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The creators at Disney have always liked a big canvas. Undersea kingdoms, singing animals, and fantasy realms populated with magical beasts are all in a day’s work for them. Star Wars aside, Disney might not be the first name that comes to mind when you say the words “science fiction” — but the House of Mouse has ventured into outer space on more than one occasion.
The Black Hole
Long before Disney owned all things Star Wars, (watch now on Disney+) A New Hope‘s runaway success inspired them to make their own space-based epic. The Black Hole (watch now on Disney+) is one of the darker, least kid-friendly movies in the Disney pantheon. Set on a massive spaceship perched on the edge of a black hole, the movie (the most expensive ever made by Disney at the time) features killer robots, an evil genius, and a brain-bending 2001-esque finale that takes the protagonists to hell — literally.
Escape to Witch Mountain
Based on a classic science fiction novel of the same name, Escape to Witch Mountain (watch now on Disney+) follows two children with mysterious super powers as they flee the clutches of a greedy millionaire who wants to exploit their unique gifts. The young heroes turn out to be the extraterrestrial survivors of a crashed spacecraft, trying to outrun the bad guys while searching for others of their kind. The movie was popular enough at the box office to spawn two sequels and a couple of remakes, one starring Dwayne ‘the Rock’ Johnson.
The Cat from Outer Space
Another flying saucer crash sets up our next Disney movie. The Cat From Outer Space (watch now on Disney+) brings an alien cat to Earth. Equipped with a high-tech collar that acts like a universal translator, our feline friend is on a mission to repair his ship, elude the military, and escape back to outer space. It’s a fun space movie that has aged well and is suitable for the whole family.
Flight of the Navigator
A lot of happy childhood memories were made thanks to director Randal Kleiser’s heartwarming story Flight of the Navigator (watch now on Disney+) of friendship between a boy and an alien spaceship. The iconic ship, all gleaming silver and chrome, is voiced by none other than Paul ‘Pee Wee Herman’ Reubens. He chose to be listed as ‘Paul Mall’ in the end credits to keep audiences guessing at his identity. Dogs chasing frisbees and high-speed spaceship chases — what’s your favorite part of this 80s classic?
RocketMan
An unusual project for Disney, RocketMan (watch now on Disney+) mixes science fiction with whacky comedy in this tale about a manned mission to Mars going off the rails. If it helps, think of it as a cross between The Martian and Dumb and Dumber. NASA allowed the production access to the Johnson Space Center, allowing them to film against a backdrop of real space technology, and put the lead actors through modified astronaut training. It’s amazing how much Mars looks like Utah…
John Carter
After countless script revisions and years spent in development hell, Disney’s mega-budget (roughly $250,000,000) adaption of the Edgar Rice Burroughs space opera about an American Civil War veteran fighting on Mars, finally made it to the screen in 2012. An all-star cast led by Taylor Kitsch in the title role, top-notch production values and spectacular special effects, couldn’t turn John Carter (watch now on Disney+) into a box office success. The movie has a definite Star Wars feel to it, and it’s a real shame that we’ll never see the two sequels that were originally on the drawing board.
Wall-E
Four years before he helmed John Carter, director Andrew Stanton gave us this wonderful tale of a garbage-collection robot who embarks on an epic space adventure to save the love of his life. There’s some smart and disturbing social commentary here; Wall-E (watch now on Disney+) has a lot to say about the future evolution of humankind, and none of it is complimentary. The movie is entertaining, heartwarming, and thought-provoking in equal measure, and well worth your time to watch.
Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel Studios open their space-based cycle of movies to universal acclaim with this spectacular mega-hit. Rarely does a moviemaker capture the spirit of the source material and the cultural zeitgeist as effectively as writer/director James Gunn manages here. Guardians of the Galaxy (watch now on Disney+) is brash, bold, and just downright fun, and reminds us of the reason we love space opera movies in the first place.
Captain Marvel
After both Guardians of the Galaxy movies became smash hits, Marvel continued its stellar run with a story that involves shape-shifting aliens, massively-overpowered superheroes, and the ever-popular Nick Fury and his Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Brie Larson performs Captain Marvel (watch now on Disney+) creditably in the title role, setting things up for her appearance in the apocalyptic Avengers;Endgame (watch now on Disney+), With movies this good, Disney’s future out among the stars is twinkling brightly.
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