Disney has produced a lot of original content over the last 100-ish years, but is it worth subscribing to Disney+ just to get access to movies you already bought on DVD in the ‘00s?
Maybe not, but that’s where Disney+ Originals come in. These series, movies, and specials are exclusive to the Disney+ service, so you’ll have to become a subscriber if you don’t want to miss out. Here’s an overview of the kinds of shows you can expect on the platform in all of its biggest brands and categories.
Update, 5/19/23: Disney recently made the disappointing announcement that it is removing dozens of original series and movies from Disney+ and Hulu in a shortsighted effort to save money in residuals. Obviously, we’re not fans of this strategy, which HBO Max pioneered a few months back. The content will disappear on May 26; check out our list of affected shows and movies if you plan to catch up before they head into that infamous Disney Vault, possibly forever.
The best original series on Disney Plus
The Mysterious Benedict Society | Adventure, comedy
Disney managed to somehow bungle the marketing for this show because it came and went without making much of a cultural dent, despite being a fantastic show. Based on the beloved children’s book series of the same name, The Mysterious Benedict Society follows a group of incredibly smart misfit children who find themselves roped into an eccentric old man’s plan to save the world from the perils of conformity.
In addition to a squad of talented child actors, TMBS stars Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Hocus Pocus 2) and Kristen Schaal (Gravity Falls, Bob’s Burgers).
Unfortunately, Disney+ is removing this show from its platform on May 26.
Willow | Fantasy, adventure
You’d be forgiven for not remembering Willow, the fantasy adventure movie that Lucasfilm made in 1988. It was kind of overshadowed by the studio’s other hits. But 2022’s sequel series was fantastic, both as a jumping-off point for new fans and for those who remembered the original. It takes place several years after the movie, when the now-revered mage Willow is tasked with guiding a team of heroes (including a grown-up Elora Danan) in a battle against evil.
The state of this show is currently unclear—according to the director, Willow has not been officially canceled, but production on the next two seasons (as teased at the end of the first one) is delayed indefinitely.
Unfortunately, Disney+ is removing this show from its platform on May 26.
Moon Knight | Action, adventure
If you were ever obsessed with Egyptian mythology growing up, this one’s for you. Mild-mannered, museum employee Steven Grant has a sleepwalking problem, but when he wakes up on the other side of the world with an angry cult on his tail and a cranky moon god in his head, he realizes the “problem” might be bigger than he thought.
Yes, this show is canon to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although you don’t have to watch any of the other shows or movies to enjoy it. Perfect for someone who just wants a good superhero show without any prerequisite homework.
More of the best original series on Disney Plus
- Ms. Marvel
- Hawkeye
- WandaVision
- The Mandalorian
- Andor
- The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
The best original movies and specials on Disney Plus
Turning Red | Fantasy, comedy
This Pixar film may not have gotten the theatrical release it was supposed to get, but it’s more than your average direct-to-streaming flick. It’s about a 13-year-old girl named Mei Lee whose life changes when she learns about the family curse: that every girl eventually turns into a giant, furry, red panda.
It’s a fun film that mixes Chinese-Canadian culture with ‘00s aesthetics and boy bands. It’s definitely one of the studio’s best. Also, it was totally cheated out of an Oscar for Best Original Song. We’re just saying.
Werewolf by Night | Horror, thriller
This black-and-white horror flick is another MCU installment that doesn’t require any homework. It’s a side of Marvel we haven’t seen before: spooky-cheesy, old-school horror.
Werewolf by Night is about Jack Russell, a secret werewolf trying to infiltrate a bloodthirsty group of monster hunters mourning the death of their leader. It also features other fan-favorite comics characters, like Man-Thing and Elsa Bloodstone.
Pro tip: Check out our list of the Best Spooky Movies on Disney+ for more frights from the House of Mouse.
More of the best original movies on Disney Plus
- Luca
- Soul
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe
- Disenchanted
- Z-O-M-B-I-E-S 3
- Muppets Haunted Mansion
- Hocus Pocus 2
Original content leaving Disney Plus on May 26
On May 18, 2023, Disney+ made the disappointing announcement that it would start removing its original content from the service. This includes a lot of titles that aren’t part of Disney’s main brands, like Marvel and Star Wars. These are TV shows, movies, and specials that the company has deemed too expensive, and refuses to continue paying cast and crew residuals on. You may assume that these titles are just the company’s failures—Artemis Fowl, for example, was a supreme disappointment to fans of the books—but there are plenty of items here that actually did pretty well, and have decent fan bases. And regardless of quality, this decision sucks for the writers, actors, and production crew who are now losing a source of income with almost no warning.
The content on the list below will disappear on May 26, 2023, so act fast if you want to catch these great titles before they disappear. There’s a chance some of them will be licensed out to free, ad-supported stream television (FAST) services, but if Disney follows HBO’s example, they won’t be available on demand or in full seasons. As of the time of posting, there are no plans to put these titles on DVD, either.
Our recommendation? If you have time before May 26, watch Willow and The Mysterious Benedict Society. They’re two fantastic shows that really shouldn’t be discarded like this.
Disney Plus originals slated for removal:
- America the Beautiful
- Among the Stars
- Artemis Fowl
- Be Our Chef
- Better Nate Than Ever
- Big Shot
- Black Beauty
- Cheaper by the Dozen (2022)
- Clouds
- Diary of a Future President
- Disney Fairy Tale Weddings
- Earth to Ned
- Encore!
- Foodtastic
- Harmonious Live!
- It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer
- Just Beyond
- Magic Camp
- Marvel’s MPower
- Marvel’s Project Hero
- More Than Robots
- Own the Room
- Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays
- Pick the Litter
- Rogue Trip
- Shop Class
- Stargirl
- Stuntman
- The Big Fib
- The Making of Willow
- The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
- The One and Only Ivan
- The Real Right Stuff
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum
- Timmy Failure
- Turner & Hooch
- Weird but True!
- Willow
- Wolfgang
New and upcoming Disney Plus originals
Movies:
- Peter Pan & Wendy (April 28)
- Crater (May 12)
Series:
- Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All (May 3)
- Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (May 4)
- Star Wars: Visions season 2 (May 4)
- The Muppets Mayhem (May 10)
- American Born Chinese (May 24)
- Secret Invasion (June 21)
- Ahsoka (August TBD)
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Disney Plus originals by brand
Marvel Cinematic Universe originals on Disney Plus
Although production has since slowed down, there was a year or two there when it seemed like Marvel was making a new show every couple of months. These aren’t your traditional Marvel shows, like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., whose canon status can be tragically revoked on a whim. These shows are considered vital pieces of the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and you might feel lost if you try to watch a new movie in the theaters without them. Ms. Marvel, for example, is highly recommended before you see The Marvels in theaters later in 2023.
(Or not. Sometimes details, like the rules of time travel, don’t really stick between different franchises. And we’ve yet to find out when we’ll ever see Moon Knight or Kate Bishop again. We miss them!)
Canon MCU TV series:
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
- Ms. Marvel
- Moon Knight
- Hawkeye
- What If…?
- Loki
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- WandaVision
I Am Groot shorts:
- Groot’s First Steps
- The Little Guy
- Groot’s Pursuit
- Groot Takes a Bath
- Magnum Opus
Marvel Studios Special Presentations:
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special
- Werewolf by Night
Marvel Studios Assembled:
- The Making of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- The Making of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
- The Making of Thor: Love and Thunder
- The Making of Ms. Marvel
- The Making of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- The Making of Moon Knight
- The Making Eternals
- The Making of Hawkeye
- The Making of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
- The Making of What If…?
- The Making of Black Widow
- The Making of Loki
- The Making of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- The Making of WandaVision
Star Wars originals on Disney Plus
The Star Wars cinematic universe is expanding by the day. If you missed the memo, The Mandalorian set a precedent for Disney to create other popular prequel series, like Andor and the upcoming Ahsoka. Most of these shows fill in the blanks for events that happened in between or before the three main trilogies of movies.
(And then there are the Lego specials, which are less about continuity and more about vibes).
Live-action shows:
- The Mandalorian
- Andor
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
- The Book of Boba Fett
Animated shows:
- The Bad Batch
- Tales of the Jedi
- The Clone Wars
- Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies
- Lego Star Wars Holiday Special
- Lego Star Wars Terrifying Tales
- Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation
- Star Wars Visions
Documentaries/behind-the-scenes:
- Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian
- Disney Gallery: The Book of Boba Fett
- Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi’s Return
- Light & Magic
- Under the Helmet: The Legacy of Boba Fett
- Star Wars: Galaxy of Sounds
- Star Wars: Vehicle Flythroughs
- Star Wars: Biomes
National Geographic originals on Disney Plus
On the other side of Disney+, far from the remakes and reboots and Baby Yoda, is a collection of documentaries and educational shows about nature (and occasionally American history). It’s everything you might expect from Nat Geo, except now it’s under Disney’s umbrella thanks to a $52 billion corporate deal a few years back.
It may seem like a terrifying corporate monopoly, but Chris Hemsworth is there now, so that’s a bonus.
Docuseries:
- Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Rogue Trip
- Meet the Chimps
- Limitless with Chris Hemsworth
- Secrets of the Whales
- Welcome to Earth
- Super/Natural
- Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory
- America the Beautiful
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum
- Growing Up Animal
Historical drama:
- The Right Stuff
Documentary films:
- Own the Room
- The Biggest Little Farm: The Return
- Explorer: The Last Tepui
- The Real Right Stuff
- Playing with Sharks
- The Flagmakers
Anthologies and variety shows:
- Earth Moods
- Weird But True!
Pixar originals on Disney Plus
Disney+ hosts every Pixar movie on its service, but you might have missed all of the sequel short films and spin-off shorts it’s been churning out in the last few years. However, if you’re looking for Dug Days: Carl’s Date, the planned final episode of the Up spinoff, you might be disappointed. It’s going to air as the pre-movie short ahead of Disney Pixar’s Elemental on June 13.
But if you want to feel like you’re watching a pre-movie Pixar short at the theater, check out SparkShorts. It’s everything you love about Pixar shorts, without the pesky feature film attached to the end of it.
Feature films:
- Luca
- Turning Red
- Soul
Short films:
- 22 vs. Earth (Soul)
- Ciao Alberto (Luca)
- Lamp Life (Toy Story 4)
SparkShorts:
- Float
- Loop
- Smash and Grab
- Nona
- Twenty Something
- Out
- Purl
- Burrow
- Kitbull
- Wind
Series:
- Dug Days (Up)
- Monsters at Work (Monsters, Inc.)
- Cars on the Road (Cars)
- Pixar in Real Life
- Pixar Popcorn
Documentary/Making-of:
- Beyond Infinity: Buzz and the Journey to Lightyear (Lightyear)
- Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red (Turning Red)
- A Spark Story (SparkShorts)
- Inside Pixar
- Pixar 2021
Specials:
- Dory’s Reef Cam (Finding Dory)
- A Celebration of the Music from Coco (Coco)
Disney originals on Disney Plus
Okay, yes, technically everything on this list is Disney. But the company tends to use its own brand to categorize anything that isn’t Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, or National Geographic. We’re using this section to include all the notable sub-categories of Disney originals that don’t fit anywhere else (and often fly under the radar).
This category includes talk shows, movies that feel like DCOMs but aren’t, and behind-the-scenes looks at Disney animation and Walt Disney World.
Reality TV and talk shows:
- Foodtastic
- Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts
- Earth to Ned
- Encore!
- The Big Fib
- Be Our Chef
- Shop Class
- Fairy Tale Weddings
- Family Sundays
Documentaries:
- Disney Insider
- Among the Stars
- Stuntman
- Behind the Attraction
- Wolfgang
- Dolphin Reef
- On Pointe
- Becoming
- The Imagineering Story
- Into the Unknown: Making Frozen II
- One Day at Disney
- Prop Culture
- It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer
- Elephant
- Penguins: Life on the Edge
- Diving with Dolphins
- In the Footsteps of Elephant
- Pick of the Litter
Animation:
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Goofy in How to Stay at Home
- Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life
- The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse
- Zenimation
- Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe
Legacy remakes and sequels:
- Home Sweet Home Alone
- The Santa Clauses
- Olaf Presents
- Once Upon a Snowman
- High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
- Lady and the Tramp
- Turner & Hooch
- Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.
- The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
- Disenchanted
- Hocus Pocus 2
TV series:
- Just Beyond
- Diary of a Future President
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
- Big Shot
- Muppets Now
Movies:
- Muppets Haunted Mansion
- Flora & Ulysses
- Black Beauty
- Safety
- Clouds
- Secret Society of Second-Born Royals
- Magic Camp
- Star Girl
- Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
- Togo
- Godmothered
- Noelle
Exclusive Disney Channel content on Disney Plus
Technically, most Disney Channel content is excluded from the Disney+ Original brand, since you can also find it on cable. However, Disney’s been pushing some of its higher-budget and more mature content onto the streaming service (and away from its cable network).
For example, while the first two Z.O.M.B.I.E.S. movies were Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMS), the third installment was a Disney+ Original. This means its budget was also higher—sort of like how the third High School Musical movie was totally different from the first two because it also went to theaters.
Also, 2023’s DCOM, Prom Pact, was edited down before it aired on the Disney Channel. The original, PG-13 version is only available on Disney+, apparently because producers wanted to make sure parents were available to explain some topics, like “sex and parties,” to their kids whenever it came up in the plot.
Disney+ hosts almost every DCOM, and while they might not be Disney Plus originals, they’re worth checking out, if only for nostalgia’s sake. Here’s some of our favorites (cue the theme song):
The best Disney Channel Original Movies on Disney Plus:
- High School Musical
- Teen Beach Movie
- Descendants
- Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension
- Avalon High
- Halloweentown
- Twitches
- Camp Rock
- Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie
- Princess Protection Program
- Minute Men
- The Cheetah Girls
- Jump In!
- Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior
- Cow Belles
- Now You See It…
- Kim Possible the Movie: So the Drama
- Stuck in the Suburbs
- The Thirteenth Year
- The Luck of the Irish
Music and concert originals on Disney Plus
Yes, Disney+ even does concerts now! Conquer your Eras Tour FOMO with Taylor Swift’s Folklore or host a family sing-along with Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl.
Concerts:
- Bono & The Edge | A Sort of Homecoming (with Dave Letterman)
- Elton John | Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium
- Miley Cyrus | Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions)
- BTS | PERMISSION TO DANCE (ON STAGE – LA)
- Olivia Rodrigo | driving home 2 u (a SOUR film)
- Billie Eilish | Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles
- Taylor Swift | Folklore: the long pond studio sessions
- Beyoncé | Black Is King
- Idina Menzel | Which Way to the Stage?
- Pentatonix | Around the World for the Holidays
Documentaries:
- The Beatles | Get Back
- Abbey Road Studios | If These Walls Could Sing
- Howard Ashman | Howard
- Billie Eilish | The Making of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles
TV & film specials:
- Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl
- Voices Rising: The Music of Wakanda Forever
- A Celebration of the Music from Coco
- High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Special
- Violetta | Just Love and a Thousand Songs
International originals on Disney Plus
In days past, Americans couldn’t access international Disney Channel shows, and only ever saw foreign Disney stars during specials like Pass the Plate.
But thanks to the magic of streaming, we get to watch Disney’s original shows from all over the world, as long as you’re comfortable with reading subtitles.
Series:
- @Gina Yei: #WithAllMyHeartAndMore
- The Chorus: Success, Here I Go
- The Low Tone Club
- The Montaners
- It’s All Right!
- Mila in the Multiverse
- Journey to the Center of the Earth
- Daddies on Request
- Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t
- Tierra Incognita
- It Was Always Me
- All the Same… or Not
- Parallels
- Soundtrack #1
- Weekend Family
- Delicacies Destiny
- Snowdrop
- Intertwined
- Club Mickey Mouse
Movies:
- Just Love and a Thousand Songs
- King Shakir Recycle
- Weekend Family Christmas Special
- Le Pupille
- Extra Episode, or Not: Behind the Scenes of All the Same
Disney Plus Originals FAQ
What original series are on Disney Plus?
There are too many Disney+ original series to name, although you can check our Disney+ Originals guide for a more comprehensive look. Here’s some of our favorites:
- Willow
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
- Moon Knight
- Ms. Marvel
- Hawkeye
- WandaVision
- The Mandalorian
- Andor
- The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
Does Disney Plus have original movies?
Yes, Disney Plus has original movies. These include movies meant specifically for Disney+, like Disenchanted, and feature films like Luca and Turning Red that were originally meant for the theater but were released on the streaming platform thanks to the pandemic.
What was the first Disney Plus original show?
The first Disney+ original shows aired on November 12, 2019, and included several titles: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, The Mandalorian, Marvel’s Hero Project, The Imagineering Story, Encore!, Disney Family Sundays, Forky Asks a Question, Pixar in Real Life, SparkShorts, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
Methodology
Our team has spent thousands of hours researching the best streaming services to bring you thoughtful recommendations and guides. Check out our How We Rank page for more information on our process.
