Live-action and animated children’s movies were a staple part of our childhood. Especially while enjoying our weekends and summer holidays. Walt Disney musicals and cartoons provided for the magic of sweet childhood. The musicals had a major role in shaping our childhood personalities, from Simba’s bravery to Cinderella’s fairy tale. Many such legendary characters, along with the magical Disneylands, became a legacy that was passed to the upcoming generations. When Disney Studios amalgamated with Hotstar in India, the production giant opened its doors to its movie archives that host all our childhood favorites. We take a trip down memory lane with these Disney classics that are available for streaming on Disney+Hotstar.
An evergreen movie, The Lion King released in 1994 was originally adapted from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “Hakuna Matata – It means no worries” became the song of life. The beautiful father-son relationship of Mufasa and Simba is a legend. Pumbaa and Timon were the dream team. It was the 5th animated movie of the Disney Renaissance period.
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A classical fairytale that was an integral part of childhood was Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs. This 1937 musical is still relevant to our pop culture, with popular theme parks and merchandise in demand. It was the first full-length traditionally animated feature film. The movie, post inflation adjustments, remains one of the highest-grossing animated movies of all time. A fun fact; in 1989 Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs was selected as part of the first 25 films to be preserved at the National Film Registry. It’s one of the must-watch Disney classics and is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.
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A legacy that continues across the Disneylands, is of Pinocchio, a wooden toy turned into a human boy. Based on the classic children’s novel, Adventures Of Pinocchio, this was the second animated feature film by Walt Disney Studios. It was the first animated movie to win two Academy Awards. The humble and honest nature of Pinocchio was a fable for the children.
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Laughing out loud about the baby’s adventures is one of the favorite memories of our summer holidays. The 1994 classic movie Baby’s Day Out, a cult classic comedy was a failure both critically and at the box office. The movie was written by John Hughes and directed by Patrick Read Johnson. In 1995 an official Telugu adaptation ‘Sisindri’ was released, which starred Akhil Akkineni in his debut role as the baby.
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A Disney timeless classic, 101 Dalmatians was the 17th animated feature film by Walt Disney. The movie, initially released in 1961, was based on the 1956 novel The Hundred And One Dalmatians. The movie was completely based on the love for dogs. A live-action movie was also made in 1996 starring Glenn Close in the role of the antagonist Cruella de Vil. The story still continues to fuel pop culture, and a spin-off for Cruella de Vil was released in 2021 starring Emma Stone in the lead role. Surely, one of the classics by Disney and is available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.
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The all time best Christmas holiday movie was the 1990 comedy Home Alone. Written by John Huges and directed by Chris Columbus, it was the highest-grossing live-action comedy until the release of The Hangover Part II in 2011. Kevin McCallister, a 10 year old boy, played by Macaulay Culkin, is left alone in the home as his family leaves for vacation in Paris for Christmas. He is then left to defend his house against the burglars, who plan to rob his house. The coming-of-age movie inspired its sequels, which were loved equally by the fans.
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Started in 2002, Ice Age became one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. It began with a group of mammals saving a human child, quiet in contrast to their characteristics. The humanified versions of these animals became a legacy for the forthcoming movies that became pop culture cults. The 14 year old saga ended in 2016 with the release of its fifth installment, Ice Age : Collision Course. However the original team of Manny, Diego and Sid remains in everyone’s hearts. Alas, Scrat could never unite with his favourite nut.
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A live-action adaptation of Tarzan, George Of The Jungle was a comedy adventure. The 1997 Walt Disney production starred Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) in the role of George. Although the spoof movie wasn’t critically acclaimed, it performed well in the box office. A sequel to the movie was released in 2003.
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Adapted from the legend of Robin Hood, this adventure musical comedy released in 1973. The idea for making this animated feature film was in the talks, since the release of Snow White, but was constantly shelved. The story became such a great legend that it inspired the 2016 Zootopia.
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Released in 1953 with a caption, “It will live in your heart forever,” Peter Pan was one of the favourite fairy tales for children. It was the final movie that was distributed by RKO before Walt Disney started his own distribution company. Peter Pan is one of the many Disney classics and you can watch it on Disney+ Hotstar.
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Based on Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, and set in the forests of India, the Walt Disney animated feature film released in 1967. The film still continues to be one of the most favourite movies among children. It was the last film to be produced by the legend Walt Disney, who died during its production. The movie was a great success at the box office. Mowgli, Bagheera and Baloo were the favourite characters that created a legacy for itself. In 2016 a live-action/CGI hybrid remake was made by Jon Favreau (Iron Man) with voice and motion capture performances from Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong’o, Scarlett Johansson, and Neel Seethi, who played the role of Mowgli.
Audio Available – Disney+ Hotstar Premium (English), Disney+ Hotstar VIP (Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi)
The favourite princess of all children, Cinderella, was based on a fairy tale by Charles Perrault. It was the 12th animated feature film by Walt Disney. The movie was a life saver for the Disney Studios, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, due to the aftermath of World War 2. The castle of Cinderella later became the castle that is still in use as the Walt Disney logo. The film has been preserved at the National Film Registry for being culturally, aesthetically and historically significant. In 2015 a live-action adaptation of the movie was released.
Audio Available – Disney+ Hotstar Premium (English), Disney+ Hotstar VIP (Tamil, Hindi)
One of Disney’s shortest animated films, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. The movie had the themes of bullying and the breaking the stereotypes in it. The main character is Dumbo, a semi-anthropomorphic elephant that worked in the circus. Later in 2019, a live-action feature film of the movie was made.
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Honey, I Shrunk The Kids was a 1989 sci-fi family comedy produced by Disney Studios. The movie was a huge success at the box office and held the record of highest-grossing live-action Disney film ever for five years. It was directed by Joe Johnston who debuted with this movie. Rick Moranis and Marcia Strassman played the lead roles in the movie. The success of the movie spawned two sequels, a television series, and theme-park attractions.
Audio Available – Disney+ Hotstar Premium (English), Disney+ Hotstar VIP (Hindi)
Sleeping Beauty was a fairytale by Charles Perrault that was developed into an animation feature film by Walt Disney. Released in 1959, the movie was a successful venture. In 2014, a live action feature film was released, from the point of view of the fairy godmother that curses Princess Aurora to sleep. The movie starred Anjelina Jolie in the role of Maleficent, a misunderstood fairy.
Audio Available – Disney+Hotstar Premium (English), Disney+Hotstar VIP (Hindi)
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