Which Disney Animated Classics Have the Best Music?
When you think about Disney animated movies, you can’t help but get some of the songs in your head. Since the very first full-length animated motion picture, catchy tunes have been a part of the story. Which movie has the best ones? It’s impossible to say, as everyone’s got their favorites. But I am about to tell you mine. Here are the nine Disney animated classics that I think have the best music.
9. The Princess and the Frog
I’m not going to lay out any ground rules here. This list is for the Disney films that I think have the best music, which is an individual taste thing. Keeping that in mind, the first movie that I’m mentioning would be in the conversation in a neutral evaluation as well.
The Princess and the Frog’s candidacy as a movie with terrific music is extremely strong. Every year, the Academy Awards nominations include five different entries in the category of Best Song. Disney’s animated release earned two selections in 2010 for Almost There and Down in New Orleans. They’re both magical and embody the best parts of the New Orleans musical scene.
While The Princess and the Frog isn’t generally listed on Best of Disney Animation lists, I’ll say this. Its combination of villain, music, and protagonist rivals anything that Disney has ever done. As such, this one’s a hidden gem.
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas
I kind of wish that I’d recorded a time-lapse video of my rankings for this list. If I’d used a pen and paper, there would have been a lot of erasing and scratching out numbers. I changed my mind and re-ranked the entries so often that one of them, The Nightmare Before Christmas, fell from the top three to eighth place. And I’m not even sure how that happened. Oogie Boogie’s Song and This Is Halloween are both perfect tens.
I’ve been listening to my favorite songs as I’ve done the rankings. What I’ve realized more than anything is that Disney’s mastery of music is unparalleled in the history of cinema. I started writing by debating whether or not The Nightmare Before Christmas SHOULD WIN, and it wound up in eighth. This happened despite the fact that I think This Is Halloween makes my short list for best overall Disney song.
Eventually, I realized that while I love two songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas passionately, it’s thinner than the other titles listed here. My wife’s going to smother me in my sleep for saying that, and I accept my fate. But here’s what I’ll cordially invite all of you to do. Play your favorite Disney music and then try to come up with a list. I’m convinced that it’s a mood thing. This entire list could have been entirely different if I’d written it on another day.
7. Aladdin
This is a brutal exercise, as it feels like I’m insulting a friend whenever I rank something lower. Aladdin is another film that took a beating from the original rankings, as I had it in the conversation for the top three.
The music from Aladdin is, of course, one of its true strengths. Three of the songs have stood the test of time. Prince Ali, Friend Like Me, and A Whole New World are all undeniable masterpieces. If anything, the fact that this movie doesn’t rank higher on this list is a backhanded compliment. It could easily make a list of all-time best soundtracks yet it struggles to stand apart from other Disney classics. You’re right to love Disney, everybody!
6. Moana
I’m a veteran of list-making, which means that I’ve learned over the years about the most likely mistakes in this field. The worst one is recency, giving more credit to newer stuff. I’m allowing for that right now as I rank Moana in sixth place.
What I’ll say with complete sincerity is that the music in this film triggers me as anything has in 20 years. I toyed with ranking it as high as second because of how much it moves me. Thematically, Moana might be the best job that Disney’s ever done in incorporating music with storytelling. We Know the Way, Where You Are, and How Far I’ll Go are all masterpieces that are catchy but also critical to the plot. And You’re Welcome is just plain fun.
5. Frozen
Again, recency is an issue here. I didn’t want to slot a newer film ahead of classics until I’m certain that it’s stood the test of time. And despite the fact that Frozen music has been ubiquitous for several years now, it’s still grrrrrrreat.
Let’s take a quick list at memorable tracks. There’s Love Is an Open Door, Do You Want to Build a Snowman?, In Summer, and the obvious one. Yes, I’m talking about Let It Go, inarguably the most famous Disney song of the 21st century.
Something I admire about Frozen Ever After as a ride is that it highlights several of these instant classics. I love to do singalongs of several Frozen songs, but I must be honest that recency is also a negative for this one. Like many people, I got a bit tired of Let It Go, and I think that’s holding me back a bit from ranking it higher.
4. Lilo & Stitch
At no point did I say that I’m ranking Disney movies based on their original music. Based on these criteria, I’d have to insult Elvis to rank Lilo & Stitch lower on this list. Folks, I live in Tennessee. I can’t do that. I’d get chased out of the state.
Seriously, one of the most charming aspects of the film is that an alien genetic monstrosity is capable of playing Suspicious Minds like a record player. By the end of the film, he’s good enough on the guitar to play a dazzling rendition of Burning Love. The incorporation of Elvis music throughout the movie is a clever conceit utilized perfectly.
I’d still feel guilty about ranking Lilo & Stitch this high if not for its masterpiece. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride as a musical piece is so good that I listen to it regularly while I work out. In terms of its movie usage, it’s a brilliant demonstration of the simple pleasure of spending a day at the beach with loved ones. This scene is among my favorites of the 2000s, as it’s the purest kind of Disney magic. It deftly blends music and visuals to create an unforgettable scene that makes me happy whenever I watch it.
Oh, and the He Mele No Lilo introductory scene is marvelous, too. Love Lilo & Stitch the way that my family does, my friends. Join my ‘ohana.
3. Beauty and the Beast
I suspect that my #3 and #2 entries would be the films in most people’s debates for Disney movies with the best music. I have a different favorite, but I admire these classics nonetheless. Angela Lansbury’s captivating, hypnotic rendition of the title track and Be Our Guest (understandably) get most of the attention these days, but the entire soundtrack is marvelous.
Something There is one of the better “maybe I’m falling in love” ballads in Disney history. The Mob Song is cheeky and dark by classic animated movie standards. And Gaston is one of the strangest celebrations of narcissism ever. And while I’m not counting it in this discussion, Luke Evans deserves a ton of credit for absolutely nailing his performance of it in the live-action remake. To a larger point, one of the running themes here is that I give movies a lot of credit for great bad guy theme songs. It’s an underrated art that Disney has mastered.
2. The Lion King
My favorite on this list has largely stayed the same as I’ve changed everything else. The Lion King, on the other hand, was behind Beauty and the Beast at first. Then, while I was writing something else, I heard that first unforgettable sound from Circle of Life. I knew I had to flip them because that one harmonious piece of world music is like a scream from the heavens about the genius of this entire soundtrack.
Picking a favorite song from The Lion King borders on impossible in and of itself. The short list would be Can You Feel the Love Tonight, I Just Can’t Wait to Be King, Be Prepared, Circle of Life, and Hakuna Matata. For most people, those last two titles would be where the debate lies, but I’m in awe of I Just Can’t Wait to Be King. It’s a remarkably savage bit of foreshadowing, but it’s so sweet and optimistic that nobody ever thinks about the sad part.
1. The Little Mermaid
Again, this is my list of favorites. I fully understand and actually expect that your list would be entirely different. For me, none of the other entries that I’ve listed here would exist without The Little Mermaid, the movie that revived Disney animation from its deathbed. And the songs from this film make me happy. It’s that simple.
I’m not someone who wanders around belting out Disney tunes as a rule. However, I cannot help but say “I’ve got 20” whenever I come to that magical moment in Part of Your World. Similarly, I adore the shameless villainy of Poor Unfortunate Souls and Les Poissons (which is admittedly only marginally a song).
For me, what puts The Little Mermaid over the top is the optimism of its upbeat combo, Kiss the Girl and Under the Sea. Let’s be honest here. Beauty and the Beast and Circle of Life are probably the two most recognizable of all Disney songs in the modern era. But Under the Sea is the reason why either one of them exists. Without its singalong wizardry, people would have forgotten their childhood love of Disney. It’s the most important of all Disney songs of the past 50 years.
Then again, you could just ignore everything that I just said and go with the obvious. Part of Your World is my favorite Disney song, so The Little Mermaid wins. Period.
PS: I really wanted to include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. As much as I love Heigh-Ho!, however, the rest of the soundtrack didn’t move me enough. Maybe it’s that recency effect I mentioned earlier that caused me to focus on the “modern” era of Disney movies.