With The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader finally released on Disney+, the entire Disney-20th Century Studios Narnia trilogy is together for the first time. (It’s a shame all 7 novels weren’t produced as films, which now Netflix will attempt, but that’s another story.)

However, currently, at least two dozen Disney-owned franchises remain incomplete or missing entirely from Disney+. Sometimes sequels or spin-offs are present, but not the original film. Complex realities of co-productions, music licensing, and decades-old contracts make it potentially costly for some titles to arrive in a timely manner. Yet, in many cases, gaps in the Disney+ library are simply baffling.

Five incomplete Disney+ franchises are not covered here: Star Wars (see this article), Marvel Cinematic Universe (three films missing), The Muppets (see this article), and two series noted in our Missing Musicals article: the Step Up franchise, along with Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals.

For now, here are 22 Disney-owned franchises currently missing or incomplete on Disney+ listed in alphabetical order. NOTE: Click here for comprehensive list of missing Disney+ titles. This list is based on U.S. availability.

1. 1 Saturday Morning

Starting in 1997, Disney’s 1 Saturday Morning was a cartoon block produced by Disney for ABC. Several shows like Recess and 101 Dalmatians have made it to Disney+ though many favorites remain absent.

 

  • Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000-2001)
  • Jungle Cubs (1997-1998)
  • Fillmore! (2002-2004)
  • Mickey Mouse Works (1999-2000)
  • The Weekenders (2000-2002)
  • House of Mouse (2001-2002)
  • Lloyd in Space (2001-2002)
  • Teamo Supremo (2002)

2. Angels in the Outfield

Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) donned wings for Disney’s 1994 sports comedy, with Danny Glover as the California Angels manager, Tony Danza their star pitcher, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the foster child who needs a miracle. Lloyd returned for the made-for-TV sequel, and a third flick followed – though none have arrived on Disney+.

  • Angels in the Outfield (1994)
  • Angels in the Endzone (1997)
  • Angels in the Infield (2000)

3. The Brave Little Toaster

When their young master mysteriously disappears, five electrical appliances set off for the big city in search of him. This animated musical – from Disney greats like Glen Keane, Mark Dindal and Rob Minkoff – was the first production from Hyperion Pictures, which went on to produce The Proud Family franchise with Disney Channel. While its two sequels are on Disney+, the original 1987 classic is currently toast.

4. Celebrate Black Stories Collection

Since June 2020, Disney+ has featured a collection called Celebrate Black Stories with both real-life films (that portray issues of civil rights, heroism, and notable athletic exploits) as well fictional films that often provide insights into real-life experiences and/or have been groundbreaking in Black representation on-screen. Many relevant Disney-owned titles, whether historic or fictional, remain inexplicably absent from the Disney+ library.

 

  • The Jackie Robinson Story (20th Century Studios, 1960)
  • Sounder (20th Century Studios, 1972) Starring Cicely Tyson, Kevin Hooks
  • The Ernest Green Story (1993) Peabody Award Winner
  • The Preacher’s Wife (1996) Starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston
  • Endurance (1998)
  • Selma, Lord, Selma (1999)
  • The Loretta Claiborne Story (2000)
  • Jett Jackson: The Movie (2001)
  • Sounder (2003) Directed by Kevin Hooks
  • Belle (2013) Directed by Amma Asante
  • Lincoln Heights (Freeform, 2006-2009)
  • Cory in the House (2007-2008)
  • The Hate U Give (20th Century Studios, 2018)

5. Disney Channel Premiere Films

Before the current crop of fantasy-driven, tween-targeted, bubble-gum DCOMs — that’s Disney Channel Original Movies — Disney’s TV movies were decidedly more mature (and, many would argue, better stories overall.) From 1983 to 1997, these 44 films were known as Disney Channel Premiere Films … and essentially none of them have yet released on Disney+. The list below doesn’t name all 44, only a few highlights.

  • Black Arrow (1985) (pictured below)
  • The Christmas Visitor (1987)
  • A Friendship in Vienna (1988) Starring Ed Asner
  • Back Home (1990) Starring Hayley Mills
  • Heidi (1993) Starring Jason Robards, Noley Thornton
  • The Ernest Green Story (1993) Peabody Award Winner
  • The Four Diamonds (1995)
  • Flash (1997) Starring Lucas Black

6. Doctor Dolittle

Created by British novelist Hugh Lofting, Doctor Dolittle is a physician who shuns human patients in favor of animals with whom he can speak in their own languages. The original Rex Harrison musical was famously a flop at the time, though it’s now considered a cult classic.

  • Doctor Dolittle (1967) Musical Starring Rex Harrison
  • Doctor Dolittle (20th TV, 1971-1979, Animated)
  • Dr. Dolittle (1998) Starring Eddie Murphy
  • Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) Starring Eddie Murphy
  • Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006)
  • Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (2008)
  • Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts (2009)

7. Ernest Films Starring Jim Varney

Comic actor Jim Varney – whom many Disney fans know best as Slinky Dog in the Toy Story films – made his biggest splash with buffoonish character Ernest P. Worrell. While Varney’s character starred in nine films, three were produced through Disney’s Hollywood Pictures (with Ernest Saves Christmas finally arriving in 2021).

 

  • Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
  • Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)

8. Father of the Bride

Overprotective George Banks (Steve Martin) has his world turned upside-down – twice! – in these two comedies featuring Diane Keaton, Martin Short, and Kimberly Williams-Paisley. In fall 2020, series writer/producer Nancy Meyers reunited the cast for a 20-minute “Part III” short film produced by Netflix and released on YouTube. Considering that Warner Bros. has a Father of the Bride reboot in the works, the rights on this Disney-produced franchise are very unclear.

  • Father of the Bride (1991)
  • Father of the Bride, Part II (1995)

9. Herbie, The Love Bug

One of Disney’s biggest hits in the post-Walt and pre-Eisner era, the Herbie films feature a white Volkswagen Beetle that seems to have a mind and spirit of its own. Disney+ features quite the Herbie cinematic universe, with four films – but it’s still missing a short-lived TV series, a remake from Ant-Man director Peyton Reed, and the 2005 remake.

  • Herbie, the Love Bug (CBS, 1982) Starring Dean Jones
  • The Love Bug (1997) Directed by Peyton Reed, Starring Bruce Campbell
  • Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005) Starring Lindsey Lohan

10. Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Cinephiles often know the name of a director rather than a producer — unless you’re Jerry Bruckheimer. Known for action-adventure films that have earned billions at the box office, the producer partnered with Disney for nearly 20 years. It resulted in several hit franchises, includes Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasure. While most of his Disney films are on Disney+, including Remember the Titans, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and others, a few Bruckheimer productions seemed to have missed the boat.

  • Armageddon (1998)
  • Pearl Harbor (2001)
  • King Arthur (2004)
  • Tales of the Code: Wedlocked (2011) Short film

11. The Jungle Book

Rudyard Kipling’s classic story of a boy raised in the jungle has been retold in four different films on Disney+. In addition, fans also have animated series Tale Spin which features characters from the 1967 film. However, the streamer still lacks an adventure take from The Mummy director Stephen Sommers, and a spin-off show from the 1990s.

  • Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book (1994) Starring Jason Scott Lee, Lena Headey, Cary Elwes
  • Jungle Cubs (ABC, 1996-1998)

12. Life-Size

A series of mystic mishaps mistakenly bring a girl’s fashion doll “Eve” to life. Starring Lindsey Lohan and Tyra Banks, the original 2000 film remains missing though its 2018 sequel is on Disney+.

13. The Man from Snowy River

A young man inherits his father’s ranch in the rugged Snowy River country, trains under an experienced horse rancher (portrayed by Kirk Douglas) and marries his daughter (Sigrid Thornton). 20th Century Studios produced the first film, and Disney the sequel, so fans are hopeful both will arrive on Disney+.

  • The Man from Snowy River (1982)
  • Return to Snowy River (1988)

14. Medfield College Comedies

Decades of Disney comedies have been set at fictional Medfield College, starting with The Absent-Minded Professor in 1961. While that one is on Disney+, its sequel is not. A decade later Medfield was the setting for a trilogy of movies starring Kurt Russell, one of which never arrived on Disney+ nor have several remakes. Disney went with “Midvale College” for their two Merlin Jones comedies, which have a similar tone.

  • Son of Flubber (1963) Starring Fred MacMurray
  • The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964) Starring Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello
  • The Monkey’s Uncle (1965) Starring Tommy Kirk, Annette Funicello
  • Now You See Him, Now You Don’t (1972) Starring Kurt Russell
  • The Absent-Minded Professor (1988) Starring Harry Anderson
  • The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes (1995) Starring Kirk Cameron

15. Not Quite Human

Based on a series of novels, this trilogy tells of an inventor who sends his daughter to high school with his latest creation, an android teen called Chip. The films have been out-of-print for years and never released on Disney+.

  • Not Quite Human (1987)
  • Not Quite Human II (1989)
  • Still Not Quite Human (1992)

16. Old Yeller

“I don’t like to make sequels to my pictures,” Walt Disney famously said. “You can’t top pigs with pigs.” He made a rare exception for Old Yeller, a frontier tale about a beloved hound dog. Six years after its 1957 debut in theaters, sequel Savage Sam (1963) reunited the cast – though fans are still scanning the horizon for its arrival on Disney+.

 

17. The Parent Trap

The original 1961 film about twin sisters who meet after being raised separately by divorced parents, then deciding to switch places, was one of Walt Disney’s biggest hits. Disney+ features the classic movie, and the 1998 remake starring Lindsey Lohan. Currently lost at summer camp are the three TV sequels, which star Hayley Mills again in dual roles.

  • The Parent Trap 2 (1986)
  • The Parent Trap 3 (1989)
  • Parent Trap: Hawaiian Honeymoon (1989)

18. Polly

Acclaimed African American director Debbie Allen reimagines the story of Pollyanna with a Black cast and a half-dozen musical numbers. After the first film became a ratings hit, a sequel reunited the cast one year later. However, neither musical film has shown up on Disney+.

  • Polly (1989)
  • Polly: Comin’ Home! (1990)

19. The Shirley Temple Collection

When Disney bought 20th Century Studios in 2019, they claimed it was to bulk up their streaming service with more content. Years later, Disney+ US has yet to see that influx of films and series. A good first step would be to add 20th’s popular Shirley Temple Collection (only a sampling below), as the studio went to great expense in the 1990’s to colorize these classic movies with the child star; both black-and-white and color versions should be added. Disney also produced a documentary on her life and career that would be a perfect complement.

 

  • Bright Eyes (1934)
  • Curly Top (1935)
  • Captain January (1936)
  • Heidi (1937)
  • Little Miss Broadway (1938)
  • Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938)
  • The Little Princess (1939)
  • Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story (2001) Documentary

Shirley Temple Collection

20. Winnie the Pooh

The timeless characters created by A.A. Milne continue to be a favorite of families with young children. To its credit, Disney+ features nearly 100 hours of the silly old bear and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. However, some past Winnie the Pooh titles have slipped through the cracks – including a Searchlight Pictures biopic on A.A. Milne that U.S. fans hope makes it to Disney+.

  • Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore (1983)
  • Welcome To Pooh Corner (1983-1986)
  • A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving (1988)
  • Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving (1999)
  • Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005)
  • Goodbye Christopher Robin (2017) Released by Searchlight Pictures

21. Your Host, Walt Disney

Starting in 1954, producer and innovator Walt Disney personally hosted an hour-long family anthology series broadcast on Sunday nights. Initially called Walt Disney’s Disneyland, it would be re-titled twice in his lifetime and many more times later. Before his untimely death in December 1966 at age 65, Walt Disney was featured in approx. 400 of these programs.

While some anthology programs feature a simple film introduction by Walt Disney, the Disney Studios produced hundreds of unique programs for the TV anthology series. Currently five have been released on Disney+ U.S.: Disneyland Around the Seasons, The Story of the Animated Drawing, Mars and Beyond, Man in Space, and The Liberty Story. Fans are eager to see many more released in coming months and years, including the small sampling below.

  • Disneyland: Operation Undersea (1954)
  • Disneyland: The Donald Duck Story (1954)
  • Disneyland: Man and the Moon (1955)
  • Disneyland: Where Do the Stories Come From (1956)
  • Disneyland: Our Friend the Atom (1957)
  • Disneyland: Tricks of our Trade (1957)
  • Walt Disney Presents: From All of Us to All of You (1958)
  • Walt Disney Presents: Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959)
  • Walt Disney Presents: I Captured the King of the Leprechauns (1959)
  • Walt Disney Presents: Perilous Assignment (1959)
  • Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color: Disneyland After Dark (1962)
  • Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color: The Golden Horseshoe Revue (1962)
  • Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color: Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair (1964)

Walt Disney Mickey Mouse

22. Zorro

Walt Disney’s first TV drama Zorro introduced star Guy Williams as a Bruce Wayne high-society type in 1820’s California — moonlighting as the masked hero of justice. Only portions of eight episodes show up on Disney+, in a film The Sign of Zorro which splices them together. While the two seasons (78 episodes) of Zorro finally landed on Disney+ U.S., the four specials remain absent. Through 20th Century Studios, Disney also inherited some other incarnations of Zorro.

  • The Mark of Zorro (1940) Starring Tyrone Power
  • Zorro: El Bandido (1960) Starring Guy Williams
  • Zorro: Adios, El Cuchillo (1960) Starring Guy Williams
  • Zorro: The Postponed Wedding (1961) Starring Guy Williams
  • Zorro: Auld Acquaintance (1961) Starring Guy Williams
  • The Mark of Zorro (1974) Starring Frank Langella

Which missing or incomplete franchise have you requested to arrive on Disney+? Are others missing from this list? Raise your voice and comment below.

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Josh Shepherd

Freelance journalist Josh M. Shepherd covers culture and family entertainment for several media outlets. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he lives in the Washington, D.C. area.

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2 Comments

  1. Richard Johnson April 2, 2022

    Besides the anthology series "Disneyland" "Walt Disney Presents" "The Wonderful World of Color" and "The Wonderful World of Disney",I would like The entire line of Disney Sunday Movies and The Magical World of Disney from CBS and NBC. I would like the Disney Channel series Five Mile Creek, Spellbinder, Ocean Girl,Enchanted Musical Playhouse. All 3 variants of The Mickey Mouse Club, The Mouse Factory,Welcome to Pooh Corner, Dumbos Circus,The Edison Twins, and Danger Bay. Disney owned Tv series like Second Noah,Whoops,Torkelsons, 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage. The ABC Disney Feature Films line as well as the New Wonderful World of Disney. This encompasses The New Davy Crocketts,Parent Trap 3 and 4,the New Absent Minded professirs,Brand New Life etc... I would like to see the 4 Ducktales movies returned to their uncut versions,Fluppy Dogs and the Wuzzles. Shnookums and Meat and the Sebastian the crab Shorts that aired during Marsupalami. Anniversary specials,parades and reunions also welcomed.

  2. Suzanne michele Irwin April 20, 2022

    Please put Mickey's House of Villains and Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie on Disney Plus, so I wanna add em on the watch list. Please add em on Disney Plus soon. We can't wait forever.