Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
Just for fun, here's a list of some of the things we had our kids read and watch before our first WDW trip so that they could "understand" the attraction references and backstories. It took us about a year, leading up to the trip, to give them a full "Walt Disney World education." 
Obviously the list is skewed heavily by personal preference and we did leave out a few obvious books and films because of that (for example, we didn't think that having the kids' watch the Haunted Mansion or Country Bears movies was going to add to their understanding of those attractions, so we avoided them!) Also, some items are repeated because they are heavily referenced in more than one area. If you see something that belongs on the list, please reply with your own "must-sees"!
Reading /Film List by Associated "Land" or Park (in each case, we watched the movie and/or read the original novel, or if the story was too dense for the kids, read a "Little Golden Book" version or film novelization):
MK - Adventureland:
The Swiss Family Robinson (novel by Johann Weiss)
The Jungle Book
Aladdin
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Treasure Island
Other scene setters: Blackbeard's Ghost, Tarzan, Jumanji, Muppet Treasure Island, Rio
MK - Liberty Square:
Johnny Tremain (novel by Esther Forbes, also a film)
Tom Sawyer (novel by Mark Twain, *requires modification or supplemental teaching concerning racist language)
Other scene setters: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn* by Mark Twain, The Princess and the Frog, Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad/The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Haunted Mansion (Disney read-along book and LP/cassette, also on Youtube)
MK - Frontierland:
Song of the South (*requires supplemental teaching concerning racist elements)
Little House on the Prairie (novel series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and/or TV series episodes)
Other scene setters: Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978 film), the Lone Ranger, California Gold Rush (1981 film), Squanto: A Warrior's Tale, Old Yeller, books about Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and/or Jim Bowie
MK - Fantasyland, Old and New:
Pinocchio
Alice in Wonderland
Dumbo
Beauty & the Beast
The Little Mermaid
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Cinderella
Winnie the Pooh (books by A.A. Milne)
Peter Pan (*requires some parental instruction concerning racist characterizations in the Disney films/books)
Tangled (because one really must understand the bathrooms they're using!)
Classic Disney cartoons featuring Mickey and the gang, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Other scene setters: Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, Pete's Dragon, Brave, Fantasia, Robin Hood (1973 Disney version), It's a Small World (Disney read-along book and LP/cassette, also on Youtube)
MK - Tomorrowland:
Toy Story (entire series if desired)
Lilo & Stitch (if you plan on doing Stitch's Great Escape, ugh)
Monsters, Inc.
Other scene setters: Zathura, Wall-E, the Jetsons (old cartoon episodes)
MK - Main Street, U.S.A.:
Casey at the Bat (poem by Ernest Thayer)
Lady and the Tramp
Winnie the Pooh
Classic Mickey Mouse cartoons
Other scene setters: Pollyanna
Hollywood Studios:
Toy Story (entire series if desired)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Wizard of Oz
Mary Poppins
The Muppets and/or The Muppet Movie (plus any other Muppet films or show episodes you want)
Star Wars (entire series if desired)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!
Other scene setters: any other age-appropriate film featured in The Great Movie Ride, Cars, Wreck-it Ralph, the Disney, Jr.! show lineup, old Twilight Zone episodes
Epcot:
The Lion King
Finding Nemo
Frozen
The Three Caballeros
Other scene setters: Journey Into Imagination (original version, on-ride videos on Youtube), Mulan
Animal Kingdom:
The Lion King
Finding Nemo
A Bug's Life
Other scene setters: Pocahontas, Jurassic Park, Dinosaur, The Land Before Time, Avatar
Obviously the list is skewed heavily by personal preference and we did leave out a few obvious books and films because of that (for example, we didn't think that having the kids' watch the Haunted Mansion or Country Bears movies was going to add to their understanding of those attractions, so we avoided them!) Also, some items are repeated because they are heavily referenced in more than one area. If you see something that belongs on the list, please reply with your own "must-sees"!Reading /Film List by Associated "Land" or Park (in each case, we watched the movie and/or read the original novel, or if the story was too dense for the kids, read a "Little Golden Book" version or film novelization):
MK - Adventureland:
The Swiss Family Robinson (novel by Johann Weiss)
The Jungle Book
Aladdin
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Treasure Island
Other scene setters: Blackbeard's Ghost, Tarzan, Jumanji, Muppet Treasure Island, Rio
MK - Liberty Square:
Johnny Tremain (novel by Esther Forbes, also a film)
Tom Sawyer (novel by Mark Twain, *requires modification or supplemental teaching concerning racist language)
Other scene setters: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn* by Mark Twain, The Princess and the Frog, Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad/The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Haunted Mansion (Disney read-along book and LP/cassette, also on Youtube)
MK - Frontierland:
Song of the South (*requires supplemental teaching concerning racist elements)
Little House on the Prairie (novel series by Laura Ingalls Wilder and/or TV series episodes)
Other scene setters: Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978 film), the Lone Ranger, California Gold Rush (1981 film), Squanto: A Warrior's Tale, Old Yeller, books about Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone and/or Jim Bowie
MK - Fantasyland, Old and New:
Pinocchio
Alice in Wonderland
Dumbo
Beauty & the Beast
The Little Mermaid
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Cinderella
Winnie the Pooh (books by A.A. Milne)
Peter Pan (*requires some parental instruction concerning racist characterizations in the Disney films/books)
Tangled (because one really must understand the bathrooms they're using!)
Classic Disney cartoons featuring Mickey and the gang, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Other scene setters: Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, Pete's Dragon, Brave, Fantasia, Robin Hood (1973 Disney version), It's a Small World (Disney read-along book and LP/cassette, also on Youtube)
MK - Tomorrowland:
Toy Story (entire series if desired)
Lilo & Stitch (if you plan on doing Stitch's Great Escape, ugh)
Monsters, Inc.
Other scene setters: Zathura, Wall-E, the Jetsons (old cartoon episodes)
MK - Main Street, U.S.A.:
Casey at the Bat (poem by Ernest Thayer)
Lady and the Tramp
Winnie the Pooh
Classic Mickey Mouse cartoons
Other scene setters: Pollyanna
Hollywood Studios:
Toy Story (entire series if desired)
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Wizard of Oz
Mary Poppins
The Muppets and/or The Muppet Movie (plus any other Muppet films or show episodes you want)
Star Wars (entire series if desired)
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!
Other scene setters: any other age-appropriate film featured in The Great Movie Ride, Cars, Wreck-it Ralph, the Disney, Jr.! show lineup, old Twilight Zone episodes
Epcot:
The Lion King
Finding Nemo
Frozen
The Three Caballeros
Other scene setters: Journey Into Imagination (original version, on-ride videos on Youtube), Mulan
Animal Kingdom:
The Lion King
Finding Nemo
A Bug's Life
Other scene setters: Pocahontas, Jurassic Park, Dinosaur, The Land Before Time, Avatar
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