During quarantine, I’ve fallen down the major rabbit hole of watching movies that make me feel nostalgic for my childhood. And I’m so glad for my Disney+ account, which has given me the opportunity to watch my favorite Disney theatrical releases, as well as the TV shows and movies from the Disney Channel that brightened so many of my childhood Friday nights. But one of the first things I noticed after downloading the app, is that many movies that I remember from the Disney Channel that were left out of the selection. Sure you have classics like Johnny Tsunami, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, and even Hocus Pocus on there. But there are a handful of flicks missing that initially made me scratch my head.

Upon further assessment, I made the realization that the films that were missing were originally intended to be released on networks other than the Disney Channel. Whether that be the Wonderful World of Disney on ABC, or other lesser-known networks. Just because Disney had the rights to play their ABC programming on the Disney Channel, - or even films made by production companies not directly under the Disney umbrella - doesn’t mean that they have the rights to add them to Disney+. So I went looking all over the internet and found sites where I could watch seven films I loved from the Disney Channel that weren’t on the streaming platform, and put them all together in one place so that others could enjoy them as well. They’re all absolutely free to watch. Please enjoy this trip down memory lane with me!

Wish Upon a Star (1996)

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One of my favorite Disney Channel movies to watch with my mom on a Saturday afternoon was Wish Upon A Star. This ‘90s classic stars Katherine Heigl and scream queen Danielle Harris as sisters Alexia and Hayley Wheaton, who switch bodies after Hayley (Harris) wishes on a shooting star to be her older queen bee sister (Heigl.)

I recently rewatched it when I noticed it was free on Prime Video, and I can confirm that it’s still just as good as it was when I was a kid. It’s funny and heartfelt with a poignant lesson that very clearly separates it from Freaky Friday in my mind. And it’s got the ‘90s vibe down pat with the Moonpills & Caterpillars songs, the haircuts, the scrunchies, the lipgloss, and of course the fashion (For those of you who wish you could see more outfits that look like they’re straight out of Cher Horowitz’s wardrobe, this movie is for you.) Plus the fact that the school and home scenes were all filmed - not in LA, not in New York, but - in West Valley City Utah gives it the authentic suburban feel that made it incredibly relatable and reminiscent of a lot of people’s high school experiences.

Wish Upon a Star is not on Disney+ because it wasn’t originally produced by Disney, but instead Leucadia Film Corporation. Which is a good explanation for its subject matter of losing ones virginity and dressing like a bondage girl on Halloween.

Susie Q (1996)

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Susie Q has the distinction of being the movie from the Disney Channel that disturbed me the most as a kid, yet I also have very fond memories of it. The film starts off with Susie Q (Amy Jo Johnson) - a 1950s teenager - on her way to prom with her boyfriend. Things take a hard left when an inebriated group of hooligans crash into them, killing her boyfriend on impact and driving them off a bridge, causing her to drown. And that’s just the first 10 minutes of the movie! 40 years down the line, Susie’s ghost encounters a high schooler named Zach (Justin Whalin,) who is the only one who is able to see and communicate with her. The duo then find themselves on a mission to solve Susie’s “unfinished business.”

There’s a lot about it that registers as a generic mystery movie for kids, but it really sticks with you. Maybe it’s the morbidness of it all, the dynamic between the 1950s teenage girl with the 1990s teenage boy, or Susie’s amazing smile combined with her signature pink dress and matching headband. But once you see it, you never really forget it. Funny enough, I think I may have even dressed up as Susie Q for Halloween one year!

Susie Q is not available on Disney+ because technically it was produced with Super RTL, a German channel that is owned by the Walt Disney Company. What I find amazing about that is that the film has a German dub and a German audience who no doubt also get chills every time they hear “Play a Love Song” by The Jaguars. Lucky for us, TVMovies has generously uploaded the entire film on YouTube.

Watch on YouTube

Toothless (1997)

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Did it give you immense comfort as a 90s child when you found out that the tooth fairy was really Kirstie Alley? Hey, at least it wasn’t Shelley Long!

Toothless is the story of a dentist named Katherine (Alley) who is struck by a car and killed. (I’m seeing a trend here.) She finds herself in Limbo (a pretty grim concept for a kids film) and must work as the Tooth Fairy for a period of time before entering Heaven. While on the job, she is spotted by a 12-year-old boy named Bobby (played by Ross Malinger from Sleepless in Seattle) and develops a strong friendship with him. It’s a really touching film with an ending that used to make me cry. The chemistry between Alley and Malinger is very apparent. In fact, does anyone else remember the 1995 TV special of Peter and the Wolf where they play mother and son? I’m telling you, there is something special about the combination of those two.

Toothless was produced by Disney Telefilms, however I believe it does not get the DCOM treatment on Disney+ because it was originally distributed by ABC. MarisaMovies on YouTube was kind enough to upload the film in 8 parts.

Watch on YouTube

Cinderella (1997)

When my mother was little, not only did she love watching Disney’s animated classic Cinderella from 1950, but she also loved the 1965 TV special of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella starring Lesley Ann Warren. So it was very exciting for me to experience an updated version of the musical in 1997’s TV special of the same name, starring Brandy as the titular character. She and executive producer/Fairy Godmother Whitney Houston bring Cinderella to the ‘90s with soulful vocals and even some clever and well-placed song additions from other Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals. On top of the fantastic music, the film is just brimming with campy performances from Jason Alexander, Bernadette Peters, Whoopi Goldberg…the list goes on! And of course who could forget the memorable colorblind casting that makes this film stand out to this day. Sure, everyone who watched this movie scratched their head at how Whoopi Goldberg and Victor Garber could produce a Filipino son. But once you get over minor details like that, you have a great family flick and beautiful corresponding soundtrack to enjoy.

I have plans to do a deeper analysis about what went into making this film and the impact it’s had, but for now I just encourage you to take a look for yourself. While a lot of people remember seeing this film on the Disney Channel back in the day, it actually mostly played on ABC Family during the Wonderful World of Disney programming, which is why you won’t find it on Disney+.

Update: Since I posted this article, Disney+ has added this film to its library!

Watch on Disney+

My Date With the President’s Daughter (1998)

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Discovering this movie uploaded to YouTube was what inspired me to write this article. My Date With The President’s Daughter stars Will Friedle (Eric Matthews from “Boy Meets World”) as the magic trick-loving adorkable Duncan Fletcher (the most ‘90s movie name in the entire world if you ask me,) who makes a bet with his friends that he can find a date to the school dance in just a day. He meets a girl at the mall named Hallie (Elisabeth Harnois,) who agrees to go out with him. All seems well and good until he realizes that she’s actually the daughter of the president of the United States, and has plans to sneak away from secret service and live on the wild side for a night. I love this movies characters, its hi-jinx and its wacky concept. I still find that it holds up as a highly entertaining romp to this day. And Hallie’s velvet pink mini dress is quintessential ‘90s fashion bliss.

This film was originally intended for ABC, which is probably the reason behind its exclusion from Disney+. But I say if both Boy Meets World and Kim Possible are available on the streaming service, they might as well give us the Will Friedle Disney Channel trifecta. The film is available to watch in three parts on YouTube thanks to Ashleytisdalesilver7.

Model Behavior (2000)

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This Prince and the Pauper-esque tale about an average teenager Alex (Maggie Lawson - no that wasn’t Alicia Silverstone) trading places with her supermodel doppleganger Janine is a total time capsule of the early 2000s. Maybe it’s the clothes, maybe its the schmaltziness of the ending, or maybe its the Justin Timberlake and Kathie Lee Gifford cameos. But I think it also has to do with its feel-good factor. Both Alex and Janine went through issues with their self-esteem and family obligations that I think really resonated with a lot of young girls. Plus it pandered to the sides of us that wanted to pour milk on the meanest girl at school or go on a date with a member of N*SYNC (although I personally would have gone for Lance…surprise, surprise.)

Model Behavior is not on Disney+ because it was produced by Karz Entertainment and Pacific Moon Pictures in addition to Disney, and was originally distributed on ABC. While I haven’t found the film available to stream or watch on YouTube, I did find it on a few obscure sites.

WARNING: Please proceed with caution when visiting more obscure streaming sites. You should not have to download, purchase or sign up with anything to view this video.

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Life-Size (2000)

A subscription to Disney+ has almost everything you need for an excellent Lindsay Lohan movie night. The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, all of the Herbie films and even Get a Clue…it’s just missing one thing. And that’s Life-Size. This flick features Lohan as a young girl named Casey, who attempts to resurrect her deceased mother with a magical spell, and instead brings to life her Eve doll - a parody on Barbie - played by Tyra Banks. Due to its supreme casting, spot-on comedy scenes (imagery of Eve’s first day working at a real life office will be forever preserved in meme and gif form,) funky fashions that only someone as gorgeous as Banks could pull off and signature song “Be a Star,” this film has cemented itself firmly in early 2000s popular culture history. It’s just a shame about that sequel.

It was a movie that many remember watching and rewatching on the Disney Channel, but it’s unfortunately not included on Disney+ because it was originally intended for The Wonderful World of Disney. But for any of you who are a glutton for punishment and want your childhoods ruined, Life-Size 2 without Lindsay Lohan is available on the platform…even though it was produced by Freeform. Why they have access to that film, but not the original which was produced by Disney in the first place, I’ll never understand. But for now, we have the following link to be grateful for.