Which Disney Renaissance Film is the BEST? Part 5: The Songs

It should come as a surprise to no one that the greatest era in Walt Disney's Feature Animation department is arguably the most beloved era of a single company's film making in motion picture history.  After all, not only was Disney at the height of their creative development, but the studio continued to release hit after hit, without any glaring failures in anyone's eyes.  To many who are reaching adulthood today,. these films are what we grew up on.  My first film watching experiences were at least five of the top movies pictured above.  These films have had a profound impact on how we act, how we think, and how we tell our life stories.  

But which of these high ranking movies is the most superior?  How can one masterpiece be better than another?  That is what I will be focusing on for the next several posts.  Which film was the most structurally sound, which was the most superior in one area, and ultimately, which was the best.  Feel free to argue for one of your movies on this list or if you think my list is incorrect, but please understand that this is all opinion based, so it doesn't make someone stupid if they agree or not.  

Here is how the list will be determined.  All 10 films of the Disney Renaissance will be judged on the following categories:

Hero

Heroine

Villain

Supporting Cast

Songs (The Rescuers Down Under gets a pass here)

Musical Score

Animation

Story

Special Effects

Theme/ Message

Each film will be scored on a 1-10 scale.  The higher points you score for a category, the greater the chance is that film is ranked the best.  But please note that just because a film could get two or three 10's in a row, doesn't mean that it is guaranteed a victory.  Keep a close eye on the consistent films.

At the end of the competition, the films will have their scores divided by 10 (nine for Rescuers Down Under), and a winner will be determined when the math is completed.  The winner will receive the next King's Analysis and a special surprise for it on my YouTube channel, NintendoMan64.

This Round: The Songs

Arguably the most critical aspect of this revival of Disney Animation is the incredible boost in the quality of the songs in the movies.  Thanks to the prodigious talents and diligent care placed into every lyric and note by the likes of Howard Ashman, Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, Tim Rice, Elton John, Phil Collins and others, the Disney Renaissance films were made to look as though they would fit in with the likes of the films made in Walt Disney's days.  Which songs are the best written, which are the most catchy, and which don't feel like they stall the story?  This list was by far the hardest to construct so far.  (Please note that
The Rescuers Down Under has been left off the list due to not having songs in the film.  Therefore, each other film will be graded on a scale of 2-10 instead of 1-10 this round.  RDU will be balanced out by being divided by 9 rather than 10.)

9. Mulan (David Zippel & Matthew Wilder)

Mulan has the unfortunate pain of being the film with the weakest song line in all of the other Disney films released in this era.  The songs in this film, with the exceptions of "Reflection" and "I'll Make a Man out of You" do in fact stall the film in it's place, not giving us the opportunity to forward the story.  While some add character, most pretty much do nothing for the movie.  It's unfortunate, considering the film has Hercules lyricist David Zippel.  But on their own, while I do kind of like these songs, it's pretty fair to say which film is the weakest here.  And no reflection test is going to change that...

"Honor To Us All"
"Reflection"
"I'll Make a Man Out of You"
"A Girl Worth Fighting For"
"True to Your Heart"

+2 points 

8. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz)

It's not that the songs in The Hunchback of Notre Dame are poor.  On the contrary, the songs are some of the most catchy tunes Dsney has ever come out with.  So, why do I have this song list ranked so low?  Well...with the other films on the list, the tones of the songs are pretty much the same.  In Hunchback, we get a couple of incredibly heavy songs, such as "Hellfire" and "The Bells of Notre Dame", but they have to play off of over the top silly songs like "Topsy Turvy", "A Guy Like You", and "The Court of Miracles".  The tone is all over the place in this movie, which is a good reason as to why the film falls short of people's expectations and more often than not becomes a neglected film in this successful era.  The songs are all good, but some definitely outweigh the others...

"The Bells of Notre Dame"
"Out There"
"Topsy Turvy"
"God Help the Outcasts"
"Heaven's Light/ Hellfire"
"A Guy Like You"
"The Court of Miracles"
"Someday"

+3 points

7. Hercules (Alan Menken and David Zippel)

The songs in Hercules are, like many things in the movie, completely out of left field.  Who would think that Christian Gospel is the way to go for a film based on Greek Mythology.  Despite my objections, the songs are just too damn catchy for me to ignore.  And unlike the previous installation in the list, this film is at least consistent in it's song construction.  All of the songs give the film some kind of spunk and attitude that's kind of hard to explain, but still works wonders for an otherwise confusing movie.  Credit Alan Menken for collaborating well with yet another partner after the death of Howard Ashman, and yet another strong song list for another one of his films...

"The Gospel Truth I, II, & III"
"Go The Distance"
"One Last Hope"
"Zero to Hero"
"I Won't Say I'm In Love"
"A Star Is Born"

+ 4 points

6. Tarzan (Phil Collins)

People tend to be split in decision regarding the songs in Tarzan.  Some regard them as the best of the Renaissance, others cannot stand Phil Collins enough to care if the songs are good.  And as much as I've blasted Phil Collins and Disney for the decisions regarding the music in the movie, I lean a bit more towards this film's songs being better than
believed.  The songs are catchy, the orchestrations are fairly strong, and the themes are pretty memorable.  I just wish that we could have Phil Collins songs without having to listen to him...oh well, I can't really complain when the songs aren't their worst in Tarzan.  They're at their worst in Brother Bear...

"Two Worlds"
"You'll Be In My Heart"
"Son of Man"
"Trashin' The Camp"
"Strangers Like Me"

+ 5 points

5. Pocahontas (Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz)

The only thing people don't seem to blast Pocahontas for is it's song list.  And I would have to agree with them.  The songs in Pocahontas, while no where near as good as the four musicals that preceded it, are still pretty strong song scores.  The songs give us enough about the characters to know what their going through and what they feel, without sounding too preachy.  You can feel that Alan Menken is trying to prove to the world and himself that he can survive without Howard Ashman, as he really gives it his all with this song list.  The orchestrations are strong yet gentle, brisk and colorful, yet dark and heavy.  The songs fit the tone of the movie perfectly, something few films on this list can attest to...

"Virginia Company"
"Steady As The Beating Drum"
"Just Around the Riverbend"
"Mine, Mine, Mine"
"Colors of the Wind"
"Savages"
"If I Never Knew You"

+6 points

4. The Lion King (Elton John and Tim Rice)


Rather like Mulan, of the truly elite Disney Song Scores in movies, there had to be one sacrificial lamb.  In this case, The Lion King is the film that fades back to the pack, despite having some electric songs.  The Menken/Ashman team is just too good to be trumped by Rice/John, who even managed to get the film's soundtrack to the coveted Diamond rating, while Menken's films only reached x3 platinum.  These songs are so well known that it's almost impossible to find someone who hasn't at least heard one of these songs.  They are just marvels to listen to, and the soundtrack is probably the most played in my household.  It's just not the best...

"Circle of Life"
"I Just Can't Wait To Be King"
"Be Prepared"
"Hakuna Matata"
"Can You Feel The Love Tonight"

+7 points

3. The Little Mermaid (Howard Ashman and Alan Menken)


Were it not for the brilliant idea of bringing in famed musicians Howard Ashman and Alan Menken on board to aid in the creation of the style, flare and musical genius of The Little Mermaid, none of the other films on this list would even qualify.  These two men added to the long line of Classic Disney musicals that seemed to end with The Jungle Book, revamped it for a new generation, and composed songs that would not only be more edgier and more colorful than the previous generation had been, but also make songs that could stand the test of time.  Capturing all kinds of music, from Classical Broadway, "Doo-Wop", Calypso and Reggae, and countless others, the music of The Little Mermaid not only started an entire generation of musicals, but set the standard by which all modern Disney Musicals are judged.

"Fathoms Below"
"Daughters of Triton"
"Part of Your World"
"Under the Sea"
"Poor Unfortunate Souls"
"Les Poissons"
"Kiss the Girl"

+8 points 

2. Aladdin (Howard Ashman & Alan Menken, Tim Rice & Alan Menken)


Many of the animated films made in Walt Disney's era had enormous song lists that would've made the films significantly longer.  For example, an estimated 25 songs were written for Alice in Wonderland, some 4 or 5 songwriters were hired and then fired to write songs for Sleeping Beauty, and an entire musical score and song score was written for The Jungle Book which Walt abandoned.

I say this, because the musical history of Aladdin is arguably the most complicated Disney has had in years.  Howard Ashman and Alan Menken wrote nearly a dozen songs for Aladdin, only a third of which made it into the final film.  Ashman's songs ranged from spirited Jazz romps, such as "Friend Like Me" and "Babkak, Omar, Aladdin, Cassim", to soft and gentle songs like "Proud of Your Boy", to epic Arabic music played in "Prince Ali" and "Arabian Nights".  Any hopes of seeing how the Ashman-ran film would have been were thrown aside when Ashman died in 1991, leaving Tim Rice to follow in Howard's footsteps, writing a fairly large amount of songs of his own, to which only two made it into the final movie.  Nevertheless, few of us can really say we can't recall a single song from this musical masterpiece, which has given us some of our fondest childhood memories.  Disney was more than on their way for greatness after this soaring magic carpet ride of enchantment captured our hearts and never let us go...

"Arabian Nights"
"One Jump Ahead"
"Friend Like Me"
"Prince Ali"
"A Whole New World"

+9 points 

1. Beauty and the Beast (Howard Ashman & Alan Menken)


Beauty and the Beast stands alone when compared to the rest of the Renaissance for many reasons.  But it's song score easily blasts it's way past the likes of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin and puts it in the top tier of the Greatest Films of All Time.  One critic even went as far as to say that this was the best musical out there, prompting it's move onto Broadway in 1994.  The songs are electric, bringing an extraordinary amount of depth and wonder to the characters and the settings, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves within the gloomy halls of the Beast's Castle, surrounded by enchanted objects and a girl dreaming of adventure beyond her quiet little town.  These were some of the first songs I was introduced to as a kid and will definitely be some of the first I introduce to my children, when I do become a father.  These are not only the best songs Disney has ever come out with, but perhaps maybe even the best ever written.  And I'm not even joking here...

"Belle"
"Gaston"
"Be Our Guest"
"Something There"
"Human Again"
"Beauty and the Beast"
"The Mob Song"

+10 points 

Current Standings:

1. Beauty and the Beast                            43 pts
2. Aladdin                                                  42 pts
3. The Lion King                                       34 pts
4. The Little Mermaid                               33 pts
5. The Hunchback of Notre Dame           33 pts
6. Hercules                                                 22 pts
7. Mulan                                                     18 pts
8. Pocahontas                                             17 pts
9. Tarzan                                                     17 pts
*10. The Rescuers Down Under                16 pts


Next round, it's Alan Menken vs the World in the showdown of the greatest Musical Scores of the Renaissance.  Can Menken's sheer brilliance outweigh the likes of Goldsmith, Mancina, Broughton, and Zimmer?  Find out next post...