Disney+ is really changing the way stories can be told.
Many still want to go to the theatre to see the big releases, but it’s also nice to know you can watch them at home and pause to go to the bathroom.
The MCU and Star Wars can expand their storytelling through Disney+. They can connect more of the worlds together, and we don’t have to wait for a theatrical release.
So not only is the original programming at a whole other level on Disney+, their throwback stuff is really great, too. Especially if you love the 1980s.
Here's some of the best 80s content at the time of writing this.
Big
BIG is the movie that really launched Tom Hanks into the full mainstream. BIG is another classic coming-of-age story about a kid who wished he could be a grownup.
This simple premise is pretty timeless and could have worked well in any era.BIG came out in 1988 and was an instant hit. The piano dancing scene quickly became one of the most iconic in movie history.
Made on an $18 million budget, BIG pulled in a pretty astounding $151 million dollars. Converted for today, that’s about $340 million, which is pretty massive for a comedy.
Flight of the Navigator
The beloved 1986 film always felt a bit more like Back to the Future than a Disney-style movie.
That’s because Disney had nothing to do with it.
A Norwegian company that ended up going bankrupt produced Flight of the Navigator. Disney then stepped in to distribute the film.
The premise is still awesome: a young kid ends up on an alien spacecraft and is dropped off years later. Everyone around young David has aged--but he hasn’t.
He then has to risk going back to his original home. Flight of the Navigator made great use of a very early CGI and also had Paul Reubens, aka Pee-Wee Herman cameo (uncredited) as the voice of MAX.
Wall Street
Never forget: “Greed is good.”These were the famous words spoken by Gordon Gekko.
Wall Street is a movie about greed, power, and the changing nature of stocks and investing in the 1980s.
They set the movie during a time of the insider-trading scandal, and it deals with that very hot-button at the time issue.
Some of it is much cheesier than you may remember, and some of the dialogue is eye-rolling.
When Wall Street came out in 1987, it became a massive influence on many future investors, and a new generation dreamed of becoming Gordon Gekko.
The Ewoks Cartoon
These next few entries will all be Star Wars-based. Disney+ has very quietly rolled out a new category called “Star Wars Vintage.”
It’s got some pretty stellar content on it if you like the 80s and the work of George Lucas. First up is the epic Ewoks cartoon.
The Ewoks cartoon came out in 1985 and ran for two seasons. It also features one of the most well-known cartoon intro theme songs ever.
Ewoks: Caravan of Courage
The live-action, made-for-TV Ewok movies were the first real-life Star Wars content we got that wasn’t in theatres.
There was a ton of hype for these specials when they were announced, and it was amazing because this was new Star Wars content on during prime time.
It also featured the Ewoks, which were a massive hit after Return of the Jedi. Caravan of Courage was up first and came out in 1984.
A family crashes onto the forest moon of Endor, and the two kids get separated from their parents.
The rest of the 90 minutes is them trying to reunite with them while traveling with the Ewoks.
This was a bit too much for younger viewers, and many recall it to be a little unsettling.
If you go back and watch it now, it doesn’t hold up super well. But you have to put yourself into the shoes of a little Star Wars crazed kid in the 80s to know how great it was.
Ewoks: Battle for Endor
Battle for Endor came out in 1985 and is based around Wicket — the most popular Ewok.
Battle for Endor is much more in the fantasy realm, and the story involves Wicket and Cindel having to escape the evil Marauders. We meet some new characters including Noa and Teek.
The Great Muppet Caper
The Great Muppet Caper might be Jim Henson’s best work.This is also the only Muppet movie that Jim Henson directed — and you can definitely tell.
This is Henson at its finest with a great crime story, mixed into a musical. It really capitalizes on the format of the Muppet Show.
It’s fun, lively, hilarious, and completely absurd.The Great Muppet Caper came out way back in 1981. They filmed it in England, as they had also filmed the Muppet Show there for its entire run.
Turner & Hooch
This is another Tom Hanks classic. Pairing a popular actor with an animal is usually a good formula.
This one is like Three Men and a Baby where a man has his world turned upside down when he has to take care of a new companion.
Turner and Hooch came out in 1989 and is part comedy, part crime, and also a “buddy cop” movie.
Splash
This time around, Tom Hanks plays a workaholic who is worried he’ll never fall in love.
In what seems like a warmup for “The Little Mermaid,” he meets a real-life mermaid played by Daryl Hannah, who we just saw in Wall Street.
Directed by Ron Howard, Splash came out in 1984. The cast of this movie is also pretty stellar as it stars John Candy and Eugene Levy.
Splash was a pretty decent hit when it came out and was nominated for an Academy Award for best screenplay.
Splash is also notable because it’s the first film released by Touchstone Pictures, which was Disney’s new film label to target adult audiences.
Willow
Willow stars Warwick Davis who we saw as Wicket in Return of the Jedi and the Ewok movies.
Also directed by Ron Howard, Willow is the story is about young Willow Ufgood.
He finds a baby girl and finds out she’s kind of like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz: she’s destined to end the reign of a wicked queen.
Willow has to protect the baby and teams up with Val Kilmer.Willow is still a very creative fantasy movie and worth checking out if it’s been a while.
Sneak peek: The word on the street is Disney+ is creating a Willow series to debut in 2022.
The Princess Bride
Many people call The Princess Bride the perfect movie.
The Princess Bride is an undeniable classic and has been since it came out in 1987. It is extraordinarily creative, imaginative, and also stars Andre the Giant.
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
If you’re looking for the definitive, live-action family movie to define the 80s: it’s probably Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
It was every kid’s fantasy come to life: shrink down, and go on an adventure in your own backyard. The movie went through several names including “The Backyard,” and even “Teeny Weenies.”
But Disney wanted to let people know this wasn’t a movie for little kids and went with the grammatically incorrect, “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (it should be “shrank”).
What’s interesting about this movie is it actually has some horror elements to it. It’s quite violent at times and was directed by a horror film producer.
Three Men and a Baby
Three Men and a Baby was a monster hit when it came out in 1987, and it felt like everyone saw this movie.
It’s the story of three roommates who have their lives turned upside down when a baby shows up where they live.
This seems more like the premise of a sitcom, but it worked on the big screen. Starring Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, and Steve Guttenberg, Three Men and a Baby was the highest-grossing movie of 1987.
It’s also notable as it was believed to have an image of a ghost captured on film. The word-of-mouth about this phenomenon spread quickly, leading to massive video rentals and purchases.
It turns out that it was just a cardboard cutout on the balcony.
Tron
Tron came out all the way back in 1982 and made use of early computer graphics.
This early 1980s classic tells the story of a video game maker who gets accidentally transported into the mainframe of the computer he is working on.
Tron stars Jeff Bridges, who has to bring peace to the digital world he finds himself in. The concept of the movie is great and would work in many eras of film.
The — then-groundbreaking — CGI of course looks dated but still holds up.
The technology was used as a showcase to reveal what this new medium was capable of. But it also still serves the story.
Tron is definitely a video game come-to-life and is even more impressive when you realize this film is nearly 40 years old.