For '90s and early-2000s kids, a few special Wonderful World of Disney movies were played in the rotation with DCOMs on Disney Channel. These ABC films added some pizzazz to the regular line-ups on both ABC and Disney Channel, and chances are, kids had at least a couple of them on VHS.
The Wonderful World of Disney has taken on a number of different names in its long history, but it has produced some important content for Walt Disney Television. Sadly, there are many movies from the WWOD missing on Disney+.
Toothless (1997)
Ross Malinger played Bobby Jameson, the proverbial kid losing a tooth. Kirstie Alley played Dr. Katherine Lewis, the dentist who dies in a bicycle accident and then must become the Tooth Fairy if she wants to get into heaven. The storyline might be a little bit out there, but '90s kids were used to that. As many cool kid films as there are on Disney+ now, Toothless would be a nice addition.
Cinderella (1997)
If users search "Cinderella" on Disney+, they will find the animated films Cinderella, Cinderella II: Dreams Come True, and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time. A search will also show that the 2015 live-action Cinderella is coming to the platform September 2020.
What is missing from the Cinderella department is the 1997 Rodgers & Hammerstein film with Brandy in the titular role. The film also featured Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, Victor Garber as King Maximillian, Whoopi Goldberg as Queen Constantina, and Bernadette Peters as Cinderella's Stepmother. It is baffling that this princess movie is not on Disney+ yet.
My Date with the President's Daughter (1998)
How could anyone forget this movie's catchy theme song (ironically performed by the band The Presidents of the United States of America)? The 1998 movie made fans love Will Friedle even more. He plays Duncan, a regular high school guy who accidentally gets a date with Hallie (Elisabeth Harnois), the first daughter. Subscribers desperately need this all-night romp with a velvet pink dress and a Secret Service detail.
H-E Double Hockey Sticks (1999)
Will Friedle returned in 1999 with Boy Meets World co-star Matt Lawrence. H-E Double Hockey Sticks already doesn't sound like a Disney movie, but the '90s were just different. Friedle played Griffelkin, a devil-in-training sent to steal a professional hockey player's soul.
The hockey player, Dave, was played by Matt Lawrence, of course. Gabrielle Union is an angel, Rhea Perlman is Ms. Beelzebub--what is Disney+ waiting for?
Selma, Lord, Selma (1999)
It is important to remember this 1999 WWOD film with Jurnee Smollett. She played Sheyann Webb, a young civil rights activist inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. Sheyann joins the march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama. The march of March 7, 1965 is known as Bloody Sunday. The film is based on Webb's true experiences as told in her book, Selma, Lord, Selma: Girlhood Memories of the Civil-Rights Days (co-authored by Rachel West Nelson).
A Saintly Switch (1999)
Vivica A. Fox and David Alan Grier starred in this film about parents who switch bodies. The switch is prompted by their children, played by Shadia Simmons and Scott Cumberbatch, who discover the magic of voodoo once the family moves to New Orleans. The parents reconcile just in time for the mom to have another baby. The body-switching plot was not new for Disney, but it was a good story that deserves to be seen again.
Life-Size (2000)
It is flabbergasting that subscribers can watch Life-Size 2 (2018), but they cannot watch the original Life-Size from 2000! It is one of the most fun WWOD movies of its time, but it requires the old VHS player (maybe DVD for a few people) to see Eve for the first time with her pal Casey (Lindsay Lohan). Something must be done about this.
Model Behavior (2000)
Maggie Lawson pulls off a double role in Model Behavior. She woos both Jason (Justin Timberlake) and Eric (Jesse Nilsson) as Alex Burroughs and Janine Adams. Janine is a supermodel with Kathie Lee Gifford for a mom. Alex is a shy, health-nut high school girl whose parents, especially the moody chef dad, don't understand her.
When the two girls discover their resemblance by chance at an event, they decide to pull a switch-a-roo. This movie was shown on Disney Channel all the time for awhile, so it would be insanely gratifying to see it again on Disney+.
Geppetto (2000)
This movie has Usher, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, Brent Spiner, and Wayne Brady, just to name a few. Drew Carey is Geppetto from the classic story of Pinocchio. The WWOD movies were great for offering new takes on old animated fairy tales, especially from other characters' points of view. It's a shame that this live-action gem is not available to stream yet, especially with a new Pinocchio on the horizon.
Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story (2001)
One of the commercials that was on several popular Disney videotapes was for Child Star: The Shirley Temple Story. The WWOD movie was all about Shirley Temple's journey through stardom. Melissa Joan Hart was one of the executive producers, along with her mom, and sister Emily Hart was one of the actors who played Shirley Temple.