Believe me, I wish this list was longer.
I am always on the search for more movies where the plot isn’t centered around white people. It’s obvious, but after watching people who look like you be pushed away as side characters, you begin to feel unimportant.
When I watch black or POC movies, they’re usually always about racism and other dark topics. Here’s some happy ones instead:
Aladdin
Aladdin’s poor, Jasmine’s rich. After a fateful encounter, Aladdin falls in love and uses the help of a magic genie to woo Jasmine.
Reasons to watch:
Aladdin is cute, Jasmine is charming, and Robin Williams is right at home in this bigger-than-life character.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Inaccurate generalizations of middle-eastern culture, man lying to woo woman
Bend it Like Beckham
A young British-Indian woman torn between her traditional family’s expectations and her passion for soccer. She meets another girl who encourages her to break the rules.
Reasons to watch:
A good representation of strict immigrant parents and of how it feels to not meet your culture’s expectations. Also, really funny and shows great friendship.
Don’t watch if you hate: Annoying parents, mentions of homophobia, love triangles
Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella
It’s a musical of Cinderella featuring Whitney Houston and Brandy!
Reasons to watch:
It was a race-blind casting, which means they hired the best actors and actresses without worrying if they looked like the cartoon. It is also one of the few movies where a black girl and an Asian boy are the main romance.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Musicals, when a movie feels like a set
Polite Society
Aspiring stunt double teen feels she must save her sister from her wedding after she gives up her art career to be with a rich man.
Reasons to watch:
Very relatable movie for brown girls who feel like they’re disappointing their parents and their culture’s standards.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Overzealous and sometimes inconsiderate protagonists, unrealistic plot developments, action scenes
The Princess and the Frog
Tiana just wants to keep working so she can fulfill her dead dad’s wish of running a restaurant. Prince Naveen just wants to have fun, but has to marry rich or he’ll become broke. After some voodoo, they both get turned into frogs and must find their way back.
Reasons to watch:
Disney’s first black princess, set in lively 1920s New Orleans with fantastic jazzy soundtrack.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Black characters being animals for majority of movie
Lilo and Stitch
Mischievous, lonely, and misunderstood, Lilo is a young girl who wants a pet. An equally mischievous alien on the run who crash-lands on the planet and pretends to be her pet.
Reasons to watch:
It has humor and heart and is, to this day, one of the best representations of Hawaiian people. The illustration doesn’t whitewash or make everyone thin and is super adorable. There’s a sweet romance, too.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Kids being orphans, conflict with the state/foster system
Sister Act 2
If you haven’t seen the first one, Whoopi plays a Vegas singer who pretends to be a nun to outrun her mafia boyfriend. In the sequel, she teaches music to a class of misfit high schoolers in hopes of keeping the institution open.
Reasons to watch:
It’s a wholesome story of a diverse class and many black youth learning self-confidence and finding community. Great music, also with Lauryn Hill!
Don’t watch if you hate:
Cheesy
Ponyo
Goldfish princess encounters a human boy after a major flooding, and they work together to return to his mom, as Ponyo avoids returning back to the sea.
Reasons to watch:
Adorable and pretty illustrations, with imaginative world-building. This movie will make you feel warm inside. Set in beautiful and green Japan.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Fish
The Archies
The Archies is set in the 1960s in a mixed-culture Indian-British small town in India, based on the comics.
There’s romance, a political conspiracy, a rock band, and the most charming cast of friends.
Reasons to watch:
The movie is vibrant and has beautiful sets and scenery, and every character is likable.
Don’t watch if you hate:
Love triangles, friendship conflicts, musicals