Vote up the Disney gems you forgot you loved as a young, carefree child.
When a studio makes as many films as Disney has, it makes sense that there are some that are a bit less well known. These are some of the best Disney movies that have flown under the radar - the forgotten Disney movies, if you will. These obscure Disney+ movies include live-action films, cartoons, and hybrid films. So, if you're looking to watch some of those Disney movies you might have forgotten about, here are a few you can start with!
1995's Tall Tale is a western that follows young Daniel Hackett as he teams up with Pecos Bill, John Henry, and Paul Bunyan to keep the deed to his family's farm safe. This means keeping it out of the hands of a stylish villain who is tracking them. When Daniel wakes up, viewers have to wonder, did he dream the whole adventure? That's part of the charm of this delightfully underrated story that re-imagines the Old West and three well-known tall tales. With all the other Disney films coming out in the early '90s, it's not surprising that more people seem to remember the animated films.
The Rocketeer was released in 1991 and it stars Jennifer Connelly and Bill Campbell. Set in 1930s Hollywood, our hero is a pilot who discovers a jetpack and uses it to become a superhero. Based on the Dave Stevens graphic novel of the same name, The Rocketeer is an action/adventure story set in the early days of World War II that many people have forgotten. Not only was it released the same year as Beauty and the Beast, this is another film that seems to be just made at the wrong time, a decade or so too early.
Released in 1959, Darby O'Gill and the Little People is set in Ireland and follows Darby O'Gill as he tries to match wits with King Brian of the leprechauns. Everyone believes that Darby is just full of tall tales, but he actually has three wishes from the king (wishes that Brian does not want to grant).These wishes don't always work out as planned, and the addition of a Banshee makes everything more complicated. This obscure Disney flick has action, adventure, and a young Sean Connery. It might be obscure because of the title; it's a bit of a mouthful and the dated stereotypes don't help much, either.
This 1990 full-length animated feature was based on the very popular Disney television show DuckTales and features the characters that fans of the show know and love. While on an expedition to find the lost treasure of Collie Baba, Scrooge and the gang accidentally find a magic lamp with a genie inside it. They begin to wish, not knowing that an evil sorcerer and his thief servant are hot on their trail, seeking the lamp for their own.
Starring Angela Lansbury, Bedknobs and Broomsticks follows the adventures of the Rawlins children, sent to live with Ms. Price (an apprentice witch), during World War II. Using a magic traveling spell, Ms. Price and the Rawlinses try to find the missing piece of the "substitutiary locomotion" spell to aid the war effort. This quest takes them to both Portobello Road and the magical (animated) Isle of Naboombu, introducing some colorful characters along the way. This film, though similar in some ways to Mary Poppins, is also a bit more confusing at times. Maybe that's why this is an oft-forgotten film?
1994's Iron Will is the story of a young boy who enters an international dogsled race after his father dies. Hoping to both go to college and save his mother's farm with the prize money, Will learns to trust his dogs and himself. He also learns that some people can't be trusted as he faces the cold and bitter elements during this race of a lifetime. With Mackenzie Astin, Kevin Spacey, and David Ogden Stiers, this is an often overlooked Disney gem. Forced to compete with The Lion King, it's no surprise that this is not the Disney film most remembered from 1994.
