The House of Mouse's streaming service is more like a mansion fit for a host of elephants. Disney Plus boasts a gigantic library stocked with titles from the last century produced by the company's many brands, including Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar.
Disney Plus is an indispensable service for families, as it has the animated classics that kids love as well as comedies and dramas for adults. Finding a Disney Plus movie can be a daunting task, though, as you might be scrolling through dozens of titles for awhile.
Fortunately, Rotten Tomatoes can help by providing some guidance. The reviews aggregator issues scores for films based on what critics and audiences have to say. If you are looking for quality movies, you can seek out ones that are certified “fresh,” which means at least 60 percent of reviews are positive.
For an even more slam-dunk choice, you can watch a movie with a 90 percent score or higher — essentially an A grade. Here are seven Disney Plus films that earned that achievement.
Black Panther
Black Panther broke ground as Marvel’s first movie with a Black director and a mostly Black cast, led by the late, great Chadwick Boseman and featuring Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira and Winston Duke. The film celebrated African culture and the possibilities of its future in the depiction of the technologically advanced Wakanda.
Boseman himself earned rave reviews for the regal gravitas and humanity he projected as T’Challa, the heir who ascends to Wakanda's throne. It’s no wonder that Black Panther became the first Marvel movie to break into the Oscars, including a nomination for Best Picture. This is a great time to watch (or rewatch) this film, as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is due on November 11.
Genre: Superhero action
Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%
Stream it on Disney Plus
Coco
In Mexico, Day of the Dead is a joyful celebration that pays respect to family members who have passed away. The holiday drives Pixar's movie, which follows 12-year-old Miguel on a fantastical journey.
Despite his family's prohibition on music, Miguel secretly yearns to play and sing. When he strums his deceased idol’s vintage guitar, Miguel is suddenly whisked away to the Land of the Dead. In order to return, he must find and get the blessing of his great-great-grandfather. Along the way, he stumbles upon old family secrets that explain why his family hates music. With the help of his ancestors, he may be able to heal some longstanding wounds.
Genre: Animated fantasy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Stream it on Disney Plus
Hamilton
This blended recording brings Hamilton, the award-winning Broadway musical, from stage to screen. Lin-Manuel Miranda created an astonishing, history-laden, hip-hop-influenced songs. A stellar cast brings it to life, led by Miranda as the Founding Father and Leslie Odom Jr. as rival Aaron Burr.
We fall squarely on the side that Hamilton isn’t merely a recording of a stage performance. Director Thomas Kail used several recordings of live performances in front of audiences, as well sequences filmed without an audience for close-ups. What resulted was a gorgeous, entertaining and heart-stopping film.
Genre: Historical musical
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Stream it on Disney Plus
Logan
Yes, Disney Plus has (a few) R-rated movies, including this excellent film where Hugh Jackman suits up as Wolverine one last time, to portray the character he so memorably inhabited in the X-Men films. In Logan, he's older, even more cynical than ever and losing his healing ability. Settled in a remote area, he's taking care of an ailing Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), whose dementia is dangerous to other people.
His quiet, lonely life is upended by a mysterious young girl, Laura (Dafne Keen), who is a lot like Logan. She's being hunted by dark forces who want to use her as a weapon, so Logan takes Laura and Xavier on the run. The outlook seems grim when a clone of Logan in his prime is sent after them.
Genre: Superhero drama
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Stream it on Disney Plus
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
J.J. Abrams got the unenviable task of starting a sequel trilogy to the iconic Star Wars movies. He carried it off, though, with The Force Awakens. It astutely blends nostalgia for the original films and beloved characters with fresh faces like Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac).
Set 30 years after the Galactic Empire's defeat in Return of the Jedi, a new threat rises in the form of the First Order. It's led by Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), the son of Han and Leia and former pupil of Luke Skywalker. Rey, who discovers she can use the Force, faces off against Kylo as the Resistance works to destroy a terrible new weapon.
Genre: Space action/adventure
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Stream it on Disney Plus
Summer of Soul
Part concert film, part overdue history lesson, Summer of Soul is important and relevant to the current cultural moment. But it’s also simply a blast, from a past most of us knew nothing about. The documentary from first-time director Questlove unearths footage from the other, less famous music festival of the summer of 1969. We’ve all heard plenty about Woodstock; it’s taken too long to learn more about the weekly concerts that took place in a Harlem park.
The doc is a joyful celebration of Black culture and excellence, with absolutely divine performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, BB King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson and Mavis Staples (among many others). The Harlem Culture Festival didn’t get the recognition it deserved then, but we can give it our attention now.
Genre: Music documentary
Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%
Stream it on Disney Plus
Turning Red
Turning Red marks off a lot of firsts for Pixar — the studio’s first film to have a solo female director, Domee Shi; the first to be set in Canada; and the first to feature an Asian girl as the lead. It’s also possibly the most mature Pixar project yet, a parable about the on-set of puberty (and more specifically, menstruation).
A 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl named Mei wakes up one morning having transformed into a giant red panda. It’s a family curse that occurs whenever she’s stressed or excited. The curse can only be broken during the next red moon — which unfortunately conflicts with a concert by Mei’s favorite boy band, 4*Town. Turning Red does a wonderful job of exploring the near-universal adolescent desire to break free from your parents and establish your own identity.
Genre: Animated dramedy
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Stream it on Disney Plus
Next: A whopping 25% of Netflix users could cancel. This doesn't look good. And check out the best new movies and shows to watch this weekend. Plus, here are the 7 best new Hulu movies that are 95% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes.
