10 Most Uplifting Movies To Watch On Disney+

Disney has always had a reputation for crafting films that captured something beautiful and utopian, showing audiences that, even in the darkest of times, there is good in the world. Now that Disney+ has arrived, viewers have access to numerous films, both from the studio and from others, that weren’t easily accessible before. However, the sheer abundance of titles available begs the question: Which movie should be watched?

For those looking for a bit of escape, for a little something that will be uplifting and heartwarming, there are quite a few titles available on Disney+ that definitely fit the bill.

10 Moana (2016)

There’s so much to love about Moana. For one thing, it saw Disney exploring a culture out of the studio’s comfort zone and featured a great female protagonist. For another, the film manages to capture so many of the things that made the films from the Disney Renaissance so popular.

It’s impossible not to be swept up in Moana’s journey of self-discovery, as well as the soaring and beautiful songs that could only have come from a Disney film.

9 Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)

Homeward Bound is one of those Disney films that could only have come about in the early 1990s. There’s a profound sort of innocence in it, a simplicity to its storytelling that sets it apart from so many of the other films about pets that are out there.

More than that, though, it’s about the powerful and emotional bond that exists between people and their pets, and about the extraordinary love that can overcome almost any challenge.

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8 WALL-E (2008)

Pixar has an almost magical ability to create heartwarming characters out of objects and things that, in the normal state of things, aren’t really that sympathetic. In Wall-E‘s case, it’s hard not to fall in love with the good-hearted and faithful titular robot, who continues to clean the planet even though there’s no one living on it anymore.

The fact that he is ultimately responsible for humans returning to Earth in order to try to bring it back from its decay is what earns this film a place on the most uplifting list.

7 Frozen (2013)

What’s not to love about this film? Frozen is, in many ways, the apotheosis of the current Disney efforts, the moment when all of the stars aligned and everything came together to create what is arguably the perfect Disney movie.

What really sets the movie apart, though, is the fact that it doesn’t lean heavily on the romance plot, but instead focuses (rightly) on the powerful bond that exists between the two sisters, a bond that ultimately saves their lives and their kingdom.

6 A Goofy Movie (1995)

A Goofy Movie is one of those Disney films that sometimes falls between the cracks. Still, there’s something profoundly moving about it, particularly as it focuses on Goofy’s attempts to bond with his son, who appears to be drifting away from him as he gets older.

Though it does, admittedly, have its sad moments, there’s no question that the bond between Goofy and his son Max is one of the more complex and convincing ones that has ever been created in an animated film.

5 Pollyanna (1960)

Pollyanna is a bit of a throwback, and it’s probably a safe bet that most younger viewers of Disney+ had never heard of the film before they saw it in the app. However, it came out at that moment when Disney was producing a lot of live-action films. It’s a charming little film, focusing on a little girl and her relentless spirit of optimism, which changes the attitudes of the town that she lives in.

While it’s a bit saccharine at times, Pollyanna is a reminder of the advantages of looking on the bright side of life.

4 The Sound of Music (1965)

Though not originally made by Disney, musical lovers everywhere are very fortunate indeed that The Sound of Music is now available on Disney+. It is, of course, a film focused on both the character of Maria (played by the inimitable Julie Andrews) as well as her love for one Captain von Trapp and his troupe of children.

This is all set against the backdrop of Austria in the days immediately preceding World War II. Despite the somber background, it’s a film permeated by the power of music and love.

3 The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

For some, The Muppet Christmas Carol is in many ways the best adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic novel. In large part, that’s because Michael Caine delivers a truly exemplary performance as Ebenezer Scrooge, literature’s most famous curmudgeon.

The film has some truly heartbreaking moments, such as when a young Ebenezer loses the love of his life after focusing more on money than on her. However, overall it’s an uplifting film that emphasizes the importance of the Christmas spirit.

2 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

There’s a very good reason that Winnie the Pooh has proven to be one of the most profitable franchises in the Disney portfolio. There’s something infinitely charming about the bear of very little brain and his relationship with both his fellow animals and with the boy Christopher Robin.

This was Disney’s first theatrical feature film starring Winnie the Pooh, although it was a compilation of three shorts. From the first moment to the last, it bubbles with charm and light, and it’s impossible not to feel uplifted by the profound love that Pooh feels for Christopher.

1 Mary Poppins (1964)

This Disney film, like its titular character, is practically perfect in every way. It’s one of those Disney films that somehow manages to be appealing to both children and adults.

What’s more, it features the divine Julie Andrews. While some might find Dick Van Dyke’s cockney accent both horribly fake and irritating, there’s no question that his Bert is one of the most endearing characters to have appeared in a live-action Disney film.

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