Family Movie Night Cheat Sheet: Where to Stream Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks
🤯 Why is finding an animated movie so hard?
The world of animated movies used to be simple: Disney was on VHS, and everything else was at the video store. Today, things are chaotic! Disney owns Pixar, but also has a vast classic vault. NBCUniversal owns DreamWorks, but its movies often debut on Netflix first under old deals.
If you’ve ever wasted 20 minutes scrolling through menus while your kids get restless, you know the frustration. We’re here to simplify things. This is your definitive 2025 guide to knowing exactly which streaming subscription holds the magic you’re looking for. No more searching!
Looking for even more picks? Don’t miss TV critic Randy Harward’s weekly What To Watch guide for the freshest streaming recs.
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1. Shrek (2001)
DreamWorks’ revolutionary fairy tale hit is one of the toughest films to pin down on streaming. While films from Disney and Pixar have a predictable home, DreamWorks (owned by NBCUniversal) often sells its licensing rights for limited periods. This means Shrek frequently cycles between services like Netflix, Hulu, and Peacock.
However, since DreamWorks is owned by Universal, its primary and most consistent home is the Universal streaming platform, Peacock. If you want the deepest access to the Shrek franchise and all its sequels, you should start here.
Where to stream Shrek
2. Frozen (2013)
This one is easy. As one of the biggest box office hits in Disney history, Frozen is the poster child for the Disney+ streaming strategy. When Disney launched its own streaming platform, the entire vault of classics—including Elsa and Anna’s journey—was pulled from all other streaming competitors.
The only way you will find Frozen available outside of Disney+ is as a digital rental or purchase, aka video-on-demand (VOD), from platforms like Amazon Video or Apple TV. For the subscription model, however, Disney+ is where you need to be.
Where to stream Frozen
3. Elemental (2023)
Elemental is a fantastic example of the modern Pixar film: a beautifully rendered movie that initially premiered in theaters but now lives permanently on its parent company’s streaming platform.
This Oscar-nominated film, about a fire element and a water element who fall in love, had a successful run at the box office before making its highly anticipated streaming debut. Like all Pixar films, once it arrives at its streaming home, it generally doesn’t leave. This makes it one of the most reliable titles to find if you’re a Disney+ subscriber.
Where to stream Elemental
4. Inside Out 2 (2024)
This massive box-office sequel from Pixar reintroduced us to Riley’s emotions and brought in a whole new cast of feelings, including Anxiety, Envy, and Ennui. Inside Out 2 was a huge hit, proving that heart and humor never go out of style.
Since Pixar is wholly owned by Disney, its streaming home is the easiest to predict. Once a new Pixar movie completes its theatrical and premium VOD run, it heads straight to its exclusive streaming home, Disney+, where it usually remains permanently.
Where to stream Inside Out 2
5. Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)
Everyone’s favorite Dragon Warrior, Po, returned for his fourth major adventure, which pits him against the shape-shifting villain, The Chameleon. This latest chapter in the DreamWorks franchise was a major box-office win.
As a DreamWorks film (owned by NBCUniversal), this movie was guaranteed to end up on Peacock. It followed the standard “theatrical-to-streaming” window and is now available to subscribers.
