Disney+ is celebrating its first anniversary today, having launched on November 12th 2019 and over the last year, we’ve seen dozens of new Disney+ Original movies from a wide range of genre’s and styles, plus with cinemas closing down, many movies that were never originally supposed to be Disney+ Originals.

To celebrate the first anniversary of Disney+, I wanted to pick out my top 5 Disney+ Original movies from the past year.


Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl is a 12-year-old genius and descendant of a long line of criminal masterminds. He soon finds himself in an epic battle against a race of powerful underground fairies who may be behind his father’s disappearance.

This might be an odd first choice for many, but since I had never read the books and I went into watching this movie with any existing thoughts on the character or franchise.  I found it to be a fun and entertaining family-friendly adventure movie, with some great special effects that I wasn’t expecting.  It’s not perfect by any means, since there are many issues I had with it.  But at the end of the day, I enjoyed watching it and during the first national lockdown, having anything new to watch was great.   Click for my full review


Clouds

This was one of the most personal and emotional movies from the past year, inspired by an incredible true story, “Clouds” is a vibrant ode to the life of singer/songwriter Zach Sobiech (Fin Argus). Zach is a seventeen-year-old, fun-loving student with raw musical talent living with osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. At the start of his senior year, he is ready to take on the world, however, when he receives the news that the disease has spread, he and his best friend and songwriting partner, Sammy (Sabrina Carpenter), decide to spend Zach’s limited time following their dreams. With the help of Zach’s mentor and teacher, Mr. Weaver (Lil Rel Howery), Zach and Sammy are given the chance of a lifetime and are offered a record deal. Along with the support of the love of his life, Amy (Madison Iseman) and his parents, Rob and Laura (Tom Everett Scott and Neve Campbell); Zach embarks on an unforgettable journey about friendship, love and the power of music.  A heartwarming movie that brought me to tears on many occasions and shows Disney+ can have some maturer themes by offering a selection of content.  Click for my full review


Togo

“Togo” is the untold true story set in the winter of 1925 that takes you across the treacherous terrain of the Alaskan tundra for an exhilarating and uplifting adventure that will test the strength, courage and determination of one man, Leonhard Seppala, and his lead sled dog, Togo. This is easily my favourite Disney+ Original movie and will certainly give your heartstrings a tug, you might need some tissues, I did!   Nearly a year after it was originally released, it stands out as one of the highlights of the Disney+ launch period.   Click for my full review


The One And Only Ivan

Due to cinemas being closed, this movie jumped from theatres over to Disney+ and gave us another great family film to enjoy.  It’s an adaptation of the award-winning book about one very special gorilla, Disney’s “The One and Only Ivan” is an unforgettable tale about the beauty of friendship, the power of visualization and the significance of the place one calls home. Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ivan begins to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be. The heartwarming adventure, which comes to the screen in an impressive hybrid of live-action and CGI, is based on Katherine Applegate’s bestselling book.   It’s another great soild family friendly movie that I really enjoyed.    Click for my full review


Mulan (2020)

To save her ailing father from serving in the Imperial Army, a fearless young woman disguises herself as a man to battle northern invaders in China.   Mulan is my favourite movie of 2020, there was so much about this movie that I loved.  The stunning scenary, amazing soundtrack and some fantastic martial arts scenes.  This movie had everything I wanted from a live-action remake since it wasn’t just a scene by scene recreation.     Click for my full review


Do you agree with my top 5 Disney+ Original movies?  Comment below:

 

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Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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1 Comments

  1. Travis November 12, 2020

    Mulan was the best Disney Plus exclusive of 2020. No argument from me on that, and the only live action remake I can say that equals, if not betters the cartoon original. I felt it was almost more of an homage to the original, rather than a full remake, and the respect and empathy shown to the characters and setting is something rarely achieved, while giving us a thrilling ride in the process.