When your day has you down, there are few better ways to brighten your mood than watching a Disney classic. Stress, exams, assignments and drama melt away when Cinderella’s castle glitters across your screen, and that nostalgic feeling — a familiar warm hug from your childhood — just seems to heal your soul. The memories of your past make you who you are, so tap into your roots when you’re feeling lost.
Here are 10 movies available to stream on Disney+ (in no particular order) that will bring late 90s and early 2000s babies back in time:
“Toy Story” (1995)
Andy Davis is a kid whose toys would do anything for him, and they love him as a family. Woody, Andy’s cowboy doll, is dethroned as Andy’s favorite toy when Andy receives a Buzz Lightyear action figure. Space toys are in, and cowboy toys are on their way out. When Woody and Buzz are separated from Andy during the family’s big move, the two toys must find allies in each other to find their way back to Andy.
“Hercules” (1997)
Set in Ancient Greece, “Hercules” is an animated rendition of a classic Greek myth with music sung by the beautiful Muses. Hercules, the son of Zeus and Hera, is cast down to Earth as a baby in spite by Zeus’s brother Hades who wants to seize power of Olympus. As a teenager, Hercules struggles with his identity, and he meets Philoctetes, a satyr who trains Greek heroes. Philoctetes trains Hercules to be a mighty Greek hero, and Hercules travels throughout Greece proving himself to be a hero — particularly to his sarcastic love interest Megara. Hercules must find a way to overthrow the titans that Hades is summoning, and in the process he learns who he truly is.
“The Princess Diaries” (2001)
A shy social outcast, Mia Thermopolis, is living with her mom in San Francisco when she learns that she is the princess of a European kingdom called Genovia. Going from textbooks to tiaras, she must learn the ways of a princess from Queen Clarisse. While dealing with boy drama and the responsibilities of a princess, Mia must decide whether she wants to return to her normal life or permanently live in Genovia with her mother and fulfill her duty as a princess.
“Lilo & Stitch” (2002)
Dr. Jumba Jookiba, and alien evil scientist, creates Experiment 626, a creature programmed with one goal: destroy everything. When the extraterrestrial government attempts to control Experiment 626, he escapes to Earth and lands on a beautiful Hawaiian island where he is mistakenly adopted as a dog by a quirky young girl, Lilo Pelekai. Lilo attempts to teach Stitch her ways as an earthling, but Stitch cannot help but be led by his innate need to destroy. As Dr. Jookiba and Pleakly, an alien government officer, attempt to corral Stitch, the experiment finds an unlikely home in Lilo and her sister Nani through their mantra: “Ohana means family.”
“Sky High” (2005)
Will Stronghold is the son of two famous superheroes, The Commander and Jetstream. Will and his best friend Layla start high school at Sky High, a special school for kids who have superpowers. At Sky High, students must be assessed to determine if they are a hero or a sidekick based on their power. Because he appears to lack superpowers, Will is assigned to be Hero Support; the rest of his friends are assigned as sidekicks, which is a role that gives them a lower social status among the other students. Will becomes involved in a feud with Warren Peace, the son of a famous villain that Will’s parents locked up, and he is forced to navigate settling into high school while upholding his parents’ high expectations.
“High School Musical” (2006)
On New Year’s Eve, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are called up to sing karaoke together at a ski lodge on their own separate family vacations. The two find a chemistry between themselves as they sing, but they have to part ways and assume that they will never see each other again. Over the break, Gabriella moves to Albuquerque and attends the same school as Troy. Troy loves his role on the basketball team and wants basketball to be a part of his future, but he cannot stop thinking about Gabriella and how he felt when he was singing with her. Together, Troy and Gabriella have to navigate drama in school and their relationship, and Troy has to find a way to make basketball and music a part of his life.
“Ratatouille” (2007)
Remy, a rat living in the sewers of France, wants to become a chef like his role model Auguste Gusteau, and he has an innate sense for cooking. When Remy notices clumsy garbage boy Alfredo Linguini messing up a soup at Gusteau’s restaurant in Paris, he helps Linguini fix the soup, making Linguini seem like an unlikely success in the process. Remy and Linguini team up to fulfill Remy’s dream of cooking. The movie is filled with humor, food that looks way too good to be animated and a look at some dreamy scenes of Paris. This one is sure to make you feel as if you are trying ratatouille yourself.
“Camp Rock” (2008)
In this Disney Channel Original Movie, Demi Lovato plays Mitchie Torres who wants to become a rock star and attend Camp Rock, but she has to work with her mom in the kitchen to help achieve her dream. Dreamy pop star Shane Gray (played by Joe Jonas) falls in love with Mitchie’s voice, while Mitchie balances mean girl drama, friendships, her relationship with her mom and her dream of singing. The songs are iconic, the throwback fashion is iconic and the dance moves are legendary.
“Hannah Montana the Movie” (2009)
When Hannah Montana is nearly outed for who she truly is as Miley Stewart after an iconic fight with Tyra Banks, her father sends her away from her pop star life to Crowley Corners, Tennessee. Miley immediately wants to return to her life as Hannah Montana, but she learns how to prioritize family and go back to her roots in Tennessee. While reconnecting with her hometown, a childhood friend and her grandmother, Miley learns about her late mother and who she truly is.
“Tangled” (2010)
Rapunzel, a girl with ever-growing magical blonde hair living in a castle with her mother, is drawn to the floating lights she sees outside of her window every year on her birthday. When Rapunzel asks her mother to take her to see the lights, her mother refuses, knowing that she stole Rapunzel from the royal family of Corona as a baby. The mother wants the powers of Rapunzel’s hair all to herself. Flynn Rider, a thief on the run, stumbles upon Rapunzel’s tower, and she demands that Rider bring her to see the floating lights himself. Together, the two embark on a journey to discover the lights and determine why Rapunzel feels so connected to them.
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