Movies to Watch Before Your Disney World Trip {Countdown to Disney World}

As many of you know, our family has had Disney World on our sights for YEARS. On Christmas, we surprised our kids with the news that we were FINALLY GOING TO DISNEY WORLD to celebrate our huge goal of becoming debt-free! Woohoo!

Since we had to wait until we saved up for Disney World + had vacation time to go, we have been Counting Down to Disney World as a family. We gifted the kids with a family theme night based around a Disney World ride every month as we countdown for our Disney trip.

Along with the monthly theme nights, I thought it would be fun to make a list of movies to watch before our trip to Walt Disney World movies. I wanted something my kids could check-off as we watch and a fun way to track which movies we’ve watched and which ones we need to get to before our trip.

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Almost all of the recommended movies can be found on Disney+ if you have a subscription.

Our family has a mix of teenagers and young kids, so I created a movie checklist that hits younger audiences and another one that includes movies intended for older audiences. You can find your FREE PRINTABLES at the bottom of this post.

If you’re curious in breaking down the list even further based on the Walt Disney World rides – here is what I came up with:

Magic Kingdom

Watch List
– Peter Pan – Peter Pan’s Flight
– Monsters Inc & Monsters University – Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (Temporarily Unavailable)
– Alice in Wonderland – Mad Tea Party Ride
– Dumbo – Dumbo the Flying Elephant Ride
– Winnie the Pooh – The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
– Snow White – The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
– Cinderella – Cinderella’s Castle
– Beauty & The Beast – Enchanted Tales With Belle (Temporarily Unavailable) & Be Our Guest Castle Restaurant
– The Little Mermaid – Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
– The Haunted Mansion – The Haunted Mansion Ride
– Swiss Family Robinson – Swiss Family Treehouse
– Aladdin – The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
– Country Bears – Country Bear Jamboree
– Fantasia – Mickey’s PhilarMagic
– Toy Story 1 – 4 – Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Older Audience Options:
– Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise Movies – There are currently 5 movies I think of this series, but only 4 are currently on Disney+. Rewatch Legolas (ahem – I mean Will Turner), Elizabeth Swan, & Captain Jack’s adventures again before you head for the ride. There are a lot of sweet easter eggs from the ride in the movies, which make it extra fun for fans.
– Tom & Huck or The Adventures of Huck Finn – These films could give you a feel for what Frontierland & Tom Sawyer Island is all about. Tom & Huck will bring back memories of JTT & The Adventures of Huck Finn has Frodo Baggins (Sorry – it happened again. ahem, I mean Elijah Woods) as the main lead. (Both of these movies are on Disney+)

Optional Considerations:
– Tron – Magic Kingdom is coming out with a new TRON ride, so watching that classic would be fun too
– Tomorrowland – This movie is based around the Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland section in the park. It’s rated PG because of some action, but it could be a fun add-on. (This will be on Disney+ starting on Sept 3, 2021)
– The Princess and the Frog – Splash Mountain is getting an upgrade in the form of Tianna and all her pals. I am SO excited for this ride to come out. As of writing this blog there have been no official announcements of when Disney will begin working on these changes.
– Coming Soon: Jungle Cruise Movie featuring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson & Emily Blunt. I am excited to see if Disney pulls this movie off. The Jungle Cruise is making some updates to their ride soon, so put this movie on your watch list when it comes out.
– Cars 1, 2 & 3 – Get the need for speed for Tomorrowland’s Speedway with these movies.
– The Imagineering Story – This isn’t a movie, but it is a fun series that covers the Disneyland and Disney World story that James and I have really been enjoying.

Hollywood Studios

Watch List
– Toy Story 1, 2, 3 & 4 – Toy Story Land
– Star Wars Episodes 1 – 9 – Star Wars Land & Star Tours & Jedi Training Academy (currently unavailable w/ covid-restrictions)
– Frozen 1 & 2: For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
– Cars 1, 2, & 3 – Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
– Beauty and the Beast – Beauty & the Beast Live on Stage (Temporarily Unavailable)
– The Little Mermaid – Voyage of the Little Mermaid Show (Temporarily Unavailable)
– The Muppets Movie – Muppets 3D Vision Stage Show

Older Audience:
– Indiana Jones Series: Raiders of the Last Ark, The Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, (& Kingdom of the Crystal Skull if you consider that a part of the series. Haha – I kid, I kid) – Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (Temporarily Unavailable)

Optional Considerations:
– The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – They Made a Movie with Kirsten Dunst called Hotel Tower of Terror. You can rent it if you feel inclined.
– Any Mickey and Minnie shows or movies would also be fun. Disney+ has a fun show that looks similar to the visuals in the new Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway Ride called Disney Mickey Mouse with short 5-6 minute snippet episodes that would be fun to watch as well.
– Disney Junior Shows – Disney Junior Dance Party features fan favorites including: Elena of Avalor, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins and Mickey Mouse Roadster Racers
– Rogue One, Solo & The Mandalorian, Clone Wars, Rebels, etc – There’s a wide assortment of Star Wars material out there for you to soak up before you explore Star Wars land and (fingers crossed) fly the Millennium Falcon. My brother also highly recommends the series Clone Wars and Rebels (both on Disney+).

EPCOT:

Watch List
– Finding Nemo & Finding Dory – The Seas With Nemo & Friends Attraction & Turtle Talk with Crush
– The Three Caballeros – Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
– Frozen 1 & 2 – Frozen Ever After
– Beauty & The Beast – Palais du Cinema – Beauty & the Beast Sing-Along

Optional Considerations:
– Ratatouille – The Newest Ratatouille Ride has been announced and is opening in October 2021! Ratatouille would also be a fun movie to get you in the spirit for the France Pavillion.
– Aristocats – Along with Ratatouille, Aristocats could be another fun movie to coincide with the France Pavillion
– Coco – I LOVE this movie, and it would be a super fun movie to add to get go along with the Mexico Pavillion
– Mulan – Reflections of China & China Pavillion
– Mary Poppins & Brave – UK Pavillion
– National Geographic Shark Shows – Disney+ offers a mariad of national geographic shows that highlight cool facts about sharks.

ANIMAL KINGDOM:

Watch List
– A Bugs Life – It’s Tough to Be a Bug
– Up – Up! A Great Bird Adventure (Temporarily Unavailable w/ covid-restrictions), Wilderness Explorers
– Lion King – Festival of the Lion King (reopening summer 2021), Discovery Island Trails (leads you by the Tree of Life), Rafiki’s Planet Watch
– Finding Nemo & Finding Dory – Finding Nemo – The Musical (temporarily unavailable)
– Dinosaur – Triceratop Spin, Dinosaur

Older Audience:
– Pandora – Avatar Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey

Optional Movies:
– The Good Dinosaur – Animal Kingdom has several dinosaur themed attractions, so this cute Pixar movie is a great option to get you ready to explore the dino areas.
– National Geographic Series – Disney+ hosts many national geographic educational programs that could be really fun addition to help you learn more about these beautiful animals at the parks. A few that come to mind are Wild: Congo, Wild: Uganda, Disney Nature: African Cats, Disney Nature: Monkey Kingdom, Disney Nature: Crimson Wing to name a few. Disney’s Cheetah, National Geographic: Cheetahs Among Us, etc.

And there you have it! All the parks and current attraction suggestions for your pleasure. And if I may, there is one more really fun documentary that James and I have both been digging on Disney+ which covers a lot of the behind-the-scenes

disney world movies to watch