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.

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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.

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).

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.

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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.

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.

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.

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.