The 10 Oldest Live-Action Movies On Disney+ (& When They Were Released)

Disney Plus is filled with Disney stories both new and old. While the oldest animated films on the streaming service are well-known, the oldest live-action films have possibly not been viewed as much. Many of the classic Disney live-action films are on Disney Plus, and some older Fox films as well.

For this list, we’ll be looking specifically at the narrative live-action movies, and not documentaries. Here at the 10 oldest live-action movies on Disney Plus (and when they were released).

10 Darby O’Gill & the Little People (1959)

Darby O’Gill and the Little People is a fantasy film set in a small Irish town. It follows the title character as he deals with a leprechaun who can grant three wishes. Directed by Robert Stevenson, the film stars Albert Sharpe, Jimmy O’Dea, Janet Munroe, and a pre-Bond Sean Connery.

After a trip to Ireland, Walt Disney wanted to produce this film as both live-action and animation. It wasn’t made until ten years after that and was then done as just live-action. While its score is based on only fifteen reviews, the film has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

9 The Shaggy Dog (1959)

The Shaggy Dog is about a teenage boy who is turned into a sheepdog after reciting the spell on a magic ring. He ends up in multiple predicaments because of it, even overhearing a spy plot. The film was directed by Charles Barton and stars Disney regulars Fred MacMurray, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, Annette Funicello, and Tim Considine, as well as Jean Hagen.

The dog’s dialogue was written based on the way the dog’s mouth moved in the footage shot, and some beef jerky was deployed if the dog didn’t move his mouth. The film was followed by the sequels The Shaggy D.A. in 1976 and The Return of the Shaggy Dog in 1987, and remade in 1994 and again in 2006.

8 Old Yeller (1957)

Old Yeller tells the story of a family who finds a dog frequently stealing food and chasing animals. With the family’s father gone for work for months, the family takes in the dog as their own. This was Robert Stevenson’s second of nineteen films he directed for Disney. It featured the Disney stars Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran, who would play brothers again in The Shaggy Dog, as well as Dorothy McGuire, Jeff York, and Fess Parker.

The film is one of the more famous live-action Disney films, known for its ending as much as anything else. Savage Sam was a sequel released in 1963. Old Yeller also holds a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.

7 Davy Crockett & the River Pirates (1956)

This was a film comprised of the last two episodes of the show Davy Crockett. Taking place before the previous episodes, this story portrays Davy and his friend Georgie Russell. The duo was played by Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen, while Jeff York played the river king Mike Fink. The film inspired two Disney Parks attractions; Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes and the Mike Fink Keel Boats.

The first half of the film deals with a keelboat race against Mike Fink, while the second half has Crockett and Fink team up together against the river pirates. It was directed by Norman Foster.

6 Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier (1955)

This film featured the first three episodes of the show Davy Crockett. It was also directed by Norman Foster and starred Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen. The three parts of the film show Crockett during the Creek Indian Wars, then working in Congress and fighting a bill that would push Native Americans off their own land, and finally during the battle at the Alamo.

Davy Crockett took off in popularity, with children often wearing the raccoon-skin hats. The theme song was written by Tom Blackburn and George Bruns, and it also became well-known.

5 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

20,000 Leagues is a well-known sci-fi adventure film, directed by Richard Fleischer. It stars Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, and Peter Lorre. It was the most expensive movie made at the time, but the effort paid off. It did well with critics and audiences and won two Oscars for production design and special effects.

The famous giant squid scene was originally shot with calm water during the day, as it does in the Jules Verne novel. Upon reviewing the footage, it was decided the scene would be reshot to take place in a storm at night, hiding the rigging of the mechanical monster.

4 The Story of Robin Hood & His Merrie Men (1952)

The Story of Robin Hood was directed by Ken Annakin and stars Richard Todd, Joan Rice, and Peter Finch. It was far from the first adaptation of the story, but it stood out for the use of the actual English locations for filming, including the real Sherwood Forest.

While many Disney fans may be most familiar with the 1973 animated film Robin Hood, this one is still a classic that Disney Plus has given more fans an opportunity to see.

3 Treasure Island (1950)

Treasure Island was Disney’s first completely live-action film. Directed by Byron Haskin, the film is an adaptation of the well-known Robert Louis Stevenson novel. It stars Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, and Basil Sydney. Driscoll didn’t have the proper work permit and was asked to go home to America with his family and Walt Disney being fined. They were allowed to appeal for six weeks, during which time the director shot all of Driscoll’s close-ups. A stand-in was used for wide shots after he left.

Newton returned to his role in the non-Disney sequel Long John Silver in 1954. Disney would adapt the story again for Muppet Treasure Island in 1996 and Treasure Planet in 2002.

2 Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

The next film on the list is another Fox film. It was directed by George Seaton and stars Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and Natalie Wood. It tells of Kris Kringle working at Macy’s during Christmastime. A young girl was raised not to believe in fairy tales takes notice of him, but when her mother asks him to say he isn’t the real Santa Clause, he says that he is.

The classic film deals with the struggle of cynicism vs. faith. It won Oscars for supporting actor and screenplay and was also nominated for Best Picture. A remake was released in 1994.

1 Swiss Family Robinson (1940)

The oldest live-action film on Disney Plus is the original RKO Pictures version of Swiss Family Robinson. While Disney made their own version in 1960, they also own the rights to the original. The film was directed by Edward Ludwig and stars Thomas Mitchell and Edna Best. It also features an uncredited performance by Orson Welles as the film’s narrator.

When Disney remade the film in 1960, they chose to use real locations instead of the soundstages used in this film. Both versions are viewable on Disney Plus.

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