There are tons of space and sci-fi movies under the Disney umbrella — they own Star Wars, Pixar, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, after all — but the House of Mouse's sci-fi efforts that aren't part of the big franchises often get overlooked. So, we've put together a star-studded list of the best Disney sci-fi movies… that aren't Star Wars, Pixar, or Marvel.
That's not to say we're uncovering hidden gems or movies you've never heard of. Plenty of the movies on this list were big hits in their own right, but time and modern Disney's focus on its mega-franchises has meant they've faded into the background a little.
10. The Black Hole
- Release date: December 21, 1979
- Cast: Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Joseph Bottoms
The Black Hole was a daring sci-fi production – especially for the late 1970s Disney – that was critically panned at first, only to earn a cult following over the decades. It was the first Disney movie to receive a PG rating, and while reviews weren't glowing, it wasn't a complete box office disaster. But since the powers that be wanted it to be a big Christmas tentpole, one can see why it wasn't considered a success.
What makes The Black Hole a fascinating space flick is its tone: Though adventurous and obviously influenced by the 1977 Star Wars craze, the USS Palomino and Cygnus' journey into a mysterious black hole often leaned towards dark melodrama, exploring metaphysical and religious themes that stepped outside of Disney's comfort zone. While it falls short of greatness as a fun sci-fi romp, it's a captivating anomaly of an olden blockbuster that you need to watch at least once.
9. Atlantis: The Lost Empire
- Release date: June 15, 2001
- Cast: Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer
Considering the absurd amount of screenwriters it took to crack a story for Atlantis, the end result isn't the most exciting, but there is something alluring about its old-school brand of sci-fi adventure, which Disney wouldn't revisit until the also ill-fated Strange World (2022).
Set in 1914, Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a textured romp made more appealing by the Mike Mignola-inspired visual style. A curious and hopeful scientist leads a crew of soldiers and mercenaries to a distant world where he finds love and, yes, that does sound a whole lot like Stargate. But while O'Neil and his team explored other planets, Atlantis delved into Earth's long-lost history and legends underwater.
While the first half is perfectly paced and very different from anything Disney Animation had tackled up to that point, the cracks start to show the deeper the group ventures into the titular Lost Empire, and sadly, it just never lives up to all the early promise of an animated sci-fi epic. A shame, but we'd love to see Disney take another crack at this (no, the direct-to-video sequel doesn't count, we don't talk about that).
8. Tron
- Release date: July 9, 1982
- Cast: Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner
Tron: Ares failed to reignite the series this year, but diehard fans still believe Tron could be huge with the right creative direction and a return to basics. Considering the impact the original and Legacy had on entire generations, there may be a path forward. And watching the Jeff Bridges-led adventure that started it all, it's easy to see the appeal.
Through clean structure and lots of ingenuity (plus daring CGI work before it became a common thing), Tron managed to captivate back in 1982, and there's something genuine and charming about it decades later. As soon as Kevin Flynn (Bridges) is sent into The Grid, it's hard not to be engrossed by the extensive worldbuilding and inventive action sequences. By the time we meet a colorful cast of allies and the villain (both real and digital), the Steven Lisberger-directed movie has reached full speed and doesn't slow down.
Tron represents a sort of big-budget creativity and ambition that only strikes Hollywood once or twice per decade, and its impact on blockbuster filmmaking should never be forgotten.
7. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- Release date: June 23, 1989
- Cast: Rick Moranis, Amy O'Neill, Robert Oliveri
Sometimes, good sci-fi doesn't have to leave the familiarity of a backyard. With Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, VFX veteran Joe Johnston (of Captain America: The First Avenger fame) delivered an entertaining sci-fi adventure flick with lots of comedy and heart. When a struggling inventor accidentally shrinks his (and the neighbors') children, they must try to make it back home through the "giant" insect-filled wilderness.
While the original movie was riding the wonder of practical FX and massive sets (everyone wanted to swim inside a bowl of cereals), it's hard to deny Rick Moranis, Amy O'Neill, Robert Olivieri, and the rest of the cast added a lot of energy to a script which could've easily gone sideways in its on-screen execution. This is also where we praise Johnston's strong understanding of breezy, old-school romps.
The unexpected box office haul spawned two sequels (the third one wasn't made for the big screen), but the powers that be failed to turn this success into an enduring franchise. However, the original remains a stellar way to spend a weekend afternoon and a 100% essential late '80s adventure movie free of deep flaws. We still dream of riding an ant.
6. Big Hero 6
- Release date: November 7, 2014
- Cast: Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, Daniel Henney
Big Hero 6 was a strange animated project, and Disney's marketing efforts never made it clear what the movie was about. Did you know it was based on a superhero team from Marvel Comics? Because we didn't, and neither did most moviegoers in 2014. Regardless, it opened to very positive reviews and grossed over $650 million worldwide. Despite that success, it never received a cinematic sequel, with Disney funding three different TV series instead.
The story follows Hiro Hamada, a 14-year-old prodigy who creates Baymax, a huge "healthcare robot" who happens to be more useful than he looked at first. Through a good dose of family drama and meeting new friends, Hamada and Baymax create an improvised superhero team to defeat the masked supervillain Yokai. The plot takes surprising twists and turns, shocking like few other Disney movies can.
Big Hero 6 wasn't a flop or even terribly underrated, but after other modern wins from Disney taking over the conversation, the Hiro Hamada-led superhero team is among the most overlooked animated movies from Walt Disney Animation Studios. If you're looking to escape tales of princesses and talking animals, give this one a watch.
5. John Carter
- Release date: March 9, 2012
- Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe
After some failed attempts over the decades to bring A Princess of Mars and the rest of the John Carter-led books to the big screen, Disney bet $263 million (plus marketing) on a big sci-fi epic directed and co-written by Finding Nemo's Andrew Stanton. The result was a financial disaster that only grossed $284.1 million worldwide and opened to mixed reviews to boot. However, there's always been a vocal minority of sci-fi lovers who were enchanted by its colorful and old-fashioned take on Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom (Mars).
The movie follows the titular character, a troubled Confederate Army captain who's suddenly (and unwittingly) transported to Mars, where alien and human civilizations coexist in a delicate balance. War is threatening to engulf the planet, and Carter's arrival might help the good guys gain the upper hand against an elusive faction. Despite the cookie-cutter, good-vs-evil premise, the original story's colorful and very inventive worldbuilding soon makes Barsoom one of the coolest sci-fi settings we've seen on the big screen.
At this point, it's clear that Disney has no interest in a sequel, but the movie had a definitive ending that allows it to work perfectly on its own. It looks great, packs an all-star cast, and offers old-school sci-fi adventures of the sort we can rarely find outside of Star Wars and Star Trek. Plus, Michael Giacchino's original score is out of this world.
4. The Rocketeer
- Release date: June 21, 1991
- Cast: Billy Campbell, Alan Arkin, Jennifer Connelly
Joe Johnston's second movie garnered generally favorable reviews when it was first released and has amassed quite a cult following over the years, to the point that it greatly shaped bigger period movies like the first Captain America, which Johnston helmed later in his career. Though formally old-timey, it was based on a character created by writer-artist Dave Stevens in 1982.
Back in 1991, however, audiences didn't connect much with stunt pilot Cliff Secord's old-fashioned adventures. It was a superhero flick before superhero flicks were selling millions of tickets. With the popularity of comic book movies today, one has to wonder if The Rocketeer simply came out too early. It's certainly a movie we're happy to recommend now.
Set in 1938 in Los Angeles, California, The Rocketeer tells the story of Cliff Secord, who comes across a rocket pack he uses to fly without an aircraft, essentially becoming a proto-Iron Man of sorts (putting other differences aside). This naturally attracts the attention of dangerous men, and the plot blows up from there.
The Rocketeer's simplicity and sincerity are infectious, and even in the early '90s, it felt like a delightful throwback. Nowadays, in the age of the old being cool again, it's impossible not to fall in love with it.
3. Treasure Planet
- Release date: November 27, 2002
- Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Brian Murray, Emma Thompson
Disney's Treasure Planet was an iconic animated sci-fi adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island that '90s kids will swear was a cornerstone of their childhood. So, you'd assume it was a big hit at the time, right? Wrong.
It was a commercial failure that only grossed $109.6 million on a massive (for 2D animation) $140 million budget. Despite that, the critical reception was very positive, and it was even nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards. Give it a rewatch, and you'll probably land on that side of the fence too.
Like in Treasure Island, the story follows a young man named Jim Hawkins, who meets a group of colorful characters in search of a legendary treasure. Without delving into spoilers, the movie delivers a proper pirate adventure with a fun outer space twist. Its tone is on the lighter side, but the drama and peril are still tangible. Just a delightful time overall.
The problem? It opened against the second Harry Potter movie, Die Another Day, and even Disney's own The Santa Clause 2. This baffling release strategy and marketing misfire quickly demolished the flick's chances of finding an audience in cinemas, but with positive reviews and a strong enough media push, it gained a cult following in the months and years that followed. And too right, because it's a rollicking space adventure chock-full of weird aliens, robots, pirates, and inventive action sequences.
2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Release date: December 23, 1954
- Cast: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas
Another classic novel brought to the silver screen, but this time with Richard Fleischer's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Disney successfully cracked the adaptation of the famous sci-fi novel by Jules Verne.
The epic movie was an instant financial and critical success, so why are we bringing it up here? Well, it came out in 1954 — 71 years ago — so chances are good that anyone reading this article didn't contribute to that box office back in the day, and in 2025, you'll have a hard time finding folks who have seen it. It might not be underrated, but it sure is overlooked... like many other genre classics. With actors as famous as Kirk Douglas and James Mason spearheading the production, it's baffling to see even modern cinephiles ignore it.
In Verne's book (which you should read at least once in your life), an advanced submarine is commanded by the enigmatic Captain Nemo, who's hell-bent on fighting the rampant imperialism of the 19th century. The story is narrated by Professor Pierre Aronnax and includes plenty of underwater exploits and proper dramatic beats that explore man's relationship with nature, political resistance, and the weight of hate and revenge.
For the most part, Fleischer's adaptation nailed those key elements and turned Jules Verne's most visionary ideas into striking scenes that made excellent use of the special effects created by the craftsmen of the 1950s. It's also an excellent reminder of how character-driven adventures full of weighty drama and upfront political elements can also enchant mainstream audiences.
1. Lilo & Stitch (2002)
- Release date: June 21, 2002
- Cast: Daveigh Chase, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere
We're constantly perplexed by "best of Disney" lists that ignore Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois' Lilo and Stitch, an excellent riff on friendly alien sci-fi flicks. As iconic as Experiment 626 is, it's far too often that we see this movie pushed aside in favor of more formulaic Disney Animation efforts. And sure, the Lilo & Stitch live-action remake turned out okay and somehow amassed over $1 billion worldwide earlier this year, but it's not a patch on the original.
When a genetically-engineered alien creature ends up on Earth, a Hawaiian girl named Lilo Pelekai finds him and becomes his best friend. The ensuing adventure is genuinely heartfelt, colorful, and comedic in ways other Disney classics of the era just couldn't manage.
At first glance, it looks like 'E.T. but in Hawaii', but that's not really a fair way to describe the movie, as the scope of the story is grander and its brand of comedy more energetic. It's closer to The Iron Giant in tone, if anything.
Lilo & Stitch spawned three direct-to-video sequels, three TV shows, the aforementioned live-action remake, and countless adorable plushies, so it's strange that Disney Animation retrospectives tend to bundle it with troubled efforts like Atlantis or Treasure Planet. If you ask us, it's up there with classics like Aladdin or The Lion King.
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