Top 15 Movies to Stream on Disney Plus UK

Best movies to watch on Disney Plus UK. Photo: The Mobile Indian

Disney+ has arrived in the UK and the timing couldn't be better. With the coronavirus keeping people indoors, its collection of family-friendly classics, Marvel movies and (of course) Star Wars is just what we need right now. What it lacks in variety, it certainly makes up for in quality and we've picked out the best films on Disney+ UK to help get you started.

Turner and Hooch

Photo: Film

When you think of crime-fighting duos, Tom Hanks (Scott Turner) and Beasley the dog (Hooch) probably aren’t the first investigators that spring to mind. That doesn’t mean they’re without merit though. This 1989 cop comedy – which Disney+ is also making into a 12-part TV series – forces the pair together as Turner, a city cop, investigates the murder of Hooch’s owner. It just helps that Hooch was the only witness to the crime. Using Hooch’s nose and appetite for justice, the duo set out to track down the killers and find themselves amid a much more sinister plot.

Independence Day

Photo: Cinesite Studios

A classic sci-fi epic from Roland Emmerich, Independence Day stars Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller, a pilot and aspiring astronaut who leads the attack against invading aliens threatening the existence of Earth, according to Wired.

With Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch and Harvey Fierstein making up the cast of this 1996 blockbuster, Independence Day is essential viewing for those extraterrestrial-filled spectaculars.

The Maze Runner

Photo: Google Sites

The 2014 adaptation of James Dashner’s dystopian novel The Maze Runner is just one of the films introduced to Disney+ by Star this month.

Starring Dylan O’Brien, the first film in the franchise follows 16-year-old Thomas who wakes up with no memory of who he is in the center of a maze filled with other confused teenagers. A sci-fi adventure full of dark and unpredictable turns, The Maze Runner is perfect for those still reeling from The Hunger Games and Divergent franchises ending.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Photo: D23

Considering the stress we’ve all had to endure this year, you’d be forgiven if you wanted to get into the festive spirit a little early – and there’s no better way to do that than by sitting down with a good Christmas movie, said Radio Times.

Fortunately, Disney+ is home to some of the very best, including Jim Henson’s marvelous Muppet Christmas Carol, which remains one of the best adaptations of Charles Dickens’ classic ghost story.

Michael Caine stars as the selfish Ebenezer Scrooge, who is visited by three ghosts on the night of Christmas Eve who demands that he change his ways, lest he is punished in the afterlife.

The Great Gonzo is a standout as narrator Charles Dickens, Kermit and Miss Piggy portray the down-on-their-luck Cratchits, and a number of other familiar (puppet) faces appear throughout.

It’s an uplifting story with some lovely songs and big laughs throughout; Christmas wouldn’t be the same without it.

**Read more: Doctor Strange 2: Release Date, Where and How to Watch, Cast, Trailer!

Onward

Photo: Daily Hive

Pixar’s Onward follows elf brothers Ian (Tom Holland) and Barley (Chris Pratt) as they begin their journey to find a magical stone that will allow them to spend one more day with their late father… or at least his legs.

When their mother Laurel realizes they’re missing, she teams up with a creature part-lion, bat and scorpion named The Manticore to find them.

Touching, funny and magnificently animated, Onward bears all the hallmarks of a classic Pixar film, yet still manages to stand on its own two feet (no pun intended).

Mulan

Photo: VnReivew

Mulan is one of the biggest film releases since the pandemic shut down almost all of the movie industry. With people still being wary about attending cinemas, Disney tried something new with its release - it was first available for £20 via Premier Access than in December, for no extra cost. The film itself? It’s the latest in Disney’s live-action remakes and sees Liu Yifei in the title role, with initial reviews praising the cast, visuals, and action sequences. The film has faced some calls for boycotts due to Liu’s opposition to protests in Hong Kong last year.

Hamilton

Photo: OnMilwaukee

Hamilton – the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical that took the world by storm – has arrived on Disney+ for all theatre fans to see. This filmed version of the original Broadway production tells the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton (Miranda), from his marriage to Elizabeth Schuyler (Phillipa Soo) and his efforts against the British to his rivalry with Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) and his eventual demise. With a soundtrack of hit hip-hop-influenced songs, you’ll be left Satisfied by this Tony Award-winning musical.

Frozen II

Photo: Forbes

The singing sisters of Arendelle are back in this magical sequel to Disney’s smash hit Frozen. Released last year, Frozen II sees Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and Olaf (Josh Gad) venture into the unknown to learn the origins of Elsa’s icy powers. With a soundtrack just as enchanting as its predecessor, this animated musical will have you humming its hits long after you finish watching.

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil

Photo: Forbes

Angelina Jolie was back in her spectacular title role in Disney’s Maleficent 2 which launched on Disney Plus on 15 May. The sequel to the first film is set five years on, where Aurora (Elle Fanning) rules as Queen with Maleficent as a protector. After a Queen from a neighboring kingdom plots against Maleficent, she flees and finds herself encountering other fairies in hiding from humans. But will the end of their struggle be through peace or war?

Avatar

Photo: Den of Geek

A cultural phenomenon and the highest-grossing film worldwide for nearly a decade, Avatar was a visual effects marvel when it was released in 2009. And with four sequels on the way, it’s a great time to delve back into Pandora, an alien world relentlessly mined for resources by humans.

Togo

Photo: The New York Times

The year is 1925 and a deadly epidemic has struck the Alaskan town of Nome. The only cure is 600 miles away and a massive storm is about to strike the region. The only hope of getting to the vaccine lies with Leonhard Seppala, and his lead sled dog, Togo. The dog may not be the biggest of the sled crew, but it is tenacious. The entire mission to save the town relies upon Togo’s ability to face the challenging conditions. Added to all that, Togo is based on a true story.

Deadpool 2

Photo: IMDb

The foul-mouthed superhero marks a definite departure from the vanilla content that's been available on Disney+ in its first year of operation. Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool, who has the ability to heal from pretty much any injury - and is an angry, violent, wisecracking mercenary tasked with protecting a young mutant from a time-traveling soldier.

All the Pixar shorts

Photo: Digital Spy

Now's the time for a Pixar short sesh. You could do as the studio intended and pick out the correct short to watch before the main animated showing, or you could head to the Shorts tab and go wild with Pixar, Disney, and the new 'Sparkshorts'. WIRED's faves are Lava (8 mins), Bao (7 mins), Purl (12 mins), Smash and Grab (8 mins), La Luna (6 mins), Sanjay's Super Team (7 mins) and Day and Night (7 mins). Out (9 mins) is one of the latest and for a slice of Pixar history, check out 1997's Geri's Game (4 mins) and see if you recognize the chess player.

Moana

Photo: Tahiti Infos

One of the potential answers to 'what oh what to put on after Frozen and Frozen 2', Moana is in fact better than Frozen. By that, we simply mean better soundtrack, better heroine, better visuals, better side quests. There's also 100% more Dwayne Johnson as a tattooed demi-god and Jermaine Clement as a giant crab doing a Bowie impression. Set thousands of years ago on the fictional, Polynesia-inspired island of Motunui, Moana's hero's journey is fairly classic but the sumptuous animation and Lin-Manuel Miranda tunes are top-tier Disney. (Sure, we'd love to see Taika Waititi's original script but we can live without it).

The Lion King

Photo: IMDb

Remember the terrifying wildebeest stampede in the 1994 version of The Lion King? That was actually computer-animated because drawing them by hand would have taken a long, long time. Special attention was taken to blend it into the cel-shaded backgrounds and this was all before Toy Story came out the following year. This is all to say that not only is the 90s version a perfect movie that had absolutely zero need for a charm-deficient 2019 remake, it’s also the best Lion King to use CG animation.

Toy Story (all of them)

While you can't beat the original 1995 Toy Story, the three subsequent films add depth to the franchise's canon. All of the movies have been critically acclaimed – and they're all available on Disney+. When combined the four films tell the story of growing up and how everything in life, inevitably, changes. Woody and the gang go from learning how to deal with new people to understanding loss. It's something that's also followed the cast: in Toy Story 4 the voice of Mr. Potato Head is created through archive recordings after Don Rickles, the man behind the voice, died ahead of the film's release.