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. I hope that you enjoy it!
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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 parallels the film’s narrative while depicting Africa and its people’s journey to reclaim and celebrate their beauty.
I love how this visual artistic piece delves into traditions and cultures, while also examining the broader concept of black identity.
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.
Something you should know is that Knowles spent all of her time and effort into curating this project.
This means she put all her Disney earnings into making sure the project had top-notch stuff like costumes, cast, cinematography, and more.
She even looked into art styles from various African cultures and picked her main cast and special guests with a lot of thought.
This was to make sure that the film embraced diversity and connected with everyone.
The film goes over many themes such as stereotypes of Foundational Black Americans, Pan-Africanism and Afro-Futurism, black pride and identity.
It also highlighted the feminine and masculine roles in the black community and how we all contribute to it together.
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.
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- Officially licensed product
- Lily James, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett (Actors)
- Kenneth Branagh (Director) – Allison Shearmur (Producer)
This movie has gotten a lot of love over the years for being a game-changer with its diverse cast and Brandy’s role in it. One of our favorite singers here at ThemeParkHipster.
Back then, Brandy was seen as the first Black American woman to play Cinderella on screen, and that only happened because Whitney Houston recommended her for the part.
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 musical score and numbers, combined with the choreography, were executed expertly, while the costuming was designed to be vibrant and visually striking.
The film garnered widespread acclaim, with Eileen Fitzpatrick of Billboard commending its fidelity to the original story and highlighting Brandy as an ideal choice for the role of Cinderella.
- size: 11″ x17″
- bonus mouse plush
- Officially licensed product
- Lily James, Helena Bonham Carter, Cate Blanchett (Actors)
- Kenneth Branagh (Director) – Allison Shearmur (Producer)
The film itself was nominated for seven primetime Emmy awards.
Cinderella received nominations for three NAACP awards, with Brandy and Whoopi also recognized in the same category for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Film or Mini-Series.
Released in 1997, it continues to be regarded as one of the finest adaptations of the classic story ever created, even by Broadway benchmarks.
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 movie received praise for highlighting the importance of STEM education in the African American community.
This initiative has been ongoing for years, as research indicates that numerous Black American children lack access to or interest in STEM opportunities.
It brought attention to “hidden figures” as the title of the film stated as this story was not well known by many.
The contributions of these women to a crucial aspect of American history are often overlooked, even within the Black American community.
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 movie is highly informative and skillfully produced, featuring impressive cinematography, a remarkable cast, and emotional moments that resonate deeply with viewers.
Hidden Figures received thirty-five nominations across the film industry and secured twenty-eight wins.
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.
During his quest to return to his physical form, 22 finds himself in Joe’s body, while Joe inhabits the body of a cat.
Together, they strive to resolve this situation and, in the process, discover important lessons they both require.
- Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad (Actors)
- Pete Docter (Director) – Dana Murray (Producer)
- 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.
People were really impressed with how Pixar nailed the different skin tones of Black Americans and the variety of hair textures.
They were super mindful about this, making sure they steered clear of any racist caricatures or stereotypes in the movie.
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, Phylicia Rashad (Actors)
- Pete Docter (Director) – Dana Murray (Producer)
- 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.
Just like the women in Hidden Figures, not a lot of folks know about these guys’ stories. Back then, they were still facing Jim Crow laws.
The military was still divided by race, so these men had to navigate that both in and out of their jobs as the first Black American airmen, whether they were flying fighters or bombers.
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 an incredibly talented cast of Black 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 movie is super well done with its storytelling and feels, making everyone really dig Anthony Hemingway’s direction in his first film.
But it does have a bit of a problem with historical accuracy like Hidden Figures did and kinda ends up being just a good versus bad story.
- 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.
But they totally handled their duties with a sense of pride and courage in the military that set them apart from the white soldiers.
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
Taking place in 1920s New Orleans, we meet Tiana, a super talented, driven, and hardworking young woman who’s all about making her and her late dad’s dream of opening a restaurant come true.
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- Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY
- All music products are properly licensed and guaranteed authentic.
When she hits a bump in the road just before reaching her goal, she bumps into a chatty frog who wants a kiss in return for making her wishes come true.
But instead, she turns into a frog herself, and now she and Naveen, a prince from Maldonia stuck in frog form, have to track down Mama Odie, a voodoo priestess chilling deep in the bayou to help them break the spell, all while dodging the shadow man who’s got plans for Naveen that aren’t so great.
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 played Tiana’s mom Eudora in the movie, was a big supporter of the project.
The cast also featured big players in the Black American acting community and newcomers like:
- Anika Noni Rose as Princess Tiana
- 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 25 million dollars.
So, some folks are saying that Tiana should’ve rocked more natural-looking hair like in her concept art.
And yeah, there was that whole thing about how long she actually spent as a human instead of a frog.
But hey, this is the first time a Black American character has been at the center of a Disney film, and that’s a pretty big deal and a step forward!
- 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 that’s coming to Disney Plus soon.
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 Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o (Actors)
- Ryan Coogler (Director) – Kevin Feige (Producer)
- English, French, Spanish (Subtitles)
- Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
We get to check out the awesome and mysterious land of Wakanda as he gets officially crowned king.
On this journey, there’s also another man named Killmonger, who’s hell-bent on finding Wakanda and snatching the throne for himself.
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 and Foundational 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.
Even though T’Challa is the star of this movie, the ladies definitely aren’t just in the background.
The fresh king of Wakanda stands alongside the Dora Milaje, a crew of fierce and talented warrior women headed by Okoya, played by Danai Gurira, famous for her role in The Walking Dead.
His love interest, Nakia, makes her entrance while on a mission rescuing enslaved women from traffickers, working as a spy and War Dog.
Both these women fight by his side in an amazing scene during the film.
Even Shuri totally stands out in Avengers: Infinity War as way smarter than Bruce Banner and Tony Stark, playing a major role in the effort to take down 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.
- This refurbished product is tested and certified to look and work like new. The refurbishing process includes functionality testing, basic cleaning, inspection, and repackaging. The product ships with all relevant accessories, and may arrive in a generic box
- Chadwick Boseman, Michael Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o (Actors)
- Ryan Coogler (Director) – Kevin Feige (Producer)
- English, French, Spanish (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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Final Thoughts and Honorable Mention…
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.
I also want to mention the movie, WISH, which came out in 2023. Many of us have fell in love with the main character Asha and the beautiful music that is played throughout the film.
![Wish [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/513xU1DUIOL._SL160_.jpg)
- Chris Buck (Director)
- Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
She represents what we’re all about here at ThemeParkHipster and that is to DREAM BIG!!!
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.
Planning a trip soon? If so, read the Disney Vacation Planning Guide for your next dream trip!
(Original Article Date: July 31, 2021/Updated by Editor On: December 13, 2024)