Disney Plus has released a new “Celebrate Black Stories” collection on the streaming service’s homepage. It includes such hits as Black Panther, The Princess and the Frog and A Wrinkle in Time and is prominently featured on the site to help subscribers find meaningful films that showcase black storytelling. The new section is an addition to The Walt Disney Company’s donation of $5 million to nonprofit groups that work diligently on social justice reform.
Here’s the full collection:
A Wrinkle In Time
Black Panther
Breaking 2
Cool Runnings
Doc McStuffins
Hounded
Jump In
KC Undercover
Kazzam
Let It Shine
Loop
Marvels Rising: Heart of Iron
Queen of Katwe
Raven’s Home
Red Tails
Remember The Titans
Ruby Bridges
Sister Act
Sister Act 2
That’s So Raven
The Color Of Friendship
The Lion King
The Poof Point
The Princess and the Frog
The Proud Family Movie
Twitches
Twitches Too
Up, Up and Away
Zapped
This collection surfaces after weeks of protests following the death of George Floyd who was killed when officer Derek Chauvin held a knee on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. The protests quickly spread to all 50 states and then across the world as multiple other countries joined in solidarity and to take a stand against police brutality in their own cities. The good news is that the movement appears to be making a meaningful difference in many states and could bring with it some genuine reforms as protesters show no signs of stopping anytime soon.
Many companies quickly announced full support of the social justice movement, including multiple popular streaming services. That said, Disney Plus isn’t the first platform to offer a collection of films and shows dedicated to the black experience, as Netflix added a Black Lives Matter section last week to highlight movies and TV series with black actors and stories, most of which focus on important African American history. Meanwhile, Hulu honored Juneteenth – a holiday celebrating the end of slavery – by delaying two of their original shows, Love, Victor and Taste the Nation.
These collections will hopefully help shine a spotlight on some excellent black stories that might have otherwise been overlooked by many viewers and if you plan on checking any of them out, be sure to let us know which titles you enjoyed.
