Yoblazer's Top Ten Disney Animated Classics Songs

These are Yoblazer's Top Ten Disney Animated Classics Songs ranked for Ed Bellis's What Would You Do.

Top 10 Disney Animated Classics Songs
10. Gaston (Beauty and the Beast) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaBnWZignkQ

Every self respecting Disney villain needs a song, and Gaston's is the best. Sung before the Beauty and the Beast antagonist truly shows his true colors, this song is a deceptive one, portraying Gaston not as the demented, vengeful bastard that he is, but more like one of the boys - just a big cocky buck looking to get a little ass. There's beer, there are drunkards, there are big-breasted women orgasming over the hairy-chested man... it almost seems a bit too risqué for Disney, but it's done wonderfully. Also, the lyrics get downright hilarious at times. Antlers in all of your decorating, Gaston? You magnificent bastard.

9. Circle of Life (The Lion King) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX07j9SDFcc

Using this song as The Lion King's sole movie trailer was the smartest marketing decision Disney had made in my lifetime. When a damned movie trailer has audiences clapping and misty-eyed, you know you've managed to put together something truly special, and truly special this song is. The sunrise accompanied by that now iconic African voice, the sweeping shots over the landscape, the cacophony of animals gathering and cheering their newborn prince - it all adds up to the greatest opening in movie history, animated or not. The only downside of an opening act so glorious is that the film inevitably has nowhere to go but down. But hey, you get the movie's best scene right at the start! How cool!

8. Belle (Beauty and the Beast) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IltAsKmVroQ

What better way to introduce the second greatest Disney character ever than through song, eh? Much like with Gaston, Belle's titular (lol) theme gives us an insight as to who she really is, although she displays a bit more consistency and doesn't turn into a mad psychopath right after it's over. Belle is beautiful and smart, but she's also quirky and often off in her own world. In short, she's what 90% of us geeks dream about but know we can never get, and the fact that she's French - meaning she's almost certainly a freak in bed - only adds to our forever unquenchable thirst. The townspeople's criticisms coupled with Belle's rather remarkable obliviousness make this one a treat to watch, and any segment that showcases Paige O'Hara's wonderful voice is fine by me.

7. Colors of the Wind (Pocahontas) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkV-of_eN2w

I gotta tell ya, there's just something about a curvy brown girl pwning the white man with education that I find extremely sexy. Pocahontas is the most forgotten Disney movie of the studio's golden age, and truth be told, there's almost nothing I can remember outside of this song. The song, however, is fantastic. It consists of Pocahontas taking Mel Gibson's character (Johnny Quest, was it?) on a hallucinogenic trip through the wilderness, all the while basically telling him what an evil bastard he is. She's mad sexy, I won't deny that, but the real beauty here is some of the song's lyrics, which I daresay are among my favorite in... hell, any song.

You can own the Earth and still, all you'll own is earth untiiiiiiiiil You can paint... with all the colors... of the... wiiiiiiiiind.

It's nice enough to awaken the hippie within Texas's greediest oil tycoon, it is.

6. I'll Make a Man Out of You (Mulan) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSS5dEeMX64

TRAINING MONTAGE ALERT. TRAINING MONTAGE ALERT.

While it may not be Rocky, Disney showed us that they can cut a mean training montage with Mulan's most memorable song, "I'll Make a Man Out of You." Now, we all know that training montages are designed to drastically increase the trainee's strength in a matter of minutes, but the exponential increase of Mulan's Chinese troops showcased within is truly staggering. The ragtag buffoons go from, well, ragtag buffoons with zero unity, to a fortified brigade of kung fu masters. All in under four minutes. The song - which is more or less standard, chest thumping, training montage fare - is nice, but the video is what pushes "I'll Make a Man Out of You" to the next level. The climactic scene with Mulan climbing to retrieve the arrow, in particular, is one of the most spine-stiffening in Disney history.

5. Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgA2xo0HYrE

You didn't think a YoAriel list would be complete without a Mermaid song or two, did ya? "Under the Sea" is one of Disney's most famous songs for a damn good reason. After nothing but failed endeavors for nearly a decade, the Disney animated world was looking dark and dreary indeed, so it's fitting that a song as happy and upbeat as this would be the one to really jumpstart the company toward a period of unparalleled success. The colors are vibrant, the sea-inspired lyrics are ****ing bubbleicious, and the Reggae vocals and beats were longshots that struck paydirt. It's one of the most critically acclaimed, instantly recognizable Disney songs ever, and it gives any listener that hot underwater fever and makes them get up and start dancing around. Soooooo damn catchy. Looking back, I can't believe I never heard this being played at my old high school dances. What the hell were they thinking?!

4. Go the Distance (Hercules) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lenkR5XzSJc

TRAINING MONTAGE ALERT. TRAINING MONTAGE ALERT.

Well, sort of. While most training montages are accompanied with scathing 80's guitar solos, this one is carried by the silky smooth vocals of none other than... Michael Bolton? Yes, I'm including Michael Bolton in a top songs list, and before any of you attempt to crucify me on a pair of giant mouse ears, let me attempt to justify it. "Go the Distance" is less a training montage and more a heartwarming coming of age story for one of fiction's most legendary heroes. It's not one of Disney's patented fast-paced "boys songs" by any means, but it is one almost any young boy can imagine playing for him as he takes his first steps into a large, unknown world. While many Disney fans (especially the male fans on this board) look back on Hercules and remember nothing but James Woods's performance as Hades, I remember this song. Years from now, if this song is the one that justifiably pops into my head when I'm sitting on a rocking chair trying to recall the events and achievements of my life, I think I would have done well by it. =)

3. Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeoPtz0F2Ck

The defining moment of Disney's most prestigious picture. While I've learned that the people here care little for the crowned jewel of all western animated films, I think it's due more to simple ignorance or forgetfulness than genuine dislike. After all, it was the girly Disney flick of our era. We liked Aladdin and the Lion King; we couldn't be seen watching this! That was all well and good back then, but I think anyone who's grown up a bit can give this one a second look and truly appreciate the beauty of this film, and the song baring its name in particular. Angela Lansbury's (Mrs. Potts) soothing, grandmotherly voice accentuates the now legendary ballroom scene perfectly and really makes you want to grab that special someone and never let go aw how cute. Speaking of the ballroom sequence, do yourself a favor, check out that link, and just admire it. The sequence took computer animation to unprecedented heights, seamlessly blending 2D and 3D and paving the way for the fancy pants animation of today. This is the song that took home the Oscar in 2002, the song that brought Beauty and the Beast thiiiiiis close to the Best Picture win in that same year, and a song that I'll never, ever be ashamed to say I love.

Little story for you guys. When we first immigrated to the U.S. in early '92, we stayed at my uncle's house for a while. His wife worked at Disney, so they a truckload animated VHS tapes at home. For a six-year-old from the Middle East who would have been happy with much less, it felt like Santa Claus had showed up and just began to vomit presents all over the place. We watched every single one, but none (yep, not even Mermaid) felt as special as this one at the time. I can clearly recall staring rigidly at the screen throughout the picture, unable to comprehend how beautiful it all was. So this is America, huh.

2. A Whole New World (Aladdin) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRi20cWMYOM

While Beauty and the Beast's titular song may be Disney's most critically acclaimed one, it probably isn't so in the eyes of fans. That honor would likely go to Aladdin's "A Whole New World," and the enchanting melody has rightfully found its place as runner-up in my list. It may surprise you guys to learn that this is the only Aladdin song on my list. Truth be told, it surprised me a bit as well. Had this been a top thirty list, we may well have seen every Aladdin tune make its presence felt, but when the competition is this fierce, only the top need apply, and being known as god damned Aladdin's top song is an accomplishment in and of itself.

"A Whole New World" shies away from our much more traditional "Beauty and the Beast," substituting the slower, old-fashioned lyrics and ballroom setting for a slightly faster beat, younger voices, a magic carpet, and an entire world as its canvas. The vocals are wonderful (I'm so glad that Steve from Full House didn't sing this), the ever-changing scenery under that starlit Arabic sky is among the best Disney has ever come up with, and the prospect of Jasmine totally just giving it up at any second is oh so unwholesome but I'll think it anyway thank you very much. All in all, it is, for lack of a better word, a very magical song.

Another appealing aspect of the song is the overtly wholesome, acceptable-by-western-standards portrayal of Arabs, something the movie as a whole (which is riddled with quite a few bull**** stereotypes) does not care to portray nearly as much. There are no crap peddling shrewd merchants, no hideously ugly women poking out of every window, no bastard guards, bastard hand-cutting apple sellers, and retarded politicians. There are only Aladdin and Jasmine, the two most acceptable, apple-pie-loving Arabs in the history of fiction. No wonder westerners love that part, but every time I watch it, I can't help but think of every Ahmed and Fallah shouting "See! We are all like Aladdin! Apple pies and Ronald Reagan, yes yes! No bombs, please! No need, you see!" Actually, it just makes me enjoy it more.

1. Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a5Mp8tq-t4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovHpMSxgbVw

By the 1980's, Disney Animation was in pretty dire straits. The studio had only managed a scant few successes in the last decades, and talk of significant layoffs (or a total studio shutdown) were all too real. The famed animation studio needed a resurgence, a hit. They found not only that, but a film that began a decade-long stretch of unprecedented prosperity in the animation industry. What began this famed golden age? Nothing more than a little mermaid with a dream.

Disney itself calls The Little Mermaid its "most beloved animated classic ever," which basically makes the movie's central character, Ariel, one of the company's biggest. And really, unless one is clouded with BIAS, one must acknowledge that Ariel has joined the likes of Mickey Mouse, Jiminy Cricket, and Peter Pan as the central Disney character of her era. She certainly deserves such a distinction, as Ariel brought many "firsts" and "bests" to the table. She was the first Disney female lead to shatter the mold of the helpless damsel in distress. Ariel was not only the protagonist, but the hero, as she saved her man's ass herself. She was the first Disney female lead to show a little cleavage yes siree bob. She was the best designed Disney lead of all time (green fin/red hair contrast = instant classic. Anyone and everyone can recognize her.). However, all those fantastic characteristics pale in comparison to her greatest claim to fame: the best voice in Disney history.

Ariel has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard in animation. Her voice talent, the lovely Jodi Benson, has become renowned the world over for her portrayal of the little mermaid. Essentially, she is Ariel just as Kevin Conroy is Batman and David Hayter is Solid Snake. She gives Ariel a combination of innocence, desire, boldness, and independence most would have deemed impossible before watching this picture, and that perfect voice is best on display during "Part of Your World," Ariel's defining moment and the single most beautiful scene in Disney history.

The song's setup is surprisingly simple. We have Ariel, in her secret grotto, lamenting her greatest desire to the audience, namely, to leave the sea and become a part of the forbidden human world. However, the beauty and mystique lies within the simplicity, itself. Unlike the other songs on my list, there is no fantastic, roaming scenery here. There is no myriad of different characters to keep your attention. There is no zillion dollar computer graphics budget. There's only one character, one voice talent, and the pressure to make it work. And boy, did it ever work. It worked so ****ing well.

Yes, this is a one-character song. Even Ariel's many unliberated, self-hating detractors must admit that she carries this song in a way no other Disney character has done before or since. She's the song, the only character there (Sebastien is in like two seconds and don't even think about counting Flounder dammit), so she has the task of keeping the audience captivated singlehandedly. Does she succeed? Hey, is this #1 on my list or not?!

The animation here is simply unparalleled, which is doubly amazing, since, once again, it's focused on entirely one character. Ariel's movements are subtle but powerful - the way she glides through the serene waters of her grotto, the way she communicates her lust for the unknown with her her hands, fin, and hips (err... finny hips?), and the way her magnificent hair almost seems to take on a life of its own - it's all so beautifully done. The song's final scene, where Ariel slowly reaches for the light with one slender hand, is a real gut clincher. It, as much as any monologue or heroic act, tells the audience that Ariel's dream is not merely a childish one that will pass in time, but a burning passion that will never, ever subside.

The song's lyrics, of course, are legendary among all Disney fans and have become a part of pop culture in a way that few other Disney melodies have ever done. Thing-a-ma-bobs? Whoz-its and whatz-its galore? Oh yeah, that's Ariel's song! I looooooove that song! That's what nearly any fan will tell you, and the fact that some of our fellow Board 8ers have been using the lyrics as playful hints in this very topic demonstrates the level with which they have transcended the pop culture of our era.

I've mentioned it before, but I feel Jodi Benson's vocal performance in this piece cannot be complimented enough. She puts her heart and soul into this song, just as the animators seemingly put their hearts and souls into bringing Ariel to life. She practically melts the audience and puts each and every one of them squarely in the mermaid's side. With a voice seemingly too beautiful for this world, we are all reduced to putty. We are drawn to Ariel. We want to reach out for her when she reaches out for us. We are all too ready to pull her into our world, because, somewhere during the song, her hopes and desires have become ours as well. Wow, is it hot in here or am I sweatin'.

It's my favorite Disney song ever. It's my favorite Disney scene ever. It's my favorite movie scene ever. It's my favorite song ever... period. It's Part of Your World, so you better appreciate it, too.

Oh, and it's IN MY DAMN SIG. IT'S BEEN THERE FOR YEARS. HOW COULD ANYONE NOT HAVE KNOWN WHAT #1 WAS GOING TO BE JEEZ.