What Are the Absolute Best Movies to Watch on Disney+?
Everyone has strong opinions about movies. We all feel like our favorites are the ones that everyone else should adore. That’s the thing about art. Everyone responds differently.
However, I’m a math and stats guy. The other day, as I was slowly going mad during my quarantine, I flipped through Disney+. I idly wondered which movies are the literal best, and so I did some digging.
I pulled up Rotten Tomatoes and checked their Top 100 lists, looking for stuff on the list. To no surprise, Disney movies were all over the top of the charts. Here are the 12 best movies to watch on Disney+ according to Rotten Tomatoes reviews.
Avengers: Endgame – 94%
I’m listing these alphabetically rather than by scoring. I’m doing this because Rotten Tomatoes employs a scoring system I don’t claim to understand for their Top 100 charts.
As an example, the climactic Avengers movie received a score of 94%, which is lower than the second-to-last title on this list. For some reason, Endgame ranks ahead of it on this list, though.
I don’t claim to understand the math of it, but who cares? The overwhelming majority of film critics and fans agree that Avengers: Endgame is a flawless masterpiece. It’s the number one blockbuster of all-time, and you can watch it on Disney+. Why aren’t you doing that right now?
Black Panther – 97%
Don’t let the 97% score fool you. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Black Panther is THE best movie ever made, at least according to their Adjusted Score system.
I’m not entirely sure how that’s possible, as four different Disney films on this list claim a perfect score. Still, I’m not going to argue with anyone who says that Black Panther is brilliant.
To a larger point, Marvel Cinematic Universe titles comprise 25% of this list. That’s how you know that Disney’s doing something right.
Coco – 97%
I’m not sure I’d agree that Coco is one of the ten great comedies ever like Rotten Tomatoes believes. For starters, I don’t really think of it as a comedy.
Still, I think we all agree with 97% of critics about the underlying quality of Coco. Come on, that kid can rock an acoustic guitar like nobody’s business.
For those with 4K televisions, the Day of the Dead visuals in Coco are absolutely breathtaking.
Free Solo – 97%
Out of all the films listed here, Free Solo is the only one that wasn’t originally a Disney release. The company acquired this film as part of the Fox purchase as National Geographic was one of the key assets.
Obviously, you shouldn’t expect Free Solo to feel like a conventional Disney film because it’s not. Instead, this documentary Demonstrates the perils of extreme climbing.
Alex Honnold, the subject of the film, attempts a daring climb. The attempt is so harrowing that the filmmakers worry that their presence could doom Honnold to failure.
While most of the movies listed here are exactly what you’d expect, Free Solo is unlike anything that you’ve ever watched up until now.
Inside Out – 98%
As I write this, Pixar’s Soul got delayed, which has crushed me. Thankfully, we can look back at some of the director’s previous films. I’m speaking of Up and Monsters, Inc., two of my favorite Pixar movies.
Then, there’s Docter’s most recent film, Inside Out. It takes us inside the human mind, where we learn that our emotions drive many of our decisions. First, they negotiate a bit first about who will take the wheel.
Inside Out is correctly perceived as one of the most emotional Disney movies ever. In the current climate, it’s a perfect choice to remind us that feeling blue is healthy sometimes.
Mary Poppins – 100%
One-third of this list receives perfect scores. Two of the titles are more modern and weren’t even originally Disney titles. Then, there’s this film and the next one, both of which represent an integral part of Disney film lore.
The story of Mary Poppins has proven so inspirational to the current generation of Disney fans that the studio has used it twice recently. First, Saving Mr. Banks showed the push and pull between Walt Disney and author P.L. Travers about the cinematic adaptation of Mary Poppins.
Later, Disney introduced a sequel that frankly didn’t garner the appreciation it received. Mary Poppins Returns is quite entertaining on its own. The problem it couldn’t overcome was that audiences compared it to Mary Poppins, a losing proposition.
Mary Poppins is one of only a handful of films to earn a 100% score. No movie can live up to those expectations. I’m actually going to go off the board here and suggest a Mary Poppins triple feature.
Watch the film, its sequel, and then Saving Mr. Banks sometime when you need a pick-me-up. The triple bill will make you feel practically perfect in every way.
Pinocchio – 100%
Believe it or not, only one classic Disney animated film has a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. Films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella are in the upper 90s, but they’re not at 100%.
Even Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King can’t claim that level of consensus praise. Somehow, five critics didn’t like The Little Mermaid, which makes me want to punch them all in the solar plexus.
Somehow, Pinocchio has beaten the odds here. It’s overcome an era of cynical, unreasonable movie critics and received universally positive reviews. Watch the movie and appreciate a timeless classic that even the harshest critics cannot assail.
Thor: Ragnarok – 93%
The third MCU movie on the list is probably the most surprising. Endgame and Black Panther have received plenty of hype as record-shattering blockbusters.
Thor: Ragnarok doesn’t receive that kind of recognition. It’s a shame because the movie qualifies as a genuine crowd-pleaser. Some brilliant Marvel people had the bright idea to make a superhero buddy movie set in the far reaches of outer space.
The egotistical, overly sensitive protagonist, Thor, encounters his frenemy in the least likely of places. For his part, the egotistical, overly sensitive Hulk had wanted to escape from everyone he knew. So, Thor’s arrival is inconvenient.
The story just works. Whenever my wife wants some background entertainment while she works, Thor: Ragnarok is in heavy rotation. It’s such a good-natured popcorn flick with a breakthrough performance by Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie.
Toy Story – 100%, Toy Story 2 – 100%, and Toy Story 4 – 97%
Remember how I just said that critics gave only one Disney classic a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes? Pixar went two for two with the Toy Story franchise. Both films have perfect scores according to movie reviewers on the service.
Meanwhile, Toy Story 4 finishes in fourth place on the overall top 100 in Adjusted Score. Poor Toy Story 3 somehow gets left off all these lists even though it’s 98% fresh and won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Folks, the Toy Story franchise has featured such impeccable quality that the average Rotten Tomatoes score is 99%. You can’t go wrong watching any of these movies. However, if you only have time for one, pick Toy Story 2. It’s the best of the bunch.
Of course, a seven-hour Toy Story marathon is an excellent way to pass the time right now, too.
Zootopia – 98%
During the 21st century, Disney struggled a bit with its animation department. In fact, the purchase of Pixar occurred after research suggested that more families preferred their movies to Disney’s.
Since the Pixar team joined Disney, the partnership has proved a match made in animation heaven. Several recent Disney movies have become instant classics.
While I had expected Frozen (90%) or Moana (96%) to top the list, Zootopia is actually the highest rated movie on Rotten Tomatoes. Yes, critics believe that Judy Hopps will entertain you more than any other Disney heroine.
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