Genre: Animation, Adventure, Family Starring: Rita Moreno, Josh Groban, Joshua Henry Director: Hamish Hamilton Motion Picture Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hour, 28 minutes Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration originally aired live on ABC, but you can stream it on Disney Plus whenever you want. Genre: Comedy, Crime Starring: Emma Stone, Mark Strong, Emma Thompson Director: Craig Gillespie TV Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hours, 14 minutes The latest in Disney’s long line of live-action villain origin stories, Cruella is available for Disney Plus Premier Access subscribers while it’s still in theaters. Everyone else will have to wait until the summer to stream it. Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure Starring: Alan Tudyk, Kelly Marie Tran, Gemma Chan Director: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada Motion Picture Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hour, 47 minutes Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy Starring: Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista Director: James Gunn Rating: TV-14 Runtime: 44 minutes Phase four of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe concludes in appropriately off-beat fashion with The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi Director: Shawn Levy Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes It’s a concept that’s been done before in movies like The Truman Show, but Free Guy offers a fresh modern take, and Reynolds is perfect in his role as a happy-go-lucky video game NPC. Genre: Crime, Drama, Musical Starring: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose Director: Steven Spielberg Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hours, 36 minutes Despite not doing well at the box office, the movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Now you can stream West Side Story on Disney Plus from the comfort of your home. Genre: Drama, Romance Starring: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff Director: Josh Boone Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hours, 6 minutes Based on the best-selling novel by John Greene, The Fault in Our Stars was highly anticipated by the young adult audience, which is why it landed the number one spot at the box office during its opening weekend. Sincere performances by the young leads and veteran supporting cast make this film enjoyable for teens and adults. Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale Director: Taika Waititi Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 1 hour, 58 minutes Love and Thunder maintains the same balance of action and humor found in previous Thor films. On top of that, it has a rockin’ soundtrack. Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy Starring: Will Arnett, Taraji P. Henson, Darren Criss Director: Kirk R. Thatcher Motion Picture Rating: TV-PG Running Time: 52 minutes Muppets Haunted Mansion is an instant holiday classic made for audiences of all ages. The movie clocks in at less than an hour, so it should keep the attention of kids and grown-ups. Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour Director: Cate Shortland Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hours, 13 minutes Genre: Biography, Drama, History Starring: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Phillipa Soo, Leslie Odom Jr. Director: Thomas Kail Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 3 hours The play has won dozens of accolades, including 11 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Now you can experience it with the entire original cast, including Lin-Manuel Miranda as the Founding Father. Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport Starring: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Ramiro Rodriguez Director: Niki Caro Motion Picture Rating: TV-PG Running Time: 2 hours, 9 minutes Disney Plus already has more family-friendly sports movies and TV shows than any other streaming service. That said, McFarland, USA is still a welcome addition. Inspired by a true story, the movie was a hit with both critics and casual movie-goers. Genre: Family, Musical, Romance Starring: Meg Donnelly, Milo Manheim, Terry Hu Director: Paul Hoen Motion Picture Rating: G Running Time: 1 hour, 28 minutes If you need to catch up on the franchise, you can also watch the original Zombies and Zombies 2 on Disney Plus. Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hours, 12 minutes Shang-Chi is definitely a Marvel movie with its big-budget special effects and action sequences, but it’s also a solid martial arts flick grounded in Asian mythology. Genre: Comedy, Action, Adventure Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hours, 7 minutes Like the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Jungle Cruise is a fantasy-adventure story inspired by a Disney World attraction of the same name. If you don’t like water rides, you can thankfully now enjoy the experience from the comfort of your living room. Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy Starring: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie Director: Chloé Zhao Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hours, 36 minutes Like every Marvel movie, Eternals boasts top-notch acting, special effects, and action sequences. While the Eternals aren’t as popular as the Avengers, they shouldn’t be overlooked since they’re a part of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Genre: Biography, Drama Starring: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris Director: Boaz Yakin Motion Picture Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hour, 53 minutes An emotional story and memorable performances are complimented by an all-star soundtrack featuring Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, The Hollies, Marvin Gaye, James Taylor, The Temptations, and Cat Stevens. It’s no wonder why many critics consider Remember the Titans to be the best football movie ever made. Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy Starring: Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton Director: Wes Anderson Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 1 hour, 41 minutes Isle of Dogs isn’t a movie for young children, but the humor is tame enough for older kids. The clever writing is directed at more mature audiences, so adults might get more laughs out of the jokes. The stop-motion animation is also top-notch. Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Maya Rudolph Director: Enrico Casarosa Motion Picture Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes The story has obvious parallels to The Little Mermaid, but it has a different, more uplifting message about tolerance. Luca is the quintessential Pixar film in that it feels simultaneously original and familiar. Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy Starring: Folajomi ‘FJ’ Akinmurele, Aweng Ade-Chuol, Isaak Adoyi Director: Emmanuel Adjei, Blitz Bazawule TV Rating: TV-14 Running Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes In addition to stunning music and cinematography, Black Is King features a strong cast, which includes several notable musical artists. African culture is placed front and center, making this film stand out among Disney’s live-action musicals. Genre: Biography, Drama, History Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe Director: Theodore Melfi Motion Picture Rating: PG Running Time: 2 hours, 7 minutes The film finally gives these unsung American heroes the recognition they deserve. On top of that, it’s well-acted and inspiring. If you like the movie, be sure to check out the book it’s based on. Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor Director: Sam Raimi Motion Picture Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 2 hours, 6 minutes You might be a little lost if you haven’t watched Wandavision, What If, and the original Dr. Strange. Fortunately, they’re all on Disney Plus, so you can get caught up. Genre: Comedy, Action, Adventure Starring: Harriet Sansom Harris, Kirk R. Thatcher, Eugenie Bondurant Director: Michael Giacchino Rating: TV-14 Running Time: 52 minutes Werewolf by Night is an obvious tribute to old Universal monster films like The Wolf Man, The Mummy, and Frankenstein. That said, it’s still a Marvel movie with all the requisite action and humor. Genre: Documentary Starring: Kathryn Beaumont, Marcy Carriker, Becky Cline Director: John Gleim Motion Picture Rating: TV-PG Running Time: 1 hour Host Don Hahn and film historian Leonard Maltin thoroughly explore the evolution of Disney from a small animation company to a global media conglomerate. The documentary also includes interviews with filmmakers from Marvel Studios, Pixar, and Lucasfilm as well as famous actors like Mark Hamill and Kurt Russell. Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy Starring: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton Director: Pete Docter, Kemp Powers Motion Picture Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes Soul is more colorful and creative than the average Pixar film, which is really saying something. The first Pixar movie to go straight-to-streaming, Soul received three Oscar nominations, and it won Golden Globes for Best Animated Film and Best Original Score. Genre: Animation, Comedy, Family Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo Director: Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Charise Castro Smith Motion Picture Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes Encanto hits all of the notes you’d expect in a Disney animated film, including a cast of colorful characters, family-friendly humor, and unforgettable tunes. The movie didn’t get much public attention when it was released, but it’s worth watching if you missed it in theaters.
