Each month, I’ll be bringing you my list of the top 50 shorts available on Disney+, which include shorts from across Disney, Star Wars, Marvel, National Geographic and Pixar.  And unlike movies or series, shorts are much more easier to jump in and try out.  Only have 5 minutes spare or haven’t seen it, there is no time investment in checking these out.

And while Disney+ doesn’t officially launch until November 12th in the US and Canada, it is now available in the Netherlands as a trial, which does mean this list might be different in November when it launches, but the majority of titles have been confirmed for the US launch.

Currently the shorts lineup is a little light, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some fun things to check out.

Here is the “What’s On Disney Plus” Top 50 shorts on Disney+:


50) George & AJ

This spinoff from Up, tells the story of Nurses George and A.J. of the Shady Oaks Retirement Village, who try to get Carl to leave his house towed by balloons, which results in other senior citizens around the city are inspired to make their own “escapes”, much to George and A.J.’s chagrin.  The animation style is extremely rough and is probably only worth watching once.

49) LEGO All Stars Shorts

This series features LEGO versions of the latest heroes and villains of the Star Wars galaxy alongside iconic characters including Kylo Ren, R2-D2, Young Han, Chewie, Young Lando, BB-8, and General Leia.  All with the usual humor of LEGO animation.

48) Jack Jack Attack

This spin-off from The Incredibles movie, sees Jack’s babysitter struggle with its ‘special needs.’  This short is perfectly inline with the original, it could have easily just been an extra scene.  Incredibles fans should certainly watch this one.

47) Guardians Of The Galaxy Shorts

Before they became Guardians, five outlaws made their way through the galaxy. These shorts tell stories from the checkered pasts of Peter Quill, Groot, Rocket, Drax and Gamora.

46) Frankieweenie

Before the animated version in 2012, Tim Burton actually made a live action version back in 1994, it’s only about 30 minutes long.  It’s the identical story, which sees Victor bring back his pet dog, Sparky, from the dead and try to convince people that Sparky’s still the good loyal friend he’s always been.

45) Pluto’s Christmas Tree

This classic animated short from the 1950’s is a great Christmas treat.  The short sees Mickey and Pluto chop down Chip n Dale’s home for their Christmas tree, which obviously doesn’t go down well with the chipmunks.

44) Day & Night

When Day, a sunny fellow, encounters Night, a stranger of distinctly darker moods, sparks fly! But as their suspicions turn to curiosity, they are delighted to find that this budding friendship can offer a new perspective on the world.  Another great Pixar short.

43) Meter & Ghost Light

If you loved Cars, then this one’s for you.  Mater spends the day playing scary pranks on the townsfolk of Radiator Springs. That night Sheriff tells everyone about the legend of the Ghostlight. Mater is left alone in the dark to ponder whether the legend of the fabled Ghostlight is true.

42) La Luna

This adorable short tells the story of a young boy coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. It’s the first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. Will he be able to find his own way amidst their conflicting opinions and timeworn traditions?  Beautiful.

41) Wise Little Hen

This classic short from the 1930’s introduces Donald Duck to the world. Donald and Peter Pig refuse to help the Wise Little Hen plant her corn or harvest it, but they are plenty anxious to help eat it.

40) Rocket & Groot

Rather than a single short, this series consists of lots of 1 minute shorts that give Rocket Raccoon and Groot from Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy a little screen time.

39) Tin Toy

One of the very early Pixar shorts from 1988 is a teaser into the world of Toy Story as a tin one-man-band toy tries to escape a destructive baby.  There are many moments from this short that were later used in Toy Story, which came years later.   The animation is a bit rough round the ages due to its age, but for its importance in Pixar’s history, it’s worth checking out.

38) Small Fry

If you’re a fan of Buzz Lightyear, this short will be an enjoyable 5 minutes as when Buzz Lightyear is left behind at a fast food restaurant when a kids’ meal toy version of him takes his place. As Woody and the gang devise a way to rescue their friend, Buzz tries to escape a support group for discarded toys.

37) Three Little Pigs

In this Academy Award winning short, the Three Little Pigs each build a house; one of straw, one of sticks, one of wolf-proof bricks. The Big Bad Wolf comes along and blows away the straw and stick homes, but is unable to destroy the house of bricks.

36) Red’s Dream

Another original Pixar short from 1987, which is another test for what Pixar would eventually become.  Without these shorts, we would never have seen Toy Story or other Pixar movies created.  Red, a unicycle, dreams up a clown owner and his own juggling act that steals the show. But all too soon, the applause turns into the sound of rainfall, as reality rushes back. Red must resign himself to sitting in the corner and await his fate.

35) Ant-Man

This odd collection of 1 minute shorts based on Marvel’s Ant-Man could be interesting for fans of the superhero, the art style is very different and offers some quick adventure fixes.

34) Your Friend The Rat

Remy and his brother Emile present their case as to why humans and rats should just get along. They guide us through the history of man and rat and provide fun rat facts. They pull out all the stops and end with a song describing a rat/human utopia.  If you ever wanted to know more about Rats, this short is for you.

33) Doug’s Special Mission

This short is set just prior to the events of Up, which sees Dug sent on foolish missions by Alpha, Beta and Gamma so they can hunt for the Bird of Paradise Falls by themselves.  This perfectly fits in with the Pixar classic and if you enjoyed Up, you can’t go wrong with watching this.

32) LEGO Frozen Northern Lights

This series of LEGO shorts follows Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven as they embark on an epic journey to “restore the glimmer of the Northern Lights.  For fans of Frozen, this is a fun little series that also has a few easter eggs worth looking for.

31) Partysaurus Rex

If you want more adventures with the characters from Toy Story, this short will have you covered.  Poor Rex, the toys all think he’s a party pooper. But when Bonnie takes him to bath time, he goes from zero to hero by throwing an over-the-top Bubble Bath time bash! No longer a wet blanket, the king of the hot tub is the legendary Partysaurus Rex!

30) The Adventures of Andre & Wally B

This Pixar short from 1984 is a real snapshot into how Pixar started building its unique artistic style.  Young audiences might find it tough on the eyes, but the story still holds up, which sees Andre awaken from a nap and he is greeted by a pesky yellow and black bee with a nasty stinger. Andre thinks he can outrun the bee, but like all stinging insects, Wally B. knows he can chase down any target.

29) Burn-E

This spinoff of Wall-E, tells the story of Burn-E, who keeps getting affected by the actions of Wall-E and Eve from the main movie.  It’s a fun little short that fans of the original movie will want to check out.

28) Lonesome Ghost

This classic short from 1937 tells the story of four bored ghosts in a haunted house who’ve scared everyone away call up Ghost Hunters Mickey, Donald, and Goofy in hopes to have a little fun scaring them off.

27) Toy Story Hawaiian Vacation

More fun from the Toy Story characters, as Woody and Buzz lead a group of toys in giving Ken and Barbie the Hawaiian vacation of their dreams – but it has to be in a girl’s bedroom in the Midwest in the middle of winter, because Ken badly miscalculated the travel arrangements.  More Toy Story stories can never be a bad thing to watch.

26) Flowers and Trees

Another classic from the 1930’s.  It’s spring, and nature comes to life. Some trees play a tune, using vines for harp strings and a chorus of robins. A nasty looking hollow tree battles a much healthier-looking tree for the attentions of a female tree and starts a fire.

25) Legend Of Mordu

This short is a spinoff from Brave, which sees the Witch explain via magical illustrations the legend of a power-obsessed prince who sought a magic spell that would allow him to wrest control of a kingdom from his brothers, only to destroy that kingdom and his own fate as well.

24) Sanjay’s Super Team

This superhero inspired short is all about a young boy called Sanjay, who daydreams of Hindu gods as superheroes.  It’s a great representation of a different culture and how it can cross over with modern day trends.

23) Presto

A fun short featuring the magician, Presto. But, when Presto forgets to feed his rabbit one too many times, well, there’s really no telling what to expect!  A fun adventure that will keep you laughing.

22) Geri’s Game

One of the earlier shorts from Pixar, this one sees an ageing codger named Geri plays a day-long game of chess in the park against himself. Somehow, he begins losing to his livelier opponent. But just when the game’s nearly over, Geri manages to turn the tables.

21) Party Central

This spinoff to Monsters University sees Mike and Sulley plan to make sure “Party Central” is the most epic party the school has ever seen.  Just more fun with characters we love.

20) Partly Cloudy

This lovely story explains how where do the storks get the babies from? The answer lies up in the stratosphere, where cloud people sculpt babies from clouds and bring them to life.  A beautiful short that is heart warming and certainly pulls on your heartstrings.

19) Knick Knack

Life on a shelf as a snowman trapped in a snow globe blizzard can become wearing, especially when you’re surrounded by knick-knacks from sunnier locales. When the jaded snowman finally breaks free of his glass home, his vacation plans are cut short.  This is another fun packed little short from the wonderful minds of Pixar.

18) Pluto Lend A Paw

Another classic Disney cartoon from the 1940’s.  Jealous of Mickey’s kitten, Pluto’s devil-self argues with his angel-self over whether or not to rescue the kitten when it falls into a well. The angel-self wins, and Pluto is treated like a hero.

17) The Little Whirlwind

A classic animated short from the 1940’s sees Minnie Mouse wants Mickey to clean up her yard. While Mickey is working, a baby whirlwind pesters him and plays havoc with his attempts to clean up the fallen leaves.  Who doesn’t love some classic Mickey Mouse adventures.

16) Mike’s New Car

This Monsters Inc spinoff sees Mike buy a six-wheel drive car that’s been loaded with gadgets. That new car smell doesn’t last long, however, as Sulley jump-starts an ill-fated road test that teaches Mike the true meaning of buyer’s remorse.  Fans of the Monsters Inc should check this one out.

15) LUXO Jr

Another classic Pixar short from the 1980’s, which introduces the Pixar lamp to the world for the first time.  This short has even been deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, due to its importance in animation.  It’s only 2 minutes long, so is worth checking out.

14) Lifted

This funny Pixar short is all about a young alien student who bungles his first lesson in elementary abduction as an increasingly weary instructor looks on.  It’s full of laughs.

13) Chef Donald

If you want some vintage Donald Duck, you can’t go wrong with this short from the 1940’s as Donald gets inspired by a radio programme to make waffles.

12) Boundin

For a high-stepping lamb, life is an upbeat western waltz until his prairie friends tease him about his freshly sheared look.The only one who can see things right is the giant jackalope, who brings sunshine and optimism with him wherever he bounds.  This is another great funny short from Pixar.

11) The Blue Umbrella

An alluring story of two umbrellas- who fall eternally in love.  Pixar manage to take something as simple as an umbrella and turn it into a beautiful love story.  You shouldn’t miss this one.

10) For The Birds

Another fantastic and funny short from Pixar that sees a flock of small birds perch on a telephone wire. Sitting close together is hard enough, and then comes along a large dopey bird who tries to join them. The birds of a feather make fun of him, but the clique mentality proves embarrassing in the end.

9) The Band Concert

One of my favorite vintage Disney shorts from the 1930’s.  Mickey is a frustrated bandleader who must deal with obnoxious peanut vendor and flute player Donald Duck, who tries to persuade the band to play “Turkey in the Straw,” and a cyclone hits before his concert of “William Tell Overture” is completed.

8) Inner Workings

If you loved Inside Out, this short is for you.  It tells the story of Paul’s fearful brain, a pragmatic protector calculating his every move—and his good-time heart, a free-spirited adventurer— engage in a tug-of-war to reclaim his balance in life.  It’s one of my favorite Pixar shorts from the past few years.

7) Lou

When a toy-stealing bully ruins recess for a playground full of kids, only one thing stands in his way – the Lost & Found box.  This is another fantastic short from Pixar, that is full of heart and charm.

6) Riley’s First Date

This follow up to Inside Out, has Riley, who is now 12, hanging out at home with her parents in San Francisco when potential trouble comes knocking: a boy shows up at the door. Can Mom and Dad’s emotions handle Riley’s first date?  If you loved Inside Out, you must watch this.

5) Bao

One of my all time favorite Pixar shorts is Bao, which is all about a Chinese mom who’s sad when her grown son leaves home gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life. But she finds that nothing stays cute and small forever.  Extremely charming and will certainly pull on your heartstrings.

4) Piper

This charming Pixar short sees a hungry sandpiper hatchling ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The problem is, the food is buried in the sand where scary waves roll up.  A fantastic short that can be enjoyed over and over. 

3) Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

This Christmas themed special continues the story from “Frozen”, which sees Olaf trying to discover people’s holiday traditions.  With a great soundtrack, that features original songs, this is easily one of the highlights of shorts on offer on Disney+.

2) Lava

This amazing short has been inspired by the isolated beauty of tropical islands and the explosive allure of ocean volcanoes, “Lava” is a musical love story that takes place over millions of years and just captures the spirit of the tropical islands with a breathtaking song that instantly reminded me of the famous Hawaiian singer, Israel Kamakawiwoʻole. 

1) Steamboat Willie

If you only watch one short on Disney+, this is it.  The original.  The one that started it all.  This is how the world met Mickey Mouse and is a must see.  Mickey Mouse is a mischievous deckhand on a riverboat that is under the command of the tyrannical Captain Pete.

What short is your favorite?

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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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2 Comments

  1. SUSAN COLE November 7, 2019

    are you going to show any of the past Disney shows and movies I would love to see them again like happiest millionare, davy crocket, bullwhip griffon , and many shows that are the wonderful world of Disney. I hope you do show theses from the Disney vault. It would be wonderful and great if you do and I can see those shows again. I am thinking about getting it. I will be disappointed if you do not show any of the past movies

  2. Tia November 17, 2019

    I loved this list - all except for number 50! That one has a fun storyline, but the car siren sound is obnoxious and goes on way too long. I just can't stand that one. Next time you'll have to add some sparkshorts to your list!