jane eschews the trappings of similar documentaries and presents a rounded view of Goodall. It’s a celebration of her estimable work, but it doesn’t hold back in detailing the sacrifices she made to do that job.
EW grade: B (read the review)
Director: Brett Morgen
Cast: Jane Goodall
Related content: Jane Goodall talks revisiting her past and her mother's impact in Jane
“Logan” (2017)
This is “one helluva movie,” as your grandma might say. Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), has retired to the Mexican border with a grievously ill Doctor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) but finds he must summon one last fight when a ruthless scientist (Richard E. Grant) comes after a young girl (Dafne Keen) who has powers much like Logan’s.
James Mangold, who also directed 2013's The Wolverine, keeps a tight rein on this nail-biter by making his heroes human and not impenetrable to the ravages of time. Anyone who says, after seeing his recent Indiana Jones fifth-quel, that Mangold can’t direct action should look here. He brings an admirably ruthless aesthetic to this dusty, gory revisionist western. The biggest surprise, however, is the emotional wallop it packs. Though it’s always nice to see Jackman as Wolverine, his continued appearances as the character dilute the remarkable full-stop of Logan.
Director: James Mangold
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant
Related content: Logan director reveals origins of adamantium bullet scene
“Remember the Titans” (2000)
Denzel Washington gives a rousing performance in this thrilling drama, one of the last top-tier live-action entertainments from the House of Mouse, about a scrappy youth football team working its way to the top. Like a few movies on this list, Titans makes gestures towards the whole family. In truth, though, it’s a fairly realistic and subdued character portrait of the type Frank Capra might have made in the 1940s, a lovely callback to a bygone era of filmmaking.
Where to watch Remember the Titans: Disney+
Director: Boaz Yakin
Cast: Denzel Washington, Ryan Gosling, Will Patton, Donald Faison, Ethan Suplee, Wood Harris
Related content: Which Remember the Titans Titan was the most memorable? An EW investigation
“The Simpsons Movie” (2007)
The residents of Springfield are sealed off from the rest of society (what else is new?) after Homer’s dalliance with a pig and a farm filled with human waste creates an environmental disaster. The long-awaited film adaptation of the veteran Fox sitcom, now the longest-running American animated series of all time, has been saddled with the unfortunate reputation of simply being an extended episode. In fairness, that’s entirely true. However, it’s a very good episode, one that achieves an occasionally sweeping cinematic scope and focuses on adding layers to beloved characters rather than upending them for the sake of a joke.
Where to watch The Simpsons Movie: Disney+
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: David Silverman
Cast: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Julie Kavner, Albert Brooks
Related content: The Simpsons Movie: 10 stories on the 10th anniversary
“Sister Act” (1992)
Whoopi Goldberg shines in this propulsive, infectiously upbeat comedy as a singer who hides out in a convent after witnessing a mob hit. Predictably, she’s tasked with coaching the choir for an upcoming competition. Sly direction and enviable chemistry between the cast, which includes Maggie Smith and Kathy Najimy, set Sister Act apart from the average underdog comedy.
Where to watch Sister Act: Disney+
Director: Emile Ardolino
Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy, Harvey Keitel, Wendy Makkena
Related content: Sister Act cast: Where are they now?
“The Sound of Music” (1965)
The classic tale of the Von Trapp family is now streaming in a remarkably crisp restoration. Julie Andrews stars as Maria, a kind-hearted governess who brings a love of music to the seven children under her tutelage. It’s a perfect movie musical, and the breathtaking views of Austrian abbeys are worth the watch alone.
Where to watch The Sound of Music: Disney+
Director: Robert Wise
Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Nicholas Hammond
Related content: Every Sound of Music song ranked
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017)
Everett Collection
Say what you will about Rian Johnson’s controversial installment, which continues the saga of Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega), but even Star Wars agnostics say is good. (Critically, you can’t deny that’s worth something.) More than any of the other prequels or late-era sequels, The Last Jedi captured the unpredictable, renegade spirit of the first trilogy (for better and for worse, it seems). Plus, it’s the only Star Wars movie with Laura Dern.
Where to watch Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Disney+
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Rian Johnson
Cast: John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Laura Dern
Related content: Star Wars rewatch: The Last Jedi destroys a legend to rebuild the same legend
“The Straight Story” (1999)
Only David Lynch could make a movie so positively un-Lynchian. The story of an aging widower (Richard Farnsworth) who embarks upon a cross-country odyssey on his tractor, The Straight Story surprisingly lives up to its title. It contains all of the earnest, vaguely warped Americana of Lynch’s other work, delivered not just with a straight face but a rather convincing one as well. It makes you wonder who the real Lynch really is, and that’s probably exactly what the director was hoping for.
Where to watch The Straight Story: Disney+
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: David Lynch
Cast: Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton
Related content: David Lynch’s best movies and TV shows, ranked
“Summer of Soul” (2021)
Just try not to dance while watching Questlove’s infectious, rousing chronicle of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which occurred on the same weekend as Woodstock. Rather than a movie about the festival, this is a deeply moving and visceral immersion into the event. It’s one of the best documentaries of this century, and there’s a version of “Aquarius” that positively brings the house down.
Where to watch Summer of Soul: Disney+
EW grade: B+ (read the review)
Director: Questlove
Related content: Questlove on making Summer of Soul 'in the middle of a revolution'
“While You Were Sleeping” (1995)
One of Sandra Bullock’s first and best rom-coms sees her star as a lonely Chicago train worker who, in a quintessentially ‘90s way, commits a kind-hearted assault when she convinces her hunky crush (Peter Gallagher) she’s his fiance after he bonks his head and loses his memory. Everything seems to be going fine until she meets the patient’s equally hunky brother (Bill Pullman) and begins to have second thoughts about the future. A completely standard romance cooked just right, While You Were Sleeping goes on each time like a warm pair of slippers.
Where to watch While You Were Sleeping: Disney+
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Glynis Johns
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January 21, 2024 at 10:00PM
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