Register  |  Sign In
View unanswered posts | View active topics It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 4:24 am



Reply to topic  [ 86 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next
 Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs 
Author Message
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
I made a list back in 2016 before the release of Moana. Not only have many Disney movies been released since then, but I've seen more old Disney films and my opinions have changed on many of the songs I ranked previously. From Snow White to Encanto, Disney has revolutionized music in film for 85 years. I'll also be expanding eligibility to Pixar and other things I did not include last time

To be continued


Last edited by zwackerm on Thu Feb 03, 2022 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.



Tue Feb 01, 2022 10:44 am
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 100 Disney Songs
Cool

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Tue Feb 01, 2022 2:40 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 100 Disney Songs
Any suggestions for things to check out before finalizing the list? I'm limiting it to theatrical films, so no songs from DTV or Disney channel movies. Any other song from a film released by Buena Vista is eligible


Wed Feb 02, 2022 2:48 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
Shortened the list to a top 50. Felt restrictive, but I was struggling to get to 100 songs I felt passionate about. Number 50 should come soon.


Thu Feb 03, 2022 4:01 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
50. Happy Working Song
From the Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Enchanted (2007)
Sung by Giselle
Performed by Amy Adams
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz




For the first song to make the list, we have one of five original songs from the comedic parody musical film Enchanted. Alan Menken would be tapped a few times to write music for 21st century Disney films, but with Enchanted it would be the only time he would approach the brilliance of his 90's heyday. Happy Working Song is a parody of such songs as Whistle While You Work and A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, where the protagonist sings and a bunch of animals come to help her complete her chores. In addition to masterfully pointing out the ridiculousness of this trope, the song itself is incredibly catchy and makes expert use of Adams' dynamic full singing voice. The bridge of the song takes on a more serious note as Gisele ponders the strange new place she is in, and highlights again her greatest desire, to marry Prince Edward. It's a really good character development song as well as delivering a good degree of comedy and singability that it made the very end of this list.


Thu Feb 03, 2022 4:31 pm
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
I still have to see Enchanted before the sequel

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Thu Feb 03, 2022 4:33 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
49. Touch the Sky
From the Pixar Animation Studios Motion Picture Brave (2012)
Performed by Julie Fowlis
Music by Alex Mandel Lyrics by Alex Mandal and Mark Andrews




I tend not to be a fan of songs in Disney films that are not sung by the characters, as will be evidenced by the forthcoming entries on the list. But every time I watch Brave, the opening sequence of Merida adventuring in the Scottish countryside is breathtaking and gorgeous on its own. But this song recorded for the film by folk singer Julie Fowlis, perfectly captures Merida's adventurous spirit in musical form. By the end of the sequence the viewer can fully understand exactly why Merida is so hesitant to be married off, she'd have to potentially give up experiences like that in the above video.


Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:37 pm
Profile
Don't Dream It, Be It
User avatar

Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:45 pm
Posts: 37152
Location: The Graveyard
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
Good first picks. I'll listen to Touch the Sky from time to time. It's also a really good song to use in a dance or skate routine (think Disney on Ice).

_________________
Japan Box Office

“Gods are great ... but the heart is greater. For it is from our hearts they come, and to our hearts they shall return.”
“We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.”
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.”
"Paper is dead without words / Ink idle without a poem / All the world dead without stories."


Thu Feb 03, 2022 6:13 pm
Profile WWW
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
48. Into the Unknown
From the Walt Disney Animation Studios Motion Picture Frozen 2 (2019)
Sung by Elsa and the Voice
Performed by Idina Menzel and AURORA
Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez




This song was unfairly compared to Let It Go when it came out, in my opinion. It does not top Let it Go, but I think its a very different song that deserves to be appreciated outside of that song's shadow. Firstly, the subject matter of not knowing what to do about the voice she is hearing is completely different from that song's message of being who you are truly, rather than allow yourself to be pressured into being someone else. My favorite part of this song is the end, where the voice sings the "ah-ah, ah-ah" motif, and Elsa matches it. The way their voices harmonize is one of the greatest moments in a Disney song ever. It reminded me greatly of the end of the song "Poor Unfortunate Souls" from The Little Mermaid where Ariel is singing her own "ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah" motif. I also thought the visuals in the song were excellent, with the light at the end being incredibly creatively animated. Overall, any song that followed up Let It Go had a tall order to fill, and I think Into the Unknown does a bang up job.


Fri Feb 04, 2022 11:06 am
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
47. Almost There
From the Walt Disney Animation Studios Motion Picture The Princess and the Frog (2009)
Sung by Tiana
Performed by Anika Noni Rose
Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman




Tiana's I Want song from The Princess and the Frog is a grower. When the film was released, the soundtrack was dismissed largely as a formulaic shadow of the studio's past successes. But the jazz sound of the song coupled with it's stylized animation for Tiana's fantasy sequence makes this a standout years later. It's a short song, but it's simple and catchy melody helps it leave an impact, along with a strong build into some high notes that show off Rose's killer vocals. It's also unique from a content perspective, as Tiana's goal is so diametrically opposed to previous I want songs. Even songs like Belle (Reprise) and Just Around the Riverbend talk ambiguously of adventure, that ends up being well, a romantic relationship. While Tiana finds love by the end of the film, she is set apart from other protagonists, at least in 2009, as that not being her primary goal.


Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:49 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
46. Mother Knows Best
From the Walt Disney Animation Studios Motion Picture Tangled (2010)
Sung by Mother Gothel
Performed by Donna Murphy
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Glenn Slater





In one of Menken's weaker but still decent scores, Mother Knows Best manages to be one of the stronger villain songs in the Disney pantheon. It covers similar ground as both Frollo's verses from Out There (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) and Stay With Me from the Sondheim musical and fellow Disney production Into the Woods, with the protagonist's captor, posing as a parent figure, lies about why they must stay inside. The original version of Mother Knows Best is solid enough, with a dreamy comedic performance by Murphy. But the real strength of the song comes out in the reprise, performed later as Gothel gaslights Rapunzel into believing she is crazy to think Flynn could love her. While the audience is aware of Gothel's villainy for the entire film, unlike the twist villains of later Disney films, it is incredibly entertaining and exciting to watch her fly off the handle and embrace full villainy as the third act of the film begins.


Fri Feb 04, 2022 2:17 pm
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
Into the Unknown is great

Mother Knows Best is the last real villain song I believe, weird they went so many movies in a row without one

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Fri Feb 04, 2022 2:52 pm
Profile
The Kramer
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am
Posts: 23695
Location: Classified
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
Love Is An Open Door is a villain song.


Fri Feb 04, 2022 2:56 pm
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
Borderline, it would have been if they gave him a few more sinister moments when she wasn't looking or something or revealed his villainy at the end.

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Fri Feb 04, 2022 2:59 pm
Profile
The Kramer
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:36 am
Posts: 23695
Location: Classified
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
Disguising his villain song as a party song sums up the Hans character perfectly though. At that point you're supposed to think the Duke of Weaseltown is the villain. Revealing himself too early would have hurt the story.


Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:03 pm
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
He definitely wasn't about to say sandwiches

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:23 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
Also Shiny is a villain song.


Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:26 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
45. Let It Go
From the Walt Disney Animation Studios Motion Picture Frozen (2013)
Sung by Elsa
Performed by Idina Menzel
Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez




This one has been hurt by overexposure for me, but not enough to take it off this list, as its incredibly easy to see where the appeal on this one is. I prefer the verses and bridge for their more complex musical structure, as opposed to the chorus's standard 3 note upward run. The lyrics are also clever, who would have thought that you would hear the word "fractal" in a Disney song? Menzel can belt, but her performance of this song is actually one of the weaker renditions compared to vocalists in the foreign language recordings. All in all, a standout moment that singlehandedly catapulted the Disney Animation studio back to dominance. But unlike higher entries on this list, it has been hurt too much by overexposure to be among my absolute favorites.


Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:33 pm
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
I always liked For the First Time in Forever and Do You Want to be a Snowman more, but yes, overexposure hasn't helped

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Fri Feb 04, 2022 4:08 pm
Profile
Don't Dream It, Be It
User avatar

Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2006 12:45 pm
Posts: 37152
Location: The Graveyard
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
I adore Almost There. I don't know where it'd rank for me exactly, but I feel it'd be an easy Top 20.

Mother Knows Best is fun.

_________________
Japan Box Office

“Gods are great ... but the heart is greater. For it is from our hearts they come, and to our hearts they shall return.”
“We were like gods at the dawning of the world, & our joy was so bright we could see nothing else but the other.”
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.”
"Paper is dead without words / Ink idle without a poem / All the world dead without stories."


Fri Feb 04, 2022 4:21 pm
Profile WWW
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
That will be the last entry until Sunday...


Fri Feb 04, 2022 5:06 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
44. Zero to Hero
From the Walt Disney Animation Studios Motion Picture Hercules (1997)
Sung by The Muses
Performed by Lillias White, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan and Vanéese Y. Thomas
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by David Zippel




The Hercules soundtrack would be nothing without the Muses. The gospel sound is a surprising match with the Greek setting, and the songs they sing to link the acts of the film do a wonderful job of filling the viewer in on events that cover a broad span of time. While the song's account of the labors of Hercules resembles the original story not at all, there is much clever wordplay and just an infectious energy that makes the listener more than ready for what the remainder of the film will contain.


Mon Feb 07, 2022 12:00 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
43. Friend Like Me
From the Walt Disney Animation Studios Motion Picture Aladdin (1992)
Sung by The Genie
Performed by Robin Williams
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Howard Ashman




It's a real shame that Williams' songs from Aladdin are unavailable on streaming services, but Friend Like Me is so enhanced by its animation that you can't get the full experience anyway. Friend Like ME is so iconic that it has inspired many subsequent fantasy musical sequences such as You're Welcome and Surface Pressure. It's also got a very memorable melody and the opening notes are about as synonymous with the film Aladdin as anything else from the film. While not the best song from the film, Friend Like Me is often what is pointed to when people say "Disney just doesn't make songs like that anymore" and one that many songs since have been compared to.


Mon Feb 07, 2022 12:46 pm
Profile
Devil's Advocate
User avatar

Joined: Sun Jul 31, 2005 2:30 am
Posts: 37886
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
I think that's fair, as a song it might be slightly overrated and below several other Aladdin ones

_________________
Shack’s top 50 tv shows - viewtopic.php?f=8&t=90227


Mon Feb 07, 2022 2:45 pm
Profile
Hold the door!

Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 20301
Location: Where they shot Knock at the Cabin
Post Re: Zwackerm's Updated List of the Top 50 Disney Songs
42. Under the Sea
From the Walt Disney Animation Studios Motion Picture The Little Mermaid (1989)
Sung by Sebastian
Performed by Samuel Wright
Music by Alan Menken Lyrics by Howard Ashman




This was another overexposed one for me, but since I avoided listening to it for so long it has crept back up my list of favorites. The melody here is so inventive and catchy, and set the stage for the more lavish and big musical numbers to come in films that would come after. The best part of the song is the bridge where all the musical fish are given their moment to shine, though obviously the "blackfish" could be offensive by todays standards. One of the first songs I learned all the words to as a kid, and I definitely prided myself on getting all the words correct as they speed up near the end.


Mon Feb 07, 2022 4:38 pm
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic   [ 86 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3, 4  Next

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 14 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
cron
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.
Designed by STSoftware for PTF.