There are so many movies on Disney Plus for you to watch that celebrates Black excellence!
Disney has taken small steps to embracing and showcasing inclusion through their properties including television, films and in their theme parks.
Today, I will be looking at what’s on Disney Plus and what they have featured in their “Celebrate Black Stories Collection.”
Everything in the collection ranges from shorts and specials, Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOM), Animated and live action films and shorts.
For this list, I will be focusing on the live action and animated films but recommend that you explore all that is available in this collection. This list is not rated in any particular way as well.
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1. Black is King: A Film By Beyonce (2020)
This visual companion to Beyonce’s 2019 album for the live action Lion King film was highly anticipated as it came right on the heels of Hamilton’s film debut on Disney Plus.
The Lion King: The Gift mirrors the plot of the film while telling the story of Africa and its people’s journey as they reclaim and embrace their beauty.
The visual companion explores the traditions, cultures while questioning the black identity as a whole.
The film was critically acclaimed by all and nominated for best music film , while the song “Brown Skin Girl” was nominated for best music video.
Knowles spent all of her time and effort into curating this project.
This includes placing all of her earnings from Disney into making sure the project had the best of everything from costumes, cast, cinematography and more.
She researched art styles of different African cultures as well as choosing her starring cast and special guests with careful consideration.
This was in order to make sure the film fully maintained diversity and connectivity.
What to Expect from this Black Disney Plus Film
The film goes over many themes such as stereotypes of Black Americans, Pan-Africanism and Afro-Futurism, black pride and identity.
It also showcased the roles of masculine and feminine in the black community and the community as a whole and the role we all play in it.
This companion to the 2019 Lion King Disney film truly breathes a different life into the beloved 1992 animated classic.
2. Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997)
Considered by some to be the best versions of Cinderella to grace the screen, the film pioneered the way for Walt Disney Television to continue making musical made for TV productions.
- size: 11″ x17″
- bonus mouse plush
- Officially licensed product
- Whitney Houston, Brandy Norwood, Whoopi Goldberg (Actors)
- Robert Iscove (Director) – Robert L. Freedman (Writer)
This film has been praised over the years for being groundbreaking due to its diverse cast and Singer/Actress Brandy’s role in the film.
At that moment in time, Brandy was considered the first Black American woman to portray Cinderella on screen and only happened because Whitney Houston suggested her for the role.
What to Expect from this Black Disney Plus Film
The film features some of the greats of Broadway entertainment and of the film industry including:
- Bernadette Peters
- Jason Alexander
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Natalie Reid
- Victor Garbor
- The incomparable Whitney Houston
The goal of having a universal appeal with its cast was achieved.
Cinderella’s score and musical numbers along with the choreography was done masterfully and costuming was done so that everything was vibrant and would stand out.
This film was so well received by all, being praised by Eileen Fitzpatrick of Billboard for staying true to the source material and calling on Brandy as a perfect fit for Cinderella.
- size: 11″ x17″
- bonus mouse plush
- Officially licensed product
- Whitney Houston, Brandy Norwood, Whoopi Goldberg (Actors)
- Robert Iscove (Director) – Robert L. Freedman (Writer)
The film itself was nominated for seven primetime Emmy awards.
It was nominated for three NAACP awards while Brandy and Whoopi were nominated in the same category for Outstanding lead actress in a television film or mini series.
The film debuted in 1997 and to this day, stands the test of time as one of the best incarnations of the classic tale ever produced, even by Broadway standards.
3. Hidden Figures (2016)
This 2016 film of the same name as its source material, a biographical book, tells the tale of three Black American women in the 1960s and their experience while working for NASA during the space race.
- Henson, Taraji P., Monae, Janelle, Spencer, Octavia (Actors)
- Spanish, English, French (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Main Actresses of Hidden Figures
- Janelle Monae plays Mary Jackson, a NASA engineer
- Octavia Spencer plays Dorothy Vaughan, the first Black American NASA supervisor
- Taraji P. Henson plays Katherine Johnson, mathematician on the space race project who calculated flight trajectories for Mission Mercury and several other missions during her time with NASA
What to Expect from this Black Disney Plus Film
The film was praised for bringing awareness to STEM within the African American community.
A push that has being happening for several years as its been noted that many Black American children did not have access or interest in STEM programs.
It brought attention to “hidden figures” as the title of the film stated as this story was not well known by many.
Not even in the African American community regarding these women and the effects they made on such an integral part of American history.
This film also displays Black American women in an excellent manner of intelligent role model.
Criticism of Hidden Figures
While the film was criticized for including a “White Savior” trope and slight historical inaccuracy to better fit the story that was being told.
- Henson, Taraji P., Monae, Janelle, Spencer, Octavia (Actors)
- Spanish, English, French (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
The film itself is absolutely enlightening and well crafted with its cinematography, phenomenal cast and the emotional points that hit home for the audience.
Hidden figures was nominated for thirty five awards within the film industry and won twenty eight.
4. Soul (2020)
The most recent of Disney films featuring Black Americans on this list is Disney Pixar’s Soul.
Released on Disney Plus on Christmas day 2020, we follow Joe Gardner , a middle school teacher, gets a shot at his dream to play jazz for an audience.
What to Expect from this Black Disney Plus Film
His dream is stopped short as he is transported to the spirit world and inadvertently becomes a mentor for 22, a soul who isn’t ready to go to earth quite yet.
While trying to find a way back to his body, 22 ends up in Joe’s while Joe ends up in a cat’s body instead.
The duo work to fix it and along the way learn the lessons they both needed.
- Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Angela Bassett (Actors)
- Pete Docter (Director) – Pete Docter (Writer)
- Spanish, English (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Soul is the first Pixar film to have a Black American protagonist and was praised for the way it showcased the black characters and using Jazz as a character in the movie, and not as a background.
Viewers marveled at how well Pixar animators were able to capture the various skin tones of Black Americans and the various hair textures.
Pixar was careful with this as they wanted to be sure that they did not depict racist caricatures or stereotypes within the film.
All-Star Cast of Disney’s Soul
The amazing cast of this Disney film features:
- Jamie Foxx as Joe
- Tina Fey as 22
- Phylicia Rashaad as Libba, Joe’s Mother
- Angela Basset as Dorothea Williams
- Questlove as Dorothea’s drummer who gets Joe his big break
Jon Batiste composed original jazz music for the film and was used as a model for the piano animations.
- Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Angela Bassett (Actors)
- Pete Docter (Director) – Pete Docter (Writer)
- Spanish, English (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Critics have praised the film as Pixar’s most ambitious and successful project to date.
It has already won several awards and was one of the most watched straight to streaming titles of 2020.
5. Red Tails (2012)
Red Tails follows the stories of the Tuskegee airmen of World War II, Black American members of the United States Army Air Forces.
- Factory sealed DVD
- Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston (Actors)
- Anthony Hemingway (Director)
- French, Spanish, English (Subtitles)
- English (Publication Language)
While the characters in the film are fictional, they are based on real men who fought during that time period.
Similar to the women of Hidden Figures, the stories of these men aren’t widely known. During this time period, they were still subject to Jim Crow laws.
The military was still racially segregated so these men had to deal with this in and out of the military workforce as the first Black American airmen, fighter and bomber, in the faction.
What to Expect from this Black Disney Plus Film
This film is the last developed by Lucasfilm before the company was sold to the Walt Disney Company and was first developed by George Lucas in 1988.
The film has a genuinely talented cast of African American actors including Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard, who had both starred in different projects about the Tuskegee airmen prior.
It also stars Singer Ne-yo, Rapper Method Man, Michael B. Jordan, Leslie Odom Jr. Nate Parker, David Oyelowo and Elijah Kelley.
Why We Love This Disney Film
The film itself is masterful with its storytelling and emotional tone, making the audience really appreciate Anthony Hemingway’s direction of it in his directorial debut.
However, it does suffer from the issue of historical accuracy as Hidden Figures did and is sadly reduced to a good versus bad plot.
- Factory sealed DVD
- Cuba Gooding Jr., Bryan Cranston (Actors)
- Anthony Hemingway (Director)
- French, Spanish, English (Subtitles)
- English (Publication Language)
Regardless of this, it does not take away from the core of the story which is that the Tuskegee Airmen did suffer through trials and tribulations.
However, they still did their job with a manner of dignity and bravery within the military that segregated them from their white counterparts.
Despite this, the film still won 2 NAACP awards and is worth watching even to give audience members who are unfamiliar with this aspect of Black American history.
It’s a glimpse into how far we have come and how far we still have to go!
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6. Princess and the Frog (2009)
Princess and the Frog debuted in December 2009 and left its mark in animation and Disney’s history with the first Black American Disney Princess, voiced by the spectacular Anika Noni Rose.
What to Expect from this Black Disney Plus Film
Set in 1912 New Orleans, we follow Tiana, an extremely talented, ambitious and hard working young woman who strives to fulfill her and her late father’s dream of opening a restaurant.
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- Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY
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As she runs into a snag when she is so close to her goal, she runs into a talking frog who asks to kiss her in exchange for making her dream a reality.
Instead, she turns into a frog too and together, her and Naveen, a Maldonian prince cursed as a frog, must find Mama Odie, a voodoo priestess deep in the bayou to help them reverse the spell while avoiding the shadow man who wants to use Naveen for his nefarious scheme.
Fun Facts About Princess and the Frog
The film was the last traditionally animated film created by Disney and directed by the incomparable Ron Clements and John Musker, who worked on other Disney films including The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules.
Disney Legend Alan Menken and Randy Newman collaborated together on the soundtrack.
The film itself was a majorly big deal for the Black American community regarding representation.
Disney is considered the biggest animation company in the world and the Disney Princess Franchise line is known worldwide.
To have Disney create a positive representation of a Black American woman and have her within this franchise was truly progressive.
All-Star Cast of Princess and the Frog
Oprah Winfrey, who voiced Tiana’s Mother Eudora in the film, was a major champion for the project.
The cast also featured big players in the African American acting community and newcomers like:
- Terrence Howard, featured for a second time on this list voicing Tiana’s Father
- Keith David as Dr. Facilier
- Bruno Campos as Prince Naveen
- Jennifer Lewis as Mama Odie
- Michael Leon Wooley as Louis the Gator
Princess and the Frog is a Box Office Hit!
The film was a critically acclaimed and financial success debuting #1 at the box office on opening weekend at 24.2 million.
Now there have been some issues where some state that Tiana should have showcased more natural looking hair based off her concept art.
Plus it was the seemingly long issue with the length of time in which she was actually human versus a frog.
Nevertheless, this is the first time a Black American in Disney animation had been placed as a main character and it was a huge and progressive step.
- Brand Name: Ingram Entertainment Mfg#: 786936795332
- Shipping Weight: 0.17 lbs
- Manufacturer:
- Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY
- All music products are properly licensed and guaranteed authentic.
The film continues to showcase its importance with Princess Tiana’s inclusion in the Mickey’s Friendship Faire show at Walt Disney World.
Also, the Splash Mountain refurbishment where it is being completely transformed into a Princess and the Frog attraction, and a Princess and the Frog television series coming to Disney Plus in 2022.
Honorable Mention: Although Questlove’s film (Summer of Soul) is not on Disney Plus, it’s still a powerful documentary that you must watch! It tells the story of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival that happened in the same summer as Woodstock, making it a film that definitely deserves to be on this list.
7. Black Panther (2018)
It seems only fitting to finish our list with another film that broke barriers with its introduction.
Black Panther is the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and features the first to feature a cast with majority being African American and having a Black American director.
It also features the first black superhero to grace the silver screen since Blade.
What to Expect from this Black Disney Plus Film
Black Panther, played fantastically by the incomparable and late Chadwick Boseman has just taken the title of King of Wakanda after his father lost his life in a bombing in Captain America: Civil War.
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- Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o (Actors)
- Ryan Coogler (Director) – Ryan Coogler (Writer)
- Spanish, French, English (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
We get a chance to see the glorious yet mysterious country of Wakanda as he is officially crowned king.
Along the way, there are other people at work, a man named Killmonger, who is determined to find Wakanda and take over as king.
The story is masterfully done with Ryan Coogler at the helm.
Plus, the costume design and music truly embraced the traditions and cultures of real life African countries while blending afro futurism.
All-Star Cast of Black Panther
The cast is mostly all African/ Black American with the exception of Martin Freeman as Agent Ross and Andy Serkis as Klaue.
This cast is mixed with an old and new generation of fantastic Black actors and actresses featuring:
- the spectacular Angela Basset as T’Challa’s mother Ramonda
- Letitia Wright as Shuri, T’Challa’s super intelligent sister
Fun Facts About Black Panther
One of the most notable points of the film is the strength of the women in the film.
While T’Challa is the main hero of this film, the women are not simply background players.
The newly crowned king of Wakanda is flanked by the Dora Milaje, a group of skilled and powerful warrior women led by Okoya played by Danai Gurira, known for her role in “The Walking Dead.”
Even his love interest, Nakia, is seen first on a mission freeing enslaved women from traffickers as a spy and War dog.
Both these women fight by his side in an amazing scene during the film.
Even Shuri is seen in Avengers: Infinity War to be far more intelligent that Bruce Banner and Tony Stark, becoming one of the keys to the attempt to stop Thanos.
Black Panther is a Box Office Hit
The film broke many records and won several awards. Black Panther film grossed $1.347 billion globally.
As of this post, it is the highest grossing solo superhero film, third highest grossing superhero film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the highest grossing film directed by a Black American.
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- Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o (Actors)
- Ryan Coogler (Director) – Ryan Coogler (Writer)
- Spanish, French, English (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
The list for accolades is so long, that it has its own Wikipedia page.
This film was nominated for several academy awards and won three, with its nomination for Best Picture was a first for a superhero film, the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Marvel Studios.
The cultural importance and impact of the film left its mark in cinema history.
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Wrapping Up…
All the films I have addressed in this post, does not even scratch the surface of all the amazing cinematic contributions Black Americans have brought us.
Having this collection on Disney Plus is simply incredible and in its own collection.
Now would be a great time to explore all of the pieces in the collection and begin to grow that appreciation for the culture, joy and pride of the black community within our own Disney community.
Did your favorite make this list? Share yours in the comments with us!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
Victoria is a professional solo traveler here to make your solo trips as stress free AND enjoyable as possible for you.
She has over 5 years of Disney and Non-Disney travel experience and was featured by POPSUGAR as one of the Top 50 Black Disney Creators you should follow.
She is a Proud Native to Baltimore, Md but always will call Disney World home. You can find her at Disney Tea with V.
Planning a trip soon? If so, read the Disney Vacation Planning Guide for your next dream trip!
(Original Article Date: July 31, 2021/Updated January 30, 2024)