Ever since launching towards the end of 2019, Disney+ has steadily rolled out to different countries and established itself as a prominent streaming service capable of rivaling the likes of Netflix. Disney's animated classics alone are enough to justify a subscription, but the streaming platform offers an impressive variety of genres that should be able to satisfy all viewer cravings. Naturally, sci-fi fans are no exception.
What are the must-watch sci-fi films on Disney+? While the House of M tends to be associated more with fantasy than science fiction, that is more due to reputation than practice. Star Wars and the MCU need no introduction, but the same cannot be said about these upcoming 10 awesome sci-fi flicks that can be currently streamed on Disney+.
10 Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)
Based on Jules Verne's 1864 sci-fi classic, Journey to the Center of the Earth is an epic romp that, despite aging quite a bit since its original release, is still fun to revisit in this day and age. The special effects were impressive for the time, even if they were never particularly realistic or jaw-dropping, and the story moves at a fast-enough pace so that none of the sequences overstay their welcome.
While the plot is not spectacular, Journey to the Center of the Earth embodies an earnest sense of adventure that makes it difficult to hate.
9 Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999)
For the most part, Disney Channel Original Movies are difficult to recommend to those who did not grow up with them. They tend to be cheesy, inconsistently acted, and boast storylines that feel better suited for a weekly series than a feature-length production. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century is not exactly an exception, but the sci-fi film is charming enough to stand on its own without nostalgia as a crutch.
A 13-year-old girl born and raised in a space station is punished for misbehaving by being sent to Earth, where she learns to be less judgmental of others, forges some lifelong friendships, and uncovers a ploy that could result in the death of thousands.
8 Flight of the Navigator (1986)
Sci-fi explores futuristic ideas that may reflect pressing social, political, or economic themes. It is a genre that blurs the line between imagination and reality. Science fiction can be thought-provoking, depressing, harrowing, or inspiring; on occasion, it can also just be plain old entertaining.
While 1986's Flight of the Navigator leans more into the fiction side of things, this tale about a boy who ends up on a spaceship still has the beating heart of a traditional sci-fi adventure story.
7 Phineas & Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension (2011)
The only animated film featured on this list, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension is a contender for the best Disney Channel Original Movie ever. Familiarity with the series is recommended, although the film's clever humor should be enough to entertain newcomers to the franchise.
Alternate dimensions, evil cyborgs, and Perry the Platypus; Across the 2nd Dimension has all the necessary ingredients to craft a modern sci-fi masterpiece.
6 The Black Hole (1979)
Disney's first-ever non-PG feature film, The Black Hole infamously bombed at the box office and garnered primarily a middling reception from critics. In truth, this 1979 disaster movie is too deeply flawed to qualify as "awesome;" that said, permitting someone is willing to look past the on-the-nose dialogue and lethargic pacing, The Black Hole does kind of work as a misguided epic that also represents a time when Disney willingly stepped out of its comfort zone in an attempt to survive in a post-Star Wars world.
The science depicted in the film is mostly laughable, though.
5 Smart House (1999)
The final Disney Channel Original Movie included in this article, 1999's Smart House takes a tried-and-tested premise – a futuristic house governed by a computer – and adds a decent message, some genuine emotion, and Katey Sagal as a '50s housewife hologram. Realizing that its basic premise has already been covered to death, Smart House wisely concentrates on developing its human characters above everything else.
The protagonist – a 13-year-old boy grieving over the death of his mother – turns the House's virtual assistant into a surrogate parent, a coping mechanism that ultimately proves destructive.
4 John Carter (2012)
An adaptation of 1917's A Princess of Mars, John Carter's main claim to fame is the fact that it notoriously failed to meet expectations at the box office, earning itself a reputation as one of Disney's worst flops. Even though those facts cannot be denied, John Carter's failure was primarily due to ineffective marketing rather than the film's quality.
Although hardly flawless, John Carter is a visual delight that boasts some great action set pieces, enjoyable performances from the likes of Dominic West and Bryan Cranston, and a world just begging to be explored.
3 The Rocketeer (1991)
1991's The Rocketeer follows a stunt pilot who finds a jet pack and then launches a career as a superhero in a pre-World War II setting. As a sci-fi story, it is quite shallow; as a superhero-themed adventure film, The Rocketeer is a blast. Contrary to the cultural zeitgeist of the early '90s, The Rocketeer has a certain simplicity and innocence to it that is more reminiscent of pulp fictions from the 1930s than any of its contemporaries.
Bill Campbell is a delight as the titular Rocketeer, while Alan Arkin and Jennifer Connelly turn in memorable performances as Peevy and Jane respectively. While the entire cast is excellent, Timothy Dalton steals the show as an Errol Flynn-esque villain.
2 The Absent-Minded Professor (1961)
Most people are presumably more familiar with 1997's remake, Flubber, than the 1961 original movie starring Fred MacMurray. Like the later film with Robin Williams, The Absent-Minded Professor is a sci-fi comedy that relies heavily on slapstick humor; consequently, it is more likely to entertain children than adults.
Although the film plays it a bit too safe at times, The Absent-Minded Professor's light-hearted nature is disarming.
1 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
In comparison with Journey to the Center of the Earth, another film adaptation of a Jules Verne novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea has aged like fine wine. Be it James Mason's captivating turn as Captain Nemo, the Nautilus ship that was a Magic Kingdom fixture for more than two decades, or the intense battles with the giant-squad; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is fondly remembered as one of Walt Disney's greatest live-action achievement.
In many ways, it set the standard of what big-budget adventure films could achieve without the application of animation.
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