Although it certainly caters to family viewing, there are plenty of movies on Disney+ for grown-ups! The streaming platform has gained a reputation already as a place for families to find titles to watch together or for adults to relive some of their childhood favorites, but there are some movies on there that are perhaps better suited for adult audiences.
From darker entries in long-running franchises, to teen comedies with some bite, to documentaries, Disney+ is definitely not just for kids. Ahead, check out some of our very favorite movies for adults on Disney+. There’s plenty of magic to be found, even in movies with an older target audience.
Eddie the Eagle
Taron Egerton costar Hugh Jackman in this sports film about an unlikely ski-jumper who has his heart set on competing in the Olympics.
Hidden Figures
Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, and Octavia Spencer are perfection in this 2017 film about the Black women behind NASA’s early launches. The movie was nominated for three Oscars and two Golden Globes!
Isle of Dogs
Yes, Wes Anderson is on Disney+! The director’s 2018 animated film features a lineup of his usual onscreen collaborators – this time, however, they all voice dogs.
Cinderella
This 1997 classic is finally available to stream to your heart’s content. Starring Brandy Norwood, Whitney Houston, Whoopi Goldberg, and Victor Garber, this is an iconic version of the fairytale.
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen
It might be a movie about teens, but adults will appreciate the satire and humor of this movie. When a city girl with Broadway dreams has to move to the suburbs, she gets knocked down a few pegs. But with the help of her friends, she gets back up again and is determined to make a splash as the lead role in the school’s rock-inspired musical.
The Finest Hours
In 1952, a ship splits apart off the coast of New England during a terrible storm. It’s up to the nearby Coast Guard to rescue the entire surviving crew – while the storm still rages.
Free Solo
Free solo rock climber Alex Honnold attempts to achieve his biggest dream: scaling Yosemite’s 3200-foot El Capitan – without a rope. This NatGeo documentary follows Honnold as he prepares for and attempts the climb of his life.
Invincible
Thirty-year-old football fan Vince Papale thought his chances of playing his favorite sport were long gone. After getting the chance to try out for the Philadelphia Eagles, he winds up as the oldest rookie in the NFL who didn’t even play college ball, but that’s only the beginning of his story.
The Love Bug
A low-key race car driver and his mechanic best friend end up owning a quirky VW Beetle that seems to have a personality of its own. The duo and their new car, named “Herbie,” soar to the top of their sport, which puts them squarely in the crosshairs of an unscrupulous car dealer. It’s a sweetly cheesy throwback movie with ’60s retro flair.
Miracle
A new coach is hired to pull together the US men’s hockey team in the lead up to the 1980 Winter Olympics. As he assembles a team and sets the lofty goal of defeating the heavily favored Soviet team, the athletes’ struggle becomes a touchstone for Cold War politics.
Miracle at Midnight
If you remember the old Wonderful World of Disney movies, you might remember this historical drama that debuted as part of the TV movie series in the late 1990s. When a Danish doctor and his family learn of the upcoming mass arrests of Danish Jews by the occupying Nazis, they work with resistance fighters to transport thousands of people to safety in Sweden, even at the risk of their own lives.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Even (and especially) adults loved the first entry in the Pirates franchise, a sharp-tongued adventure story that’s both a loving homage to pirate lore and a smart skewering of it. Before the franchise became a lengthy, occasionally unwieldy epic, it was a straightforward adventure tale: a blacksmith teams up with a rogue pirate to rescue his childhood friend from a cursed pirate ship.
Watch Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on Disney+.
Rogue One
While the entire Star Wars canon certainly appeals to adults as well as children, Rogue One deserves a special mention for being the most mature of all the films to date, dealing with darker themes and the cost of war. Jyn Erso, the mercenary daughter of an Imperial-controlled engineer, is drawn into the Rebellion when a message from her father is received. Jyn and her new allies set out on a fateful mission: retrieve the plans for the Death Star.
The Rookie
After injuries derail his promising baseball career, a man spends years coaching a low-ranked high school baseball team. When the chance to try out for the majors comes around, his players make him a deal: they win the championships, and he’ll try out one last time.
Saving Mr. Banks
Don’t let the Mary Poppins title fool you. While it’s not exactly unsuitable for kids, adults are likely to get much more out of this movie, based loosely on the true story of the behind-the-scenes drama of the classic movie. As prickly author P.L. Travers clashes with Walt Disney’s genial commercialism over the fate of her story, she recalls her difficult, devastating upbringing with the alcoholic but charming father she adored.
The Simpsons Movie
It may be animated, but it’s certainly not for kids! When the Simpsons get blamed for polluting the water supply in a way that threatens the entire world, their family is sharply divided. Homer has to set out to not only save the world, but also to earn his family’s forgiveness.
Sister Act
A nightclub singer with a big voice and a bigger personality accidentally witnesses her mobster boyfriend commit murder. For her safety, she’s whisked away by the authorities and placed in witness protection among the nuns of a California convent. When she takes over their choir, she introduces her own brand of soulfulness into their music.
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Everyone’s favorite fake nun Deloris is called back into action in this sequel. Her friends from the convent need her help to teach music to teenagers at a struggling school. It will take all her patience and musical know-how to make them into a star choir and save the school from closure at the hands of a cold-hearted administrator.
10 Things I Hate About You
The teen comedy with adult humor might feel a little out of place among cheery animated kids’ movies, but we’re not complaining! In this update of The Taming of the Shrew, a nerd falls in love with Bianca, a popular girl whose overprotective father won’t let her date until her acid-tongued, independent sister Kat does – so he hires the school’s resident bad boy to woo Kat. Shenanigans, naturally, ensue.
Tron
The iconic 1980s sci-fi movie follows a computer game programmer who gets pulled into the actual world of the computer. As he tries to escape, he interacts with the programs inside the computer, which are a lot more threatening than just strings of code should be.
