Touchstone Pictures is a distribution label belonging to Disney, usually used for releasing films that didn't exactly fit under their family-friendly Disney label. The label was used from 1984 to 2016 and is currently not in use but many great movies came from it, such as The Color of Money, Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, and Ed Wood.
What counts as being family-friendly when it comes to Disney Plus has been up for debate, with some movies and shows waiting to find a home there. While not all Touchstone Pictures releases are family-friendly enough to be on Disney Plus, many still are. Here are the best of those movies based on their critical scores from Rotten Tomatoes. While some scored a little lower, there are some high-rated movies to be found too.
Three Men And A Little Lady (1990) - 38%
Three Men and a Little Lady was the sequel to the smash-hit movie Three Men and a Baby. It was directed by Emile Ardolino, with Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg, and Tom Selleck returning from the first installment. Mary, the baby from the first movie, is now five but her mother, Sylvia, is set to marry a man who doesn't like Mary. Selleck's character, Peter, has feelings for Sylvia and all of this leads the characters to the U.K. where the wedding is to take place.
Despite the film shooting in New York and the U.K., Danson's scenes were all shot in Los Angeles. He had a family vacation that couldn't be changed, so the production came to him.
Big Business (1988) - 44%
Big Business was directed by Jim Abrahams and stars Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. The two each play a set of twins that are mixed up at birth, with one of each twin going to a different family. One family is wealthy, and one lives in a rural town. Forty years later, the two wealthy sisters own the company where one of the rural sisters works. When one of the wealthy sisters plans to sell the company, the two rural sisters go to stop it.
The film features many near-miss moments where the characters almost meet or are mistaken for the others. While the movie didn't receive strong reviews, the two actresses were applauded for their performances.
Turner & Hooch (1989) - 52%
Turner & Hooch is a buddy cop comedy starring Tom Hanks and directed by Roger Spottiswood. Hanks portrays a police investigator who is about to transfer when a friend of his is murdered. The only witness is his friend's dog, Hooch, and Turner takes him in. At first, they clash, but they slowly start to get along. Despite mixed reviews, the film was a box office success and has remained extremely popular.
The movie showcases some of Hanks' best comedic moments from the 80s and a remake is currently planned for release on Disney Plus.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999) - 68%
10 Things I Hate About You was directed by Gil Junger and stars Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Larisa Oleynik. It follows a teenager named Cameron who wants to date Bianca, but Bianca's father won't let her date unless her older sister does. Her sister, Kat, never dates, so it seems Cameron will never be able to go out with Bianca so a plan comes together that involves the rebellious Patrick taking out Kat so Bianca can date.
It was able to be a fun and hilarious movie, but the characters also grow and learn along the way. It also helped launch the career of Heath Ledger, who was acting in his first American movie, with Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt going on to become stars too. 10 Things I Hate About You remains a very fun movie to watch, bursiting with memorable scenes like Patrick running across the bleachers singing "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" to Kat over the sound system.
Adventures in Babysitting (1987) - 72%
Adventures in Babysitting was the directorial debut of Harry Potter and Home Alone director Chris Columbus. It stars Elisabeth Shue, Keith Coogan, Anthony Rapp, Maia Brewton, and Bradley Whitford. The movie tells the story of three teenagers and a little kid who end up in a series of problems after simply going out to help a friend.
A TV pilot was later filmed for a series, but the show was not picked up. Disney had talked about a remake for a few years, finally releasing one on Disney Channel in 2016.
Sister Act (1992) - 73%
Sister Act was directed by Emil Ardolino. Whoopi Goldberg stars as a lounge singer who is a witness to a murder and is placed in a convent to hide while she waits to testify. Posing as a nun, she at first feels very out of place. But when the nuns place her in charge of the choir, she finds her place among them and makes the choir famous in the process.
Sister Act was nominated for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes, as well as Best Actress, Musical or Comedy for Goldberg. The film co-stars Maggie Smith, Harvey Keitel, and Bill Nunn. A sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, was released in 1993 and a third movie has been announced for Disney Plus.
Three Men And A Baby (1987) - 75%
Three Men and a Baby was directed by Leonard Nimoy and stars Ted Danson, Steve Guttenberg, and Tom Selleck and portrays three men who have to learn to take care of a baby, who is the love child of Danson's character.
The film was applauded by critics, and it went on to be the highest-grossing movie domestically in 1987. The sequel was released in 1990, and a third film was planned but never materialized with a remake set to be made and released on Disney Plus.
Splash (1984) - 90%
Splash was the third film directed by Ron Howard and still one of his most famous. It stars Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, and John Candy and follows the story of a man who is rescued by a mermaid.
The mermaid takes human form on land and goes to find the man while a scientist hunts after proof that mermaids actually exist. A remake of this beloved movie was in the works but has yet to be made.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - 95%
This classic stop-motion movie was written by Tim Burton and Caroline Thompson and directed by Henry Selick. Unsure if it would be seen as too dark, Disney released it under Touchstone. However, it now frequently appears in Disney Parks.
The visually ambitious movie used 227 different puppets but Tim Burton couldn't direct himself because of the production of Batman Returns and pre-production for Ed Wood. However, the score and songs are as beloved as the movie itself. Danny Elfman wrote the score and songs and also provided the singing voice for Jack Skellington. Some classics from the movie include "This Is Halloween," "What's This?," and "Kidnap the Sandy Claws."
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - 97%
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a live-action/animation hybrid film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It stars Bob Hoskins and Christopher Lloyd, as well as the voices of Charles Fleischer and Kathleen Turner. The film is notable for not only putting many Disney characters on screen with Roger Rabbit, but the Looney Tunes, Fleischer Studios characters, and more too.
Because of mixing the two mediums, the movie's post-production process lasted fourteen months. The hard work paid off, however, and the movie was a commercial and critical success. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning three, and was also given a Special Achievement Award.