A Guide to Disney Movie Marathoning

With so many people stuck in their homes, as they fight the good fight and self-isolate, I have already seen a lot of people on social media starved for entertainment. I think everyone could do with a dose of the following advice that I gave to myself a long time ago: there is no boredom when you can have a Disney movie marathon! With so many people on the Disney+ train, it’s easier than ever to access many of the most popular Disney films, and even a few esoteric titles (though, understandably, not everything we die-hard Disney fans grew up with). Long before Disney+, many of us have been collecting Disney films on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray for decades. In these dark times, when we’re so desperate for a little light and levity, why not fire up your favorite streaming service, or dust off your trusty VCR, and have a good, old-fashioned Disney film marathon?

    Here’s the thing about Disney marathons (I’ve had quite a few in my day): you can never have a truly satisfying binge in one sitting. A nice, comprehensive marathon will include far too many titles to fit into one day. This is why this is the ideal time for such an endeavor! Who knows when such an opportunity will arise again? Now, the important thing to figure out, before jumping into a marathon, is the order in which you will watch the films.Will you watch them all chronologically based upon release date? Will you group them thematically? Then there are, of course, the standard groupings by eras of animation: Golden Age, Renaissance, and  Revival Era (etc.). However, for those of you who like to mix things up a bit, here are some of my favorite thematic Disney film groupings that will ensure a magical Disney movie marathon! While there are dozens of other Disney marathons I have conducted with many, many other films involved, I have provided just a few select examples, as the vast majority of these titles are available on Disney+. So fire up your popcorn machine (or microwave) and let’s get started!

Princesses and Other Leading Ladies:

• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 dir. David Hand, William Cottrell)

• Cinderella (1950, dir. Wilfred Jackson, Clyde Geronimi)

• Alice in Wonderland (1951, dir. Wilfred Jackson, Clyde Geronimi)

• Sleeping Beauty (1959, dir. Clyde Geronimi, Les Clark)

• The Little Mermaid (1989, dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)

• Pocahontas (1995, dir. Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg)

• Mulan (1998, dir. Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook)

• The Princess and the Frog (2009, dir. John Musker, Ron Clements)

• Tangled (2010, dir. Nathan Greno, Byron Howard)

• Brave (2012, dir. Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman)

• Frozen (2013, dir. Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee)

• Inside Out (2015, dir. Pete Docter)

• Moana (2016, dir. John Musker, Ron Clements, Don Hall)

• Frozen II (2019, dir. Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck)

Marathon Run Time: 21 hrs, 26 mins

Silly Little Boys and Sad Grown Men:

• Pinocchio (1940, dir. T. Hee, Norm Ferguson)

• Peter Pan (1953, dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske)

• The Sword in the Stone (1963, dir. Wolfgang Reitherman)

• Aladdin (1992, dir. John Musker, Ron Clements)

• Toy Story (1995, dir. John Lasseter)

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996, dir. Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale)

• Hercules (1997, dir. Ron Clements, John Musker)

• Tarzan (1999, dir. Kevin Lima, Chris Buck)

• Monsters, Inc. (2001, dir. Pete Docter)

• The Incredibles (2004, dir. Brad Bird)

• Up (2009, dir. Pete Docter)

• Wreck-It-Ralph (2012, dir. Rich Moore)

• Coco (2017, dir. Lee Unkrich)

Marathon Run Time: 20 hrs, 8 mins

Animal Adventures:

• Dumbo (1941, dir. Bill Sharpsteen, Wilfred Jackson, Samuel Armstrong, Bill Roberts, Norm Ferguson, Jack Kinney, John Elliotte)

• Bambi (1942, dir. David Hand, James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Paul Satterfield, Bill Roberts, Norman Wright, Graham Heid)

• Lady and the Tramp (1955, dir. Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, Wilfred Jackson)

• One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961, dir. Wolfgang Reitherman, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi)

• The Jungle Book (1967, dir. Wolfgang Reitherman)

• The Aristocats (1970, dir. Wolfgang Reitherman)

• Robin Hood (1973, dir. Wolfgang Reitherman)

• The Rescuers (1977, dir. Wolfgang Reitherman, Art Stevens, John Lounsbery)

• The Fox and the Hound (1981, dir. Richard Rich, Ted Berman, Art Stevens)

• The Great Mouse Detective (1986, dir. Ron Clements, John Musker, Burny Mattinson, David Michener)

• Oliver & Company (1988, dir. George Scribner)

• The Rescuers Down Under (1990, dir. Mike Gabriel)

• The Lion King (1994, dir. Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers)

• A Bug’s Life (1998, dir. John Lasseter) 

• Finding Nemo (2003, dir. Andrew Stanton)

• Ratatouille (2007, dir. 

• Zootopia (2016, dir. Byron Howard, Rich Moore)

Marathon Run Time: 23 hrs, 19 mins

Live Action Staples: 

• Old Yeller (1957, dir. Robert Stevenson)

• The Parent Trap (1961, dir. David Swift)

• Mary Poppins (1964, dir. Robert Stevenson)

• That Darn Cat! (1965, dir. Robert Stevenson)

• Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971, dir. Robert Stevenson)

• Pete’s Dragon (1977, dir. Don Chaffey)

• Newsies (1992, dir. Kenny Ortega)

• Homeward Bound (1993, dir. Duwayne Dunham)

• The Parent Trap (1998, dir. Nancy Meyers)

• The Princess Diaries (2001, dir. Garry Marshall)

Marathon Run Time: 19 hrs, 52 mins

Live Action Sports Films:

• The Mighty Ducks (1992, dir. Stephen Herek)

• Cool Runnings (1993, dir. Jon Turteltaub)

• The Big Green (1995, dir. Holly Goldberg Sloan)

• Air Bud (1997, dir. Charles Martin Smith)

• Remember the Titans (2000, dir. Boaz Yakin)

• The Rookie (2002, dir. John Lee Hancock)

• Miracle (2004, dir. Gavin O’Connor)

Marathon Run Time: 13 hrs, 4 mins

Sports and Outdoor Fun Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMS):

• Brink! (1999, dir. Greg Beeman)

• Horse Sense (1999, dir. Greg Beeman)

• Johnny Tsunami (1999, dir. Steve Boyum)

• Alley Cats Strike (2000, dir. Rod Daniel)

• Miracle in Lane 2 (2000, dir. Greg Beeman)

• Rip Girls (2000, dir. Joyce Chopra)

• Ready to Run (2000, dir. Duwayne Dunham)

• Motocrossed (2001, dir. Steve Boyum)

• Cadet Kelly (2002, dir. Larry Shaw)

• Double Teamed (2002, dir. Duwayne Dunham)

Marathon Run Time: 16 hrs, 56 mins

DCOMs Too Weird to Not Be Fun: 

• The Thirteenth Year (1999, dir. Duwayne Dunham)

• Smart House (1999, dir. Duwayne Dunham)

• Genius (1999, dir. Rod Daniel)

• Zenon, Girl of the 21st Century (1999, dir. Kenneth Johnson)

• Up, Up and Away (2000, dir. Robert Townsend)

• Stepsister from Planet Weird (2000, dir. Steve Boyum)

• Quints (2000, dir. Bill Corcoran)

• The Other Me (2000, dir. Manny Coto)

• The Luck of the Irish (2001, dir. Paul Hoen)

• Hounded (2001, dir. Neal Israel)

• The Poof Point (2001, dir. Neal Israel)

Marathon Run Time: 17 hrs, 43 mins

The Magical, Wonderful World of Disney (aka Watch ‘Em If You Can Find ‘Em!):

• A Friendship in Vienna (1988, dir. Arthur Allan Seidelman)

• Lantern Hill (1990, dir. Kevin Sullivan)

• Back Home (1990, dir. Piers Haggard)

• Susie Q (1996, dir. John Blizek)

• Wish Upon a Star (1996, dir. Blair Treu)

• The Paper Brigade (1997, dir. Blair Treu)

• Toothless (1997, dir. Melanie Mayron)

• The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phemonmenon (1998, dir. Tim Kelleher)

• Noah (dir. Ken Kwapis)

• My Date with the President’s Daughter (1998, dir. Alex Zamm)

• H-E Double Hockey Sticks (1999, dir. Randall Miller)

• Switching Goals (1999, dir. David Steinberg)

• Life-Size (2000, dir. Mark Rosman)

• Model Behavior (2000, dir. Mark Rosman)

Marathon Run Time: 23 hrs, 13 mins (because they’re worth it)

What’s your favorite way to marathon Disney films? Have you done any marathoning during your self-isolation yet? Let me know in the comments below, and check in at the end of the week for our reviews of the original cast recording and Disney adaptation of Into the Woods!

Copyright © 2020 Bailey Lizotte