15 Best Disney Movies For Toddlers

The wonderful world of Disney may seem like a fluffy, child-friendly place, but the House of Mouse has some surprisingly complex stories to tell. Not all of those outings will be easily absorbed by very small children, who might be frightened by the Evil Queen in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" or find themselves unable to understand "Up" and its focus on grief and aging. Fortunately, the company also has plenty of options for tots.

This list should help parents chop their way through the studio's back catalog to find the most appropriate pictures for the littlest members of their families to watch. There's an array of flicks to be found here; wacky adventures, touching romances, and side-splitting comedies, all of them lighthearted enough to make the kiddies happy. Selected entirely through authorial opinion, here's a group of Disney movies that are perfect for toddlers.

Any part of Disney's take on A. A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" book series is perfect for small children, as the always cuddly, warm-hearted vibes that Pooh radiates will comfort even the crankiest of kids. 1977's "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" is the yellow bear's very first feature-length film, knitting together the featurettes "Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree" (1966), "Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day" (1968), and "Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too" (1974). Young viewers are bound to fall in love with the bouncy Tigger, who has long been one of the most popular "Winnie the Pooh" characters.

"The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" is gentle, tender, and filled with just enough color to keep wee ones entertained. And if the film whets your toddler's appetite for Heffalumps and Woozles, there are lots of other Disney-released Pooh productions to be watched. "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" is capped off with a fresh short film in which Christopher Robin (Timothy Turner) must cope with returning to school, which means he'll have less time to spend among his woodland buddies. It brings things to a close with an important lesson about the enduring nature of real friendship.

Tikes adore automobiles, whether that means playing with little toy vehicles, riding around on Power Wheels, or just sitting still and watching them on TV. That might explain why "Cars" has become such a popular franchise for Disney, and why the first film in the series will definitely appeal to the kiddos.

The 2006 movie sees Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) lose a major race, the Piston Cup, due to his overconfidence and inability to accept help from others. He's headed for California and his next competition when he's stranded in Radiator Springs, Arizona. Charged with a minor crime, he's sentenced to community service, forcing him to slow down and start caring about others for a change.

As he begins to develop attachments — to the pretty Sally (Bonnie Hunt), the goofy Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), and former dirt track racer Doc (Paul Newman) — Lightning must confront the possibility that there might be more to life than accolades. It's fast-paced fun for all the family.

A movie that will resonate with '90s kids and their children, 1995's "A Goofy Movie" is low on peril but high on fun. Central to the story is the loving but sometimes complicated relationship between Goofy and his 14-year-old son. Of course, there are some things about "A Goofy Movie" that only adults will notice, but they'll go way over the heads of toddlers. Youngsters with widowed parents will likely relate to what Max Goof (Jason Marsden) goes through as he tries to forge an independent life for himself, even though he's a teen.

Max has an enormous crush on Roxanne (Kellie Martin) and finally wins her attention by lip-syncing to a song by the pop star Powerline at school. Powerline will be hosting a live concert in Los Angeles soon, and Roxanne and Max have a date to watch it together. A wrench is thrown into their plans when Goofy (Bill Farmer) decides to take his son on a fishing trip. Max cannot stand his dad's corniness, and rebellion sets in. With Max's lie to Roxanne that he's supposed to appear in-person at the Powerline concert hovering over them, will he be able to finally forge a bond with his dad while also impressing his crush?

Candy-colored and filled with a gentle sense of beauty, 2021's "Luca" is set in the 1950s and takes place on the Italian Riviera. This low-conflict movie combines fantasy and humor with a wholesome tale about making friends while being true to yourself. It's just light enough for the youngest member of any household to enjoy, and it will encourage them to follow their dreams and try new things.

Luca Paguro (Jacob Tremblay) is a tween sea monster who is terribly curious about the surface world. He makes friends with Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer), an orphaned sea monster, and the two of them make plans to see the world together. Luca's parents try to separate them, forcing Luca to run away and hide out with Alberto in the small town of Portorosso.

Once in Portorosso, Luca and Alberto make friends with local outcast Giulia Marcovaldo (Emma Berman), a human. Together, they decide to train Luca for the local triathlon, rivaling local bully Ercole (Saverio Raimondo) for his long-held championship. It may not be among the best Pixar movies ever made, but it's a feast for the eyes and perfect for toddlers.

"A Bug's Life" is all about standing up for yourself, even when those around you don't feel the same way. Flik (Dave Foley) is an ant whose hill is under the thrall of a troop of cruel grasshoppers. He tells his colony that they ought to fight back by teaming up with bigger insects, but everyone pooh-poohs his notion. When the grasshoppers start demanding double what they typically take from Flik's colony, he decides to strike out on his own and find a group of courageous warriors to help them out.

Unfortunately for Flik (but comically for us as viewers), he ends up enlisting a group of bug circus performers, who mistakenly believe that he's a talent agent. They all find themselves entrenched in a battle for the colony's independence when the hill's queen (Phyllis Diller) is kidnapped. Exciting but not too scary, 1998's "A Bug's Life" is another Disney offering that's perfect for toddlers while also being engaging for parents, with its story a clear allegory for repressive societies and the power of community.

"The Emperor's New Groove" is about Kuzco (David Spade), a spoiled Inca emperor who thinks he's the center of the universe. He fires Yzma (Eartha Kitt), his royal advisor, and she wants to kill him and take over his empire before anyone finds out. However, she only manages to turn him into a llama. Kuzco ends up in the handcart of Pacha (John Goodman), a farmer who's protesting Kuzco's plan to demolish his town to build a vacation home, and the pair end up working together to get Kuzco back on the throne.

A fast-paced film filled with gags that are bound to make the youngest among us laugh out loud, "The Emperor's New Groove" has developed cross-generational appeal in the decades since its 2000 release. While the narrative suggests main villain Yzma is "scary beyond all reason," this is entirely played for laughs, and every threat in the movie is used for comedic effect. Little kids won't find it challenging and should chuckle along with the bigger folks as things get wackier and wackier.

A lesser-known Disney offering from 1988, "Oliver and Company" takes the grim tale of "Oliver Twist" and turns it into something lighter. Though it includes a brief scene of violence and some (offscreen) villain character deaths, it's breezy enough to keep toddlers entertained with its humor-laden musical numbers. While it's a Disney animated movie with a Rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes, it's still worth watching if you've got toddlers to entertain.

Oliver (Joey Lawrence) is an orphaned kitten who falls in with Dodger (Billy Joel) and his gang of streetwise pups. He nearly falls into a life of crime until an attempted heist causes him to cross paths with Jenny Foxworth (Natalie Gregory), a young heiress with a spoiled poodle named Georgette (Bette Midler). Oliver is adopted by Jenny and begins to feel as if he's found his place in New York City at last, but associates of Dodger and the gang threaten to make his life difficult.

"Lady and the Tramp" contains a little more conflict than most of the other entries on this list — there's a mean dogcatcher, a nasty aunt, and some threatening dogs. But, at heart, this classic 1955 Disney flick is just a cross-class romance between two dogs. While it might feel a little old-fashioned to parents who grew up during the Disney Renaissance era of the 1990s, it's a delightful movie that will no doubt keep toddler eyes glued to the screen.

Lady (Barbara Luddy) is a purebred cocker spaniel who is spoiled and pampered by her owners, but things change when they have a baby. The mean Aunt Sarah (Verna Felton) comes to watch the baby when the couple are out of town and Lady gets blamed for the mischief caused by her cats. Sarah takes Lady to be muzzled, but she runs away before it can happen. On the loose, Lady meets Tramp (Larry Roberts), a street dog who saves her from danger and then romances her. But when Lady declares her loyalty to her young family — and becomes aware of Tramp's previous philandering — can their romance survive?

"The Sword in the Stone" puts a Disney twist on Arthurian legend. Arthur (voiced by three different actors: Rickie Sorensen, Richard Reitherman, and Robert Reitherman) is put upon by his two foster brothers. Considered the runt of the family, he's frequently pressed into service as a squire. He accidentally encounters two important figures while looking for a lost arrow in the woods one afternoon — the wizard Merlin (Karl Swenson) and his owl Archimedes (Junius Matthews).

Merlin takes Arthur under his wing and decides to educate him, a process that involves Arthur being transformed into various animals. A series of events leads to Arthur finding a sword stuck in a hunk of rock. He pulls it out — unknowingly fulfilling an ancient prophecy and making himself the next king of England. Toddlers shouldn't be too freaked out by the magical shenanigans afoot here, and there are some important moral lessons: The 1963 movie's main message is one of respecting your elders and never underestimating the underdog.

Despite its plot about an extraterrestrial entity coming to Earth after escaping from his prison, the menace level is pretty low in 2002's "Lilo and Stitch," a colorful and touching movie that's especially good for kids who have experienced grief. Even when Gantu (Kevin Michael Richardson) is introduced, he's much less scary than most Disney villains, and characters who are initially introduced as bad guys — from Cobra Bubbles (Ving Rhames) and Jumba (David Ogden Stiers) to Pleakly (Kevin McDonald) — become friends of Nani (Tia Carrere) and her sister Lilo (Daveigh Chase).

Lilo and Nani are coping with a lot of heavy emotional baggage in wake of the deaths of their parents. Nani, the older of the two sisters and Lilo's legal guardian, works odd jobs to keep a roof over their heads. She thinks getting Lilo a dog will help her deal with everything they're going through, but they unknowingly adopt an escaped alien experiment named Stitch (Chris Sanders). While Lilo and Stitch bond, chaos rains down on them when the Grand Councilwoman from the Galactic Federation (Zoe Caldwell) arrives to bring Stitch into custody.

A road trip movie with romantic elements and a sense of humor, 1970's "The Aristocats" will have little kids wishing that they, too, could be a cat. Colorful musical numbers and a warm-hearted story set in France make this a must-see Disney film that will charm everyone in the family. Toddlers in particular will love the film's central kittens: Marie (Liz English), Toulouse (Gary Dubin), and Berlioz (Dean Clark), whose mother, Duchess (Eva Gabor), is set to inherit the riches and home of their owner, Madame Adelaide Bonfamille (Hermione Baddeley) upon her passing.

Adelaide tells her lawyer that the money will then go to her butler, Edgar (Roddy Maude-Roxby), once the cats all die. An eavesdropping Edgar fears he will never gain his portion of the cash, so he plots the cats' disappearance. He dumps them in the countryside, where they make the acquaintance of a streetwise stray named Abraham de Lacy Giuseppe Casey Thomas O'Malley (Phil Harris). O'Malley, as he's commonly known, agrees to lead them back to Paris, and they have many adventures along the way as he romances Duchess and the bumbling Edgar fails to hide his crimes.

The villain's plan is indeed a diabolical one, but 1961's "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" is still fully appropriate for the young and young at heart. Dalmatian Pongo (Rod Taylor) thinks his songwriting master, Roger Radcliffe (Ben Wright), ought to get married. He arranges a meet-cute for him with buttoned-up Anita (Lisa Davis) — and a meet-cute for himself with her Dalmatian, Perdita (Cate Bauer and Lisa Daniels). The two couples settle into bliss, and Perdita and Pongo soon produce a litter of 15 puppies.

When Cruella De Vil (Betty Lou Gerson), an old classmate of Anita's, arrives and offers money for the dogs, Roger refuses. That leads her to kidnap the puppies and buy a whole lot more in the hope of making herself a spotted fur coat. Pongo, Perdita, and a network of animals both in and outside of London team up to rescue all the puppies and thwart the villainous fashionista. While Cruella is a scary presence (as the song states, "If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will"), the rest of the movie offers up enough warmth to offset any fears that might arise.

In "Robin Hood," the mood is as light as our titular hero's arrow. None of the main villains are particularly scary. Prince John (Peter Ustinov) is a thumb-sucking, cowardly lion who can't cope with the pressure of ruling his kingdom. His advisor Sir Hiss (Terry-Thomas) is a snake who is even less intimidating. The 1973 movie is laden with rip-roaring adventures, a sense of real community, and a charming love story, making it ideal for tykes.

The fox Robin Hood (Brian Bedford) and his man-at-arms Little John (Phil Harris), a brown bear, constantly rebel against the Prince and his regime. He and Maid Marian (Monica Evans), also a fox, were childhood sweethearts. Their courtship takes place against a backdrop of rebellion as the citizens of Nottingham fight against John's high taxation policies, which are enforced by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Pat Buttram), a cunning wolf.

"Monsters, Inc." couldn't be more perfect for toddlers, seeing as the main human character — a little girl named Boo (Mary Gibbs) by the monsters that end up taking care of her — is one. Among the biggest Pixar movies of all time, the 2001 hit spawned a prequel film and a sequel series, giving families plenty to watch if this one goes over well. Small children will definitely love the thrill that it provides, which isn't scary enough to cause nightmares but offers up a lot of action. They'll probably relate to and love Boo, and will probably want to go looking for a friendly monster hiding under their own bed. But what's the film all about?

At Monsters, Inc., they scare because they care. Monstropolis is powered by the screams of children, and thus its citizenry is mainly employed in keeping those cries of fear coming. It's a scary job for the monsters, too, as humans are rumored to be toxic — and, even worse, kids are getting harder and harder to frighten these days. One day, James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (John Goodman) accidentally lets a little girl onto the scare factory floor and panic sets in. Boo proves to be nontoxic, but Sulley needs to get her back where she belongs. His best friend, Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), finds himself wrapped up in Sulley's attempt at protecting Boo, and their time with the little girl might just change their lives — and Monstropolis itself — for good.

Still a rousing good time decades after its 1964 release, the classic Disney musical "Mary Poppins" will get little feet tapping and impart life lessons about personal hygiene, responsibility, and having a bit of fun now and again. Well-to-do Edwardian children Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael Banks (Matthew Garber) write an advertisement searching for a new nanny after running off the latest one, but their request for a kind guardian is ripped up by their banker father George (David Tomlinson). When he throws the letter into the fireplace, it's accepted by Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), a magical nanny who arrives on a strong wind via the power of her umbrella.

It's not only the children that Mary ends up bettering – she's also there to teach George and his suffragette wife, Winifred (Glynis Johns), the importance of paying attention to their kids. In the end, the whole Banks family figures out how to make space for one another and fly a kite in a display of pure harmony. Also along for the ride is Bert (Dick Van Dyke), a chimney sweep who has a long history with Mary. The fact that Van Dyke's cockney accent is well off the mark – something he's been teased about over the years — won't matter to the kiddos in the audience.