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Disney+ Movies That Are Great For Adults – No Kids Required
While Disney+ has gained a reputation as a hub for family-friendly fare (or for adults looking to relive their childhood favorites), it has plenty of movies geared toward adult audiences. From documentaries to darker entries into long-running franchises, Disney+ definitely isn’t just for kids.
Some movies, like “Winnie the Pooh,” really are better for kids. Of course, plenty of Disney+ flicks are perfect for both adults and children, which is part of their charm – they hold up no matter what age you are. (Who’s to say adults can’t love singing along to “Frozen” and “Encanto”?) From gorgeous historic dramas like Hidden Figures” to old favorites like “The Simpsons Movie” to films that really are better for adults like “Saving Mr. Banks,” there are plenty of options on the streamer for adults to have a quality cinematic experience. And iconic, cult-classic movies like “Sister Act” and “10 Things I Hate About You” have become beloved favorites among movie fans of all ages for a reason.
Ahead, check out some of the best movies on Disney+ for adults. There’s plenty of magic to be found – even in movies with an older target audience.
Don’t miss out on these movies. Sign up for Disney+ ($7.99 per month) today.
– Additional reporting by Kalyn Womack and Naomi Parris
Related: 22 Romantic Comedies Streaming on Disney+ Right Now
"Avatar: The Way of the Water"
“Avatar: The Way of the Water” picks up the story from 2009’s “Avatar.” The Oscar-nominated film was praised for its groundbreaking visuals and environmental message.
Watch “Avatar: The Way of the Water” on Disney+ starting June 7.
"Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania"
“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is the first film of Marvel’s Phase 5, and it sees Paul Rudd‘s Ant-Man return for a universe-bending adventure. He’s joined by Michael Douglas, Evangeline Lilly, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang.
Watch “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” on Disney+ now.
"Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark"
Harrison Ford‘s iconic turn as Indiana Jones helped make him one of the biggest stars in the world. Now, you can stream all the Indiana Jones films on Disney+. Start with “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark,” released in 1981.
Watch “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” on Disney+ now.
"Spider-Man 2"
Peter Parker fans, Disney+ is home to Spider-Man movies starring Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland as everyone’s favorite web slinger. Take a chance to revisit “Spider-Man 2,” released in 2004. It features Alfred Molina’s legendary turn as Doc Ock.
Watch “Spider-Man 2” on Disney+ now.
"National Treasure"
“National Treasure” sees Nicolas Cage star as Benjamin Franklin Gates, who uses a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence to find a secret, hidden treasure. Though the premise is a little goofy, Cage really sells the story, which is full of thrills.
Watch “National Treasure on Disney+ now.
"Howard"
Howard Ashman wrote music for “The Little Mermaid,” “Aladdin,” and “Beauty and the Beast,” and in the process, he transformed Disney animated films forever. The documentary “Howard” chronicles his life before his death from HIV/AIDS in 1991.
Watch “Howard” on Disney+ now.
"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.
Watch “Hidden Figures” on Disney+ now.
"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 rages.
Watch “The Finest Hours” on Disney+ now.
"Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen"
It might be a movie about teens, but adults will appreciate its satirical wit. When a city girl with Broadway dreams has to move to the suburbs, she gets knocked down a few pegs. However, with the help of her friends, she strives to make a splash as the lead role in the school’s rock-inspired musical.
Watch “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” on Disney+ now.
"Ernest Saves Christmas"
On the brink of retirement, Santa Claus is on the lookout for a suitable replacement, and cab driver Ernest P. Worrell needs to help him. Santa has plans to give children’s show host Joe Carruthers the job, but while he is traveling to Florida to do so, he encounters a few bumps in the road. Ernest, along with a runaway teenager named Harmony Starr, must jump through hoops to help Santa pass the torch onto the newest Kris Kringle before Christmas is threatened for good.
Watch “Ernest Saves Christmas” on Disney+.
"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 voicing dogs.
Watch “Isle of Dogs” on Disney+ now.
"Rodgers & Hammerstein's 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 adaptation of the fairytale.
Watch “Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella” on Disney+ now.
"Free Solo"
Free-solo rock climber Alex Honnold attempts his biggest dream: scaling Yosemite’s 3200-foot El Capitan without a rope. This NatGeo documentary follows Honnold as he prepares for the climb of his life.
Watch “Free Solo” on Disney+ now.
"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 the oldest rookie in the NFL – but that’s only the beginning of his story.
Watch “Invincible” on Disney+ now.
"Splash"
Starring Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy, and John Candy, the 1984 classic follows workaholic Allen Bauer (Hanks) who is convinced he can’t fall in love – that is, until he meets a mermaid named Madison (Hannah). Get ready to get swept away by their romance in this rom-com.
Watch “Splash” on Disney+.
"The Love Bug"
A low-key race car driver and his mechanic best friend acquire a quirky VW Beetle that seems to have a personality of its own. The duo and their new car, “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.
Watch “The Love Bug” on Disney+ now.
"Miracle on 34th Street"
6-year-old Susan Walker has plenty to believe in, but when it comes to Santa Claus, the only thing that she believes is that he isn’t real. When Susan meets Kris Kringle, a department-store Santa who tells her he is the real Santa, her love for Christmas is ignited. The only problem Santa faces is a city that is convinced he isn’t real after being wrongfully arrested. Susan, along with her mother’s boyfriend, lawyer Bryan Bedford, must help the biggest skeptic believe in Santa before Christmas is ruined.
Watch “Miracle on 34th Street” on Disney+.
"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’ struggles becomes a touchstone for Cold War politics.
Watch “Miracle” on Disney+ now.
"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.
Watch “Miracle at Midnight” on Disney+ now.
"Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House"
Amid the recent divorce of his parents, 9-year-old Kevin McCallister is forced to decide which person he should spend Christmas with. He ends up choosing to celebrate the holiday with his father and his new girlfriend, Natalie, at her mansion. As he is settling in and getting comfortable, Kevin notices his old nemesis, Marv Murchins, and his wife-turned-criminal sidekick, Vera, scouting the place. In an effort to save the visiting royal family and Natalie’s mansion, Kevin uses high-tech gadgets and his creativity to stop them for good.
Watch “Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House” on Disney+.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"
Even (or especially) adults loved the first entry in the “Pirates” franchise, a sharp adventure story that’s pays loving homage to pirate lore while playfully skewering it. Before the franchise became a lengthy, occasionally unwieldy epic, it was a straightforward 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+ now.
"Rogue One"
While the entire Star Wars canon appeals to adults as well as children, “Rogue One” deserves a special mention as perhaps the franchise’s most mature film to date. 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.
Watch “Rogue One” on Disney+ now.
"The Rookie"
A man coaches a low-ranked high school baseball team after injuries derail his promising baseball career. 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.
Watch “The Rookie” on Disney+ now.
"Saving Mr. Banks"
Don’t let the “Mary Poppins” title fool you. While it’s not exactly unsuitable for kids, adults will likely get much more out of this movie, which is loosely based on the drama behind the scenes of the classic movie. As prickly author P.L. Travers clashes with Walt Disney’s genial commercialism, she recalls her difficult upbringing with the alcoholic but charming father she adored.
Watch “Saving Mr. Banks” on Disney+ now.
"The Simpsons Movie"
It may be animated, but it’s certainly not for kids! When the Simpsons get blamed for polluting the global water supply, their family is sharply divided. Homer sets out not just to save the world, but to earn his family’s forgiveness.
Watch “The Simpsons Movie” on Disney+ now.
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
Following its November 2022 release, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has finally arrived on Disney+. Starring Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, and Tenoch Huerta, the “Black Panther” sequel sees Wakanda and its inhabitants dealing with new threats and the loss of their leader King T’Challa.
Watch “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” on Disney+.
"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 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.
Watch “Sister Act” on Disney+ now.
"Home Alone: The Holiday Heist"
Finn Baxter just moved from California to Maine with his parents and younger sister. While getting settled in the house, Finn starts to believe that his new home is haunted and sets up traps in hopes of capturing the ghosts that haunt the place. When his parents leave the house to go to a Christmas party, a trio of thieves break in and attempt to steal a number of valuable paintings, and it’s now up to Finn to protect himself and his sister from the thieves and stop them from causing havoc in his house.
Watch “Home Alone: The Holiday Heist” on Disney+.
"10 Things I Hate About You"
The razor-sharp teen comedy 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. He hires the school’s resident bad boy to woo Kat, and shenanigans naturally ensue.
Watch “10 Things I Hate About You” on Disney+ now.
"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 teaching music to teenagers at a struggling school. It will take all her patience and musical know-how to turn them into a star choir and save the school from closure at the hands of a cold-hearted administrator.
Watch “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit” on Disney+ now.
"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 strings of code should be.
Watch “Tron” on Disney+ now.
"'Twas the Night"
Bryan Cranston is Santa Claus. That’s more than enough reason to watch this old school DCOM.
Watch “‘Twas the Night” on Disney+.
"Three Men and a Baby"
Three single men with successful careers find themselves caring for an infant left on their doorstep. Their babysitting nightmare gradually changes as they grow attached to the child.
Watch “Three Men and a Baby” on Disney+ now.
"Avatar"
In “Avatar,” humans attempt to access the world of Pandora inhabited by the Na’vi. Former Marine Jake Sully falls in love with a Na’vi woman and finds himself fighting to survive in her world while also fulfilling his orders from Earth.
Watch “Avatar” on Disney+ now.
"The Parent Trap"
After their divorce, each parent takes one of their identical twin daughters and raises them separately. The two girls run into each other at a summer camp more than a decade later and attempt to reunite their family.
Watch “The Parent Trap” on Disney+ now.
"Ruby Bridges"
Based on the inspiring true story of young activist Ruby Bridges, this film depicts Ruby’s journey to becoming one of the first African-American children to attend an integrated school in the racist South. The six-year-old struggles to adjust to new life when she’s selected to attend an all-white school, causing a racial uproar.
Watch “Ruby Bridges” on Disney+ now.
"The Santa Clause 2"
After eight years of being Santa, Scott discovers a second clause in his contract: he needs to find a wife. Luckily for him, “Lost”‘s Elizabeth Mitchell is his son’s new principal.
Watch “The Santa Clause 2” on Disney+.
"While You Were Sleeping"
Sandra Bullock plays Lucy Eleanor Moderatz, a lonely transit worker who rescues her longtime crush from the path of an oncoming train. While he lies comatose in the hospital, a misunderstood comment from Lucy causes his family to believe she’s his fiancée.
Watch “While You Were Sleeping” on Disney+ now.
"Confessions of a Shopaholic"
This rom-com follows the journey of Rebecca, a New York City shopaholic who runs into trouble when she accumulates debt. To pay it off, she seeks to land her dream job at a fashion magazine but instead starts writing a personal-finance column for a sister publication. The column unexpectedly becomes a hit, but her secret threatens her love life and newfound success.
Watch “Confessions of a Shopaholic” on Disney+ now.
"The Pacifier"
After he fails to prevent scientist Howard Plummer from being assassinated, an elite Navy SEAL strives to redeem himself when he gets assigned to protect Plummer’s children.
Watch “The Pacifier” on Disney+ now.
"The Game Plan"
A bachelor football star must learn to balance the demands of his career with his personal life when he discovers he has a young daughter from a previous relationship.
Watch “The Game Plan” on Disney+ now.
"Black Is King"
This American musical by Beyoncé reimagines the story of Disney’s “The Lion King” for today’s generation, depicting the voyage of Black families.
Watch “Black Is King” on Disney+ now.
"Remember the Titans"
This historic film is based on the true story of a newly appointed Black coach and his high-school team, who navigate their first racially-integrated season together.
Watch “Remember the Titans” on Disney+ now.
"The Lion King"
This 2019 musical film retells the iconic coming-of-age story of Simba, a young lion prince who flees his kingdom only to learn lessons of courage and responsibility.
Watch “The Lion King” on Disney+ now.
"The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement"
In this sequel to the original “The Princess Diaries,” Mia returns to Genovia after graduating from Princeton only to learn that she can’t become queen unless she’s married within 30 days.
Watch “The Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement” on Disney+ now.
"Freaky Friday"
After receiving cryptic fortunes at a Chinese restaurant, a mother-daughter duo wake up the next day to find that they’ve switched bodies. They’re forced to play each other’s roles until they find a solution.
Watch “Freaky Friday” on Disney+ now.
"The Princess Diaries"
Shy San Francisco teenager Mia must readjust to life when she discovers that she is a real-life princess, heir to the crown of Genovia. With the help of her grandmother, Queen Clarisse, she learns what true royalty looks like while maintaining her own independence.
Watch “The Princess Diaries” on Disney+ now.
"Turner & Hooch"
Tom Hanks plays a dignified US Marshall who solves crimes with the help of a junkyard dog, Hooch.
Watch “Turner & Hooch” on Disney+ now.
"One Magic Christmas"
Have all the tissues ready for this 1985 film about a young mother who loses her faith in Christmas. It’s only through the help of her daughter and a guardian angel that she rediscovers the joys of the holidays.
Watch “One Magic Christmas” on Disney+.
"Hocus Pocus 2"
Bette Middler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy return for this followup to the iconic “Hocus Pocus.” The movie even met the approval of some real witches, and while it’s perfect for Halloween, it’ll add some eerie fun any time of year – no matter your age.
Watch “Hocus Pocus 2” on Disney+ now.
"Rise"
“Rise” chronicles the true story of a trio of brothers who all became NBA champions. Basketball players Giannis, Thanasis and Kostas Antetokounmpo all went pro, and their amazing story touches on migration, family ties, sports, and much more.
Watch “Rise” on Disney+ now.
"The Ultimate Christmas Present"
Two young girls in Los Angeles stumble across Santa Claus’s weather-making machine and use it to create a snow day in Los Angeles. What they don’t realize is that their snow day comes with a Christmas-sized cost.
Watch “The Ultimate Christmas Present” on Disney+.
"Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness"
Considered one of the darkest Marvel films, 2022’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is definitely not targeted at kids – and its mind-bending storyline has confused many an adult. With plenty of horror and gore and wild dream sequences, this one will require all of your attention.
Watch “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” on Disney+ now.
"Babes in Toyland"
If you can get past the creepy dolls, the 1961 version of “Babes in Toyland” is a fun, musical spectacular. It’s also on overall odd film – Mother Goose plays a surprisingly large role – but there’s a saving Christmas subplot, so it all evens out.
Watch “Babes in Toyland” on Disney+.