Top 10 Disney "I Want More" Songs.

This is a continuing mini-series where I detail my favorite songs from Disney animated musicals via specific categories. Next on this journey is what I call the "I Want More" songs. These are those songs where our lead characters longingly wish to be somewhere/someone/something more than they currently are. This is the song that basically sets up what will happen a little later when they eventually gain that wish. The "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" moment, if you will.

TOP 10 DISNEY "I WANT MORE" SONGS

Honorable Mention: When Will My Life Begin (Reprise 1)

The reason this is just an honorable mention is this reprise isn't actually in the movie. It was cut for time purposes. But it's a very lovely rendition of the main version that is a lot less tongue-in-cheek and more straightforward about what Rapunzel wants in her life.




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

A very sweet song, but as I'm really not a huge fan of this movie (not due to the film, just due to a lack of exposure in general), I only found the song through research. After listening to it, it's lovely... but it doesn't resonate with me like a lot of the other songs do.




9) Go The Distance (Hercules)

I liked this flick when I was a kid. But in retrospect, it is kind of a mess. Still, this is a pretty decent song. However, it isn't very long or detailed, and it really cuts to the point and gets him to his destination without much struggle or even a lengthy montage. And that kind of makes it not hit as hard as some of these other songs. But still, it's a nice one.




8) Just Around The River Bend (Pocahontas)

Another one I haven't seen, but I knew the song this time. I'm not crazy about the song, but it's nice in that the entire thing is one long metaphor for her behavior and life. She's struggling with her decisions and if she should coop up and become a wife or continue with her adventurous life and keep flowing. It's a much more female empowerment song (as, of course, she chooses to not go with the guy and instead live her own life and make her own choices). It's interesting in that she wants more... but she's not sure exactly what it is she wants beside the ability to want and achieve more.




7) Almost There (The Princess and the Frog)

This was a song I didn't much care for when I first heard it, though I think it was mostly due to a drastic animation style change that went with it and caught me off-guard. This is another song that's a little different from the lot. Tiana isn't longing for what she wants. She's working hard for it. There's no "if, ands, or maybes" for her. She knows what she wants and she's gonna get it, no matter what. So we're treated to a number about what she wants to achieve.




6) I've Got A Dream (Tangled)

This is another song I wasn't too sure about the first time I saw it. For the type of song it is, it's way too happy and silly and not the typical ballad-types they usually are. But it's really grown on me over repeated viewings. Not only is this a song about what Rapunzel wants, but what a whole bunch of minor side characters want. Is it a little goofy? Yeah. But its heart is in the right place. And strangely, when I read early reviews, this was one of the songs most people really liked. So there has to be something to it! (And it's not entirely pointless, as entire moments later in the movie are set up in this scene.)




5) When You Wish Upon A Star (Pinocchio)

Yup. It's only at #5. Sorry! Still, it's such a classic and beloved number that I couldn't fathom putting it outside the Top 5. I really don't think I have to explain it further. Though I couldn't find a video of it from the film, so this is the best I got:




4) TIE: Belle (Reprise) (Beauty and the Beast)/One Jump Ahead (Reprise) (Aladdin)

I tied them for fourth because both are incredibly short. They'r both just reprises of their Character Introduction songs that build into how they feel about themselves and their current situations. Belle's is a bit grander (and has a funny, smart-ass beginning to it), but I love Aladdin too much not to include it. So here they are together.







3) I Just Can't Wait To Be King (The Lion King)

This was originally going to be the #2 spot, but after some further, ahem, reflection... I just couldn't put it over what's there now for this particular category. Similar to "Almost There," this is an upbeat song about what our protagonist already knows he's gonna have by strives to exceed at anyway. He wants to be king and he, well, can't wait. It's pretty self-explanatory. Though has anyone ever noticed that Zazu is destroyed much more in this one song than Mufasa is in the stampede scene, yet Mufasa dies and Zazu is left without a scratch?





2) Reflection (Mulan)

This is such a great song. Mulan is basically having an existential crisis. She wants to honor her family, but she also wants to be herself. And she's starting to question who she really is and how she can just be herself while adhering to the social norms and familial respect. It's easily the most adult song on this entire list based on its themes alone. And I love the symbolic shot of her wiping the makeup off and you see half her face normal and half her face in the makeup, and then she wipes the rest off and turns to the dozen reflective surfaces around her. A really strong song and a good scene to go along with it.




1) Part Of Your World (The Little Mermaid)

It's pretty much the ultimate "I Want More" Disney song. Sure it's more childish than, say, "Reflection." But it's such a strong ballad. And it has some strong pre-Brave red hair animation going on, to boot.

Top 5 Disney Character Introduction Songs.

It's time for the second post in this Disney musical mini-series. If you didn't see the first one, here are my thoughts on villain songs. Anyway, for the rest of this, I figured I might as well go in chronological order of when these typically show up within the films. Now, I'm not going to bother with an opening songs category, as usually--not always, but usually--the opening song is a much smaller ditty like "Arabian Nights," and the first big show-stopper is the second song (a notable song that differs from the rule could be "Circle of Life" in The Lion King). In fact, that second song is usually what I call the "Character Introduction" song. These are the songs that let us get to know our main character and/or characters and the world they live in. So let's get on with it...

TOP 5 DISNEY CHARACTER INTRODUCTION SONGS

Honorable Mention: "Daughters of Triton" from The Little Mermaid. In 45 seconds it tells you so much about the characters. Sebastian is a cocky, stuffy musician. King Triton is a hot-head... and has a weird fetish for alliteration. And Ariel, by not showing up on her debut, is a bit self-centered. But because it's rather short and incomplete, I couldn't put it on the list.

5) This Is Halloween (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Like another song on this list, this one almost perfectly encapsulates the setting of the film while giving you a look at both the secondary characters and introducing you to the primary character. It also really sets up the tone of the film and really shows you how important Halloween is to this town, which of course is going to be uprooted a little ways in.

4) Honor To Us All (Mulan)

What I love about this one is that it's much more interested in sharing and introducing culture, since the culture has such a major part of what drives the story. Mulan wants to keep honor in her family and wants to make her father and grandmother look good, even if that means doing things she's not comfortable with or good at. It's a strong setup for how the world works, how women are perceived, what drives Mulan, and who a few of the other characters are.

3) When Will My Life Begin (Tangled)

This film is loved by many, but even those same people give it flak for not having the greatest songs. But I'll tell you what... I don't think this song in particular gets enough credit. I will spoil this now, but this song is going to be appearing on more than one of my lists in this little mini-series. Why? Because it's an incredibly multi-faceted song. It's doing so much in its 2-and-a-half minute run-time (and it has a couple reprises that go along with it, as well). In this particular case, you get a very catchy song that introduces us to our main character (and one of our secondary characters with the chameleon). It's a very tongue-in-cheek song full of so much cleverness and irony. You get a perfect idea of who this girl is, what she feels about her situation (even if she won't say it out loud--which says even more about her character), and what she wants most in the world. It's a fantastic introductory song for this character and her own personal setting that really illuminates everything you need to know about her before the story kicks off.

2) One Jump Ahead (Aladdin)

I love this song. It's so much fun, and it perfectly sets up our hero and his monkey friend. This song is a more... direct way of letting you know about the character. Aladdin sings about why he's doing what he's doing, and all the other characters--who apparently know him and his ways--sing about exactly what kind of guy they perceive him as. Thief. Scoundrel. Cunning. Quick. Clever. It's all there, told to you in song and shown to you at the same time. What's really great about it, though, is that after all of that setting up and stealing of the bread and whatnot... what follows shows his true nature as he gives up the bread to a couple starving children, proving that he's not the ruffian and street rat everybody else considers him.

1) Belle (Little Town) (Beauty and the Beast)

It's not only a perfect character intro song, but a perfect intro song to the film in general. It sets up practically every major human character (it doesn't show her father, but it mentions him). It's a perfect mix of telling us (through song) exactly what kind of people they are with showing us their personalities and letting us gather it ourselves. And it tells us what kind of people live in her town, which basically sets up the mob mentality later since even they admit she thinks very differently from the rest of them.

Top 10 Disney Villain Songs.

[I plan on making this into a mini-series involving different types of Disney songs and whatnot, so keep an eye out for newness over the next couple weeks.]

Last year I did Musical Mondays throughout the year. And while I did that, I often mentioned how I adored Disney musical villain songs (in fact, my #1 song on the countdown was one). So while the topper of this list might not exactly be a shock, I decided I'd give a solid look at the songs and give what is at least my current feeling toward them.

TOP 10 DISNEY VILLAIN SONGS

Note: I have not seen Hunchback of Notre Dame. I know a lot of people really like "Hellfire," and I've seen it through YouTube, but while I find it a good, dark psychological look at a twisted character... it's just not fun and catchy enough for me. I also have not seen Pocahontas, and while the likes of "Savages" is catchy... there's something about it I couldn't quite get behind.

Honorable Mention: I've gone on record as saying that while I love Tangled, "Mother Knows Best" is by far the worst Disney villain song ever written. However, there is a reprise late in the film (at the very end of the second act) that is much better. It's really hard to find a good video of that, and it's only about 30 seconds long anyway, so I'm not going to bother. I just thought I'd give that a special mention.

10) I Want To Be Like You (The Jungle Book)

This song maybe-sorta implies racism, and it might not exactly be what most people think of when they think of villain songs. But I count it. Louie is definitely a villain, albeit a fun-loving one. But it has all the tropes. He's making a shifty deal with the naive hero, and the naive hero is definitely in potential danger. And it's incredibly fun and catchy.




9) We Are Siamese If You Please (Lady and the Tramp)

Whereas the last song is maybe racist, this one definitely is. I haven't seen this movie in YEARS (like, I was probably a toddler the last time I saw it). But everyone remembers this song. These cats are just evil little creatures!




8) Cruella De Vil (101 Dalmations)

This is the first of two songs on this list where the villain song isn't really sung by the villain (this is the only one, though, where the villain doesn't sing any part of it). This is a song about the villain... and it's arguably one of the most famous villain songs.




7) Les Poissons (The Little Mermaid)

This one is just goofy, sadistic fun. From the perspective of a French chef, the song has him singing about what he's gonna do to all of the food he's going to cook and serve in very violent, disturbing ways. Made even the more disturbing due to the fact Sebastian is watching the entire time. It's a very minor villain song, but it's still worth mentioning. And it's super catchy.




6) Friends on the Other Side (The Princess and the Frog)

This is the newest song on the list, and it's the best song from the movie. Why? Um... it's an updated "Poor Unfortunate Souls." Seriously. Just listen to/watch it. It's not as good as the aforementioned song, but it's bright, colorful, and catchy while being dark and ominous. Oh, and it's sung by Keith David. And that's awesome in and of itself.




5) The Mob Song (Beauty and the Beast)

This is a song I always forget about when thinking about Disney songs. I'm not saying the song is forgettable. It's a very good song (and Pocahontas' "Savages" is basically just a poor rehash of this song... maybe that's one of my issues with that song?). Just give it a go.




4) Prince Ali - Reprise (Aladdin)

Jafar was originally going to have his own song in the film, but it was eventually cut. Instead, all Jafar gets is about a very short reprise of "Prince Ali" that is dark and a lot of fun as it turns it around on Aladdin.




3) Gaston (Beauty and the Beast)

This is the second song I alluded to early where it's a villain song that is more about the villain than sung by the villain. Though Gaston does have some very strong and memorable lines in the song. It's just an insanely catchy and very fun and light song in comparison to a lot of the darker, more sinister fare on this list.




2) Be Prepared (The Lion King)

Everything has been said about this song. It almost always makes either the #1 or #2 spot on this kind of list (it typically flip-flops with the following song depending on the person). It has such strong, symbolic visuals. And don't forget that Jeremy Irons actually stops singing 2/3s of the way through due to his voice giving out and hands it over to Jim Cummings... and you can't tell.




1) Poor Unfortunate Souls (The Little Mermaid)

'Nuff said.

The best video of this is not embeddable, so this will have to do: Click here.