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Are you a huge Disney fan and eager to instil this love for Disney in your baby? Are you feeling it’s a little too early to introduce Disney movies or worried that your baby just will not be interested? Well, you’ve come to the right place as I share the best Disney movies for babies that will not only develop a love for Disney but will also help with their sensory development.
Find out more about which sensory videos are best for babies that are not necessarily Disney-related.
Can babies watch Disney movies?
Honestly, babies can watch whatever you want them to watch! Whether they actually watch it is a different matter entirely, but there really is no reason why babies cannot watch Disney movies.
I will also suggest that babies are not put in front of the television for too long as you do not want your baby to become over-stimulated or dependent on the TV. But, by all means, have the TV on in the background whilst you’re playing and interacting with your baby as this will encourage them to take in the language.
Obviously, you’re going to want to consider age-appropriate movies too. You will probably find that Louis Schar’s Holes, for example, is really not going to interest your baby and you don’t want them getting bored! Hopefully, this list of Disney movies for babies will spark your imagination of what you wish to watch with your little one.
When can babies watch Disney movies?
Again, this is completely up to you but it’s worth considering what babies can see during their first months of development. When babies are first born, they can only really see black and white images so putting something like Moana on the box is not going to make any difference to your baby.
So, with this in mind, why not go for something simple like Steamboat Willie? Not only is this a Disney classic but it’s black and white so your young infant will be able to see the images much better than they would be able to see the characters of Toy Story. Steamboat Willie is also a very short movie so perfect for your baby’s attention span and you get to introduce baby to the Disney GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)!
Check out Disney Plus which has a wide selection of Disney movies for babies and toddlers – just set one of your profiles to ‘Kids’ and it will bring up all of the appropriate movies for little ones. Arthur has his own profile which helps me keep track of what we’ve watched together already and there are no surprises of any adult-age trailers popping up too.
What Disney films do babies like?
The younger the baby, the least likely they are to have a ‘favourite’ but, as your little one grows and develops, you will find that they respond to characters in many different ways and you will learn what colours and images they respond to and which Disney characters they respond to.
The best Disney movies for babies can be categorised by their development and the colours they can see.
Disney movies for babies: 1-2 Months Old
Your baby is beginning to focus at this age but can only really see things close up. It’s at this age when they can see the world in black and white (and the colour red also becomes a little more prominent) so here are some Disney movie recommendations for this age:
- Steamboat Willie
- Fantasia – the classical music in this movie will help to soothe your baby
- Mickey Mouse: Thru The Mirror – the colours in this movie are faded, making Mickey’s red shorts stand out
Disney movies for babies: 2-6 Months Old
At this age, your baby is beginning to see more colours with red and green being most vibrant for them. You can read a little more about baby’s vision here: What to Expect
Source: DisneyPlus
If your baby is between these ages during the Christmas period, it’s a great idea to introduce them to Christmas movies. They will certainly enjoy seeing Father Christmas, as well as Christmas trees. The twinkly lights will also capture their attention.
It’s also a nice idea to watch a Disney movie that has your baby’s name in it. One of the first movies I watched with Arthur was The Sword in the Stone as Arthur is the protagonist of that story.
Here are some bright, colourful Pixar/Disney movies for babies that I would recommend for this age:
- Moana
- Coco
- Luca
- A Bug’s Life
- Encanto
Disney movies for babies: 6 Month Olds +
Now that your baby is becoming more attuned to the world around them, seeing the world in technicolour and, most likely, developing their own personality and sense of humour, they may become more engaged with characters at this age.
They will begin to find particular things funny and, if they’re anything like Arthur, will start to recognise quirky features, movements and sounds.
Here are some Disney movies for babies that I’d recommend for this age group based on fun characters:
- Aladdin
- Toy Story
- Ratatouille
- Up
- Robin Hood
- Monsters Inc.
- The Rescuers
What is the best Disney movie for a 1 year old?
This is such a tough question to answer as all babies are unique individuals. What one baby is interested in, another isn’t so finding the right Disney movies for babies can be one difficult task.
Your baby’s vision at this age is far more superior to what it was when they were first born so they will certainly recognise the majority (if not all) features of a movie, especially cartoons.
It’s highly unlikely that your baby will understand storylines at this age, and their attention span is going to be very short… perhaps even more so than it was six months ago!
However, here are some suggestions of Disney movies for 1 year olds that will capture their attention and nurture their personality:
- Finding Nemo
- Frozen
- Tangled
- The Princess and the Frog
- Cars
What is the best Disney movie for a 2 year old?
Right, by this age, your little one’s personality is certainly recognisable now. They may show interests in their favourite TV shows, characters, movies and toys with them even being favourable when buying toys and games.
This is when you need to identify what your little one enjoys watching, searching for cues as to what makes them smile, laugh etc. They may well even have branched out and started enjoying movies that are not just animated and they enjoy movies with human characters/actors.
It’s even worth recognising what they don’t like at this age – some of those Disney movies have creepy characters that might unnerve them; The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come from The Muppets Christmas Carol, I’m looking at you here! Even Hades might be considered a little creepy for a 2 year old.
Here are some Disney movies for toddlers that I recommend to engage them:
- Beauty and the Beast
- Hercules
- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
- The Little Mermaid
- Basil the Great Mouse Detective
- Brother Bear
- Tarzan
- Pocahontas
- Peter Pan
- Alice in Wonderland
- The Jungle Book
- Pinocchio
- Brave
- The Good Dinosaur
Final Thoughts
Whatever you choose to watch with your little one, I’m sure they will enjoy experiencing a Disney movie with you. There are so many to choose from and I’m sure you have some of your own favourites that you cannot wait to share with your baby.
Lee and I are waiting till Arthur is at the right age to introduce him to The Lion King as we really want him to enjoy the experience and love the movie as much as we do.
What do you think? Are there any Disney movies for babies that you would recommend and feel should be added to the list?
What age did you introduce your little one to Disney movies? Feel free to share in the comments below.
Loulabella xoxo