12 of the best underrated animated movies on Disney Plus you can watch right now

If you were amazed by Ariana Grande's six-part harmony of "I Won't Say I'm In Love" and haven't watched "Hercules," you're missing out on one of Disney's best '90s tunes along with the great "Go the Distance."

The story about Hercules going from zero to hero usually gets lost in the shuffle between Disney's more popular releases, including "The Lion King," "Mulan" and "Tarzan."

Danny DeVito and James Woods lend their voices to the cast.

"Aladdin" had two straight-to-VHS releases. While "Return of Jafar" is enjoyable, the third movie finally gave us Aladdin and Jasmine's long-awaited wedding.

More exciting was that Robin Williams returned to voice the genie for the home video release. You may not have realized it, but Williams didn't voice the character in the second "Aladdin" movie. He departed the role after Disney used his voice and likeness in marketing to sell the film, something Williams told New York Magazine he didn't agree to when taking a paycut to star in the film. Disney later apologized and sent him a Picasso painting.

Along with the return of Robins, the film introduces fans to Aladdin's father. Long absent, and believed to be dead, fans instantly fell in love with Cassim. Articles have proclaimed he's the hottest Disney dad. You've been warned.

Before you were watching viral videos of deer and dogs becoming best friends, Disney gave us the unforgettable friendship between a fox cub named Tod and hound dog Copper.

There's nothing sweeter than the first moment the two meet. Copper is following a curious smell. He tells a perplexed Todd he's on the trail for something only to discover it's him. The moment is completely innocent, but heartbreakingly foreshadows that they're destined to grow up enemies as hunter and prey.

The song that follows, "Best of Friends," while simple and straight-forward, takes on a more mature meaning upon another view as an adult. Friendship doesn't discriminate.

Despite their differences, the film shows that even if you drift apart after a number of years that true friendships can stand the test of time or at least, will carry a level of respect and trust that can't be ignored.

The final 10 minutes of animation are especially impressive, featuring one of Disney's best fight sequences. The climactic fight was animated by legendary animator Glen Keane, who went on to animate Disney favorites like Ariel, the Beast, and Aladdin.

If you're a fan of Disney's "Zootopia," director Byron Howard said the classic served as inspiration for the Oscar winner.

Kids will get a kick out of watching Robin masterfully outsmarting the thumbsucking Prince John a few times over in this film to steal from the rich and give to the poor.

By the end, you may get a little misty-eyed worrying about ol' Rob. This is another Disney film where you're not going to be able to get the film's main song, "Whistle Stop," out of your head. Oo-de-lally.

Disney's 1973 adaptation about the dashing outlaw is one of the many animated classics reported to be turned into a live-action movie.

22 years before Aladdin took Jasmine on a magic carpet ride, J. Thomas O'Malley cat promised Duchess and her three kittens he'd do just the same. (The only difference was that the carpet was a blue milk truck.)

The smooth-talking O'Malley the alley cat is one of Disney's greats. If your kids love Baloo in "The Jungle Book," they'll instantly recognize Thomas O'Malley cat. The two actors are voiced by the same actor, Phil Harris.

Thomas helps Duchess and her family get home after they're kidnapped and left for dead in the middle of France. If you enjoy "Lady and the Tramp," you'll like this one.

If you don't want to be a cat after watching this movie, then you need to listen to this rollicking number a few more times.

Did you know Bette Midler and Billy Joel lent their voices to two animated Disney dogs? Their performances as a street-smart mutt and a spoiled poodle, respectively, are reason enough to tune into this film about an orphan cat trying to find a home.

Billy Joel didn't just voice the Joe Chill of the dog world, Dodger, he also provided the film with a catchy, original lead number for the film, "Why Should I Worry?"

Seriously, the song's so catchy that if you want your kids to stop singing "Into the Unknown," this should do the trick.

Keep your eyes peeled for nods to Pongo from "101 Dalmatians" and Peg from "Lady and the Tramp" during Dodger's big opening number.

Years before the directing duo of John Musker and Ron Clements gave us "The Little Mermaid," "Aladdin," and, more recently, "Moana," the two worked together on their first Disney animated feature-length film, based around the great Basil of Baker Street.

The start of the film may be a little scary for little ones as a bat steals a young girl's father, but there's nothing like the first notes of the big, uplifting main title sequence to get you right into the adventure. If you're a Sherlock fan, this is one for you, featuring an underhanded scheme to kidnap the mouse queen of England.

The legendary Vincent Price voices the psychotic and vain rat villain with an identity crisis. Honestly, it's a wonder Ratigan never got his dues among the greatest Disney villains, especially since he gets his own Gaston-esque song.

More curious is that this is one of the few Disney films to never spawn any sort of sequel — even direct to video — even though it's based on a book series and the film was received generally well. (Plus, Sherlock Holmes became pretty popular again over the last decade.)

Highlights here include a huge fight sequence taking place within the gears of Big Ben's clock tower. The scene contains one of the best moments of suspense you'll see near the end of a Disney film. And make sure to watch with the captions on and you'll get a confirmation that the human versions of Holmes and Watson make a brief cameo (via shadows) 23 minutes into the movie.

Bonus: Pair the film with the 1937 Disney short, "Clock Cleaners," which played in front of "The Great Mouse Detective" in theaters in 1986.

Not only does Matthew Broderick return to voice Simba here, but the soundtrack delivered some pure Disney jams. We recommend "He Lives in You, "We Are One," and "One of Us" ASAP.

The film follows Simba's daughter, Kiara, as she gets mixed up with Scar's heir Kovu who is sent on a mission to kill her father, the current king of Pride Rock. If you're not familiar with Kovu, he's become the subject of multiple online articles because people are obsessed with him.

The film holds up quite well today with a message about accepting others despite their differences, making it perfect for little ones. If you need another reason to watch, the voice actor behind Max from "A Goofy Movie" also voices Kovu.

All Goofy's son Max wants to do is spend his summer vacation trying to impress the girl of his dreams, Roxanne. Too bad Goofy thinks it's a perfect bonding opportunity for father and son.

A movie about confidence and having the courage to take a chance to stand out in a crowd, "A Goofy Movie" has two memorable dance numbers to open and close the film. Watch Max wow his classmates with an impromptu school performance of "Stand Out."

For kids who may be embarrassed by their parents, this is a perfect watch. Warning: The film may make you want some Cheez Whiz by the end.

One of Disney's most expensive failures is one you may not be familiar with. Unless you saw it in theaters during its 1985 release (and not many did), you may not have discovered it until more than a decade later when it was finally released for the first time on VHS in 1998.

Not only is "The Black Cauldron" one of Disney's darker movies (the original cut was deemed "unsuitable" for younger kids), but it also contains the Mouse House's scariest villain, the Horned King, who kind of looks like a creepy, talking skull.

If you like "Game of Thrones," the film follows the Horned King's mission to raise an army of the dead. All he needs is this impossible-to-find, all-powerful black cauldron.

A hopeful warrior, Taran, sets out to stop him. On his journey, he's joined by a magical pig, a princess named Eilonwy, and Gurgi, a talking dog-like character who is one of Disney's most underappreciated characters.

It's a shame the film was never popular enough for Princess Eilonwy to get a place among the Disney Princess gang. Before Belle, Ariel, and Mulan, she was the most progressive female lead in a Disney flick, helping Taran escape a castle from the Horned King's clutches. Unfortunately, she probably resembled Aurora from "Sleeping Beauty" too closely.

If you're familiar with Disney's more popular films, you can definitely see some inspiration in "The Black Cauldron" for some future classics, including parallels to the introduction to "Beauty and the Beast" and a background character who looks similar to Esmeralda from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

What happened with this film? Why didn't it work? Well, the original cut of the movie was considered so scary for kids that then-chairman of Walt Disney Studios Jeffrey Katzenberg personally trimmed about 12 minutes from the final movie. Over the years, fans have tried to piece some together. If available, Disney should just put the original version of the film on Disney Plus. Give fans the content that originally was deemed too dark to see the light of day under some bonus features.

Yes, "Cinderella" is a trilogy. And though it's the third film in the series, it's the most exciting adventure of all three, making Cindy feel like a genuine hero.

How can Cinderella be like an "Avengers" movie? Imagine the evil stepmother getting her hands on the Infinity Gauntlet and snapping her fingers to turn back time and prevent Cinderella from ever meeting and marrying the prince. That's what she does here, except the Infinity Gauntlet is the Fairy Godmother's wand.

With no recollection of the past being changed, Cinderella now has to prevent her step-sister Anastasia from marrying her true love and win the heart of the prince in a completely new way. It's a great "what-if" version of the fairy-tale and it would be a fun road for Disney to take with other classics. They're already turning the concept into a Marvel Disney Plus series.

If you're a fan of llamas and missed the 2000 movie, this is the next film you need to watch.

"The Emperor's New Groove" gives "Beauty and the Beast" a run for its money as a spoiled and selfish leader gets turned into a llama. The biggest difference is that he doesn't hold a young woman prisoner to break the spell. Instead, he befriends a villager (John Goodman) who is the only one who can help him retake his kingdom and learn some humility in the process.

Kronk and Yzma will become two of your new favorite Disney villains. Don't be surprised if your kids start entering rooms by yelling out "Boom Baby!"