All the Disney Movies in Order: The Real List Every Fan Needs

Honestly, trying to track down all the Disney movies in order is a bit of a nightmare. You’d think the biggest media company on the planet would have a simple, numbered list on their homepage, right? Nope. Instead, you get a tangled web of "Walt Disney Animation Studios" classics, Pixar hits, live-action remakes, and weird straight-to-video sequels that most people try to forget ever happened.

If you’re just here to see how we got from a singing snow girl in 1937 to whatever wild project they’ve got cooking for 2026, you’re in the right place. We aren't just looking at dates; we're looking at why these movies exist and how they basically built the childhood of every person reading this.

The Foundation: Walt’s Golden Age (1937–1942)

Back in the late 30s, people thought Walt Disney was actually insane. They called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs "Disney’s Folly." Who would sit through a feature-length cartoon? Turns out, everyone.

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937): The one that started it all. Without this, there is no Mickey Mouse empire.
2. Pinocchio (1940): Technically a masterpiece, though it terrified kids for decades with that donkey-transformation scene.
3. Fantasia (1940): A high-art experiment that almost bankrupted the studio.
4. Dumbo (1941): Short, sweet, and made on a budget to get some cash flowing again.
5. Bambi (1942): The movie that taught us all about grief way too early.

The "Package" Years: Making Do During the War (1943–1949)

World War II hit Disney hard. Most of the staff were drafted or busy making propaganda films. Because they didn't have the resources for full-length epics, they released "package films"—basically a bunch of shorts stitched together.

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• Saludos Amigos (1943) and The Three Caballeros (1945): Disney’s "Good Neighbor" trip to Latin America.
• Make Mine Music (1946), Fun and Fancy Free (1947), and Melody Time (1948).
• The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949): The Headless Horseman still holds up as one of the spookiest things they've ever done.

The Silver Age: The Princesses Return (1950–1967)

This is the era of the "Classics." If you ask a random person to name a Disney movie, they’re probably picking something from this list. It’s when the "Disney Style" really solidified.

1. Cinderella (1950): The massive hit that saved the company from $4 million in debt.
2. Alice in Wonderland (1951): It flopped initially but became a cult classic in the 60s for... reasons.
3. Peter Pan (1953): Neverland, Hook, and some questionable cultural depictions we have to acknowledge today.
4. Lady and the Tramp (1955): The first animated film in CinemaScope (widescreen).
5. Sleeping Beauty (1959): Expensive. Stylized. It took nearly a decade to make.
6. 101 Dalmatians (1961): Introduced "Xerography," which made the animation look sketchier but saved a ton of money on inkers.
7. The Sword in the Stone (1963): A bit of a cult favorite among 90s kids who caught it on VHS.
8. The Jungle Book (1967): The last film Walt Disney personally touched before he passed away.

The Dark Age: Finding a Path Without Walt (1970–1988)

After Walt died, the studio felt lost. The animation was often recycled, and the stories got darker. Some fans call this the Bronze Age. I call it the "Experimental Mess" era.

• The Aristocats (1970)
• Robin Hood (1973): Famous for reusing animation from Snow White and The Jungle Book.
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
• The Rescuers (1977): A surprise massive hit that kept the lights on.
• The Fox and the Hound (1981): A real tear-jerker that marked a transition between the "Old Men" animators and the new kids.
• The Black Cauldron (1985): This nearly killed the studio. It was Disney’s first PG-rated animated movie and a total box-office disaster.
• The Great Mouse Detective (1986): Sherlock Holmes, but as a mouse. Surprisingly good.
• Oliver & Company (1988): Billy Joel as a dog in NYC. Very 80s.

The Renaissance: The Unstoppable Run (1989–1999)

This is the peak. This is the decade where every single movie was a cultural event. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken brought the Broadway musical formula to animation, and it changed everything.

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1. The Little Mermaid (1989): Under the sea and back on top of the charts.
2. The Rescuers Down Under (1990): The first-ever digital ink and paint movie.
3. Beauty and the Beast (1991): The first animated movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
4. Aladdin (1992): Robin Williams changed the game for celebrity voice acting.
5. The Lion King (1994): The king of the 90s. Period.
6. Pocahontas (1995): Beautiful music, though historians have... thoughts.
7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996): Dark, gothic, and incredibly bold for a "kid's movie."
8. Hercules (1997): Zero to hero with a gospel soundtrack.
9. Mulan (1998): A girl worth fighting for.
10. Tarzan (1999): Phil Collins went way harder on this soundtrack than he needed to.

The Post-Renaissance Slump and the Digital Shift (2000–2009)

As Pixar (which Disney eventually bought) rose to power, hand-drawn animation started to struggle. Disney tried everything—sci-fi, 3D, slapstick.

• Fantasia 2000 (1999/2000)
• Dinosaur (2000): CGI backgrounds with real-life photography.
• The Emperor's New Groove (2000): Honestly? Probably the funniest movie they've ever made.
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001): Sci-fi adventure that deserved more love.
• Lilo & Stitch (2002): A weird, heartwarming story about a blue alien in Hawaii.
• Treasure Planet (2002): A massive financial failure but a visual marvel.
• Brother Bear (2003) and Home on the Range (2004): The end of the traditional 2D era for a long time.
• Chicken Little (2005): Disney’s first fully in-house 3D movie.
• Meet the Robinsons (2007)
• Bolt (2008)

The Revival Era: Frozen and Beyond (2009–2019)

Disney figured out how to make 3D animation feel like a Disney classic. They went back to fairytales and hit the jackpot.

1. The Princess and the Frog (2009): A glorious, final return to hand-drawn 2D.
2. Tangled (2010): The 50th official Disney animated feature.
3. Winnie the Pooh (2011)
4. Wreck-It Ralph (2012): Gaming nostalgia done right.
5. Frozen (2013): You literally couldn't go anywhere without hearing "Let It Go" for three years.
6. Big Hero 6 (2014): Marvel meets Disney animation.
7. Zootopia (2016): A buddy-cop movie that tackled some heavy social themes.
8. Moana (2016): The Rock singing and Lin-Manuel Miranda's music. Perfection.
9. Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
10. Frozen 2 (2019): The highest-grossing animated film for a long time.

The Modern Slate: Streaming and Sequels (2020–2026)

Things got a little weird during the pandemic. Some movies went straight to Disney+, and the release schedule started to feel a bit more chaotic.

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• Raya and the Last Dragon (2021): Dragons and martial arts.
• Encanto (2021): We still don't talk about Bruno, but the world definitely sang about him.
• Strange World (2022): A retro sci-fi throwback that unfortunately underperformed.
• Wish (2023): The 100th-anniversary celebration movie.
• Moana 2 (2024): Originally a TV series, turned into a theatrical sequel because the demand was so high.
• Zootopia 2 (2025): Currently one of the most anticipated follow-ups in the works.
• Hexed (2026): The newest original story on the horizon. Scheduled for late 2026, it promises to return to that magical, witchy vibe people love.

What Most People Get Wrong

People often confuse "Disney movies" with "Pixar movies." While Disney owns Pixar, they are separate studios with different histories. Toy Story, Finding Nemo, and Inside Out aren't technically part of the "Walt Disney Animation Studios" numbered canon, even though they’re under the same umbrella.

Then you’ve got the live-action remakes. From The Lion King (2019) to the upcoming Moana (2026) live-action version starring Catherine Lagaʻaia and Dwayne Johnson, these are massive hits but technically "re-imaginings" rather than new entries in the animated list.

Your Next Steps to Mastering the Disney Catalog

If you're planning a marathon, don't just watch them in order. That's a lot of movies. Instead, try these three things:

1. The "Era" Binge: Watch the first and last movie of each era mentioned above. It’s the best way to see how technology and storytelling changed.
2. The "Comparison" Watch: Watch the 1937 Snow White alongside the upcoming 2025 live-action remake starring Rachel Zegler. Seeing the 88-year gap in filmmaking is wild.
3. The Disney+ Checklist: Use the "Disney Animation" collection on the app, but keep this list handy because they often mix in the Pixar stuff, which can throw off your chronological count.

Whether you're looking for the nostalgic comfort of the 90s or the high-tech wizardry of the 2020s, there's a reason these stories stick around. They’re basically our modern folklore. Get your popcorn ready; you’ve got about 100 hours of viewing to get through.