A
star was born in the 1930’s when Walt Disney produced his first
animated feature. The movie was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the
music was outstanding. Today, the Disney Corporation has expanded to
one of the biggest in the world, but the original music soundtracks are
few and far between. The long lived Academy Award category for Best
Original Song may even be lost in the near future. Here is a list of
some great Disney songs and movie moments.
10. Hercules (1997)
Hercules is the 35th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. The
film is based on the legendary Greek mythology hero Heracles, the son of Zeus, in Greek
mythology. The soundtrack consisted of original music written by composer Alan
Menken and lyricist David Zippel. The title track of the production is Go the Distance,
performed by Roger Bart in the film and by Michael Bolton in the end credits. It was
nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe
Go The Distance
I Won't Say (I'm in Love)
9. Dumbo (1941)
Dumbo is the 4th film in the Walt Disney Animated series. It was released
during World War II. The story is based on a child's book of the same
name by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl. At 64 minutes, it
is one of Disney's shortest animated features. The original music soundtrack
is great and extremely unique. Dumbo has an intriguing story of love and
friendship. The most well known tune is Baby Mine performed by Betty
Noyes.
Baby Mine
Pink Elephants on Parade
When I See an Elephant Fly
8. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is musical film produced by Disney which
combines live action and animation. It is based on the book The Magic Bed
Knob by Mary Norton. The movie stars Angela Lansbury and David
Tomlinson. The plot revolves around an apprentice witch, three Cockney
war evacuees, and an illusionist conman who travel on a magic bed across
war-torn England and beyond, encountering various inhabitants of London,
football-playing cartoon animals, and Nazi invaders. The soundtrack
includes 12 original songs. The most famous being The Age of Not
Believing, Portobello Road, and Substitutiary Locomotion.
The Beautiful Briny
Substitutiary Locomotion
The Age of Not Believing
7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the 34th film in the Disney Animated series. The plot
centers on the Gypsy dancer, Esmeralda and Claude Frollo, a powerful and ruthless
minister of justice who lusts after her. Quasimodo is Notre Dame's kind-hearted but
deformed bell-ringer, who adores Esmeralda. It is noted as being one of the few Disney
films to feature adult themes and situations. The songs for the film were composed by
Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz. The music in this production is different from
most Disney animated movies. Some of the selections have more of a dark tone, but the
writing and musical composition is unmatched.
Hellfire
God Help The Outcasts
The Bells of Notre Dame
6. The Little Mermaid (1989)
The Little Mermaid is the 28th film in the Disney Animated series. The
story is based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name.
It follows Ariel, a 16 year old mermaid princess who is dissatisfied with life
under the sea and curious about the human world. With her best fish friend
Flounder, Ariel collects human artifacts and goes to the surface of the
ocean to explore. This film marked the start of a series of Disney animated
hits. Alan Menken wrote the Academy Award winning score, and
collaborated with Howard Ashman on the songs. As of February 2007, the
album is certified 6x Platinum.
Part of Your World
Kiss The Girl
Under The Sea
5. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stop motion fantasy film. Walt
Disney Pictures decided to release the film under their Touchstone Pictures banner
because they thought Nightmare would be "too dark and scary for kids.” It tells the
story of Jack Skellington, a being from Halloween Town who opens a portal to
Christmas Town. The soundtrack was composed by Danny Elfman and was nominated
for the 1993 Golden Globe for best original score. This is a film that can be enjoyed by
people of all ages and the musical collection is great. The up pace tempo and lyrical
selection really helps transport this film into something special.
This is Halloween
Jack's Lament
What's This
4. The Jungle Book (1967)
The Jungle Book is the 19th feature in the Disney Animated series. It was inspired by the
stories about the feral child Mowgli from the book of the same name by Rudyard
Kipling. It begins when Mowgli is found in a basket as a baby in the deep jungles of
Madhya Pradesh, India. It was the last movie to be produced by Walt Disney, who died
during its production. Most of the songs featured on the soundtrack were written by
Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman. The score featured 8 original tracks,
including the massively successful The Bare Necessities and I Wanna Be Like You.
This soundtrack is one of the most educational and is great for kids.
The Bare Necessities
I Wanna Be Like You
Trust In Me
3. Aladdin (1992)
Aladdin is the 31st film in the Disney Animated series. The story is based on the Arab
folktale of Aladdin and the magic lamp from One Thousand and One Nights. It was one
of the most critically acclaimed Disney pictures and is noted as being one of the first
animated features to use the voice of a celebrity (Robin Williams as the Genie).
Composer Alan Menken and songwriters Howard Ashman and Tim Rice created the
original soundtrack. The album won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for
Best Original Score. All of the character actors showcase their voices in the film,
including Williams. The films love ballad A Whole New World has become the most
famous tune.
A Whole New World
Prince Ali
Friend Like Me
2. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Beauty and the Beast is the 30th film in the Disney Animated series. The movie is based
on the fairy tale La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. The story
centers around a beautiful young woman named Belle who is kept in a castle by a
horrific beast. The creature is a former prince that must win Belle's love or he will
remain a beast forever. It is the only full-length animated feature film to ever be
nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. The music for the film was
composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who also worked on The Little
Mermaid. The movie features many wonderful songs including Be our Guest, Gaston,
Belle, and the title track Beauty and the Beast. The album won the Academy Award and
Golden Globe for Best Original Score. Beauty and the Beast was Disney’s first
animated movie to reach $100 million at the domestic box-office (over 400 million
worldwide).
Beauty And The Beast
Be Our Guest
Belle
Gaston
1. The Lion King (1994)
The Lion King is the 32nd film in the Disney Animated series. The story was strongly
influenced by the William Shakespeare play Hamlet. It takes place and follows the life
of a kingdom of animals in Africa. The mix of incredible animation and great music
helped make this film the highest grossing animated feature of all time until the release
of Finding Nemo. The soundtrack contains songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice.
The score was composed by Hans Zimmer. It won every international award and has
managed to sell over 10 million copies in the U.S. It is the biggest selling soundtrack
created for an animated feature. The opening scene of the movie featuring the song
Circle of Life is incredible. The album spawned many hits including the love ballad Can
You Feel The Love Tonight and the fun loving Hakuna Matata.
Circle of Life
Can You Feel The Love Tonight
Hakuna Matata
