What to Watch on Disney+ for International Women’s Day
Today is International Women’s Day (March 8th) and all over the world we are celebrating achievements made by women. As a Disney Nerd, I can’t help but be reminded of all the strong female stories from Disney. I know I grew up with some of those stories influencing me so what better way to celebrate today than some great stories on Disney+! Here are some of my personal recommendations of what to watch on Disney+ to celebrate International Women’s Day (and Women’s History Month).
National Geographic
- Jane – The 2017 documentary tells the story of Jane Goodall and her research and studies of chimpanzees which revolutionized how we understand the natural world. If you enjoy this documentary, I also recommend watching “Jane Goodall: The Hope” after it!
- Women of Impact: Changing The World– This 2019 documentary follows some women who are changing the world through science, technology, conservation, and more.
- Impact with Gal Gadot– This series focuses on the stories of six women who are impacting their local community and the world.
- Dr. K’s Exotic Animal E.R.– This series follows Dr. Susan Kelleher in her exotic animal care practice in South Florida.
- Dr. Oakley: Yukon Vet– This series follows Dr. Michelle Oakley as she helps animals over the Yukon.
Star Wars
- Star Wars: Forces of Destiny– These shorts tell stories of some of our favorite heroines of Star Wars.
- Tales of the Jedi– This series is from the prequel era and one of my favorite female Jedis is featured, Ahsoka Tano.
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars– This series not only gives us more detail on what happened to the Clone Wars, but we also meet Ahsoka Tano and get to see more of Padme Amidala.
- Star Wars Episodes 1-9– Not are these films the center of the Star Wars galaxy, but they are full of strong women. Padame Amidala, Leia Organa, and Rey are shining examples of strong women.
Marvel
- M Power– Released in time for International Women’s Day. This series showcases women (on and off screen) who have brought our Marvel world to life.
- X-Men– The animated series from the 90s was my first look at female superheroes. I didn’t read comics as a kid so seeing Storm, Jean Grey, and Rogue on my Saturday Morning cartoons was eye-opening.
- Black Widow– An integral part of the Avengers, we get to learn more about her past in this film. We learn that even the strong aren’t perfect.
- Captain Marvel– The first origin story that introduces a female hero in this phase of the MCU. We learn who Captain Marvel is, where she came from, and where she’s going.
- Wakanda Forever– I’m not going to spoil anything so I’ll just say, add this to your list.
Pixar
- Brave– A perfect princess film to watch on this day. Merida is looking to change her fate and become her own person.
- Finding Dory– We fell in love with Dory in Finding Nemo, now we get to learn more about Dory and her path in this film.
- Toy Story 4– All the Toy Story films are wonderful but in the 4th film we get to see Bo Peep again and I think it’s a great showcase of this strong character.
- The Incredibles 2– This is where ElastaGirl comes back into her own! The family roles switch when Helen becomes the one going out and saving the world while Bob stays home to take care of the family.
Disney Animation
(Let me first say, Disney Animation is FULL of female stories. I could list them for days. These are just a few of my favorites.)
- The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Pocahontas– These films were life-changing for me as a kid. They were the first new release Disney films that I saw that showed a strong female. Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, and Pocahontas didn’t conform to what was expected of them. I think that every female of my generation will agree that one if not all four of these films affected their outlook in some way.
- Mulan– A girl taking her father’s place, that is a story that fits perfectly for this day. Mulan shows females that women can fill men’s shoes.
- Moana– Moana goes out and takes on the unknown to save her village. That’s a strong female storyline if I’ve ever heard one. Also, there’s no romantic interest which is important to show.
- Frozen 1 & 2– Sisters who fight to save each other and their town. Both Frozen 1 & 2 show that sisters that have each other’s back can accomplish a lot.
- Encanto– Full of strong women who each have amazing gifts and learn that even with their gifts, family is important, and should always be there to support each other.
Live Action
- Hidden Figures– Based on the true story of three women at NASA who helped launch John Glenn into orbit. An inspiring story that showcases three brilliant women.
- Bend It Like Beckham– An awesome sports movie that features a young Kira Knightley.
- Ever After: A Cinderella Story– A different telling of Cinderella from the animated version we know. It showcases Drew Barrymore as a strong and independent Danielle who is the Cinderella of the tale.
- Once Upon A Time– This TV Show is full of new versions of our favorite Disney characters and shows us that the villains aren’t always bad and the heroes aren’t always good. It makes all our favorite characters more human and relatable.
I hope you enjoy this list. It’s a great reference to celebrate International Women’s Day. What are some of your favorite Strong Women films on Disney+? Did I miss something on my list?
