How to Host the Ultimate Movie Night
There is nothing better than a Disney Family Movie Night! (Use code BLOG10 for 10% off a made-for-you Movie Guide!) Combining quality family time with a chance to make core memories AND build excitement and anticipation for the trip? Yes please!
Many of the park rides and attractions are based on fairytales, books, and movies. Reading those books and watching these movies is a fun way to bring the magic home (or build excitement for an upcoming Disney trip that will make your visit more enjoyable) when the stories come to life!
One of my favorite things to do is to create a menu and plan a craft, game, or activity centered on the movie of choice. You can choose from your family’s favorites or watch classics your children may have never seen before, but to help you decide, I’ve included an extensive list below!
In fact, this is one of the very best ways to get the most out of your Disney+ subscription! You can find nearly all of the most popular Disney movies there just waiting to be streamed into your living room. I recommend starting there as you plan your Disney Family Movie nights.
Here is how to plan your very own Disney Movie Night.
Choose a Movie
Now with Disney+ you have access to almost every movie in their archives, from classics like Peter Pan to modern favorites like Frozen, hidden gems like Emperor’s New Groove to even live-action musicals you may not have even heard of, like The Happiest Millionaire.
I like to select our movies based on things we have planned during our trip. If we are staying at the Grand Floridian movies set during the Victorian/Edwardian period that inspired the resort like Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Summer Magic will all make the list. If we are staying at Port Orleans, you bet we will be watching Princess and the Frog.
If this is your first time visiting Walt Disney World and are unsure of where to start, check out my resort showcase series.
Decide on a Menu
Next, decide on your menu. If you are pressed for time, you can choose the movie based on what you can get quickly. I love pizza for a Toy Story movie night or takeout Indian for the Jungle Book. Whenever possible I like to choose food items that are eaten or mentioned during the movie like spaghetti for Lady and the Tramp, sandwiches, soup, roast and ice cream for Frozen, and of course, ratatouille for Ratatouille.
If the menu items aren’t that obvious one of the things I like to do is look at the origins of the fairytale or book that the movie is based on. For a Snow White movie night, I look up some German delicacies and may do a pork dish with apples of course, and a black forest cake. Cinderella’s French origins inspired a menu of pumpkin soup, cassoulet, and pear tartine.
Keep it simple or get as elaborate as you feel comfortable with.
Plan a Game/Craft/Activity
This is where Pinterest comes in handy. I have a board there filled with all sorts of fun Disney crafts and activities, if something doesn’t jump out of you from there, simply type in the name of the movie and craft or activity and I am positive you will find something.
Some of my favorite activities from past movie nights are playing croquet for Alice in Wonderland, bowling for buzzards for The Lion King, and hula dancing for Lilo and Stitch.
If you are planning on decorating for your movie night, do some crafts with your kids in the days leading up to the movie night.
Decide if You Want to Decorate
A themed movie night means my living room is going to transform into a scene from a movie. I have a large collection of party and event supplies from when my family owned a boutique gift shop so I can often pull items from there to set the scene, but I realize that is probably not the case for you. You can often find fun, inexpensive items at the Target Dollar Spot, Dollar Store, or Oriental Trading.
I also have a huge collection of china and serving dishes. An easy way to set the scene for your movie night would be to include tableware with characters from your favorite party supply shop on it. Or search for tableware that feels like it would have come out of the movie. Like circus tent-shaped plates for Dumbo, the London skyline for 101 Dalmations, or sea creatures for Finding Nemo.
To extend the excitement of the movie night you can do crafts with your kids in the days leading up to movie night that serve as decorations. You could make some paper plate jellyfish for the Little Mermaid, paper lanterns for Tangled, or papel picado for Coco.
Related Posts:
Your Next Disney Trip Starts At HOME
10 Things Your Kids Can Learn On Your Disney Vacation (without realizing it!)