Holidays mean happiness. Whether that’s a chance to laugh with your friends and family in a normal year, or just be as safe and healthy as you can in 2020, everyone can use a little extra joy as we reach the end of any year. Movies can absolutely help with that, but sometimes it’s hard to pick one that hits the right buttons. We’re here to help.
When most people think of happy movies they think of Disney. And look at that! Disney has its very own streaming service, Disney+! However, while most Disney movies are generally “happy” — in that there’s a positive resolution and/or are family-friendly — not all of them are necessary “feel good.” That takes a special kind of magic. Below are 10 of our favourites films that fit the bill and that you can find on Disney+ right now. These are guaranteed to bring you joy in the holiday season.
[referenced id=”1659613″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/12/13-christmas-movie-elves-from-naughty-to-nice/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/19/lgvkkhqrmuzdwwqhif8i-300×168.jpg” title=”13 Christmas Movie Elves, From Naughty to Nice” excerpt=”Santa Claus runs a pretty tight ship up at the North Pole, so it’s reasonably safe to assume most of his elves belong on the nice list. But as Christmas movies over the years have shown us, sometimes the holidays bring out some awfully naughty behaviour, too. Here’s how 13…”]
Miracle on 34th Street
Disney+ isn’t the best place to find movies from the first half of the 20th century, but one vintage film that is on the service is this charming classic: the 1947 original Miracle on 34th Street, about a little girl who comes to believe in Santa in the most delightful of ways.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
It’s hard to go wrong with any version of A Christmas Carol here — but throw in some Muppets, songs, and Michael Caine, and you’ll finish the film with tears of joy.
[referenced id=”1656931″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/12/the-muppet-christmas-carols-lost-song-will-be-recovered-for-its-4k-remaster/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/10/i0rws0tbufujvhbcl5jm-300×169.png” title=”The Muppet Christmas Carol’s ‘Lost’ Song Will Be Recovered for Its 4K Remaster” excerpt=”Perhaps the true meaning of the season is getting to watch the best Christmas movie as it was always intended to be.”]
The Princess Bride
One person gets ultimate revenge, others get endless romance, and a young boy gets some timeless memories with his grandfather. It’s hard to feel better than you do after watching The Princess Bride.
Ratatouille
The whole ending of Ratatouille is so perfect. The good guys (and gals and rats) all win, but in unique and unexpected ways. We also get to see the villain change his tune, and all of it happens with delightful French music blaring from the soundtrack.
Avengers: Infinity War
I’m totally kidding.
Guardians of the Galaxy
I’m totally not kidding! Of all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, seeing this misfit superhero family save the galaxy and zoom away to the sounds of the Jackson 5 brings the most pure joy. Add dancing Groot into the mix and you’ve got an intensely entertaining movie.
Zootopia
A super tight script unfolds in a very satisfying way, culminating in a blow-out Shakira concert? Yeah. That works.
Planes
This one may come as a shock, but let me explain. First of all, I feel it’s an underrated movie, with a really nice message and an exciting, come-from-behind happy ending. But also because mostly, the best “feel-good” movies on Disney+ are all non-sci-fi sports movies (Miracle, The Mighty Ducks, on and on), which we don’t cover. So Planes, which ends with a race, felt like a good way to address that, while also writing about a film with talking planes.
Finding Nemo
There’s just something about a long journey to reunite with your family that hits a little bit harder (in a good way) during a pandemic.
Moana
I’m a sucker for a big musical ending and Moana has a great one. A song reprise from earlier in the film masterfully links all the stories together as we see the characters growing and setting off to explore. It’s inspiring and magical. We’re also super excited we’ll be seeing more of the character soon.
[referenced id=”1008820″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2016/11/disneys-moana-is-damn-near-perfect/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/23/lqgqhsly8doitu3uxahm-300×163.jpg” title=”Disney’s Moana Is Damn Near Perfect” excerpt=”Normally when reviewing a movie, you come up with a healthy mix of positive and negative things to say about it. In the case of Disney’s Moana, though, I’m really struggling to come up with the latter. It’s just that wonderful.”]
Star Wars and Return of the Jedi
Few people would argue against The Empire Strikes Back being best Star Wars movie. However, in terms of “feel-good”? No. Sorry. For that, you need some kind of victory at the end and wonderfully enough, both Episode IV and VI deliver, complete with the bombastic John Williams score and massive parties.
The Muppets
OK, it’s hard to go wrong with any Muppets movie, but the 2016 sequel has one of the best feel-good endings of the bunch. The gang wins back their theatre, and there’s a marriage proposal and a huge musical number set in the middle of Hollywood. Smiles all around.
Those are just a few of our favourites and obviously not everything — tell us yours below! We hope that despite everything going on in the world right now, you have a relaxing end of the year.