With the middle of the summer upon us, there might be some leftover/remaining summer reading to complete before the return of the school season. Even if you aren’t in school, there are many Disney+ titles that are movies originally based on books that are worth watching.

Holes, a coming-of-age novel by Louis Sachar, follows the cursed life of Stanley Yelnats and his adventures with a group of juvenile misfits at Camp Green Lake. It stars Shia LeBeouf (Even Stevens), Eartha Kitt (Emperor’s New Groove), Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), and Jon Voight (National Treasure).

The worldwide phenomenon of the musical of Hamilton is technically also based on a book of the same name. The musical was written by and stars Lin Manuel Miranda, who can also be seen on Disney+ in Mary Poppins Returns and The Odd Life of Timothy Green. In 2023, he will be directing the new live-action version of The Little Mermaid. The 1989 animated cartoon version is available to watch right now on Disney+.

Beauty and the Beast is based on the 1756 fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont of the same name. On Disney+, you can watch the original 1991 cartoon starring Jerry Orbach and Angela Lansbury or the 2017 live-action remake starring Emma Watson and Frozen’s Josh Gad. Each version is worth a watch, and both are available on Disney+.

The Jungle Book, a novel by Rudyard Kipling, inspired both movie versions – animated cartoon and the 2016 live-action CGI remake. The story follows Mowgli, a boy raised in the depths of the jungle by wild animals who needs to rejoin humankind, and his friends Baloo and Bagheera. These versions are both really fun and lively and make for a great family movie night.

Cinderella (Charles Perrault), Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), and The Princess and the Frog (E. D. Baker and Brothers Grimm) are also all based on novels. Both Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland have both animated and live-action versions as well. Alice in Wonderland also had a few television series spinoffs: one in the 1990s called Adventures in Wonderland and one released this year for a younger audience called Alice’s Wonderland Bakery that can be found on Disney+.

Check out these titles and others based on popular books now on Disney+, and let us know what book(s) you think should be next!

For the latest Disney+ news, follow us on TwitterFacebook, and Instagram.



Megan Ribovich

Megan is a Disney enthusiast that enjoys checking out the latest movies, television shows, and Broadway shows. Her favorite Disney movie is the classic "Beauty and the Beast".

Related Article