What are necessary movie watches before Disneyland?

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I am trying to pep up the kids and make sure they remember storylines. Especially the youngest who went when she was too young to remember.


Our current list: (Please add. I know I'm missing some!)

Disneyland:

Indiana Jones
(I'm not watching Tarzan, but might have them LOL)
Pooh stuff
Snow White
Peter Pan
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Alice in Wonderland



DCA:

Bugs Life
Toy Story
Monsters Inc.
Little Mermaid
(Sophia the first, Doc McStuffins, Mickey stuff on Disney Channel)

 

[VandVsmama]

A couple more to consider:

Dumbo
Casey Jr cartoon
the Mr Toad Disney cartoons
Pinocchio
Star Wars - the original one (episode IV) - if they haven't seen it already

for Alice in Wonderland - the original animated one...not the more recent Tim Burton version.

 

[AladdinRapunzelTink]

A few more for Disneyland:

Pirates of the Caribbean
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Finding Nemo

 

[flyingjay]

Cars!

 

[mom2rtk]

Dumbo! For the Casey Jr. tie in (and Dumbo too of course).

 

[allsaintsatx]

Mary Poppins

 

[Leopardstars]

One or two of the Tinker Belle movies.
Brother Bear - it might tie into parts of DCA

 

[ehrawn]

I am trying to pep up the kids and make sure they remember storylines. Especially the youngest who went when she was too young to remember.


Our current list: (Please add. I know I'm missing some!)

Disneyland:

Indiana Jones
(I'm not watching Tarzan, but might have them LOL)
Pooh stuff
Snow White
Peter Pan
Beauty and the Beast
Sleeping Beauty
Alice in Wonderland



DCA:

Bugs Life
Toy Story
Monsters Inc.
Little Mermaid
(Sophia the first, Doc McStuffins, Mickey stuff on Disney Channel)

How old are your kids? DD8 & DS6 love Temple of the Forbidden Eye, but we can't make it through the first 10 min of Raiders.

I don't think you need to consider attractions and the story lines that accompany them. In most cases, the attractions present the story in a way that carries the guest through it. What is more valuable is a connection to the characters in the Parks, esp those you see walking about. Start with the Mickey/Minnie/Donald/Goofy/Pluto shorts. Then start going through the animated features in chronological order considering if you are likely to interact with the story/characters outside of an attraction. Just off the top of my head: Snow White, Cinderella, Winnie the Pooh, Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin...

 

[ADLFAN]

Most definitely Cars, because they made the town come to life complete with the characters driving the streets! The theming is insanely perfect and you should plan on hanging out after dark when the neon is lit up and the 'mountain range' is colorful and dramatic. It is such an immersive part of the park!

 

[3TinksAndAnEeyore]

It sounds like your kids are on the younger side, but for those with teens (or pre-teens depending on family preferences), Guardians of the Galaxy should definitely be added to the DCA list.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

One or two of the Tinker Belle movies.
Brother Bear - it might tie into parts of DCA

We tried watching Brother Bear a few weeks ago. It freaked DS out. He wouldn't watch past the first few minutes. I also found it somewhat dark.

 

[agamble]

A couple more to consider:

Dumbo
Casey Jr cartoon
the Mr Toad Disney cartoons
Pinocchio
Star Wars - the original one (episode IV) - if they haven't seen it already

for Alice in Wonderland - the original animated one...not the more recent Tim Burton version.

I see you list Dumbo and Casey Jr cartoon. Is there another Casey Junior cartoon besides Dumbo?

 

[MrJT]

This site has a great list:
http://dlrprepschool.com/15-disney-movies-to-see-before-visiting-disneyland/

 

[hollyrose1313]

Depending on how young they are we love the Disneyland Sing-a-long. It is very VERY dated but we adore it and helps get us even more excited https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...d+dvd+sing&dpPl=1&dpID=51T+t7RECRL&ref=plSrch

 

[figment_jii]

If you think you might go watch the Frozen musical in the Hyperion Theater, then it might be worth it to watch Frozen before you go. The musical goes into pretty good details, but it does gloss over some parts and if you don't know the story, then some jumps between scenes/characters might be a bit confusing.

If you plan to watch Mickey and the Magical Map, it references Jungle Book (stick to the animated one, not the recent live action one), Mulan, Pocahontas, Tangled, Lilo & Stitch, Little Mermaid, Princess and the Frog, and the Sorcerer's Apprentice (from Fantasia). I don't know that you really need to watch any of these movies to enjoy the show, but it might prevent some "who is that" moments.

 

[rowan1813]

Not sure how old your kids are, but I highly recommend watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

 

[AladdinRapunzelTink]

Depending on how young they are we love the Disneyland Sing-a-long. It is very VERY dated but we adore it and helps get us even more excited https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009X75W4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487861131&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=disneyland+dvd+sing&dpPl=1&dpID=51T+t7RECRL&ref=plSrch

I LOVE this Sing Along. It's on YouTube as well, just search 'disneyland fun sing along hd'.

 

[GatorChris]

I haven't seen anyone mention Star Wars, but since it has two rides in Tomorrowland right now, you need to catch it.

Also, Splash Mountain is my favorite. You can get the movie it's based on called Song of the South, but it's not officially released by Disney. You can get a DVD burned from a VHS on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Song-of-the-...=1487875216&sr=8-1&keywords=Song+of+the+South Splash Mt comes to life when you watch Song of the South. It really is a great little movie with great life-lessons embedded. "You can't run away from your troubles. Ain't no place that far."

 

[SplashMtn40inches]

Fantasia.

 

[Wahlee]

If you're going when MSEP is running and you plan on seeing it, I'd recommend adding Pete's Dragon (the original) to the list. My nieces and nephews have never seen it and were SO confused who Elliot was.