Watching Disney+ is the perfect way to spend a relaxing day.
Last year, Disney shared that they plan to release 100+ new titles onto the streaming service each year, so whether you love Marvel, Star Wars, or Pixar, there’s something for you! Lots of Disney’s most popular shows and movies like Soul, WandaVision, and The Mandalorian are available to watch, but among its thousands of titles, we bet there are a few that you don’t know about. We’re taking you through the weird, the unexpected, and the nostalgic. These are the most obscure things you can watch on Disney+.
Weird Disney Movies You Didn’t Know Existed
The Boy Who Talked to Badgers
This 1975 film tells the story of a young boy who has a special connection with animals. In an unfortunate incident, he accidentally gets swept away by a river and is taken far from home into pretty dangerous territory.
Luckily, he survives the harsh elements thanks to a…badger? Yup — a badger! This sounds like an especially heartwarming story, but it’s certainly not one that we remember!
The Cat From Outer Space
This film sounds like an especially odd one, but it could be an interesting pick for sci-fi fans! Plus, this is an old Disney classic! An extraterrestrial cat is the star of this flick. An odd physicist, along with his girlfriend and a coworker, are on a mission to help the cat fix its spaceship.
They try to help the cat escape because otherwise, the U.S. Army will steal it to use its advanced technology (ugh, don’t you just hate when that always seems to happen?!). It sounds like there’s a lot to unpack here. An alien cat? The army on a mission to steal said cat? Sounds pretty intense to us.
The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes
Another interesting movie is this one about an unintelligent college student who’s accidentally transformed into a super-genius due to a technological incident. So far, this sounds like a pretty standard Disney story. Some sort of accident takes place, changing the protagonist’s life — we’re familiar.
But then, he’s targeted by gangsters (!!) when they notice that he can understand the inner-workings of their gambling ring. Will he escape the gangsters? No spoilers here, you’ll have to watch it yourself to find out. This flick stars a very young Kurt Russell (Walt Disney was a big fan of him in his films!) and you can still find sneaky nods to this movie in the queue for Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment over in EPCOT!
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Shows Featuring Walt Disney and Classic Animation
The Pre-opening Report From Disneyland
If you want to watch a piece of history, check out The Pre-opening Report From Disneyland. This hour-long feature stars Walt Disney days before the opening of Disneyland in 1955.
Walt discusses the details of the upcoming park, providing the confirmation that it’ll be ready to go on opening day. You’ll be able to hear Walt’s hopes and plans for Disneyland from the legend himself. Plus, if you’re missing Disneyland while it remains closed, this nostalgic show might help!
The Story of the Animated Drawing
Another feature including Walt Disney is The Story of the Animated Drawing. This is a good pick for history buffs, Disney fans, or artists, as Walt talks about the history of animation. Walt discusses the transformation of animation over time, beginning in its earliest days.
Additionally, it features Walt’s own contributions to animation, including classics like Steamboat Willie and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story
If you’ve ever had “it’s a small world” stuck in your head, you have the Sherman Brothers to thank. Richard and Robert Sherman are Disney music legends, responsible for creating some of its most classic tunes, including songs from Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book.
This documentary showcases the way that Walt Disney used music to bring people together and ultimately bring a story to life.
The Plausible Impossible
Now, if The Story of the Animated Drawing left you wanting more — you’re in luck. The Plausible Impossible is another example of Walt Disney discussing the ins and outs of animation. You’re in for another history lesson, as Walt talks about techniques used in cartoons dated back to the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks!
And, in true Disney fashion, there are cartoons of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and even some deleted scenes from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!
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Throwback Disney Channel Movies/Shows
Gargoyles
Gargoyles, a Disney Channel cartoon from the 90s, follows the adventures of reawakened Scottish gargoyles who find themselves in modern-day New York City. The supernatural show follows these creatures on their quest to protect the city from nighttime predators, all while trying to adapt to the hustle and bustle of a major city.
If you’ve been missing Saturday morning cartoons, Disney+ has 78 episodes for you to binge!
Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience
The recently reemerged boy band, the Jonas Brothers, released a movie in 2009 that gave fans an exclusive look at their concerts and their life on the road. Although this version isn’t in 3D like the original release, you can still watch the band’s upbeat performances during its “Burnin’ Up” Tour.
If you’re a big Jonas Brothers fan, or you just seriously miss being at concerts — check it out! We won’t judge you for screaming (er, singing) along to the songs.
Don’t Look Under the Bed
This Disney Channel Original Movie is definitely on the spooky side. It follows a teenage girl who was blamed for the recent series of practical jokes in her town. With the help of her brother’s imaginary friend, she tries to get rid of the boogeyman that’s supposedly framing her for the pranks.
For a Disney Channel Movie, this boogeyman is CREEPY y’all. Although it’s not explicitly a Halloween movie, it’s a great watch for spooky season!
Pixel Perfect
Here, we have a more lighthearted Disney Channel Original Movie. This movie follows a smart teenage boy with a plan to help make his friends’ band, The Zetta Bytes, more popular. How, you may ask? He creates a HOLOGRAPHIC rock star!
Much drama ensues, because you simply can’t expect a band starring a hologram to end well.
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Things You Might Not Expect to Find on Disney+
Some unexpected movies have recently landed on Disney+, which might have made you think,”I didn’t realize this was a Disney movie.” And long story short, they now technically are! But they may not have originated that way. On March 20th, 2019, The Walt Disney Company acquired 21st Century Fox.
This deal gave Disney the rights to things under the 21st Century Fox umbrella, including FX Networks and Productions, National Geographic, Hulu and more. This acquisition brought an overwhelming selection of media to consumers. That’s why you’ll see a handful of films that were produced by the (recently announced closing) Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox, a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios. Here are some of them:
Horton Hears a Who!
Universal Orlando Resort features an entire land dedicated to Dr. Seuss, so seeing Dr. Seuss-inspired films on Disney+ may be confusing at first! However, it belongs! This whimsical movie is based on the book, Horton Hears a Who.
It follows an unsuspecting elephant on his journey to protect a microscopic civilization he discovers!
The Peanuts Movie
The Peanuts Movie naturally stars classic characters like Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Woodstock.
If you’re a fan of the Peanuts Comic Strip, you’ll be happy to see some of the staple elements from it in this 2015 movie!
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an incredibly well-known TV series that boasts nearly 700 episodes from the 30+ years it’s been around. While some of its content isn’t necessarily something you’d expect to see on family-friendly Disney+, it’s there!
31 seasons of the show can be found on Disney+, along with The Simpsons Movie and a couple of shorts featuring Maggie Simpson! (They even take a couple strong jabs at the House of Mouse in the later seasons!)
School House Rock
There’s a whole ton of nostalgia coming your way if you watch School House Rock! This series of educational sing-along shows made songs like “I’m Just a Bill” and “Conjunction Junction” super popular. Are you singing it yet…?
You can rock out to the 51 songs available on the platform! (Personally, we’re big fans of “Interplanet Janet!”)
folklore: the long pond sessions
Another special musical event debuted on Disney+ this past fall! Taylor Swift performed an intimate concert of her eighth album, folklore.
This was the first time Swift was able to perform the album’s songs along with co-producers Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, since the album was produced remotely. Taylor Swift has released special content on Disney+ previously, but this was a special surprise for Swifties!
Black is King
Speaking of musical celebs, Beyoncé released a “visual album” on Disney+ which features a visual journey of Black families across time.
The themes seen throughout Black is King put a spin on some of the classic lessons we know from The Lion King, where Beyoncé played Nala in the recent remake.
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Fun Things You Didn’t Know You Could Watch
Dory’s Reef Cam
Dory’s Reef Cam is a really unique option on Disney+! It’s basically an animated “screensaver” of sorts. The reef cam is meant to be like a live webcam was placed in the sea among Nemo and friends.
It gives a little peek at the life of Dory, Nemo, and other familiar fish in the sea!
Arendelle Castle Yule Log
And for fans of Frozen, there’s something similar for you to check out too! You know those prerecorded burning yule logs that you’ll find on TV around Christmastime? Well, that’s basically what this is, but inspired by Frozen!
Although the wintry holiday season is some time away at the moment, keep this festive feature in mind when December swings back around!
Prop Culture
In Prop Culture, classic Disney film props are returned to the Cast Members that worked with them during the production of some of Disney’s most iconic films.
Each prop has its own designated episode. Some of them include icons from Mary Poppins, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, TRON, and more! This is a fascinating watch for fans of movie memorabilia!
Disney Gallery — Star Wars: The Mandalorian
The Mandalorian is undeniably one of Disney+’s most popular shows. Seriously, how can we resist going on adventures with Baby Yoda? Well, this series brings viewers behind-the-scenes of the mega-popular show!
You’ll find special interviews, roundtable discussions, and insider details from the Star Wars universe!
Disney Illuminations
Missing fireworks right about now? Yeah, we are too. Watching Disney’s nighttime spectaculars on Youtube can be pretty satisfying after months of not seeing the show in person, but there’s always something in the way, grainy quality, or another technical issue causing an underwhelming experience. Well, you can now see “Disney Illuminations,” a prerecorded fireworks show from Disneyland Paris!
The show includes classic music, castle projections, and pyrotechnics! This is a great opportunity if you’re missing entertainment, especially if you’ve never seen a show from Disneyland Paris in person!
Disney Parks Sunrise Series
Looking to feel relaxed? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to wake up early to watch the sunrise…but you never actually get out of bed in time? Now, you can watch sunrise take place in Disney World’s Parks!
Each hour-long episode shows a time-lapse of sunrise over some of Disney’s icons like Cinderella Castle and Spaceship Earth! It’s truly perfect for chilling out after a long week.
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Well, those are some of the most OBSCURE things you can watch on Disney+! And can you believe this list doesn’t even make a dent in the thousands of titles you can find on the streaming service? Seriously, there’s SO much to see and hundreds more shows and movies are coming your way. Check back with us for more Disney updates!
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Have you seen any of these shows or movies on Disney+? Tell us in the comments!
The post The Most Obscure Things You Can Watch on Disney+ first appeared on the disney food blog.