Five G-Rated Movies You Didn't Know Were on Disney Plus

When you think of Disney films you probably think of G-rated fare like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi, and Dumbo. They’re all classics and they’re all available on Disney Plus. But there are so many more great G-rated movies on the streaming service.

Now that Hulu is part of Disney Plus, there are a whole lot of new gems on the ever-growing platform. From stuff that was only available on other services to Disney-produced G-rated films you’ve never heard of, here are five movies suitable for all children (that’s the definition of a G-rated film) currently available on Disney Plus.

You’re familiar with Curious George, most likely from the book series or the long-running show on PBS Kids. But there’s no television show without the 2006 movie featuring the voice talent of Will Ferrell as The Man in the Yellow Hat. The movie was a success and helped anchor Peacock when it launched. With Hulu now part of Disney Plus, it’s somewhat surprising this theatrical feature is on Disney Plus in addition to Peacock.

The original Fantasia is a classic. One of your first thoughts of Mickey Mouse is likely from “Sorcerer's Apprentice” from the 1940 musical. While the 1999 film Fantasia 2000 doesn’t have any of that iconography, it’s just as visually and sonically impressive. The worst thing about it is its title, an unfortunate nod to the Millennium. It’s the kind of bad marketing that allows the casual Disney fan to forget this thing even exists. It does and it's on Disney Plus, which is great.

This is surprising because it's unlikely The Muppet Movie would be G-rated if it was released today. The original Muppet Movie is a classic and Kermit playing “The Rainbow Connection” might make you tear up in the best possible way. There's a reason it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song and added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress in 2020.

David Lynch directed The Straight Story, a G-rated movie under the Walt Disney banner, a movie nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The outlier in the filmmakers' catalog of the surreal and singular features one, family-friendly, universally critically acclaimed Disney movie. Roger Ebert's Oct. 15, 1999, review says, "You'd think it was a fantasy, this kindness of strangers, if the movie weren't based on a true story." It's all true. It's shocking this exists.

Obviously, the original Winnie the Pooh films are on Disney Plus. Did you forget the 2011 version even exists? It’s just as cute and family-friendly as the 1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh but possibly even better. The newest animated theatrical feature film in the Pooh catalog clocks in at 63 minutes. 63 minutes! It’s barely over an hour! It’s the perfect length, especially when you’re sick of watching Cars (117 minutes!) for the billionth time.