Well, folks we finally made it! After four blog posts in this series ranking 80 Disney songs, we’ve made it to the end – the one you’ve been waiting for. Here are my top 20 Disney songs, ranked and with explanations! It was a challenge deciding the placement of these 20, but after much deliberation (and a little bit of mania), I’ve come up with my final list!
For those who have been following along with this blog series and enjoying it, I thank you very much. This series stemmed from my desire to talk about my favorite Disney songs. This idea turned into a long, long list of songs I loved. As the list shot upwards of 75, I decided I’d round up to 100 songs and make it into this series. It’s fun to talk about songs you like, but it’s just as fun to talk about ones that you don’t. Or, at the very least, it’s fun to talk about songs that you think are just “meh.”
People love to read some good hot takes, and I had my fair share of them in this ranking. Hopefully, those who disagree with those takes are still reading, if anything, to see what songs this random woman on the internet thinks are the best of the best so they can vehemently disagree with me in the comments (I welcome the discussion 😉). At the end of the ranking, I’m going to go over some overarching revelations that I’ve discovered in doing this series, so I hope you’ll stick around to read that too.
(If you want to catch up on a missed blog, go check out part one, part two, part three, and/or part four before you start reading below.)
Let’s get to it. Without further preamble…my Top 20 Disney songs!!
20) “Surface Pressure” – Encanto
This is my favorite song from Encanto, and one of the big reasons I love it so much is that it’s so relatable. Pressure can be a dangerous thing and being a source of emotional support for a group of people can be a lot on a person’s psyche. With pressure comes anxiety and eventually, people break. I think it’s incredible that a recent Disney movie made a song about these topics. It’s something I wish I’d heard as a kid because the song reminds people that just because someone can bear a lot of weight, or they appear strong doesn’t mean they aren’t crumbling from the weight. It doesn’t mean they have no weaknesses and don’t need support too. It’s also a reminder to check on the “strong” people in your life who may not feel they can talk about their struggles due to their perceived strength. I absolutely love the messaging and how relatable it is. I especially love the line, “I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service.” Like, wow. They really made a great song here. And beyond all my praise for the subject matter, it’s also just a certified banger.
19) “Bare Necessities” – The Jungle Book
It might be obvious to say given that this is the top 20, but this is my favorite tune from The Jungle Book. It’s just so much fun! Baloo was my favorite character from the movie, and his carefree attitude in this had me glued to my screen as a kid. I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid that didn’t catch that it was “bare” necessities and not “bear.” As an adult, I love the pun. As a kid, I just thought, “Okay, this is what it means to be a bear.” I love the message of the song too. Living life too uptight will not bring you a happy life, and we don’t need much in life to be happy (that part hasn’t aged well in some ways, but you get the idea). Did anyone else get really excited to say Mowgli’s “Yeah man!” part in the song? I remember loving that part especially. For the nostalgia along with its catchy upbeat nature, it belongs in this top 20.
18) “Jack’s Lament” – The Nightmare Before Christmas
What can a person do when the role they fill doesn’t feel right anymore? What can one do when the things that once brought them joy does little for them anymore? “Jack’s Lament” is all about asking questions like this and more. After being the best at his job as The Pumpkin King with little effort, Jack begins to feel the job becoming stale and monotonous. He feels an emptiness in himself that needs to be filled. Looking at the subject matter, it’s actually a very similar conflict we’ve seen in other Disney films. The life the character knows feels stuck in their current life, wanting to see more and find meaning in the world. This one is far more melancholy than the other songs we’ve seen with this idea, and that’s why I love it. It’s so honest. It doesn’t sugarcoat his feelings with happy music. You can feel the character’s despair. I enjoy experiencing art that doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, and I think The Nightmare Before Christmas walks that line between real and fantasy well, both in plot and subject matter.
17) “I Won’t Say (I’m in Love)” – Hercules
I may not have watched Hercules much growing up, but I love this song! I probably heard it a lot because of the Disney Channel who loved to play the “music video” of the song. As a person who loves romance stories (yes, really), I love the grumpy and sunshine characters falling in love. Megara and Hercules are that exact trope and watching Meg grapple with her feelings in this song is so fun to see. We’ve seen it a hundred times. The person head over heels won’t accept they’re in love, but everyone can see it plainly on their face. Meg refuses to admit it because “it’s too cliché” and that’s a lyric I’ve enjoyed much more as an adult. The song is so catchy, and I love the Muses as her backup singers. They truly elevate the whole thing. And for anyone that has ever tried to deny their feelings for someone, this song is super relatable. I still love belting this out as an adult.
16) “You’ll Be in My Heart” – Tarzan
A song from the amazing Tarzan soundtrack by Phil Collins had to make it into the top 20. It’d be a sin not to. And of all the great songs written for this movie, “You’ll Be in My Heart” has always resonated with me. It has such beautiful messaging and really encapsulates the relationship between Tarzan and his gorilla mother Kala. She saved Tarzan when he was a baby, and gave him a life and love when he’d lost his human parents. Still, despite growing up with the gorillas in the jungle, Kala knows that there can be more for Tarzan beyond the trees. So, no matter where he goes, he’ll be in her heart. It’s really sweet and great a capturing the love of a mother and their child. I’ve even seen the song make it onto lists for mother-son/father-daughter dances at weddings. The song at its core is about protection and love, and I think it’s incredible. What’s even more incredible is knowing that Phil Collins wrote this song for his daughter. It warms my heart. Catch me on an emotional day, and you might find me crying to this song.
I simply love it.
15) “Colors of the Wind” – Pocahontas
I ask you, readers, have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned? I’ve yet to, but I’m still young. It could happen. “Colors of the Wind” is a beautiful song that ages better with time. This is a feat few songs from Disney songs can say. This song is calling out what John Smith’s been taught all his life. One of the best lines in the song for me is, “You think you own whatever land you land on. The earth is just a dead thing you can claim.” What’s interesting is that so much modern discourse is that my generation and younger haven’t been properly taught the truth about Christopher Columbus and the beginnings of America, but here in the 90s, we had Pocahontas calling out the explorers coming onto the land and claiming it theirs. The explorers, our ancestors, are the bad guys in this movie. I know it’s not enough by any means, and they took the real story of Pocahontas and made it less intense, but I remember this song really impacting me as a kid. Plus, it was the first Disney story to focus on a person of color.
Pocahontas was one of my favorite Disney protagonists growing up. Pocahontas’ connection with nature had me wanting to explore my own woods as a kid. I wanted to see the animals and experience nature like her.
Beyond all this, the song is incredible. It reminds us at any age that we do not own the land we inhabit. We are simply guests. If we want to continue to enjoy the beauties of nature, we must not “wonder what they’re worth” but simply coexist with them. We must protect them. I love that I was exposed to this kind of messaging as a kid, and I love how relevant it still is today.
14) “If I Didn’t Have You” – Monsters Inc.
This is an underrated gem that I think too many Disney fans overlook. “If I Didn’t Have You” is used in the end credits of Monsters Inc. so maybe that’s why it’s flown under the radar. A lot of the biggest/most popular songs are usually sung by characters within the movie. All that being said, this song slaps. Seriously. Billy Crystal and John Goodman have so much fun together in this duet, and I love that they’re still so clearly Mike and Sully. We never see the characters perform the song. No animation accompanies it, but by their voices and characterization alone, I envision Mike and Sully so vividly. Lyrically, the song is so heartwarming too. It captures the friendship between Mike and Sully so beautifully, and it’s relatable outside the film. This is a song that would come up on my shuffle, and I could never get myself to change it. It’s just so catchy and fun. If you’re not sure if you’ve heard the song, check it out below and see if it rings a bell. If you haven’t heard it, listen and tell me it isn’t amazing. You won’t be able to.
13) “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” – The Nightmare Before Christmas
This song randomly pops into my head all the time, especially Oogie Boogie’s hench-children Lock, Shock, and Barrel singing their eerie “lalalalala” as they prepare to kidnap jolly old Santa Claus, per orders by Jack Skellington. I love how upbeat this song is despite how dark of a subject they’re singing out. Throughout the tune, the trio comes up with different ideas of how they could kidnap “Mr. Sandy Claws.” Some of these options include popping him in a boiling pot then buttering him up and burying him for 90 years and then seeing if he talks. Pretty dark stuff, but that’s just how everyone in Halloween Town thinks. A lot of the lyrics went over my head growing up, and that’s probably true for a lot of kids. I love Halloween, horror, and all things spooky, so I love that Disney had involvement in a story that has a darker tone. It’s probably because of its happy ending. But I’m getting off track. The bottom line is that I love this song and singing along to it. I also really like Korn’s cover. There’s an entire album of The Nightmare Before Christmas songs being revisited by a handful of artists that were hot in 2008. Some other artists include Amy Lee of Evanescence, Flyleaf, and Rise Against. This song might be dark in nature, but it’s so fun and one of my favorites.
12) “Strangers Like Me” – Tarzan
I hope you’re not sick of me raving about how much I love the Tarzan soundtrack. If you are (first off, you’re missing out), this is the last one, so bear with me. This is my favorite Tarzan song. It didn’t quite make it to the top 10 but it’s still absolutely incredible. Phil Collins goes so hard on this one, and I respect the heck out of him for it. He really created an amazing soundtrack, but “Strangers Like Me” is my favorite because of the wonder and awe he captures. Tarzan is experiencing and seeing pictures of so many parts of the human world for the first time. He is in total awe as he sees photos of castles, cityscapes, and space. Calling fellow humans “strangers like me” is such a simple but beautiful way of explaining Tarzan’s experience. That’s a detail I’m still in awe of today. Did Phil Collins come up with that phrasing or did the Tarzan crew? Whoever it was... brilliant.
11) “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – Toy Story
We’re almost to the top 10 but coming in at 11 is “You’ve Got a Friend in Me.” Randy Newman is another name that comes up a lot when looking at Disney soundtracks. I’m glad about it too because he writes some great songs. “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” is simply iconic. This has become the theme of Toy Story that many audiences associate with the story. The song has also been used in all the sequels. This song is Toy Story. It captures the essence of the story, that friendship is so important. Friendships where you know the person has your back and will stick with you no matter the obstacles, that’s a subject many can relate to. Can you think of such a person in your own life? I love this song, and it’s so fun to sing along to. You can’t listen to the song without singing with the same inflections and long notes as Newman. The song feels like an old friend, one I know that I can go back to and feel the warmth just by hearing it.
10) “Reflection” – Mulan
Jumping into the top 10, we have “Reflection.” This is a Mulan song I absolutely love. It’s so beautiful, and it’s another song that expertly tackles topics that can be relatable to all ages. The lyric, “If I were truly to be myself, I would break my family’s heart” really hits you like a punch to the gut. Then when we hit the chorus we get the solemn question, “When will my reflection show who I am inside?” Mulan is one of my favorite Disney protagonists for many reasons which I’ll likely get to in other songs on this list (spoiler alert, more Mulan songs to come). One that I really want to highlight here is Mulan’s relatability. She just wants to be herself and have that be enough, but who she is doesn’t fit her family’s or society’s expectations. This is something many can relate to, and I have felt the way Mulan has felt a number of times in my life like you can’t be your true self in front of others. This song is so short but so powerful. I still love to play this song, but I admit I do skip it on the days I don’t want emotional introspection.
9) “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat” – The Aristocats
This was a huge favorite of mine growing up. I would watch The Aristocats so often that even my parents could quote the movie and remember the lyrics to the songs. The best part of the movie is definitely the music number “Everybody Wants to Be a Cat.” If you’ve seen it, there’s little to explain. But, for those who aren’t, I’ll elaborate. It’s catchy and it’s groovy (Yes, I said groovy. Shut up, it’s how I feel). Even the kitten Berlioz calls the song groovy, so I’m not far off! It has some really cool swing and jazz influences too. Do I have much of a clue what the lyrics mean aside from them saying being a cat is cool? No way. If you haven’t listened to the tune in a while, pull it up, and review the lyrics. What are they even talking about? I’ll also admit that some of it hasn’t aged well. The Siamese cat part at the piano is yikes. I can’t believe I didn’t see a problem with it for so long. And that harp part is a little…odd for a kid’s movie. Still, I love it. It’s bursting with nostalgia for me.
One of my favorite parts is seeing the party get so wild that the floor caves in and goes down each floor until they reach the ground and continue the song onto the street. This movie is absolutely why I wanted a cat so badly. The movie made them seem so fun! I never did get a cat, but my grandparents got one on my behalf, and I soon learned cats are not always friendly and cuddly. Still, it never changed my love of The Aristocats and this song.
8) “Beauty and the Beast” – Beauty and the Beast
This song is over 30 years old now. Can you believe it? It may not be as old as time, but it’s getting up there. I love this song, and the movie Beauty and the Beast a lot. It’s one I would play all the time growing up. I remember my mom and I used to make our voices high-pitched to try to match Mrs. Potts when she sings the words, “Beauty and the Beast.” This is another song that I began learning on the piano. I’d play that intro over and over while I searched for more of the song (I learned to play by ear).
Looking back on the song, it’s kind of funny that the “tale as old as time” is a human falling for a beast, but whatever, we won’t read too much into it. It’s probably meant to mean that the "tale as old as time" is two people who suddenly start falling for each other, a little scared of showing it, and falling completely. It’s sweet. This song is beautiful, and that’s thanks to Angela Lansbury’s enchanting singing. I was sad to learn when writing this that she passed away in October 2022, but there’s comfort in knowing she lived an amazing 96 years.
I may not have as personal of a connection to this song as the others, but I can’t deny its beauty and brilliant composition. This one seldom gets skipped if it comes up on shuffle. It’s one of my favorite Disney love songs.
7) “Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride” – Lilo and Stitch
This song is a straight banger. No, really. I love this song. I love that it’s another use of the Hawaiian culture in a way that will connect kids with a culture they don’t know. I’m convinced Lilo and Stitch is part of why so many people in their 20s and 30s have Hawaii on their bucket lists. Given that there’s been a wave of people not respecting the Hawaiian land and culture when they go, the locals have begged people to stop traveling as often there. So, out of respect for the locals, I may never go, but I can appreciate the beautiful landscapes from afar. One way is this adorable movie. Lilo and Stitch has so much to offer, and I think it’s an underrated movie because it doesn’t follow the typical princess or love story tropes. Lilo bonding with Stich, an alien from another planet is so heartwarming. It’s a great way to show kids that sometimes family is who you choose, and not just blood.
Getting back to the song…I’ll say it again. It’s a banger. Hearing the opening of this song makes me so nostalgic. My friend had the Lilo and Stitch CD when we were kids, and we listened to this song on repeat. We were about 6 and 7 when the movie came out, but I remember our fixation on Lilo and Stich, and by extension Elvis, lasting for years. I love that the song also credits the Kamehameha School Children’s Choir, a group indigenous to the area. The writer and directors of the movie brought in the choir expecting an angelic touch, but they were blown away by how powerful their vocals were. I absolutely agree. The kids bring such a special touch to this song.
6) “A Girl Worth Fighting For” – Mulan
This song…my gosh, this song is amazing. I can’t even properly explain why I love this one so much aside from the heavy nostalgia and warm feeling it brings me. All the Mulan songs go hard, and this is my second favorite because of how catchy and hilarious it is. Yes, on the surface it’s just a song about a bunch of soldiers explaining their ideal wife. But I think I always connected with it as a kid because you got to learn more about Ling, Chien-Po, Yao, and it was funny to see what they valued. Of course, I also loved that Mulan is trying to challenge their notions of “the perfect woman” asking about “a girl who’s got a brain who always speaks her mind” to which they pause and then reply “NAH!” It always cracks me up, especially knowing that later on a lot of them come around to the idea of a strong independent woman, and some of that subtle misogyny is cracked. I also always crack up at the part where Yao roasts Chi-Fu saying, “The only girl who loves him is his mother.” That’s still a zinger I love to this day.
Something else that makes this song so effective for me is one of the last moments of the film they’re all happy before the third act hits and the story takes a turn. They’re singing happy as can be, but they’re stunned to silence when they see the destroyed village that was ravaged by The Huns. The song literally stops in the middle of the final chorus. I’ve always loved that shift. It’s like a bucket of cold water, a slap back into reality, reminding the audience why they’re out in the mountains to begin with. It’s so well done, and the fact that such a fun and lighthearted song can shift tones so effectively is very impressive and important for kids to see. There’s a time to be silly and a time to be somber.
5) "Part of Your World" – The Little Mermaid
Woohoo! We’ve broken into the top 5, and at #5 is my favorite song from The Little Mermaid. I don’t think this song would be as beautiful without incredible vocals behind it. Jodi Benson absolutely kills it vocally in “Part of Your World.” It’s her performance that has led millions to throw this onto playlists and cover the song vocally and instrumentally for decades. I myself learned some of the basic melodies of this song on the piano when I took a class in high school. Of all the songs from this movie, I know this one the best from weeks of toiling away at the piano, singing the lyrics in my head to help me find the proper keys that brought the song to life.
The subject matter is a trope commonly found in Disney films that we’ve already touched on- a life beyond the one they know. Ariel wants life beyond the sea. She’s so fascinated by what life on land is like that she has a collection of items that have sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Through them, she learns about life on land and wants desperately to experience things like strolling down the street and dancing. One part that makes me laugh as an adult revisiting is that she says, “Bet’cha on land, they understand. Bet they don’t reprimand their daughters.” It’s such a naïve thing to think that you really feel for her. We’ve all been the kids that think everything will be better once we’re adults…then discovering the truth, and by then it’s too late, and time can’t be stopped. Ariel assumes life would be better on land with little evidence to go on but her hopes and dreams of life are up there. As she reaches up toward the surface with longing, I feel that longing too. The audience wants her dreams to come true. I love how well it captures that longing while also that childlike wonder of something of which they don’t have the full picture. It’s a beautiful song.
4) “Monsters Inc” – Monsters Inc.
Okay, this one might be surprising to big Disney fans, but if you’re doubting me, I encourage you to listen to this song again. Because guys…it’s a frickin’ banger. It absolutely belongs in my top 5 because I will always jam to this song when it comes on my shuffle. It’s simply unskippable in my mind. It’s also only two minutes, so why would you even bother skipping? It may be short, but it’s two minutes of fun. Monsters Inc. isn’t a movie full of songs that drive the plot, but this is featured in the opening credits. Beyond it being a great song, it also gives me a warm nostalgic feeling. Monsters Inc. was my youngest brother’s favorite movie, so we wore that VHS tape out. This was one that had a near-permanent home in the VHS player after it came out. We did this so my brother wouldn’t have to handle the tape. He could just press rewind to start it over.
The opening to Monsters Inc. is a really unique fun one. It’s a totally different animation style from the rest of the movie, and it works really well for the idea. I love watching the pieces at the very beginning from a door, an item very central to the movie. Doors are all over this intro, and I love how they look like stacks of books until they are broken apart and opened to read “Walt Disney Pictures” except the P in “Pictures” is an eye, and you hear a little scream before it’s replaced. I’m not going to give you a play-by-play of the intro, but I’m trying to tell you that it’s impressive, and paired with the very catchy and fun song, it was very memorable. I actually seek this song out on my own without a playlist. That’s how much I dig this track. If you don’t agree with its place in this list, I hope you can appreciate its uniqueness when paired with the creatively animated intro.
3) “This is Halloween” – The Nightmare Before Christmas
Anyone who’s read my past Savage Content blogs, particularly the ones about horror, knows that I’m really into Halloween and scary stuff. So, naturally, the classic, “This is Halloween” made it to my top 3. Would you expect anything less from me? The Nightmare Before Christmas is a wildly popular movie with my generation and for good reason. It’s a great story that (as I already mentioned in the countdowns) follows a similar trope of other Disney films – a character longing for more beyond the world they feel trapped in. “This is Halloween” is more than a fun little tune. It’s become a Halloween anthem. It doesn’t feel like Halloween until I play The Nightmare Before Christmas's opening scene. I remember the Disney Channel would always throw on this “music video” around spooky season. Despite it coming out in the 90s, I didn’t see the film until I was in high school, so these “music videos” help garner my interest in the movie I knew nothing about. Once I saw it for myself, I was hooked.
This song is my absolute favorite for many reasons, but the main one is that it sets the tone for the film so well. We get to see what Halloween Town is like through song, seeing what kind of creatures inhabit this town, and what their jobs are. One of my favorites is the line, “I am the who when you call, who’s there? I am the wind blowing through your hair.” So spooky. I love it! The introduction in the movie is so cinematically well done too. As we meet the unique cast of characters, intrigue is building to what the rest of the movie is going to be like. Then The Pumpkin King (A.K.A Jack Skellington) is introduced, and it's so iconic. Donning a pumpkin head and matching attire, he sets himself on fire, jumps into the fountain, then emerges as the Jack Skellington beloved by many. It’s such a beautiful introduction, and I will blast this track year-round, but it holds an extra special place around spooky season.
2) “Belle” – Beauty and the Beast
I’ve always loved Belle. She has dreams of finding more beyond her “provincial life.” Yes, I know, you’re probably sick of me bringing up the trope, but it’s rampant in Disney productions, so blame them! Dazzled by the far-off places in her books, she wants more from life and has little interest in being a “little wife” to anyone, but most especially not the brute Gaston. She’d rather keep reading and be left alone. She’s relatable as can be. But that’s not the only reason I love it. I also love it because of how darn good it is. This is another song that helps set the scene, giving the audience a chance to get an understanding of the setup. We get to see what the town and the people are like and how different Belle appears to them, simply because she likes to read. I wouldn’t last in a town where everyone is gossiping about me, but Belle handles it with grace and still lives as happy a life as she can in her situation. Since there’s such a big cast of characters featured in the song, it’s always fun imitating the array of townsfolk, visualizing it all in your head. Or, if you throw the clip on with it, you can see the chaos of the town and Belle’s stroll through town.
One thing that always irritated me is that the town suddenly calls her special when Gaston voices interest in marrying Belle. Women are only valued at that time if they’re good for marriage, but I love that Belle doesn’t care about that sort of status. She doesn’t want to marry for status at all. I loved seeing that sort of message as a kid. She doesn’t see the appeal of Gaston or the life he paints. Six or seven kids off in a hunting lodge? No way! He also puts his muddy boots on her book which is a cardinal sin for any book lover. She tries to let him down gently at least. That reprise is so good. Instead of breaking them up, I figured I’d include the reprise in with the main song.
Aside from my bookworm mother fostering my love of books, I think Belle was a major factor in my love of books, or rather, embracing it. Belle made me feel seen as a little girl. People were always shocked that in first grade, I was reading at a fifth-grade level, my nose stuck in a book for fun, outside of required schoolwork. It was characters like Belle who made me feel like I wasn’t weird at all. Belle gushes about her favorite parts of books to sheep who couldn’t care less, and I do the same to my husband, who doesn’t understand the plots of my favorite books but lets me ramble anyway.
To cut it off, I’ll just say that “Belle” is not just a great song. It’s one of the best Disney has put out.
1) “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” – Mulan
Let’s get down to business. To introduce, number one! See what I did there? I couldn’t help myself. I love love love this song!! Obviously, you know that since it’s at the top of my ranking. I’ve already established that Mulan was one of my favorite Disney movies. Of all the incredible songs composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith, “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is the best one. It belongs not only in the top tier but at the top of the top. When determining my top spot, I had to determine which song I rarely ever skip and have a ton of fun singing along to. It was really a no-brainer. “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” is nearly un-skippable for me. Even as I write this, I’m singing the song in my head.
I was always singing songs from Mulan, even when the movie wasn’t playing. On the way to school, getting ready for bed, and sitting down for dinner, I sang it. I simply adored it. I can’t fully explain why but I’ll make an attempt. It should be obvious that it’s catchy given how often I’d sing it growing up. I think what I connected to so much was watching Mulan train with the other soldiers. There’s a subtle irony in the fact that the song is all about making these soldiers into men, not realizing that there is a woman in their midst trying her hardest to blend in as a man too. “Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?” Out of context, it can be offensive, but in the story, this moment of the men assuming women cannot fight is essential to the plot, and their education on the idea after Mulan helps them defeat The Huns.
Through the training montage, she’s able to properly acclimate, improving more as the song progresses. I always loved seeing Mulan push herself to climb to the top of the pole to retrieve the arrow. At the crack of dawn, she’s out there giving it everything, and as the rest of the soldiers wake up, she tosses the arrow to the ground. It’s so satisfying. I also love Ling’s line about being "a fool in school for cutting gym." It always cracks me up. A lot of the humor in the film is still pretty funny 25 years later. I think that’s why I love the songs from Mulan so much. They balance this epic feeling while also being very funny. They stand the test of time, at least for me. And at this point, if you’re a person who’s not swift as a coursing river and mysterious as the dark side of the moon, what are you even doing? Get back out there and train! This is life and death. I love this song with my whole heart. It’s number one in my heart, always.
There we have it! 100 Disney songs ranked with this last section going over the top 20. I knew that when we got closer to the top I’d have a lot more to say, but wow! It was so much fun going through these 100 songs and putting into words why I did or didn’t connect with a song. Obviously, as a 90s baby, my favorites teetered toward that era, but I still like a lot of the newer Disney installations, even if it’s a little less. I wanted to bullet point out some other thoughts and stats I discovered through this series that I found interesting.
It appears that I don’t typically like villain songs. Only one villain tune made it into the top 40. The rest fell lower in my ranking.
My initial ranking changed as I began writing descriptions with songs. I’d often go, “Wait, so why does this song belong below this other song?” There weren’t any major changes, but some switching was done, indeed. For example, “Surface Pressure” wasn’t in the top 20 initially but once I got writing about it, I knew it belonged there.
More than half of my top 20 songs come from Disney movies made in the 90s
Out of the 31 Disney movies pulled for this list, most of them come from the 90s (13 total). Was it the decade of the most musical-based films, or is it skewed that way because it was the time I grew up in?
Of the 31 movies this list pulls from, the second most popular release decade is 1950 with 5 films. My most popular decades are very opposite.
Mulan and Monsters Inc. have the highest-ranked songs from the pool they’re pulled from. Frozen II had the lowest-ranked songs from their pool. Neither of these facts surprise me as I love both films with top-tier ranked songs, and I felt that the songs in Frozen II weren’t that strong or interesting compared to Frozen.
I need to rewatch a lot of these movies, particularly the ones with songs I ranked low from not having a good memory of them, to see if I feel the same.
Did you discover anything interesting about yourself and your favorite Disney era from this ranking? I’d love to know in the comments. This was a much longer post than I initially anticipated, but it is the finale, so I hope you stuck around for it all. Again, I thank every single one of you that is reading this and has supported the blog in any way. This blog series was very much a passion project that I wasn’t sure anyone else would be interested in, but I know there are fellow Disney lovers out there. I hope you’ve enjoyed this series, whether you’re a Disney fan or not. Do you agree or disagree with my number one spot? What about the top 10? I would love to hear other opinions in the comments and any suggestions of what sort of blog series you’d like me to tackle next.
It's been a magical adventure with you.
Written by Kristen Petronio