Disney Films Grouped by Appropriate Viewer Age
Just the animation. And not including the many (many) straight-to-video releases. For the most part, straight-to-video sequels will be aimed at the same age that the original was.
Age ratings are according to Commonsense Media, with the occasional intervention from me. Their ratings are good, if perhaps a little conservative, ie. one year older than I’d expect.
Still, please look at reviews/descriptions of individual films before showing them to your child! Any age recommendations are necessarily very approximate – every child has their own unique ‘fear threshold’.
3+
1940 Fantasia (some sequences – see review)
1964 Mary Poppins
1977 The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
2000 The Tigger Movie
2003 Piglet’s Big Movie
2005 Pooh’s Heffalump Movie
2008 Tinker Bell
2010 Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
2011 Winnie the Pooh
4+
1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1941 Dumbo
1951 Alice in Wonderland
1953 Peter Pan
1959 Sleeping Beauty
1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1967 The Jungle Book
1970 The Aristocats
1973 Robin Hood
1995 Toy Story (Pixar Animation Studios)
1998 A Bug’s Life (Pixar Animation Studios)
1999 Toy Story 2 (Pixar Animation Studios)
2002 Return to Never Land
2003 The Jungle Book 2
2003 Finding Nemo (Pixar Animation Studios)
2008 WALL-E (Pixar Animation Studios)
2009 Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
5+
1940 Pinocchio
1940 Fantasia
1942 Bambi
1949 The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
1950 Cinderella
1955 Lady and the Tramp
1963 The Sword in the Stone
1981 The Fox and the Hound
1987 The Brave Little Toaster
1988 Oliver & Company
1989 The Little Mermaid
1991 Beauty and the Beast
1994 The Lion King
1998 Mulan
2001 Monsters, Inc. (Pixar Animation Studios)
2002 Lilo & Stitch
2003 Brother Bear
2004 Teacher’s Pet
2006 Bambi II
2006 Cars (Pixar Animation Studios)
2007 Enchanted
2008 Bolt
2009 The Princess and the Frog
2010 Toy Story 3 (Pixar Animation Studios)
2010 Tangled
2013 Monsters University
2013 Planes
2013 Frozen
6+
1977 The Rescuers
1986 The Great Mouse Detective
1990 The Rescuers Down Under
1992 Aladdin
1995 A Goofy Movie
1995 Pocahontas
1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1999 Doug’s 1st Movie
1999 Tarzan
1999 Fantasia 2000
2000 Dinosaur
2000 The Emperor’s New Groove
2001 Recess: School’s Out
2004 Home on the Range
2005 Valiant
2006 The Wild
2007 Ratatouille (Pixar Animation Studios)
2009 Up (Pixar Animation Studios)
2009 G-Force
2011 Cars 2
2014 Planes: Fire & Rescue
2015 Inside Out
2016 Finding Dory
2016 Moana
7+
1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks
1977 Pete’s Dragon
1985 The Black Cauldron
1996 James and the Giant Peach
1997 Hercules
2002 Treasure Planet
2004 The Incredibles (Pixar Animation Studios)
2005 Chicken Little
2006 The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D (re-release)
2007 Meet the Robinsons
2011 Mars Needs Moms
2012 Brave
2012 Wreck-It Ralph
2014 Big Hero 6
2015 The Good Dinosaur
8+
2001 Atlantis: The Lost Empire
2012 Frankenweenie
2016 Zootopia
9+
2009 Disney’s A Christmas Carol
10+
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit
2010 Alice in Wonderland
Rarest Kind of Best 
Apr 14, 2013 @ 08:45:39
Hi! Thank you for this wonderful site you’ve created! I’m wondering if you can tell me the age appropriateness for The Reluctant Dragon? :o)
Apr 14, 2013 @ 11:27:21
Oh you’re welcome! I’m so glad if it’s helpful. As for the Reluctant Dragon, I assume you’re asking about the film version, which unfortunately I haven’t seen. It was released theatrically in 1941 with live action parts about a fellow visiting the Disney studios, etc., and the actual Reluctant Dragon story was included as a short within the longer film. That long film isn’t readily available, but I’m sure the short can be found somewhere. (see more about the film http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034091/?ref_=sr_2 ) Sorry I can’t vouch for age-appropriateness!
I’ve written a review of the book though, here: https://rarestkindofbest.wordpress.com/2013/02/05/the-reluctant-dragon/
p.s. I just looked and see that it is included on a Disney collection called Disney Animation Collection vol. 6 out on DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RTKKNA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001RTKKNA&linkCode=as2&tag=rarkinofbes-20
Feb 28, 2014 @ 20:47:12
Can you update with the new movies that have come out in the last few years like Brave and such?
Mar 03, 2014 @ 12:35:38
Yes! I’ve been meaning to do that, hopefully this week, though battling a few server problems at the moment. Thanks for reminding me!
Apr 09, 2014 @ 10:40:37
Hi Lori, I’ve finally updated my movie list with the newer titles. Hope it’s helpful!
Mar 24, 2014 @ 13:47:19
Excellent resource, thanks for sharing. Obviously so much depends on how easily your kid(s) scare, and what it is that scares them. Our daughter was never usually bothered by bits of animated violence, provided it was either cartoonish, or did not result in death. But what has always given her nightmares/problems were when the enemy is portrayed as spooky/ghostly/evil spirits…etc. so just a warning for those out there with children who have trouble with the more spooky aspects of films:
– Short scenes in some of the classic films like Snow White in the forest, or Sleeping beauty with Maleficent… only a couple of minutes of each film, but a bit spooky for some in the 2-5 crowd.
– Aladdin has a couple of scenes with Jafar that spooked our daughter.
– The worst was probably Princess and the Frog. Such a good movie otherwise, but why did they have to go over the top with all the voodoo/spirits and such. Totally unnecessary, and ruins the film for younger viewers, without really adding anything to the film. Our daughter is now 7 and still is not ready to watch this one for that reason.
– Ones that are generally safer for the 4-5 year olds tend to be most of the other ones that are listed. Tangled and Frozen are great stories/music without the really spooky stuff.
Thanks again, great resource!
Mar 31, 2014 @ 09:48:33
Thanks Chris, for your comment. It’s so true that each child is unique in what bothers them about a movie. I remember when my daughter was 4 or 5 she had no troubles at all with Snow White but simply couldn’t bear to watch a My Little Pony special in which the main character suffered social humiliation. My plan for my movie reviews has always been to give as much specific info on scenes as possible so that parents can make their own judgements. Thanks again for visiting my site!
Jul 18, 2015 @ 20:44:23
Hi, Kim I just want to acknowledge you for this great work you have done for parents. It really simplifies what they can show to their kids.
Thank you.
Feb 03, 2016 @ 12:47:52
Kim, this list is great!! I have been trying to find something like this. I am a huge Disney fan and I cannot wait until my son enjoys these movies also!! He is only 2 and I am trying to figure out what to start out with. He likes some of the movies I’ve tried, like Cars and Nemo (only sometimes). However, I haven’t figured out any that really captivate his attention. Seeing that your list only starts at 3, I guess I just have to wait. He does love Mickey Mouse Club though!!
Mar 10, 2016 @ 10:45:59
Hi Sierra! Thanks, I hope this list helps you pick out some good movies. For kids younger than 3 a ‘full-length feature film’ is pretty long for their attention spans, that’s why I started my ratings at that age. But you can always show bits of movies, like for example just the animated part of Mary Poppins (when they jump into the chalk drawing). Otherwise look for shorter programs, good TV shows etc. Thanks for visiting my website!
May 12, 2016 @ 05:52:23
2016 and your list is still being used! Thank you for taking the time to put this together!
Aug 30, 2016 @ 09:08:25
I’m so glad! Haven’t had time to update it, I’m afraid… that’ll go on my to-do list. Thanks for visiting!
Nov 24, 2016 @ 15:07:47
This helps out tremendously. Single dad with toddler. LOL we’ve been watching Toy Story and Cars, but I think Winnie would be something he likes, too. Thanks!
Nov 24, 2016 @ 15:12:41
Glad to help! It’s hard to find kids’ movies for the youngest ones, I know! Apart from Disney picks – and Winnie is fantastic, my daughter was OBSESSED with that movie around age 2 and 3 – there are also movie spinoffs from preschool tv shows that are aimed precisely at preschoolers. The Little Bear Movie was a hit at our house.
Thanks for checking out my blog and happy movie night!
Nov 24, 2016 @ 15:16:45
I should clarify that my daughter was a toddler long ago, and it was “The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” that we watched (over and over and over). But the newer “Winnie the Pooh” is probably good for young ones too!
May 05, 2017 @ 07:01:52
Hi Kim,
What an amazing resource! We used to work for Disney so have all the films but have waited patiently for our little one to get started with Disney. Will you be adding any others to your listing now we’re in 2017? Our son is 3 and has gone through all the ones listed already! Loves them all! Many thanks!
May 24, 2017 @ 10:37:53
I’m glad you found this useful! When I find some time I will try to update that list with the newer movies. I have to admit now that my daughter has grown out of Disney flicks we don’t watch them much anymore, but I remember how hard it was to find movies appropriate for 3 yr olds. You might try commonsense.org for other movie suggestions – they rate everything for age appropriateness and their reviews are very helpful and detailed. Thanks for visiting my site, and I’m glad it helped!
Jun 07, 2017 @ 06:22:00
Thanks so much for this list! I have been introducing my 4-yr old special needs daughter to Disney and other kids’ programs slowly over the years. I appreciate this guideline and film details for the ones I’m not personally familiar with. I also watch in entirety EVERYTHING by myself before allowing her to view, even the ones I know well – for instance, I thought all of beauty and the beast would be ok based on my memory of when it first premiered during my teen years – I loved it and couldn’t remember anything questionable in it, so I bought it for my daughter on DVD but when I sat to view it as a refresher before giving it to her, my “mommy eyes” saw things my teen eyes never gave a thought to. So still holding parts of it back for later. Among Disney, she loves the jungle book, Robin Hood, Mary poppins, aristocats. I still feel like the little mermaid has some things that are too “dark” for her to handle. Same with Aladdin and the lion king – I was pleased to see these on your older lists. I agree with others who have requested more updates – Tangled, Mulan, and some of the others I’d like a snapshot of as I know nothing about them. Great work! Thank you for caring about our little ones!
Jun 07, 2017 @ 06:25:18
PS – just saw Tangled and Mulan on list – sorry!
Jun 09, 2017 @ 09:53:34
No worries! 🙂
Jun 09, 2017 @ 09:53:00
Yes, it’s amazing how watching a movie with “mom eyes” changes the experience! I’ve had this happen so many times; a movie I remember as harmless but when I rewatch find it has surprisingly dodgy scenes in it. Bravo for you for prewatching everything before showing it to your daughter! It takes a lot of extra time but is so worthwhile. I’m glad my list is helpful to you, good luck with the movies! (Mary Poppins is our all time favourite!)
Jan 05, 2018 @ 14:20:25
This list and your reviews are so helpful. Thank you!! I’d love to see recommended age and read what you think about Cars 3, if you’ve seen it. Cars is my son’s favourite movie, but we don’t think he’s quite ready for Cars 2. Is Cars 3 more appropriate?
Jan 08, 2018 @ 11:16:41
Hi! Thanks for commenting; I’m glad my reviews are helpful! I have to admit I haven’t seen Cars 3. As my daughter gets older (11 almost 12) I don’t keep up with the younger kids movies like I should. I do see on Commonsense Media that Cars 1 was rated for age 5+, Cars 2 for 8+, and Cars 3 for 6+, so it sounds like Pixar has shifted the franchise to the younger audience again. I’m glad, because I was not overly impressed with Cars 2. If you want to see their review for Cars 3, it’s right here: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/cars-3
Commonsense Media has great, detailed reviews with age recommendations, and of course they cover a lot more titles than I can here!
Thanks for visiting my blog!
cheers
Mar 10, 2018 @ 14:57:11
How do you get a 3 year Old to stop forcing us to watch Boss Baby? He’s my little cousin and ever since he first saw the movie he has been throwing as many tantrums as possible to get his way with everyone just so he can see the movie again for the umpteen- hundredth time. His parents are against the movie but our grandparents don’t care what he watches. Help!
Mar 11, 2018 @ 12:50:33
Oh boy, that’s a tough one! The thing is, at age three kids LOVE repetition. We don’t generally like watching the same thing over and over, but they get real satisfaction over knowing what’s coming and seeing something totally predictable to them. The tantrums though, aren’t so great. Your best bet might be to find the next movie he will be obsessed by so he can move on to it, but of course you’ll end up getting sick of that too. It’s kind of inevitable at this age. Maybe if you refuse to sit in the room with him and watch it? He is enjoying your company as well as the movie, so if you said you’d only stay in the room if something else is on, maybe that would work? Good luck!
Mar 23, 2018 @ 18:21:18
Ok thank you I will try this on Thursday when I babysit him next and if it works I will let his parents know about it.
May 13, 2018 @ 15:48:47
Hi, this list is great. Where would you have the 2016 version of The Jungle Book?
Mar 02, 2019 @ 17:35:32
This is my go to site to ensure my girls aren’t exposed to material that is inappropriate for their eyes and fragile minds! Thank you!!
Mar 03, 2019 @ 13:29:28
I’m so glad! Thanks for the kind words!
May 30, 2019 @ 17:13:16
Thank you for this! i am curious if you could add older films and those underrated but good like the Pete’s dragon, black cauldron etc..?
Jun 21, 2019 @ 07:39:03
My daughter in law is starting a Walt Disney movie collection for my 2 yr old Grandson. It is his birthday
this weekend so I am getting him about 5 movies to start his collection off.
I went on this site to look at age approoriate movies because I know that some of the movies although they are Disney movies can be kind of scary or the contents are more for 7 8 or 9 yr olds. This site has ages and then lists if movies that helped me choose
Which movies I will purchase today. And future purchases to add to his growing collection.
Feb 09, 2020 @ 08:07:36
I love this especially since Disney plus has came out! Can this be updated with all the new live action movies out
Apr 03, 2020 @ 04:10:57
Can I suggest “the secret of Nimh” i loved that movie as a kid, its a little dark but really good
Jun 27, 2020 @ 17:18:30
Please don’t encourage toddlers to watch Bambi. I know that it seems like a very cutesy movie, but it has a traumatic death scene in it.
The original Mary Poppins may be fine for 3 year olds, but I think you have to be a bit older than that to really appreciate it.
Aug 01, 2020 @ 17:52:27
I really have trouble with common sense media ratings sometimes. For example toy story is terribly creepy rated for 4+ and then brave and moana are rated for 6 and 7. Like really? If it’s just cuz some older movies are rated for younger audiences cuz it’s how it was back then, then shouldn’t a secondary look such as this correct that?
Sep 20, 2020 @ 17:34:49
Hi Megan, I agree. Since my tiny child is now a teen (!) I don’t go to Commonsense ratings much myself anymore, but I used to scratch my head over some of their ratings. Most often I found them to be a tetch too conservative, pegging things at a year older than I would have. It is a crazily problemmatic thing to do, though, rating movies. Every child is so different, it’s really important for parents to make the call. The best thing about commonsense ratings I found was the amount of detail they gave about what was in a movie, so that parents could really make their own decision based on their own child. But absolutely, the ratings on any site should reflect the current standards. Thanks for your comment, sorry it took me so long to respond!
Jul 07, 2021 @ 18:48:16
Good list have all the movies from the old ones to the current ones
Mar 09, 2022 @ 23:34:44
How come you don’t show any thing but children show which and are old and beyond thenon time that gotten sick and tried of watching reruns especially that’s Christmas Carol is at least 80 years old
May 15, 2022 @ 07:31:05
Hi Alan, thanks for your comment. First, I watch the movies I like and review them, and I have to admit I am an old movie fan. Secondly, I found when I looked online for reviews it was easy to find reviews of newer movies than old, so I thought I was filling in a gap.
Oh, and thirdly – my kid is now sixteen (yikes) so I don’t watch many movies for young kids anymore. Which is why I haven’t kept up with newer releases the last few years.
Anyway, thanks for your comment and thanks for visiting!
May 15, 2022 @ 07:15:12
I don’t have kids but I think I’d put Frozen and Tangled into the 6+ group instead of 5+. They’re both amazing movies but they’re intense and have very adult jokes and moments. When I went to see Frozen 2 in the cinema, there was a family with two young children a row away and they were scared many times.
May 15, 2022 @ 07:25:20
Thanks for your comment, fangirl! There is some range here for sure – my aim is to give parents all the info so they can skew up or down to match what they think their child can handle. It’s really impossible to be precise about age appropriateness since every kid is unique! I know when my kid was young I would look at the commonsense media age reviews and subtract a year or two, usually. I hope to just be consistent across my reviews so parents can use them as a scale. Thanks for visiting!