My Top 10 Favorite Disney Songs

The Disney Universe has to be one of the most beloved and vast properties ever created. If you think about it, the first full-length animated feature to be released was Snow White & The Seven Dwarves back in 1937. 

In the decades since, many generations have grown to fall in love with many Disney films and despite those decades, quite a few of these films have endured and maintained a high level of popularity and esteem...or, at the very least, a sense of warm nostalgia. 

Having been born in the late 1980s, I came in right at the early years of the Disney Renaissance which led to some of the most iconic animated films ever made such as:

1989: The Little Mermaid

1991: Beauty & the Beast

1992: Aladdin

1994: The Lion King

This resurgence was so impactful that the success of Beauty & the Beast led it to being the first and only animated film to receive a Best Picture nomination at a time when only five films could be nominated. 

*SIDE NOTE: Even after they increased the nominees to range from 8-10 in the last 12 years or so, only 2 animated films have managed Best Picture nominations: Up and Toy Story 3. That is truly a shame when other highly praised animated efforts like Inside Out and Soul got the shaft from the still seemingly intense animation bias*

A lot of the big success of the Disney Renaissance came from the fact that they were films modeled by a traditional Broadway Musical structure with scores written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, the team who had found immense success creating the iconic 1980s off-Broadway classic Little Shop of Horrors. 

With The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, and Aladdin, they truly transformed the downtrodden studio and on a strictly personal level, made mine and many others of my age group, have a very memorable childhood.

Even prior to the Renaissance, Disney had a history of creating truly iconic songs for their films and that is going to be my main focus for today's post.

Narrowing the list down to 10 is going to be a particularly difficult process, but I am currently stuck at my office on a slow day and need the distraction. Stressing over a list of Disney songs sounds far more appealing than making sure a bunch of people have the perfect kind of peanut butter (don't ask...)

Also, I am going to try my best to give this list some variety by limiting the movies featured. I just wanted to spread the wealth with the songs, but in the end, I have chosen two songs from 3 different movies (that includes my honorable mentions as well).

So, let's get this started. Here are my top 10 favorite Disney songs, plus 5 Honorable Mentions:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

- When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio)

-A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Cinderella)

- Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid)

- I Just Can't Wait to be King (The Lion King)

- Hellfire (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)

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#10 - SUPERCALAFRAGALISTICEXPIALADOCIOUS

Mary Poppins (1964)

The Sherman Brothers

There are very few songs in the Disney canon...or just in the world of musicals in general...that are quite as jubilant and joyous as this one.

I can recall having to sing it in music class in Elementary school and it was one of the only songs that seemed to excite my classmates to sing...as often was the case that most people hated to even be in that class.

Even as a sequence, I can only imagine that the green screen effects and the blending of animation and live-action were quite the feast for the eyes back in 1964.

Ignoring the infamous accent work of Dick van Dyke, he is a true delight in this and his chemistry with Julie Andrews is off the charts. 

It is crazy to think this was Andrews' feature film debut and that it would go on to net her an Oscar.

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#9 - CIRCLE OF LIFE 

The Lion King (1994)

John/Rice

This is a song that I don't exactly listen to often...but I felt like I just had to include it.

Why so?

This has got to be one of the best openings to a film ever.

It also would lead to one of the best opening numbers of a Broadway musical ever...although I will still say that I never felt the Broadway musical was that impressive aside from most of its technical aspects and certain cast members.

*SIDE NOTE: For you fellow musical theatre geeks out there, I still say Ragtime was robbed of the Tony. Full stop.*

Nevertheless, this is simply a very powerful opening number.

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#8 - CANDLE ON THE WATER

Pete's Dragon (1977)

Do I actually like Pete's Dragon as a film?

Some people honestly hate it and think it is one of the worst films Disney ever released.

While I might not go that far, I do think this is one of those films that is rather enjoyable though not exactly well made by any means.

The film's crown jewel was that of Helen Reddy, the Aussie pop icon who was most famous for her feminist anthem "I Am Woman". 

Reddy, who sadly passed away in 2020, has such a distinctive and truly charming voice. She sings throughout the film in various songs, but it is when she climbs to the top of the lighthouse and sings about how she longs for her fiancé Paul to return after having been lost at sea for a whole year. 

"Candle on the Water" is one of those songs that is on the brink of being kind of cheesy simply due to the metaphor of a title it has, but the lovely melody and the tender voice of Reddy made this a song that I have loved from quite some time.

Sometimes, I sort of forget about the song but whenever it crosses my mind, I can't help but smile and then rush to listen to it.

It never ceases to make me feel all warm and fuzzy...despite its sad undertone.

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#7 - GOD HELP THE OUTCASTS 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Menken/Schwartz

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When it comes to the films of the Disney Renaissance, I usually would dim my admiration towards all of the films following The Lion King.

However, a recent rewatch of The Hunchback of Notre Dame proved to be a bit of a pleasant surprise.

While this version rather understandably erases the truly tragic ending devised by Victor Hugo, I am still kind of amazed by the darker and more mature themes that Hunchback had.

Frollo as a villain, in particular, was simply dark and disturbing. "Hellfire" (which got an honorable mention) is one of those villain songs that has seemed to gather more esteem over time, and I think it deserves a lot of praise for being such a dark number in a Disney animated film.

Though I am choosing to single out "God Help the Outcasts" for two very simple reasons:

1) It is gorgeous in terms of its melody.

2) Its message is rather profound.

In fact, a lot of the lyrics strike close to home...especially if you want to tie it into the whole Evangelical Right nonsense happening in the political world today.

"God help the outcasts, the tattered, the torn

Seeking an answer to why they were born

Winds of misfortune have blown them about

You made the outcasts, don't cast them out

The poor and unlucky, the weak and the odd

I thought we all were children of God"

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#6 - A WHOLE NEW WORLD 

Aladdin (1992)

Menken/Rice

With the release of Encanto last year, an obsession arose around the score written by Lin Manuel Miranda...but the obsession was especially strong over the song "We Don't Talk About Bruno".

The popularity was so strong that it ended up becoming the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100...not even "Let it Go" from Frozen managed that. 

The Encanto effort has become the biggest selling Disney single of all time and the first song to become #1 since Aladdin's "A Whole New World".

The biggest difference is that Bruno was the actual single from the movie. With "A Whole New World", it was the duet cover done by Regina Belle and Peabo Bryson.

Regardless, there is no denying the instant iconic status that the song received no matter which version you were listening to. I was only 4 when the film came out and around 5 when it finally came out on VHS. 

I still recall the song being everywhere and it became so popular so fast that the Honors Choir that my sister was singing with in the spring of 1993 actually sang the song because it was already so popular despite the fact it had only been released 4-5 months before.

It is a song that has become something of a cliche but is also one of those songs that has such a high level of whimsy and charm that I can't help but fall in love with the song all over again.

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#5 - YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME 

Toy Story (1995)

Randy Newman

The Toy Story movies were sneakily a deeper part of my soul than I ever expected...which was evidenced when I went to see Toy Story 3 in theaters and that the final third of the movie managed to leave me a sobbing mess. 

I am not kidding. I came close to having to pull over when driving on the highway back home still reeling from how much it affected me.

I grew up on Toy Story. When the first movie came out in 1995, I was 7 years old...and seemingly around the same age as the Andy character. 

There are a lot of things to love about this film series...particularly the level of writing. The first one was also the first animated film to receive a Screenplay nomination...but this was also the first film I can recall seeing with a score by Randy Newman.

While the work of Randy Newman these days seems to be coasting on relative Autopilot, this very simple song about friendship manages to always put me back into an instant place of childhood nostalgia. 

I think it is a shame that Newman lost this Oscar...especially when he lost it to another song from the world of Disney: "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas, a song that is fine from a movie that is rather weak.

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#4 - THE BARE NECESSITIES 

The Jungle Book (1967)

Terry Gilkyson

The same composing team who often wrote for the Disney movies of this era, the Sherman Brothers, were brought into The Jungle Book when it was deemed that the work of Folk singer/songwriter Terry Gilkyson was too dark for the film.

However, one song of his remained: The Bare Necessities.

Despite the obvious talent of the Sherman Brothers, I think that their best work came from other films and there is a reason that this particular song stood out and managed to get a Best Song nomination (which it inexplicably lost to "Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Doolittle).

Despite its upbeat arrangement, the song does have a little bit of a moodier edgier sound than a lot of the other Disney tunes from that era...not to mention, it does have a very fun lyrical pattern.

While it may not exactly rhyme, I do love the flow of rhyming "necessities" with "rest at ease".

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#3 - FEED THE BIRDS 

Mary Poppins (1964)

The Sherman Brothers

There are always those particular songs that whenever they would come onscreen as a kid that you would be compelled to fast forward through.

I can still remember my mother and sister showing me Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory for the first time and them fast forwarding through "Cheer Up Charlie" as they deemed it far too dull. Amazingly, I have learned I was not the only one who had that experience.

In the case of "Feed the Birds", I don't recall ever fast forwarding the VHS, but I do remember finding the song rather stuffy and little creepy as a kid.

It wasn't until I was in college and, for whatever reason, my acting teacher was talking about movie musicals and the topic of Julie Andrews came up. He asked me to think about what my favorite musical moment of hers was in a film...and after a moment of recollection, I was surprised when "Feed the Birds" was what I settled on.

It is no surprise that Walt Disney responded so strongly to this song. Its message is rather sweet, but the arrangement/melody has to be one of the most haunting from the Disney canon.

This is the second song from Mary Poppins on this list...and I made that exception as I actually consider it to be my favorite Disney movie.

Here is the clip from the film with Dame Julie Andrews singing the song as a lullaby to Jane and Michael:

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#2 - UNDER THE SEA 

The Little Mermaid (1989)

Menken/Ashman

This would be the first Best Song win for Alan Menken and Howard Ashman...and with it, we got the beginning of the Disney Renaissance.

The Little Mermaid was the saving grace for the Animation Dept at Disney and a lot of that success rested not just on the animation team but the shoulders of Menken and Ashman...particularly the storytelling genius of Ashman.

The whole score to Little Mermaid is sublime. 

"Part of Your World", which almost met the fate of the cutting room floor, is one of the best ballads in Disney history.

"Kiss The Girl" is an enchanting and truly sly romantic piece.

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" is one of the more iconic villain songs of all time.

And then you have "Under the Sea", perhaps the more boring choice but I can't deny that I have always loved this song. Everything about is simply so infectious and the truly brilliant lyrical work of Ashman is on full display here.

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#1 - BE OUR GUEST

Beauty & the Beast (1991)

Menken/Ashman

While I basically debated through dozens of songs and swapped out several, there was one song that remained pretty strong and that was "Be Our Guest".

I knew from the moment I started this list that it would be my #1 choice.

I can remember watching Beauty and the Beast for the first time...and although it would take me until I was a little older to acknowledge that it was fantastic and perhaps the best animated film from the Disney Renaissance era, I distinctly remember being entranced by "Be Our Guest" as a sequence and as a tune.

I didn't quite understand all of the lyrics of course (considering I was only 3 when it was in theaters and 4 when it came out on VHS), but there was a certain buoyancy to it I adored to the point where I would want to watch the sequence over and over again.

And while I may not have gotten the meaning of a lot of the fanciful lyrics, it was the first time I can recall taking notice of rhyming within lyrics. 

It is a relatively simple song and premise that was equally made better by how it was presented onscreen. I could easily make the argument that "Be Our Guest" was the major deciding factor in me finding a love for big flashy musical numbers and taking an interest in looking at some older movie musicals at the recommendation of my grandparents, which then lead to my obsession with that of Judy Garland.

And now, Art Isn't Easy proudly presents, "Be Our Guest":

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

This was sort of harder than I thought.

I think some of these songs could interchange and a few that I didn't even mention would warrant some attention. 

I think this is a topic that would certainly get a lot of debate.

And yes, it felt good to have this list not include anything from Frozen.

......ugh.