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10 Disney Movies That Are Incredible From Start to Finish
By Michael Block
Nov. 18, 2025
The wonderful world of Disney has been a source of extraordinary entertainment for 100 years, providing families with laughs, smiles, and tears for generations. Through live-action stories and animated films, we’ve been transported to magical worlds beyond our imagination. With such a vast Disney vault of titles, we all have our favorites, but there are certain titles that are universally beloved.
The joy of a Disney movie is how they might make us feel. From start to finish, these movies do something others can’t. They’re simply incredible. Here are 10 films that stand the test of time as practically perfect, as our dear nanny friend would say. Diving deep into the ocean or meeting enchanted objects and talking toys, these films bring us to a whole new world we never want to leave.
10. ‘Freaky Friday’ (2003)
There was no bigger rising teen star in the early aughts than Lindsay Lohan. After making her mark in a film we’ll discuss later, Lohan became a Disney darling on screen. But it all began with the fantasy comedy spectacular, Freaky Friday. Perpetually bickering mother and daughter Tess and Anna (Jamie Lee Curtis and Lohan) are never on the same page. From clothes to boys, Anna’s rock band aspirations, and Tess’ wedding to Ryan (Mark Harmon), they argue about everything. During a heated argument at a Chinese restaurant on a Thursday night, they both received identical, cryptic fortune cookies. After a moment of “mystic mayhem,” they wake up on Friday morning to discover they have switched bodies. Cue the iconic line, “I’m old!”
A classic Disney family film with a modern twist, Freaky Friday became an instant beloved classic. The body-swapping film put a new perspective on the trope of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. The initial struggle of being trapped in others’ bodies brings the laughs, but beneath the humor lies a truly heartwarming story. It only took two decades for fans to get a sequel, Freakier Friday, that not only provided exceptional fan service but also helped bring another generation into the mix.
9. ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ (1988)
The saga of Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit is one that deserves its own article, but essentially, once Disney purchased the rights to the titular character, they managed to bring a mixed live-action animated mashup into a more adult-themed world. Set in an alternative-history Hollywood in 1947, where humans and toons coexist, Who Framed Roger Rabbit follows Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins), a private investigator with a grudge against toons, who must help exonerate Roger (Charles Fleischer), who has been framed for murder. With a dark cartoon world, the film received critical acclaim for its visuals, humor, writing, and performances, all thanks to advancements in blended media.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit was quite a darling film because, despite the Disney association, this was not a typical kids’ cartoon. And instead of a world of brand-new cartoon creations, some non-Disney IP, including Betty Boop, Woody Woodpecker, and Mel Blanc-voiced Looney Tunes, find themselves mixed up in the universe. The film is known for its iconic characters, including Jessica Rabbit (Kathleen Turner), Baby Herman (Lou Herschel), and the terrifying eyes of Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd). For movie and cartoon lovers, the film is an homage to the Golden Age of the Silver Screen. Though we never revived a sequel, the film lives on as an iconic time capsule that everyone must experience at least once.
8. ‘Encanto’ (2021)
If the 90s were the Disney animated renaissance, the second resurgence came in the 2010s. And just when you thought nothing could top Frozen or Moana, we journeyed to Colombia to meet the magical Madrigal family. Encanto tells the story of a multigenerational family in which each Madrigal family member has a magical gift. That is, except for Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz). When Mirabel learns that the family is losing their magic, she sets out to find why and save the family and their home, Casita.
There’s not a single song in Encanto that is a flop. And I guarantee you had “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” stuck in your head. With a snappy score from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Encanto continued to prove that Disney may have momentary down periods, but when they succeed, they do so with flying colors. With a very accessible story about family, Encanto has a character you relate to and admire. Maybe you’re the outcast of the family, like Bruno (John Leguizamo), or the black sheep, like Mirabel. No matter who you are, the characters jump off the screen and into your heart. Magical realism is not new in animation, but transporting us to this specific world and family was important to the stories Disney was telling. The universality of Encanto struck a chord, making it one of the biggest hits of the 21st Century.
7. ‘The Parent Trap’ (1998)
In 1969, we were introduced to the song “Let’s Get Together” that set the tone for a film about a pair of teenage twins who switch places to reunite their parents. Jump ahead to 1998, when Nancy Meyers updated the Hayley Mills film for modern times, casting a young Lindsay Lohan indual roles. In this remake, identical twins Hallie Parker and Annie James meet at summer camp, where they decide to work together to reunite their divorced parents (Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid). Filled with charm and love,
is a sweet film that has an affable modern spin. With a winning plot, what sets the film apart is the extraordinary career-making performance by Lohan, the true soul of the film.
What makes this a modern Disney classic is the infusion of old and new through iconic moments and characters. Still today, we have that friend with whom we do the signature handshake. We all wish we had a Chessy (Lisa Ann Walter). And when we get our hands on a big floppy hat, we all attempt our hand at the infamous Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix) hat moment. In a time when nostalgia drives us toward reboots and sequels, this one stands on its own, not needing a new iteration.
6. ‘Hocus Pocus’ (1993)
There’s just something about witches that pop culture simply adores. We’ve seen good witches and bad witches, but no matter which witch we watch, they’ve been a major part of media. With so many portrayals of spellbinding individuals, when Disney gave Kenny Ortega a chance to put a new spin on witches on screen, little did he know he was about to create a cult classic masterpiece. Bringing the lore of the witches of Salem, Hocus Pocus follows a villainous trio of sister witches, Winifred, Sarah, and Mary Sanderson (Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy), who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy, Max Dennison (Omri Katz) on Halloween night.
Though the initial reviews were mixed and considered a box office bomb, Hocus Pocus has become the epitome of millennial adoration. The film is wickedly campy and whimsically spooky; Hocus Pocus is the definition of fun from start to finish. Hocus Pocus is a film that reminds us it’s not about where you start, but how you finish. By legacy standards, Hocus Pocus is never slowing down. From drag tributes to our obsession of the film’s rendition of “I Put a Spell On You,” we simply cannot get enough of Hocus Pocus. If you accept it as a campy good time, you’ll love it all the way through.
5. ‘Finding Nemo’ (2003)
OK. I know. Finding Nemo starts off a bit dark, but Disney is known for killing parents in their films. They did it at the start of Finding Nemo in order to hammer home the film’s most important relationship between father and son. So, once you get over the emotional wave that crashes down, Pixar brings us into the big blue world under the sea. The incredible adventure film follows a clownfish, Marlin (Albert Brooks), who teams up with a forgetful regal blue tang named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) as they try to find his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould). A story about learning to let go, Finding Nemo is an oceanic adventure that is breathtaking in scope and grounded in emotion.
Up until this point, Pixar was doing well as a companion to Disney, dominating the box office with two animated films a year, but the early 2000s were when Pixar took over as the dominant producer, all thanks to Finding Nemo. As the company is known for, the voice cast was quite impressive, featuring Willem Dafoe, Allison Janney, Geoffrey Rush, and Brad Garrett, among others. What sets Finding Nemo apart is the vast world below that they were able to bring us to. This wasn’t The Little Mermaid where we were a bit more stationary under the sea. Finding Nemo swam from a coral reef to P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, meeting fish, abstaining sharks, and groovy sea turtles along the way. Finding Nemo is perfect, and after all these years, it’s still remarkable watching it back.
4. ‘Mary Poppins’ (1964)
The Walt Disney Company, in its early rise to prominence, was known for its animation division and live-action films, though the former had been much more successful. Without a live-action hit quite yet, Walt Disney not only tried to earn P.L. Travers’ trust to adapt her stories for the screen, but also to secure a whimsical vision and a score from the Sherman Brothers. She finally gave in, and an extraordinary multimedia film came to life. Mary Poppins combined live-action and animation to create a fantasy musical comedy. The story tells the tale of Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), an eccentric nanny who takes on two children in hopes of improving their family dynamic.
A revelatory film, Mary Poppins is one of the most wonderful and sentimental films, overwhelming you with emotion. Visually cheerful, with dazzle and sparkle, the film changed the way stories could be told. The entire score is catchy, with every song a toe tapper. Andrews and Dick Van Dyke have immense chemistry that helps unite the two universes. It’s truly a crowning achievement. It’s almost guaranteed that when you watch, you’ll have an immediate jolly holiday.
3. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991)
A sign of greatness is being nominated for an Academy Award. It’s even more impressive when you make history as the first animated feature to earn a nomination. Bringing the nostalgia from princess films between the 1930s and 1950s, Disney reignited the love of fairy tales through the classic story, Beauty and the Beast. A true tale as old as time, the animated classic brings the story of a prince turned beast seeking to transform back into a human again by finding the one who can break the spell. When a young provincial girl named Belle (Paige O’Hara) arrives at the castle, the Beast’s (Robby Benson) enchanted servants will lead the pair to fall in love and reverse the curse.
Between the songwriting team’s, lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken, extraordinary score, the magical world and beloved characters, and a romance we wish to all experience, Beauty and the Beast is exquisitely remarkable. It would be like searching for a needle in a haystack to find a flaw in the film. Thanks to the legacy the movie established, Beauty and the Beast has been passed down for generations with no signs of stopping.
2. ‘The Lion King’ (1994)
Disney has a rich history of talking animals. It’s become a staple of the company. Some talking animals have worn clothes to retell classic stories, such as Robin Hood. Others are living life in the forest like Bambi. But never has Disney taken us to the vast landscapes of the African Savannah until The Lion King. A story about a lion cub who is destined to be king, The Lion King is a musical masterpiece that changed animation forever.
Right from the start, the atmosphere is established with a gathering at Pride Rock for the birth of the future king, Simba (voiced by both Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick). Through the sweeping sounds of the iconic Elton John song “Circle of Life,” we witnessed one of the greatest film openings of all time. From there, we met a plethora of fan-favorite characters through sensational songs, and a plot that mirrored Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The Lion King is incredible all the way through.
1. ‘Toy Story’ (1995)
In 1995, Pixar put itself on the map when they brought computer animation to the forefront by telling a story about what happens when toys come to life when their owners aren’t around. A tale where a cowboy doll and a space ranger action figure vie for adoration, Toy Story redefined the power of friendship through a wonderfully colorful world where imagination runs free. Not only was Toy Story a groundbreaking film, but it’s also one of the best animated features of all time.
Toy Story gave us a world where all types of toys can live together in unity. When they’re left alone, the fun they have reveals a splendor and wonder about what happens to our own toys. With an original story, we didn’t need a clear-cut hero and villain. Instead, an unlikely pair finds the power of becoming a duo and the reliance on one another. Even with an antagonist introduced in the form of neighbor bad boy Sid (Erik von Detten), it strengthens the unity of our characters.
The first film has a stellar voice cast —Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn, Annie Potts, John Ratzenberger, and more — that literally brings these guys to life. The universe they get to play in, whether it’s Andy’s (John Morris) room or Pizza Planet, is fully realized and visually beautiful. What makes Toy Story incredible from start to finish is that it’s not just a kids’ movie. It’s also for the kids at heart.
