Remember the golden era of Disney when the 90s Disney Movies ruled the theatres and television? Disney has come a long way since then what with taking up the mantle of Marvel movies, Star Wars franchise, 20th Century Fox, etc. But for the 90s kids, Disney will always be synonymous with the animated renditions of our favorite fairy tales among others.
The 90s Disney films were such timeless classic pieces that even to this day Disney can milk those. They continuously keep releasing films about the origin of the villains in the fairy tales like Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) from The Sleeping Beauty, Cruella (Emma Stone) de Vil from The Hundred and One Dalmations, etc.
♥♥She has style!! She has grace!!!♥♥
BTS: #Maleficient #AngelinaJolie pic.twitter.com/T4I82NsQOx
— Ellis Belle (@EllisBelle1) March 16, 2019
Also, the live action versions of 90s animated Disney movies like The Beauty and the Beast with Emma Watson as well as the numerous renditions of Cinderella! We have hand curated an amazing list of 30 of the best 90s Disney films which will show you the old and authentic flavor of Disney.
If you are a Disney movie veteran, it will take you back to the good old days. And if you are a newbie (to the world of Disney and otherwise!) and have just watched mostly the newer Disney movies, then you are in for a treat. Read on to discover log forgotten gems of Disney films!
90s Animated Disney Movies:
1. The Lion King (1994)
- Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
- Cast: Matthew Broderick
- IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
About The Lion King:
This Disney classic was set along the lines of Hamlet. It is a timeless tale about a tussle between family for the throne. It also showcases the coming-of-age story of Simba, the lion cub. And the song sequence of “The Circle of Life” is a hit till this day!
The Circle of Life:
2. Peter Pan (1953)
- Director: Clyde Geronimi
- Cast: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Paul Collins
- IMDB Rating: 7.3
One of the lesser known 90s Disney films, this one is about the boy who never grows up was an instant hit.
Peter Pan Plot:
It shows the adventures of a boy Peter Pan from Neverland in his never-ending childhood. He has the fairy Tinkerbell as his friend. The antagonist Captain Hook became famous among the children.
3. Cinderella (1950)
- Director: Hamilton Luske
- Cast: Ilene Woods, William Edward Phipps
- IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
Cinderella Review:
No other Disney princess can even come close to Cinderella in her popularity! It is the first fairytale most kids came across in their lives that made them wish for their very own fairy godmother and Prince Charming!
After this first movie, Disney had also released two other sequels to it in 2002 and 2007. Even a number of live actions films have been released after this but the original animated movie will always be special.
4. Aladdin (1992)
- Director: John Musker
- Cast: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams
- IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
About Aladdin:
Another of the many 90s Disney films, this one is about a street urchin Aladdin who got a magic lamp, a magic carpet and a wish fulfilling genie. Who among us haven’t wanted any of these! It is also a love story between him and the princess Jasmine. Evil Jafar, the main antagonist, is on the prowl to get his hands on the magic lamp.
5. Robin Hood (1973)
- Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
- Cast: Brian Redford, Monica Evans
- IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
About Robin Hood:
Another one of the Disney classics, this one was adapted from Howard Pyle’s book The Adventures of Robin Hood. It is about Robin Hood and Little John who rob the rich to provide the poor. This movie is for kids, but it gives a good message about the economic disparity that the society suffers.
6. Beauty and The Beast (1991)
- Director: Gary Trousdale
- Cast: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White
- IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
About Beauty and The Beast:
This 90s Disney film was for the little nerd in the audience who were joyful to find the princess Belle to be very fond of reading books. It preached the hopeful message of falling in love with inner beauty and symbolized how love can change people.
7. Toy Story 1 (1995)
- Director: John Lasseter
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen
- IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
About Toy Story 1:
This one became the favorite Disney movie for generations. This animated film is about anthropomorphic toys and their attachment to their owner was a hit in the big screen. It showed the various adventures of the toys and their growing bond with each other. Buzz Lightyear and Woody became the most famous with the kids and grownups alike!
8. The Lady and the Tramp (1955)
- Director: Clyde Geronimi
- Cast: Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts
- IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
This is one of the best 90s Disney movies.
The Lady and the Tramp Plot:
It revolves around a cocker spaniel called Lady and her friendship with a stray mutt called Tramp. There are a number of misunderstandings with her owners which finally get resolved with a classic Disney happily everafter.
9. The Fox and the Hound (1981)
- Director: Ted Berman
- Cast: Mickey Rooney, Kurt Russel
- IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
About The Fox and the Hound:
Walt Disney productions got the rights of the novel after it won the Dutton Animal Book Award. Disney put a hopeful narration to this comparatively much darker book to create a heartfelt tearjerker. This animated film is about the fateful friendship about a fox and a hound who are supposed to be natural enemies.
✨🎵 Best of Friends 🎵✨ #foxandthehound #disney pic.twitter.com/y12SfjJS9Y
— its Sophie! ⚡💙💛 @ WALES COMIC CON (@foxleapstudio) July 10, 2019
10. 101 Dalmatians (1961)
- Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
- Cast: Rod Taylor, Lisa Daniels, Betty Lou Gerson
- IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
About 101 Dalmatians:
This Disney animated film was the beginning of a number of sequels and remakes in the coming years. It gave the most fashionable Disney villain of all time, Cruella de Vil which led to the recent film Cruella starring Emma Stone.
11. The Jungle Book (1967)
- Director: Wolfgang Reitherman
- Cast: Bruce Reitherman, Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
The Jungle Book Plot:
Besides The Lion King, this is genuinely one of the best Disney movies which take place in a jungle. It gave life to Rudyard Kipling’s character of Mowgli who grows up under wolf parentage. It doesn’t need to be said that it turned out to be a favorite of the kids. Baloo and Bagheera became household names!
12. The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh (1977)
- Director: John Lounsbery
- Cast: Sterling Holloway, Bruce Reitherman
- IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
About The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh:
This Disney film was an animated musical anthology which is the last projected in which Walt Disney was himself involved. This marked an end of an era.
It showcases the friendship between Pooh and Christopher Robin who bade goodbye to each other in the end. The film might tug at your tear ducts but it ends on a good note.
13. The Little Mermaid (1989)
- Director: John Musker
- Cast: Jodi Benson, Christopher Daniel Barnes
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
The Little Mermaid Plot:
One of the most favorite 90s Disney films, this one told the story of a teenage mermaid princess, Ariel, who wanted to get out of underwater and explore the land. She falls in love with the Prince Eric and the movie revolves around the hardships Ariel had to face to get her love.
Even though the actual story has a darker ending, the Disney version ends with Ariel and Eric getting a happily ever after.
14. Mulan (1998)
- Director: Barry Cook
- Cast: Ming-Na Wen, Eddie Murphy, BD Wong
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
Before the live action remake film which released in 2020, this was the first time Disney undertook Mulan.
Mulan Plot:
It told the story of the invasion of the Huns who breach the Great Wall of China and enter. Mulan joins the army disguised as a man to bring honor to her family. This film will serve as a welcome break for those who are tired of the Disney films which revolve solely around ending up with a prince of your own!
I‘ll Make a Man Out of You:
15. Hercules (1997)
- Director: John Musker
- Cast: Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, Susan Egan
- IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
About Hercules:
One of the lesser known 90s Disney films, this one boasted of quite a stellar voice cast. This Disney adaptation is taken from the Greek mythology.
The king of Gods Zeus and his wife Hera have a son Hercules. This Disney film is about his adventures. Hades, the god of the Underworld is cast as the antagonist among many other monsters.
16. Tarzan (1999)
- Director: Kevin Lima
- Cast: Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver
- IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
About Tarzan:
This 90s Disney film preached the importance of what family means. The family you choose is not any less valuable than your family by blood.
This is the story of how gorillas raised a human child in the jungle. It is different from Mowgli in the sense that Tarzan essentially has a love story in its core while Mowgli is more like a tale of revenge.
17. Snow White and the seven dwarfs (1937)
- Director: David Hand
- Cast: Adriana Caselotti, Lucille La Verne
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
About Snow White and the seven dwarfs:
Another Disney cult classic, it is the story of a very beautiful orphan princess who lives with her jealous stepmother who is also the queen. It was adapted from a German fairy tale and became the highest grossing film among animated movies then. In America, it is a part of a list of twenty-five films which are preserved in the National Film Registry.
18. The Nightmare before Christmas (1993)
- Director: Henry Selick
- Cast: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara
- IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
The Nightmare before Christmas Plot:
This stop-motion animated movie is under a genre of musical dark fantasy. This one was adapted from Tim Burton’s poem of the same name. It is a good Halloween pick for the kids. It starts in a world where a variety of monsters inhabit, and Jack Skellington is their Pumpkin King!
90s Live Action Disney Movies:
19. Mary Poppins (1964)
- Director: Robert Stevenson
- Cast: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson
- IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
About Mary Poppins:
This 90s Disney film takes place in London in the Edwardian era. This one has a theme of magic where a young nanny descends from the sky to look after the two kids of the Banks’ household. This film was a superhit among the audience when it released and became the highest earning film of that year. It even got 13 Oscar nominations out of which it won 5.
Chim Chim Cher-ee:
20. The Parent Trap (1998)
- Director: Nancy Meyers
- Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson
- IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
About The Parent Trap:
This film marked the debut of actress Lindsay Lohan as she played the parts of the 11-year-old twins Hallie and Annie. Their parents got divorced when they were very young and decided to each take one of the twins. The first part of the movie is set in a summer camp where the twins meet and after that comedy of errors ensue.
21. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
- Director: Ken Annakin
- Cast: John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James McArthur
- IMDB Rating: 7.1
This movie boasts of being the first Walt Disney Pictures film to be shot in widescreen.
Swiss Family Robinson Plot:
One of the lesser known of the 90s Disney films, this adventure film revolves around a Swiss family who get stuck in a shipwreck after a pirate attack. The family reach an isolated island and make it their home.
22. The Muppet movie (1979)
- Director: James Frawley
- Cast: Charles Durning, Austin Pendleton
- IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
About The Muppet movie:
To be fair, when this movie released it was not under the banner of Disney. But soon Disney acquired the rights for Muppets and made a remake in 2011. This 1979 film is a hybrid part of the list only due to its burgeoning popularity.
It is another film which is preserved in the National Film Registry of America. Muppets are basically puppets who engage with each other in comedic situations.
23. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Cast: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd
- IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
About Who Framed Roger Rabbit:
This film is set in a world where cartoon characters and humans live side by side. Basically, a kids’ paradise, right? This is a comedy mystery film which is a hybrid between animation and live action. It marked the beginning of the Disney Renaissance and also won three Academy Awards in its stride.
24. Honey, I shrunk the kids (1989)
- Director: Joe Johnston
- Cast: Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman
- IMDB Rating: 6.4/10
This movie was an unexpected win for Disney. For five years, it remained as the highest grossing live action Disney film of all time.
Honey, I shrunk the kids Plot:
The story is about an eccentric scientist who is also the father of two. One day he has a scientific breakthrough and like the title suggests, shrinks his kids along with two other neighborhood kids by accident.
25. Hocus Pocus (1993)
- Director: Kenny Ortega
- Cast: Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker
- IMDB Rating: 6.9/10
About Hocus Pocus:
This American horror comedy failed in the theatres when it released. But in the years to come it rose to popularity as a Halloween movie. If you are in the mood of spooky family fun in autumn, you can give this one a try.
The story is about three villainous witch sisters and their shenanigans to suck the life out of kids for eternal youth.
26. My Date with the President’s Daughter (1998)
- Director: William Robertson
- Cast: Dabney Coleman, Will Friedle, Elisabeth Harnois
- IMDB Rating: 6.2/10
This is a Disney channel movie for television which ABC released as a part of its revival of The Wonderful World of Disney. This one is aimed at the teenage audience.
My Date with the President’s Daughter Plot:
An average teen guy Duncan Fletcher meets a young girl Hallie and asks her out. Hallie turns out to be the President’s daughter and that is when all the drama unfolds.
Why is "My date with the Presidents daughter" stuck in my head??#90sdisneymovies
— Jacob Underwood (@Jake_U5691) August 29, 2013
27. Smart House (1999)
- Director: LeVar Burton
- Cast: Ryan Merriman, Kevin Kilner
- IMDB Rating: 6.1/10
This is one of those Disney channel original movies with a science fiction theme.
Smart House Plot:
The protagonist is a teenage boy Ben who is a computer nerd. He doesn’t accept the woman his father is dating and therefore, decides to change the AI of their smart house to take a maternal role. As expected, it does not end well. Give this underrated film a try to find out what happens!
28. Halloweentown (1998)
- Director: Duwayne Dunham
- Cast: Debbie Reynolds, Kimberley J. Brown
- IMDB Rating: 6.6/10
This film is first part of the Halloweentown series of four DCOM movies.
Halloweentown Plot:
It is the story of three generation of good witches entwined with a coming-of-age story as well. The movie takes place in a fictional place called Halloweentown where all sorts of mystical creatures stay. This is a heartwarming tale ending on a happy note where they realize the power of family.
29. The Thirteenth Year (1999)
- Director: Duwayne Dunham
- Cast: Chez Starbuck, Courtney Draper, Brent Briscoe
- IMDB Rating: 5.8/10
The Thirteenth Year Plot:
Another Disney Channel Original Movie, this one is a coming-of-age story about a boy but with a twist! The boy in question is the son of a mermaid who starts transforming into a merman on his thirteenth birthday. He becomes best friends with a boy who is the son of the fisherman hunting his mermaid mother.
Where do i begin #DisneyPlus
Let’s go with, #TheThirteenthYear pic.twitter.com/ohS4n9UnZI— AngelRed (@ItsANGELRED91) November 12, 2019
30. The Mighty Ducks (1992)
- Director: Stephen Herek
- Cast: Emilio Estevez, Joss Ackland, Matt Doherty
- IMDB Rating: 6.5/10
This is one of those forgotten gems of the 90s Disney films era. It is a sports comedy drama and is the first film in the Mighty Ducks series.
The Mighty Ducks Plot:
It revolves around a relationship of a coach with his youth league hockey team whom he started coaching grudgingly. The film was a surprising success which led to two sequels and even an animated series.
Phew! That is a long list. Take your pick from either he animated portion or live action. There is a genre of Disney movie for every type of viewer. Prepare to face a wave of nostalgia going through this 90s golden list.
