FAKE RONJAN!!Countdown: The Best Disney Movie Songs
My son turned four a few weeks ago, and one single obsession has dominated his past year: Disney movies. We've watched them all - Frozen, Moana, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Cinderella, Mulan, Pocahontas. And then we've watched them again, and again, and again.
He's so obsessed that we picked up a copy of Disney Infinity 3.0 (starter pack) for PS4 and a bunch of "toys to life" character figures so he could play a video game where he controls his favorites, like Elsa and Mulan.
So, yeah, Disney has kind of taken over our household. There's bedsheets, towels, dolls, bath toys, Christmas tree ornaments, you name it.
But oh no, it doesn't end inside the household. If we're going for a drive? You better believe we're listening to this (and yes, this is the Spanish version of Moana, as preferred by my son):
So you get the picture. Disney everywhere. No escape.
A key outcome of this is that I've heard a lot of these Disney songs more times this year than I ever thought possible. And once you have collected enough data points with a large sample size, you can confidently start ranking!
So that's exactly what I did! This is my countdown of the top 10 Disney movie songs ... with one huge caveat: only one song per movie can be selected. That broadens the movies that get represented and creates an opportunity to rank within each movie before ranking the best across. A rankception, if you will.
Okay, enough preable. Let's get started!
#10: I Wanna Be Like You (The Jungle Book)
I'm going to be honest - I haven't seen this movie in years. I couldn't tell you a single thing that happens, other than half of the crew ending up on Tale Spin years later. But I've always liked this song! I particularly enjoy the Baloo / King Louie duet at the end.
#9: A Whole New World (Aladdin)
I can hear you saying it. "Already?! Are you crazy?!"
This was a tough call. I honestly only chose this over the more thematically interesting Prince Ali and Friend Like Me because it's my sister's favorite Disney song and she's a scary lawyer. It's a stunning sequence in the movie, and I enjoy the song, but I think the songs coming up later are better. If you don't like it, write a letter to your local Congressperson!
#8: Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)
This was an incredibly tough call between Belle and Gaston. I love how the former sets the table and how impressively long the sequence goes. But Gaston is just hilarious. "And every last inch of me's covered with hair!" "I'm especially good at expectorating!" "I use antlers in all of my decorating!" What a guy. What a song.
#7: Colors of the Wind (Pocahontas)
There's a couple other notable songs in this movie, but Colors of the Wind is a standout as far as I'm concerned. I remember the whole song being a preview in the VHS for The Lion King and I never once fast forwarded it as a child. And today, it is still breathtaking.
#6: Be Prepared (The Lion King)
Speaking of The Lion King, can we all agree that Scar's not so bad? That he's actually possibly maybe the hero of the story? I mean, he ended apartheid in Pride Rock! Give the cat some props!
Anyone?
Okay, well, even if you don't agree with the merits of Scar, his song speaks for itself.
#5: How Far I'll Go (Moana)
This is the newest film on this list, so maybe time will tell on this song's staying power. And this movie has some other amazing songs, especially the ones sung in the Samoan and Tokelauan languages. How Far I'll Go gets the nod because I can't get it out of my head.
#4: Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid)
Yes, I picked this over Part of Your World.
Part of Your World is a fantastic song - it'd easily make this list if I could pick multiple songs per movie. But come on, it's a song about defining the greatness of a society because its "stuff" is "neat", and "they don't reprimand their daughters". I don't want to downplay the historical significance of Ariel's defiance in a Disney movie, but Poor Unfortunate Souls is just a better song.
It's so impressively villainous and I love the build to the climax. And I particularly enjoy Ursula's spike of the ball, "Flotsam, Jetsam, now, I've got her boys! The boss is on a roll!!!!!!" Ursula also takes home the award for "best Disney villain song".
#3: I'll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan)
Oh man, this song. I love it, love it, love it so much. I still get chills at the end when Mulan makes the climb and the ragtag group becomes a top-notch army.
An honorable mention goes to the wordless "I'm going to cut my hair, take the family sword, and ride off to war" scene early in the movie - maybe the most badass Disney moment of all time.
#2: The Bells of Notre Dame (The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
This is simply an accomplishment - it's Belle on steroids, setting up an incredibly dark story with some heavy exposition. And I'm not going to lie, I wouldn't want to hide what I've done from the very eyes of Notre Dame either. "Who is the monster and who is the man?" Goosebumps.
#1: Let It Go (Frozen)
Yes, really. I know, I know - it's everywhere and you're sick of it. How do you think I feel? My son is obsessed with Elsa and this is the anthem of his life. We've heard Let It Go more times - and in more languages (my favorite version is the French one) - than we collect Elsa dolls in the aforementioned Disney Infinity:
Forget all of that. In fact ... let it go. ("Oh, boo yourself!!" x 2)
I always go back to the first time I saw it in the theater. The entire sequence was the only time I can remember being in awe during a Disney film as an adult, as we see a character reach self-actualization after a lifetime of repression with a song that channels that energy perfectly. When Idina Manzel nails the "let the storm rage ON!" capper, we knew we'd seen something special.
There's a reason this song is everywhere and has had a chance for you to get sick of it. It's incredible.
Don't like the list? That's okay! Let's see yours! While you're writing that out, enjoy a Spotify playlist with my favorites!
-rj