Repost: Movies I Want to See Before My Disney Trip

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This was originally posted on my old blog back in January. I've moved it here for reference. I've also tacked on Finding Dory and Zootopia. We also may watch Robin Hood since it's on Netflix.

We have 13 months until our next trip, so I plan to watch 26 movies (2 per month sounded reasonable). The list is a bit longer than that to give us some wiggle room for hunting down movies. We aren’t going to watch these in the order shown. The order will be determined by when we can manage to get a hold of various movies (Netflix, library, etc…).

To create this list, I started with an article on Touring Plans called “Movies to Watch Before You Visit Disney World“, added a few movies I wanted to see, and then subtracted movies until I got to 31. I left in movies that we wanted to watch for the first time, or re-watch because we hadn’t seen them in awhile, while giving higher priorities to ones with a higher presence in the parks. Some movies were easily removed…I know Beauty and the Beast by heart, and Jimmy remembers it well. We watched Cinderella in preparation for our last trip, so not that long ago.

Here is what I was left with:

  1. Peter Pan- I know the movie pretty well, but Jimmy doesn’t recall the Disney version. Not only does it have its own attraction, but Peter Pan and Tinkerbell are ubiquitous in the parks.
  2. Snow White- Jimmy doesn’t remember it, and I’ve avoided it since first watching it long ago (I wasn’t a fan). Alas, we plan on going on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, so we’ve deemed it a necessity.
  3. Fantasia- Another Jimmy hasn’t seen. The Mickey in the Sorcerer’s Hat is a pretty common image, also Mickey’s Philharmagic gets inspiration from Fantasia (and some music). It also has a presence in Fantasmic, a reference in the Great Movie Ride, and one of the All Star Movies section is themed after it (we’ll be walking to ASM at some point, I imagine).
  4. Sleeping Beauty- Once again, my husband doesn’t remember this one, and while slightly more important for Disneyland, characters from the movie make it into a lot of parades, stage shows, character meet & greets, etc…
  5. Dumbo- I don’t remember Dumbo at all. I know a couple of the songs, and a few scenes, but the general story I don’t recall. Dumbo is pretty abundant and has his own ride, so we should fix this.
  6. Lilo & Stitch-I need to re-watch this. I haven’t seen it in a long time, and I remember *not* hating Stitch after I watched it. His unnecessary prevalence in the parks (particularly when he replaces one of the Fab Five) has made me dislike him. Also, his attraction isn’t very good. Perhaps re-watching it will help me like him better.
  7. Mary Poppins- Mary Poppins appears a lot as a character meet and greet, and has an appearance on the Great Movie Ride. Jimmy doesn’t recall this movie very well, so we’re going to watch it. Also, I read about a hidden reference to one of my favorite parts of this movie, I’d like to find it when we are there.
  8. Pinocchio- I remember it better than Jimmy, but could still use a refresher. Pinocchio has his own quick service restaurant.
  9. Jungle Book- Once again, we could use a refresher on this one. It helped create the atmosphere for AK, and it’s characters roam around AK.
  10. Pocahontas- I was horrified when Jimmy mentioned he had never seen this one. I corrected that within a couple days. Pocahontas shows up in some stage shows and parades, and she has a character meet and greet.
  11. Princess & The Frog- Neither of us have seen this one, and since it’s newer, it’s referenced more through meet and greets and merchandise.
  12. Indiana Jones- Jimmy doesn’t remember it, though I know he’s seen the third one. It has an attraction at DHS, and is referenced in the Great Movie Ride.
  13. Music Man- This one is recommended for Main Street atmosphere purposes, I don’t believe either of us have seen it.
  14. Apple Dumpling Gang- This one supposedly gives the feel for Frontierland. I have a vague recollection of this one, but that’s it.
  15. The Right Stuff- Supposedly gave inspiration for Space Mountain, and other Disney space stuff. Neither Jimmy nor I had heard of this one.
  16. The Muppet Movie- Honestly, we just wanted a muppet movie on here.
  17. Disney Nature- We haven’t seen any of them, and they are supposed to be the inspiration for AK.
  18. The African Queen- Inspired the Jungle Cruise! Haven’t seen it.
  19. Dinosaur- I had forgotten this movie existed. Though the ride of the same name contains no explicit references to the movie, the dinosaurs featured are the same ones.
  20. The Aristocats- Only minor references in the parks, but Jimmy hasn’t seen this one. Disney doesn’t have many “good” cats (they are always evil), so this film is important.
  21. The Three Cabelleros- Has its own ride in Mexico, and Jimmy hasn’t seen it!
  22. Tangled- It’s newer, and neither of us have seen it. Lots of character and merchandise references.
  23. Brave- It’s newer, and neither of us have seen it. Lots of character and merchandise references.
  24. Swiss Family Robinson- To help Jimmy understand the treehouse attraction better. Also, I need a refresher.
  25. Star Wars 4- We haven’t seen it in a very long time. Lots of Star Wars stuff in the parks now!
  26. Star Wars 5- We haven’t seen it in a very long time. Lots of Star Wars stuff in the parks now!
  27. Star Wars 6- We haven’t seen it in a very long time. Lots of Star Wars stuff in the parks now!
  28. Star Wars 7- Obviously a must do.
  29. Tom Sawyer- Jimmy wants to understand TS Island better.
  30. Ratatouille- We haven’t seen it, and I now have a pin (thanks to pin park pack).
  31. Big Hero 6- It’s newer, and neither of us have seen it. Lots of character and merchandise references.