The Top 100 Animated Film Songs Of All Time

Board 8 user RySenkari made another of his top 100 lists, this time ranking what he believes are the 100 greatest songs from animated films. He had two rules for inclusion:

1. The song had to originate in an animated film.

2. No instrumental songs, only lyrical ones.

The List
#100: Love Is An Open Door from Frozen (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6nnoWgbdvg

This cute little upbeat ditty from Frozen features Anna and Hans singing about their feelings for each other. It's a very interesting subversion of the classic Disney love duet considering how awkward Anna is ("It's great how we finish each other's-" "Sandwiches!"), it's quite adorable and it stands in stark contrast to some of the great Disney love duets of the past. It's also the closest thing Frozen has to a "villain song" considering what Hans ends up being later on, so that's another subversion! It's not the most memorable song from the film but it's probably the funniest love song Disney's ever done and it's incredibly catchy to boot, I think it's the perfect song to start our countdown.



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#99: Raining Sunshine from Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_hmdVcTml8

This song was played over the end credits of Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and it's a surprisingly uplifting song, the lyrics are a bit saccharine but the melody is infectiously catchy and you can't help but smile while hearing it. It's the perfect fit for the mood of the film, very lighthearted and it's all the better if you actually hear it after seeing the movie. Miranda Cosgrove isn't the best singer (and utterly pales in comparison to some of the singers we'll be hearing from higher up on this list) but she's good enough and her voice fits the song really well. Raining Sunshine is an example of the perfect song for the perfect moment, and that's why it appears on the list.



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#98: The Mob Song from Beauty and the Beast (1991) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CES2rLxtO4

Featured toward the end of the film, the Mob Song is performed as Gaston rallies up the people of the village to kill the Beast after Belle shows a vision of him in her magic mirror to prove that her father isn't crazy. It's a very menacing and dramatic song, Gaston's boisterous voice is on full display as he implores the villagers to accompany him on this deadly mission. The tone of the song is pretty much perfect, you really get a sense of the impending danger building up as the song progresses and it never lets up, only quieting down briefly to show the despair of the castle's denizens or Belle's frantic attempts to escape the cellar she and Maurice have been locked up in. As Gaston himself says, it's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride!



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#97: Touch The Sky from Brave (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7uM-scjyLw

This song plays during a montage toward the start of the film, showing Merida on the one day a year that she gets to go out and have time to herself. She spends that time riding her horse through the highland wilderness, shooting her bow, and exploring spectacular cliffs, and this song fits those moments perfectly. It's got a driving melody and it really expresses Merida's mood during the montage, capturing the essence of her desire for freedom and to change her fate. It's a great character song for her and really sets the tone of the film, though it almost sets the bar a bit too high. Still, the song can't be blamed for that, it's one of the best parts of Brave and a great song to listen to on its own as well.



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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#96: I Just Can't Wait To Be King from The Lion King (1994) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US7hF-X9ncM

This is a really fun song. The title is self-explanatory, Simba (joined in by Nala and Zazu for some parts) sings about how he's eager to be king someday and about everything he's going to do once he is. It perfectly captures Simba's mood during the first part of the film and features some great instrumentals and chorus parts as well. In the film itself, the song is accompanied by some very cool animation sequences featuring all the animals in the kingdom gathering around to join in, much to Zazu's disdain. Zazu's lines in the song are perfectly placed, he's probably the funniest part of the song. Overall it's probably the most lighthearted upbeat song in the film (or maybe a close second to Hakuna Matata). On its own it doesn't hold up quite as well but when accompanied by the animation it's a really splendid Broadway-style musical number.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#95: Hex Girl from Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JObl7DEgSDM

Possibly the best thing to ever come out of the Scooby Doo direct to video films, the Hex Girls are a badass goth band led by the beautiful and somewhat scary lead singer Thorn, voiced by Jennifer Hale. This was really the first time we got to hear Jennifer Hale sing and she absolutely didn't disappoint, not to mention that this song WAS our introduction to the Hex Girls and their spooky stage theatrics. The lyrics themselves, well....I'm rather surprised they got away with this in a kids' film since it's basically about drugging somebody into loving you. It's expressed in terms of witchy potions and rather fantastical allusions but it's still pretty easy to interpret, especially for older fans. The Hex Girls' intro song provided one of the most badass and risque moments in all of Scooby-Doo and 15 years later the band remains a fan favorite, which proves that there's nothing like making a good first impression.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#94: Ma Belle Evangeline from The Princess and the Frog (2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAuC67bVDtY

This sweet little jazzy song is sung by Ray in The Princess and the Frog, as he expresses his love for the beautiful Evangeline, a star high up in the sky. It's the perfect song to dance to romantically, and indeed, the performance of the song is arguably when Tiana and Naveen begin to fall for each other. It continues The Princess and the Frog's New Orleans-based musical motif to great effect, showing the softer side of the film's jazz soundtrack. We really learn a lot about Ray in this song, he's essentially pining for an inanimate object (or maybe not?) but it still comes off as very sweet and it instantly endears him to the audience.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#93: Toxic Love from Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D06eDPcYwSA

Tim Curry gave Hexxus a truly epic villain song with this menacingly decadent piece sung as the huge pollution monster is going on a rampage of filth and destruction. Curry is at his absolute campy best here, singing with a kind of villainous pleasure that only the Rocky Horror Picture Show legend can provide. The uncut version is even MORE risque (Hexxus sings about feeling a "special kind of horny" as he pollutes the rainforest) but even more suitable for the character. While Ferngully itself was a mediocre movie at best, Curry stole the show and this song was probably the best part of the film. If anything from Ferngully has been remembered over the years, it's this song.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#92: When Can I See You Again? from Wreck-It Ralph (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWGri4bqOQc

Owl City sings this, the closing credits song from Wreck-It Ralph, and this upbeat techno theme is pretty appropriate to the film (and even better when set to the outstanding closing credit graphics). The lyrics are great too, very inspirational and uplifting, sort of capturing the feel after playing a great video game with one of your buddies. While Wreck-It Ralph itself wasn't a musical film it did feature some great music and this is the film's best original song, wrapping up the movie's action perfectly and leaving the audience with a great feeling as they exit the theater.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#91: In The Dark Of The Night from Anastasia (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_k6hAVmn8Q

The first song from Anastasia on the list is Rasputin's epic villain song, where he rants and raves about the injustice that led to his death and his desire to complete his revenge by killing Anastasia. Sung by Jim Cummings (Christopher Lloyd was Rasputin's speaking voice), it was performed to very chilling effect, with a chorus of very creepy undead creatures joining in. It's a bit generic as far as villain songs go but the instrumentals, with a full orchestra enhancing the impact of Rasputin's venom-filled words. It's another one of those songs that doesn't work QUITE as well without the full visuals involved but it's still pretty fun to listen too all on its own and is everything a villain song should be, it explains Rasputin's motivations while being suitably wicked and scary.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#90: Cruella De Vil from One Hundred And One Dalmatians (1961) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0H03oexYnk

This jaunty and rather catchy little ditty is actually one of the most well known Disney songs and is a great example of the "Villain Sucks Song" trope that decries the film's villain, Cruella De Vil, for being, well.... evil. It's short but sweet, it lets you know exactly the kind of person Cruella is (and once you've seen the film, this song seems rather kind to her), and it also plays a large role in the film (it's the song that makes Roger a famous and wealthy songwriter and presumably allows him to maintain the upkeep for 101 dalmatians). It's also amusing how he practically sings it within earshot of the woman herself. It's one of the most earwormy songs to come out of the Disney library and one of the most enduring things from the movie itself.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#89: Forever Young from The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation (1986) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UmBLBwDdtw

Bar none, this song was the best thing to come out of the second Care Bears movie. It played during the ending credits and whether or not you liked the movie itself, it's hard not to shed a tear at this gorgeous song sung by Carol Parks. It's a song that sounds like it should be from a much better movie, though the sweet lyrics are pretty appropriate for a Care Bears movie. The guitar solo (a fixture in 80s/early 90s animated movie songs) just enhances the emotional impact of the song and then you've got the kids joining in at the end....honestly this song brought my opinion of the whole movie up, and the movie itself was hideous.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#88: It's Terror Time Again from Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island (1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6-sKtqELBo

This song is on the list not only because it's an exciting and catchy rock song, but because of what it represented to the Scooby-Doo franchise as a whole. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island was Warner Brothers' attempt to resurrect the long nascent Scooby-Doo franchise after nearly a decade in hiatus. For the last 20 years or so, the series was mostly known for poorly animated spin-off shows and that terrible character Scrappy Doo. In the Zombie Island film, the gang investigates a mysterious island being haunted by zombies, but, just like every other mystery before (except for a few of the spinoffs), the gang expected the zombies to be guys in masks. They weren't. Freddy attempts to yank the mask off one of the zombies but yanks off its head instead and realizes to his horror that the zombies are indeed REAL. Cue song as dozens of zombies come creeping out of the bog. It was an epochal moment for the Scooby Doo franchise and remains a fan favorite to this day.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#87: When Will My Life Begin? from Tangled (2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsPPAuW0Tvo

Our introduction to Rapunzel was this song, an upbeat light rock number where Rapunzel goes about her morning routine, accompanied by scenes of her doing all kinds of stuff! Seriously, she plays chess, she bakes, she reads, she has more hobbies than a shelf full of Barbie dolls. It's a very cute way to show off Rapunzel's character and toward the end it gets heartfelt as we see that Rapunzel is happy but that she still longs for more, particularly to see the lights that appear off in the sky on her birthday. Mandy Moore does a great job capturing Rapunzel's emotions, her voice really makes this song special and makes us see how special Rapunzel is too.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#86: Worthless from The Brave Little Toaster (1987) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3U_PbbjMJk

One of the darkest songs to ever appear in a children's film, Worthless comes in toward the end of the movie. The toaster and his appliance friends have ended up in a terrifying garbage dump and are helplessly watching as hundreds of singing cars are crushed into pieces, having reached their literal "end of the road" so to speak. The cars are singing about their pasts, their failures, some of them longing for one more chance to prove themselves but all of them are resigned to their fate, with the central message that everything unlucky to end up in the dump is indeed "worthless". It's a terribly depressing message to put in an animated movie, symbolizing the lowest low and the scariest moment for the toaster and his friends on their journey. The song and the scene stand out as memories etched into the minds of anyone who's seen this film.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#85: The Court of Miracles from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej66KjRvhuU

A delightfully fun song full of dark humor, The Court of Miracles is what Clopin and his band of rogues sing as they prepare to hang Quasimodo and Phoebus for stumbling onto their hideout. The song is performed as a bound and gagged Quasimodo and Phoebus are being hauled into Clopin's underground sewer town and while Clopin holds a mock "trial" for them. It's a hilarious moment, Clopin performs a little puppet show with himself and even though two of the films' heroes are about to meet a horrible demise, we can't help but laugh! This film was full of charming little moments like that and this song provided another reason to love Clopin. Plus we all knew that the hanging was going to be stopped before it could happen...

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#84: The Girl You Left Behind from An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6XcxmCqW_c

An old-fashioned Western toe tapper, The Girl You Left Behind is the song that Tanya Mousekewitz performs to charm all the cats in Fievel Goes West. The song is performed by Cathy Cavadini (also known as the voice of The Powerpuff Girls' Blossom) and then she's joined in by a chorus of cats who provide a verse or two of their own. It's a really fun song and a great one for Tanya to show off her pipes, in the film it's accompanied by a chase scene between Fievel and Cat R. Waul's spider sidekick but it's a great song all on its own. It's probably the most fun song in both original Fievel films, which are mostly known for more heartwarming fare (which you'll see further up the charts).

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#83: I Never Even Told You from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJJxbQVnVe8

This beautiful song performed by Tia Carrere perfectly caps off Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, a bittersweet song for a bittersweet movie. It describes a lover who regrets not expressing her true feelings toward her lover, and indeed, it can perfectly encapsulate the feelings that Bruce Wayne and Andrea Beaumont had toward one another, with Andrea being Bruce's last chance at true happiness before becoming Batman. The song describes hidden secrets and emotions, which the character of Bruce Wayne is all about, and Andrea of course hides her own secrets, being the Phantasm that Batman must confront in the film. You wouldn't think that a soft romantic song would be appropriate for Batman, but Mask of the Phantasm was a love story at its core.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#82: Arabian Nights from Aladdin (1992) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUwbfjffnQo

From an ending credits song to an intro song, Arabian Nights kicked off Aladdin in spectacular fashion, a big, loud song playing as the camera panned into Agrabah at the start of the film. It's not that long of a song but it perfectly sets the mood for the rest of the film. While the true original version was a bit controversial ("Where they cut off your ear if they don't like your face"), the replacement line was just as good and either way, it's not the lyrics that really make this song, it's that spectacular climax as the first line of the chorus is sung, with the singer wailing the title as the camera pans in. Once you heard this song, you knew you were in for a fun movie.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#81: I Thought I Lost You from Bolt (2008) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAgnNh_eeuM

Like Miley Cyrus or not, this song from the 2008 movie Bolt still works great as an end credits song, with fitting lyrics and nice harmonies from Miley Cyrus and John Travolta. It matches the mood of the film, it's a nice "traveling" song so to speak, a really happy and sweet song that captures the feelings between Penny and Bolt. It's probably the best song Miley Cyrus has been involved in, it's kind of the last moment we got of her before she grew up and became what she is now. Bolt kind of seems to be a bit of a forgotten movie but it was well received and some even claim that it's the film that kicked off the current Disney Renaissance rather than Tangled or Princess and the Frog. Whatever you think of the film or its actors, I Thought I Lost You is a heartwarming song and a great companion to a great Disney movie.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#80: At The Beginning from Anastasia (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSHUVcVjdgg

The end credits song from Anastasia, performed by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis, pretty much encapsulates the journey of Anastasia and Dmitri throughout the film. It's a very optimistic song, both an ending and a beginning to their adventure, expressing their desire to set out on a new adventure together. It's a really lovely song, full of nice harmonies and very upbeat, it's one of those songs that you expect to hear in the credits of a 90s animated film. Nothing really stands out as "great" about it but it doesn't really have any flaws either, it's just a really nice song that provides a suitable bookend to the film's adventurous story.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#79: Two Worlds from Tarzan (1999) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyqVS3YPAtY

The first song from Phil Collins' excellent Tarzan soundtrack to make the list, Two Worlds is a blend of Collins' iconic pop vocals with the orchestral native flavor of the film's musical motif. It builds to a stirring climax as it describes Tarzan's backstory, the meeting of the world of civilization with the natural world of the jungle and of the inevitable conflict that Tarzan will someday face. Phil Collins did some truly amazing work on Tarzan, and though it was the first Disney film since The Rescuers Down Under not to have characters singing, Collins' songs remain some of the most iconic of the Disney Renaissance. Tarzan was the end of one era and the beginning of another for Disney, and Phil Collins' soundtrack provided a suitable bridge between the eras.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#78: So This Is Love from Cinderella (1950) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xljo1om9uo

Ilene Woods sang this lovely song as Cinderella, a duet with Prince Charming, as the two characters fall warmly in love with one another. It's very lighthearted and sweet and you can tell the stylistic influence from 1940s love ballads very clearly. The lyrics are beautiful, an expression of Cinderella's internal emotions as she meets the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with, and it becomes even more beautiful once the prince joins in, it's a sweet duet between the two of them and though the love story in Cinderella was a bit shallow, this song at least does a fine job of expressing the emotions between the two of them that the story itself doesn't quite do. It's one of the great love songs of early Disney and still memorable to this day.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#77: My Funny Friend And Me from The Emperor's New Groove (2000) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAUZtWQf9kQ

Sting performed this, the main song from The Emperor's New Groove. The lyrics are somewhat ethereal, describing the wonders of friendship in the language of the stars and the constellations in the sky. It's written a bit like a love song, except that it's supposed to be a friendship song for Kuzco and Pacha, but either way it's quite beautiful and Sting's vocals really tie everything together. It's strange to hear such a warm song like this as part of the soundtrack to a straight-up comedic film, maybe the closest thing to a buddy comedy Disney's ever done. It's still quite heartwarming and sweet and after seeing the film it still fills you with some very warm emotions, so despite it not being perhaps entirely appropriate for the subject matter of the film, it's still a very good song and more than worthy of a spot on the list.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#76: Never Knew I Needed from The Princess And The Frog (2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkhzXtqIVO0

Never Knew I Needed was the ending credits song for The Princess And The Frog, and it pretty much describes Naveen and Tiana's feelings toward one another. The two never expected to be thrust into an adventure together and at first they didn't see any appeal in one another, but Naveen soon grew to love Tiana and eventually she came to love him back. It's a bit similar thematically to At The Beginning from Anastasia, though this song focuses more on the relationship between the characters and not necessarily what they're planning to do afterward. I feel like this song could honestly fit a LOT of Disney couples or movie couples in general, it is a bit of a cliched thing to have two unlikely characters fall in love after being thrown into an adventure together, but we still keep coming back to see these films time and time again and this song is a great summation of that trope and of Tiana and Naveen in general.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#75: For The First Time In Forever from Frozen (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOReid0vEwY

From Frozen, this song is performed as Elsa is preparing to open up the castle for her coronation ball. It's a really lively song that sets up the dramatic events that are soon to come, it juxtaposes Anna's excitement and longing with Elsa's fear and trepidation that her secret will be revealed. The majesty of this song can't be understated, it's the film's biggest musical number before "Let It Go" and it really captures the mood of the two princesses perfectly. Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel's voices are both outstanding, they stand in contrast to one another really well as they sing their characters' thoughts, and the song does a great job of staying cheerful while still showing Elsa's negative emotions. It's the classic first-act Disney song and it does its job well.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#74: Gaston from Beauty and the Beast (1991) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gZ0OgA_8G0

This song is just pure fun. Really, really fun, full of some very funny lyrics, VERY skilled singing, and it's quite catchy to boot. It's sung by Gaston and his chums in a bar after Gaston is brooding over being humiliated in his attempt to wed Belle. Lefou tries to cheer him up by telling Gaston how amazing he is, and we get this number! We hear about Gaston's habit of eating enormous amounts of eggs, how good he is at spitting, and other facts about this man who is admired by all of the villagers (all of them except Belle, of course). It's rare that a villain song is so jaunty and upbeat, but Beauty and the Beast turned a lot of Disney tropes on their heads and this song is yet another that was turned upside down by the film. The song even spawned a meme!

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#73: I'm Wishing from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-IQWOmwVkE

Snow White's very sweet and cute little song that she sings into a wishing well to express her desire to find her true love is a very simplistic song, but it's still one of the most well-composed songs from the film. The wishing well singback effect adds a lot to the song and despite Snow White having a very light, airy voice, the song is still the perfect way to express the purity of her voice and the sweetness in her soul. It's about as pure and sweet as Disney songs get. Her song is interrupted at the end by Prince Charming showing up to sing his own song to her, but while the two songs are frequently included together in collections, it's Snow White's segment "I'm Wishing" that is the better of the two.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#72: You Can Fly from Peter Pan (1953) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bwv2h8QkT8

This euphoric song is what is played as Wendy, John, and Michael lift off into the skies for the first time on the wings of Tinker Bell's pixie dust. It features an ecstatic chorus singing as the children lift off high into the sky, flying out over London and following Peter Pan to Neverland. It's the perfect fit for the moment, capturing the feel of soaring without a care and bringing a very uplifting feeling to the audience. It almost even doubles as a Christmas song with all the happy thoughts featured in the lyrics, an effect that would later be invoked in The Sound of Music's "Favorite Things" song. It might be the most memorable song from Peter Pan, a perfect fit with the iconic imagery of the three kids soaring high in the skies.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#71: One Jump Ahead from Aladdin (1992) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYQ_B_06g-s

From the film Aladdin, this is basically Aladdin's character establishing song, it tells you pretty much everything you'd need to know about Aladdin and is extremely catchy. The lyrics are really fun, featuring angry guards, flirty girls, and villagers gossiping about Aladdin (seriously, how much crime does someone have to commit to be a "one man rise in crime"? I need to ask XKCD's What If column about that someday...) It's a song that features as much action as the scene it's featured in, it's got a lot going on for it and it sets a great tone for the film. It's fast-paced, emotional, and full of character.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#70: Big And Loud from Cats Don't Dance (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVap8f-yut8 (pt. 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDeY7RVaw8k (pt. 2)

This song is performed by Darla Dimple, the demented Shirley Temple-like villain of Cats Don't Dance. The first part of this song is her pretending to be nice to the hero Danny, telling him how he needs to perform in his show with his friends, but as soon as Danny leaves, Darla's true colors come out and she performs this massive musical number complete with violent imagery depicting her desire to destroy Danny and Sawyer. It's a big and bombastic song (as if you couldn't tell from the title) and the juxtaposition between the two parts is really something. It's also probably one of the best animated movie songs sung by a child, in this case Lindsay Ridgeway who performed the singing voice of Darla Dimple. She's got an exceptionally powerful voice in both parts of this song, really showing the depths of Darla's deception and wickedness.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#69: Belle from Beauty and the Beast (1991) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtbmVSnLsUs

From Beauty and the Beast, this was the song that introduced us to Belle and the villagers of her "poor, provincial town". It also introduced us to Gaston and his desire to be with Belle. As far as a film introduction goes, it's just about perfect, telling us just about everything we need to know about Belle and Gaston. Belle gets some very nice singing parts in this, we hear just how lovely her voice is, full of expression and wonder at the contents of the book that she's read so many times but still loves. We're introduced to Belle through both the villagers' gossip about her and through Belle's own thoughts, learning exactly the kind of person she is. The song gets a reprise later on and then somewhat of a second reprise with "Something There", but it's the opening version that set this great animated film, one of the best of all time, off on the right note.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#68: Heigh-Ho from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BnmYJ0_jf0

The dwarfs' song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs makes the chart at number 68. Its familiar refrain is etched into the memory of every Disney fan, it introduces the hard-working dwarfs who work at the mine all day, digging up jewels for apparently no reason (apparently they don't know what money is for!) and then singing as they head home from work for the day. It's pretty much become the theme song for the seven dwarfs, the song is even remixed for the Disney XD cartoon The 7D. Before the dwarfs in Final Fantasy IV cried "Lali-ho!", and before a dwarf helped to liberate Middle Earth, the Disney dwarfs' refrain of Heigh-Ho was pretty much the most memorable thing about dwarfs in fantasy settings. It probably still is!

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#67: Mother Earth and Father Time from Charlotte's Web (1973) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ipVHyKnx6Y (related videos and comments contain SPOILERS!)

This beautiful, heartrending song from Charlotte's Web, performed by the legendary Debbie Reynolds, is probably the single greatest thing about the surprisingly good Charlotte's Web animated adaptation. It features Charlotte singing about the beauty of life and what she's experienced, and the events of the film make it truly poignant because Charlotte herself is not long for this world, befriending Wilbur, laying her eggs, and then dying, leaving her children behind. She sings this song right before she dies, in fact, making it all the more poignant and inextricably linked to her death. The tears flow pretty freely whenever fans of the film remember this song, and for very good reason.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#66: Strangers Like Me from Tarzan (1999) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmhcF2PrSgY

The second Phil Collins Tarzan song to crack the chart, Strangers Like Me expresses Tarzan's feelings as he meets other humans for the first time, particularly Jane. It does an excellent job at capturing the "yearning" feeling from a lot of classic Disney songs. It's fast paced for the most part, but slows down toward the end to express Tarzan's desire for Jane to see his home with him. It's a beautiful sentiment and for the most part this song does a great job at expressing Tarzan's inner thoughts, which is especially useful since we don't hear him speak very much. The use of Phil Collins' music as a sort of "singing voice" for Tarzan while not having to show Tarzan actually singing might have been why they shied away from the musical approach for this film, and ultimately Collins made it work, this song is a big reason why.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#65: Believe from The Polar Express (2004) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2va8ddcY4E

Josh Groban provided the main theme for the 2004 movie The Polar Express, and while the film itself got some mixed reactions, the movie's main song is an uplifting piece that's carried by Josh Groban's powerful vocals. Seriously, it's hard to not be moved by hearing Josh Groban sing (hell, he even single-handedly raised my opinion of the movie Troy). Plus, the song itself definitely fits the film with the theme of believing, in this case believing in the magic of the Polar Express. It's perfect for a Christmas movie and the music goes perfectly with Groban's voice. It works as an end credits piece and it works on its own, it wraps up The Polar Express in a neat, Christmas-y bow.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#64: Friends On The Other Side from The Princess and the Frog (2009) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtwJPKjxIvQ

Dr. Facilier's great villain song went a long way toward getting people hyped up for this movie. It's a classic Disney villain song, menacing and forceful and Keith David has a TON of fun with it. Seriously, he's having more fun with this song than I've heard any Disney villain having. It's the perfect song for his character too, the sly Facilier using his words to manipulate Prince Naveen and snare him in a trap, and then of course you've got that awesome voodoo chorus singing "are you ready?" to accompany it. Yes, yes, I think we were ALL ready for this song. A lot happens. We learn about Facilier's powers, Naveen gets turned into a frog...the song is a lot more functional than a lot of other Disney villain songs, and it's also great fun.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#63: Just Around The Riverbend from Pocahontas (1995) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-gbngHES8g

In this upbeat song, Pocahontas expresses her desire for a more adventurous life, like a lot of other Disney heroines do. The structure of this song is rather interesting, it has these fast-paced singing parts and then builds to a really majestic climax with Judy Kuhn singing at the top of her lungs very effectively. We see a range of emotions from Pocahontas in this song, from trepidation to exhilaration at a very quick pace. It's a real roller coaster of a song, fun to listen to and fun to watch in the film, it stands in contrast with the more straight-forward Colors of the Wind, not rising quite to the dramatic heights of that song but still standing as a great character theme for Pocahontas.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#62: The Touch from Transformers: The Movie (1986) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSh73d3TZcA

Okay, I'm technically cheating a little bit with this song since it was ORIGINALLY written for a Sylvester Stallone movie, but it never actually appeared in anything associated with that movie so it counts for Transformers (and anyway it's my list and I can cheat if I want to :p). Either way, this very badass song was played as Hot Rod transformed into Rodimus Prime and it was an epic accompaniment to the final fight at the end of the film. Stan Bush's rock song is so cheesy and so totally 80s but it worked perfectly for Transformers and is a super fun song to listen to on its own. It gets you absolutely pumped and added even more drama to the final fight (as if the fight needed any more drama). It endures as one of the primary theme songs of the Transformers franchise, if you ask any Transformers fan from back in the day about this song they can probably sing it from memory. Whether it was actually written for Transformers or not, it's hard to dispute the awesomeness of this song.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#61: Gotta Knock A Little Harder from Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door (2001) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGi8LvE9Afk

The first anime song to make the list, Gotta Knock A Little Harder comes knocking at #61. It's an excellent rock tune with great vocals by the always excellent Mai Yamane. Guitar and piano come together to form a great musical mix, it's sort of blues but sort of rock with very esoteric lyrics, some have said it's about trying to get into heaven but there are a number of interpretations (as there is with a lot of the songs from the Cowboy Bebop series). It's a very "loud" song, it reaches a powerful crescendo and stays there, unlike a lot of songs which sort of subside after the climax. Ultimately, out of all the great songs in the Cowboy Bebop movie, this is the centerpiece of the film's soundtrack and probably the best song on the whole Future Blues album, though that, like the lyrics of the song itself, is very much up to debate.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#60: Why Should I Worry? from Oliver and Company (1988) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuUQmkAzSZE

This song was performed by Dodger, just after stealing the sausages that Oliver had helped him to get. As Oliver chases Dodger through the streets, Dodger performs this exciting pop number about his "street savoir faire", basically his street smarts, and that he can get through life on those alone and on knowing the city so well. Billy Joel was excellent as both the speaking and singing voice of Dodger and this song is classic Billy Joel, sung with confidence and swag. It works great as the film's big centerpiece number and there's nothing cooler than seeing the sights of New York City with this song rocking in the background.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#59: God Help The Outcasts from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQO4TtmmwNc

Esmeralda sings this lovely song, a simple prayer for God to help the poor and downtrodden people of the world. It's a very selfless and heartwarming song, and the effect of her voice joined by the prayers of others who have come to pray at Notre Dame at the same time really has an emotional impact. There's a beautiful harmony as the people all sing together and that harmony is then followed by Esmeralda's final verse. The song is performed by Heidi Mollenhauer, who we've not really heard from since, and it's kind of a shame since her voice works perfectly for this sort of song. The song really establishes the kind of person Esmeralda is (as if her helping Quasimodo out of a jam wasn't enough).

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#58: Always With Me from Spirited Away (2001) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT0fIfiw7Sg

The theme song from the Hayao Miyazaki classic Spirited Away, this song features a soft acoustic guitar accompanying a lovely singer performing in Japanese. The lyrics are basically about the light of hope that dwells in the singer's heart, the singer is almost certainly conveying the thoughts of the protagonist Chihiro on her journey to save her parents from the witch Yubaba. Chihiro endures much on her journey and reaches the depths of despair, but there's always that little light of hope that's always with her, pushing her forward, and this very sweet song conveys those feelings perfectly. It's a bit simplistic in terms of the melody but sometimes the simplest things are the most beautiful, and this song is no exception.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#57: Where No One Goes from How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHOwYqxBbWU (possible SPOILERS in the comments)

This song, performed by Jonsi, is a driving, inspiring melody that plays in the film as Hiccup takes flight with Toothless in the film, high above the clouds before leaping from Toothless in midair to test his flightsuit. The goosebump factor in this song, when the lyrics cut away and it goes into an instrumental rendition of the series' main leitmotif, is absolutely breathtaking (even more when accompanied by the scene in the film). It brilliantly captures the feeling of flying off into the great unknown, it's an incredibly adventurous song and perfect for the first part of the film and Hiccup's feeling of exploring with his friend Toothless.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#56: Go The Distance from Hercules (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aqpF-MwyUs

The main song from the film Hercules, this song is sung by Hercules himself as he dreams about finding his place in the world while going off to train to be a hero. It's a pretty straight-forward inspirational song but the melody really carries it, slowly building up to a climactic moment, and we can really feel Hercules' desire to be a hero and prove to everyone that he's worthy of admiration. It's sung by Roger Bart, who does quite a good job (and probably could've voiced Hercules himself, even though Tate Donovan did excellent work as Hercules' speaking voice). Despite having a rather high voice, especially for someone as buff as Hercules, he really belts it out and makes us feel Hercules' longing for something more. Yeah, it's the cliched Disney "want" song, but it's a really really good one and a suitable centerpiece for the film.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#55: Blame Canada from South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_CNfe0VUsA

This was probably the most famous song to come out of the South Park movie, though not necessarily the best (more on that later). Still though, it really does succinctly convey the film's message, that all the trouble started when a bunch of busybody parents decided to blame everyone but themselves for their kids' misbehavior. It sort of doubles as a villain song for Mrs. Broflovski, showing her rallying the people of South Park into taking action against Canada for their show Terrance and Phillip causing their kids' potty mouths, and the lyrics pretty much address that hypocrisy perfectly: "we must blame them and cause a fuss before somebody thinks of blaming us!" It's really funny and sharp satire and worthy of its Oscar nomination, though perhaps other songs from this film should've been nominated instead...

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#54: Up There from South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut (1999) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BmI3eZDfdY

If you ask South Park fans about this song vs. Blame Canada, you'll probably get a fairly fierce debate. In my opinion, this is the superior song, if just barely, simply because of the juxtaposition of the classic Disney princess yearning song with the actual singer of the song...it's Satan. Yeah, that Satan, though in the South Park universe he's actually a pretty nice fellow who just wants someone to love and to be loved in return. Awww. And in fact, this is a really sweet song on its own, Trey Parker really sings his heart out on it and it takes a lot to make you feel sympathy for Satan. This song does a really good job of that and showing that the devil was NOT going to be the villain this time around.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#53: Whistle While You Work from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE1LsYATBRY

Including this classic, jaunty tune is another instance of me cheating a bit, it's about a minute of Snow White singing and then two minutes of instrumentals, but I feel that singing still qualifies it as a lyrical song. It's indeed quite catchy, Snow White is very upbeat and she very much enjoys singing to pass the time as she cleans up the dwarfs' cottage for them, inspiring the animals of the forest to work alongside of her. Her lovely voice shines through here again, making you feel as happy to listen to it as she is to be singing it. It would later be spoofed in Enchanted in the form of "Happy Working Song", which was pretty much directly inspired by this piece, but there's still no comparison to the outstanding original.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#52: Under The Sea from The Little Mermaid (1989) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpqdexBnNkM

This song was performed by Sebastian as he attempted to get Ariel to stop wishing that she could go up on land. It's a fun and upbeat Caribbean-style melody, Sebastian is joined by a huge band of sea critters and a variety of singers get to join in with all sorts of instruments and fun melodies. If there was one word I could use to describe this song it would be... "fun". The lyrics are fun, the tune is fun, it's great to dance to, and as far as Disney's legacy goes it has to be one of their best known songs, it was the Oscar winner from that year and is the signature song from The Little Mermaid, but it doesn't have quite the emotional impact of other songs on the soundtrack and is probably overrated as far as popular reception vs. the actual quality of the song. Nevertheless, it's still well written, well performed, and once again, really, REALLY fun.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#51: When You Believe from The Prince Of Egypt (1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3MldSqmNLk

When You Believe was the signature song from The Prince of Egypt, and it's a stirring and moving song about the power of faith in the face of adversity. This song got a great "pop" version featuring Whitney Houston (RIP) and Mariah Carey, but I feel the superior version of this song was from the film itself, with Sally Dworsky (who should have been a Disney princess voice at some point in her career) and Michelle Pfieffer (who should have been a Disney villainess voice at some point in her career). Their harmony is absolutely beautiful together and then you get the little kids joining in with the song, followed by a massive choir of voices joining in (the entire procession of Hebrews escaping Egypt). The combination of the joyous choir with the voices of Dworsky and Pfieffer takes this song over the top in a very good way, providing an amazing emotional catharsis. It's an inspiring and heartwarming song and very very close to being one of the top 50 animated songs of all time. If THIS song missed out, imagine how good the 50 songs above it are going to be!

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#50: I 2 I from A Goofy Movie (1995) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvwXMICgwOg

This was the song performed at the big Powerline concert at the end of the film. If "The Touch" represents 80s music in all its glory, this song is the 90s encapsulated in song. It's performed by the very talented Tevin Campbell who kind of fell off the face of the Earth after this film, but he did leave us this gem, so we can't really complain. Not only does it completely work as a credible pop song, but of course it relates to the events of the film, as Max and Goofy have spent the whole film not really being on the same page, only to finally come together at the end and see things "eye to eye". It's insanely catchy and it's a great capper to all the trials and tribulations of the film, it really gives you a good feeling listening to it and that's important with such a feel-good movie like A Goofy Movie.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#49: If We Hold On Together from The Land Before Time (1988) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGVQJKgqgY8

Diana Ross sang this, the theme from The Land Before Time. It's very poignant, especially considering the events that take place in the film, but it's still very appropriate, a sweet and emotional theme for a sweet and emotional movie. It retreads some of the old children's movie song cliches like hope and friendship, but the beautiful language and Diana Ross' lovely voice come together to make this one of the best of the Don Bluth movie songs. It's set to the film's leitmotif and hearing a song like this, it's a shame that the franchise has fallen so far. The Land Before Time was one of the films that helped to light a fire under Disney's ass in the 80s and before we got the great songs of the Disney Renaissance, the Don Bluth films were producing excellent music of their own. This beautiful gem was one of the best.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#48: Kiss The Girl from The Little Mermaid (1989) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnjwlRA2z9k

While Under the Sea got more awards, accolades, and fame, The Little Mermaid's main romantic theme Kiss The Girl gets the nod over it on this list. It's just so infectiously sweet, perfect for the moment in the film and it works for romance in so many ways. It's performed by Sebastian as he tries to get Prince Eric and Ariel to take the plunge and kiss for the very first time, and it's etched into our collective memories as one of Disney's most romantic musical numbers. What's not to like about it? There's the always excellent Samuel E. Wright providing a very romantic backdrop for the two lovers, there's the little "ya ya ya" part toward the middle of the song that seems kind of cheesy but adds greatly to the song's charm... any Little Mermaid fan will tell you that this song remains one of their favorite Disney memories.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#47: Be Prepared from The Lion King (1994) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V34rolsT7pI

Scar's fantastic villain song from The Lion King is remembered both for its powerfully sung lyrics and its accompanying scene, which terrifyingly invokes images of some of history's worst dictators (seriously, listen to the German version of this song and try not to get chills). Scar's maniacal ranting and scheming is captured in its full majesty with this song, which is performed by both Jeremy Irons and Jim Cummings (Cummings took over the rest of the singing after Jeremy Irons wore out his voice). It immediately establishes Scar as one of Disney's nastiest villains and takes the film on a decidedly darker turn, going from the highs of Circle of Life and I Just Can't Wait To Be King to this very dark and scary song provides the powerful mood whiplash that leads into the film's tragic second act.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#46: Ev'rybody Wants To Be A Cat from The Aristocats (1970) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVhAGPYhvHo

This rollicking, swinging jazz song is quite possibly the only thing a lot of people remember about The Aristocats. While the movie certainly has its fans, it's still one of the more forgettable films in the Disney canon, but nobody forgot this wild tune sung by Phil Harris, Scatman Crothers, and Thurl Ravenscroft among others. The legendary voices and great instrumentals made this song a hit and one of the most beloved Disney tracks of all time. It's instantly catchy and something you'll probably find yourself singing to without even knowing it. Long before The Princess and the Frog brought jazz music to the Disney forefront in 2009, Scat Cat and his band of wild musicians cranked out one of Disney's most enduring hits.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#45: Our Town from Cars (2006) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM-fe_XwwLc

This mournful song, performed by James Taylor, expresses the sorrow and regret felt as the modern world overtakes the old, in this case how the interstate bypassed Radiator Springs, leading to its gradual and painful decline. It's a sort of epitaph for the old America of the 50s and a love letter to all those little towns on the former Route 66. If you didn't know very much about the movie Cars, you might take it for just a silly movie to push merchandise, and it sort of is, but there's a beating heart at the center of the film and it's hard not to have your heartstrings tugged fiercely by Our Town. James Taylor is the perfect singer to express the sentiments contained in this song and if you thought Cars was just a happy little movie about talking cars, Our Town will make you feel otherwise.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#44: I Won't Say I'm In Love from Hercules (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl6Yyl7iZhs

Megara's classic character song is one of the most beloved in Disney's history. Sung plenty of times on Youtube by Disney fans all over the place, it's performed by Broadway star Susan Egan, who has a very archetypical voice for this type of song. Megara's singing is accompanied by the film's muses who sing back and forth with her about her reluctant feelings for Hercules, it's all quite cute and of course at the end of the song she indeed admits that she MIGHT be in love, though she wouldn't dare say it. We see that Meg's heart has indeed softened for the big guy, and it gives such a good glimpse of her personality. She's been hurt, she's reluctant, but she's starting to realize that Hercules isn't like all the others and that she can open her heart again. It's the perfect song for any would-be Disney ingenue to sing and it stands out as the best song from the film, even moreso than the Oscar nominated Go The Distance.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#43: Do You Wanna Build A Snowman? from Frozen (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YwXff-i1fY

Anna sings this sweet song to Elsa in the film Frozen, a song that takes place over the course of a decade in the film, showing the two sisters growing up but never seeing one another. It's simultaneously very happy and very sad at the same time, showing how lonely Anna is and at the same time showing Elsa's loneliness as well. The song's interludes also show the passage of time and the various events that take place during the childhood of the two sisters, particularly the deaths of Anna and Elsa's parents in a tragic shipwreck at sea. Very few Disney songs have managed to run the gamut from joy to tragedy so effectively in the same song. It's a beautiful song of fraternal love and of course it's incredibly catchy considering all the people that have fallen in love with it. Incredibly, as recently as less than a year before the film's release, it wasn't even part of the film! The writers of the film had to plead their case to even get the song into the movie and I think we can all agree that Frozen is all the better for it.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#42: I See The Light from Tangled (2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLSrOijxFKQ

Tangled kept up the Disney tradition of having a big love song for its romantic leads, in this case Rapunzel and Flynn, who realize their love for each other as they float out on the pond under the floating lights. It's a really beautiful song, the two of them are both very expressive and it's such a warm scene, it's one of the best love duets Disney's ever done, featuring Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi whose voices work so well together, especially when the two of them come together to sing in harmony at the end of the song. Remember, earlier during the "I've Got A Dream" number, Flynn said he didn't sing! And here he sings willingly and eagerly because he loves Rapunzel oh so much. It's a lovely song that builds up to a beautiful climax and it's arguably the moment when Disney truly recaptured its magic.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#41: Prince Ali from Aladdin (1992) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb2HFylQVp0

One of the most fun songs in Disney history, this song is performed during Aladdin's huge parade through the streets of Agrabah after the Genie makes him into a prince. It's the full princely treatment, not only done he give Aladdin new prince clothes, riches, and a huge parade procession, but he even sings this awesome song to get the people of Agrabah hyped up for him! It's a huge bombastic musical number led by the voice of Genie himself, Robin Williams (RIP) who gives an outstanding musical performance accompanied by a chorus of ecstatic singers. It's really hard NOT to get excited about this Prince Ali guy, I mean with a theme song like this he's gonna be a great guy, right?

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#40: Sally's Song from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cczU26JhqWw

Sally's Song is a quiet, haunting, mournful song where Sally, the ragdoll girlfriend of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare Before Christmas, expresses her trepidation toward Jack's plan to bring Christmas to Halloweentown, expresses her love for him and her fear that he will meet a tragic end and that she is not his true love. It's a short song but a very beautiful one, Catherine O'Hara has a very airy, endearingly sweet voice and while she doesn't hit the power notes that a lot of other singers on this list do, it's still the perfect tone for this piece. Sally is a courageous but very quiet and shy character and her singing reflects that. So much emotion is captured in both her words and the tone of her voice, she's so expressive with every note she sings and the song's sense of foreboding is expressed perfectly as well.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#39: Once Upon A December from Anastasia (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1zamKoUREI

This song invokes so much emotion and imagery that you're instantly transported into Anastasia's heart with every note she sings. It's performed by Liz Callaway who has a classic Disney-esque ingenue voice, and it's easy to think it's FROM a Disney film when you hear her sing, though it's actually one of the last great Don Bluth movie songs. Anastasia arrives at the ruin of the Winter Palace and has a vision of the past, a vague vision since she's got amnesia but a vision nonetheless, of her old family and her childhood and her old life, and the song builds to a choral climax where she pretends to dance with her father before "returning" to the palace to sing the last little bit of the song. This song even makes you feel bad for Nicholas II, which is REALLY saying something considering that he was, you know, a dictator. This beautiful song is reprised a couple of times throughout the film, but never with the majesty and grandeur of that first incredible performance.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#38: Reflection from Mulan (1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Cbi_u_aLQ

Mulan sings this song after returning from a humiliating session with the Matchmaker in which she's told she will never bring honor to her family. She knows she's unique and not like the other girls but she also knows if she were to follow her heart's path, it would shame the rest of her family and she doesn't know what she should do. It's a very simplistic idea but it's expressed beautifully in this song. Mulan is absolutely sure she'll never be able to hide her true self and she just wants a chance to show it. Lea Salonga performs as the singing voice of Mulan and her lovely voice conveys so much emotion in this song, which perfectly sets up the events to come. The song expresses a sentiment that we haven't seen from a lot of other Disney girls before, even though many of them faced the same conflict that Mulan is facing. It's good to see this idea finally expressed so perfectly in a song.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#37: The Bells Of Notre Dame from The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4COfl8DMB8

This song kicked off The Hunchback Of Notre Dame in an absolutely spectacular way. It told the story of how Quasimodo came to be, how Frollo's pursuit of Quasimodo's mother led to her death and how Frollo came to be his caretaker in the cathedral. Clopin is the main performer of the song, but a choir singing actual Latin verses provides a very exhilarating backdrop and we even get some David Ogden Stiers action in the form of the archdeacon's verses. The lyrics are amazing: "Who is the monster and who is the man?" and of course the archdeacon's line about how Frollo's actions are seen by "the eyes of Notre Dame" (representing God of course). The film addressed religion in an incredibly honest way, nearly all of its characters are motivated by their beliefs in some way and all react in different ways (we'll see one of those ways later on this list, hint hint). The song builds to an incredible climax toward the end, including the film's main leitmotif (which we'll again see later on in the list). It's an extremely well composed song, definitely one of Alan Menken's best and a great introduction to one of Disney's most underrated classics.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#36: This Is Halloween from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQuVFBSPGcU

Our second intro song in a row, this song took us into the hilariously spooky world of The Nightmare Before Christmas. It instantly became one of the best Halloween songs of all time (probably the best) and also introduced us to all of the quirky characters in Halloweentown (I particularly like the introduction Sally got, we don't hear her sing but we see her looking hauntingly beautiful during the "I am the wind blowing through your hair" line, and also Oogie's introduction as "I am the shadow on the moon at night, filling your dreams to the brim with fright"). The song is full of cute little harmonies and while it's scary it also shows the denizens of Halloweentown as fun-loving and benevolent (they're "not mean", after all). Of course we also get our introduction to Jack Skellington, rising up as the Pumpkin King at the end of the song. It's hard to come up with a better way to start off a film than this. It's arguably the polar opposite of "The Bells Of Notre Dame" in tone and spirit, while the former featured the death of an innocent woman and the adoption of her deformed baby child by a cruel tyrant, "This Is Halloween" is just the creatures of the night (who Frollo would HATE) having lots of fun. Both intro songs are great but this song is ever so slightly on top.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#35: The Prayer from Quest For Camelot (1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydv1YrDf8Ns

This was an unforgettable song from an otherwise forgettable movie. Performed by the always wonderful Celine Dion, this song has had many versions over the last 15 years or so, but the original song from the film is a beautiful, emotional song from a mother wishing safety and happiness for her child. It's a shame that the song was completely wasted in the film itself, but that's not the song's fault, it's the fault of the writers and producers of this film who had no idea what they had in this song, which really deserved so much better. It's played over a scene of Kayley fleeing on horseback and being accosted by monsters and weird looking guards, which poisons the song with silly sound effects and yet still doesn't manage to dampen its emotional impact despite the film doing its absolute best to do so. The Prayer is one of the most gorgeous songs ever written for an animated film and it's too bad that it doesn't get an appropriately gorgeous moment.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#34: Colors Of The Wind from Pocahontas (1995) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i0HDygKdLM

This was the main song from the film Pocahontas and easily the best song in the soundtrack. Another great performance from Judy Kuhn as Pocahontas, the song is her attempt to convey to John Smith about the beauty and glory of nature, and the song soars because of Kuhn's powerful voice and the stirring instrumentals behind it, going from a more simplistic jog to full orchestral grandeur seamlessly with the peaks and valleys of the song. It's full of life and beauty, just like nature itself, and it's no wonder that John Smith was so inspired by Pocahontas' musical message. The lyrics paint vivid images of natural beauty, Pocahontas sings not only of the wind but of the forest and trees and mountains and all the creatures of the world (or at least the ones that live in her small slice of it). It's a song that works on several levels and it makes a perfect musical climax for the film.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#33: Poor Unfortunate Souls from The Little Mermaid (1989) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7CVB2xYaso

One of Disney's most beloved villain songs, this one features Ursula in all of her full drama queen glory as she tries to persuade Ariel to make a deal with her to become a human. She mentions all the other people she's made deals with (and screwed over, obviously), and poor naive Ariel falls for it hook, line, and sinker. Ursula is of course VERY persuasive, using that big loud deep voice of hers to bellow and cackle and just ham it up beyond all imagination. It's delightful, she's so wicked and nasty and you can tell Pat Carroll had a LOT of fun singing this one. She's indulging in every moment as she builds up to finally persuading Ariel to signing away her voice (and of course Ursula is planning to screw Ariel over just like she has everyone else), and the end of the song sees Ariel falling under Ursula's spell, the song ending in an ominous instrumental before fading out. It's a moment of absolute triumph for Ursula and we can easily hear it in every note of this wonderful villain song.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#32: I've Got No Strings from Pinocchio (1940) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UlphMDLrA

This delightfully adorable song from Disney's Pinocchio is sung by the eponymous puppet as he performs in Stromboli's puppet show. He's joined by a chorus of puppets including a little Dutch girl and a French can-can dancer, who join Pinocchio in his song with adorable verses of their own. Pinocchio is having so much fun being free of his strings and performing for people and we can easily hear that joy in the song, it's really happy throughout and a lot of fun. The instrumental portions of the song are fun as well, transitioning from a variety of styles according to the puppet singing on the screen (for example, we get a bit of a traditional Russian tune as the cossack puppet is singing). This song is really really really catchy and memorable, one of the highlights of Pinocchio's delightful soundtrack, and though there are rough times ahead for Pinocchio, this song is simply a fun and really happy moment in the film.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#31: Bella Notte from Lady and the Tramp (1955) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySeAjfgoFtw

Bella Notte was the main theme from the Disney classic Lady and the Tramp, most notably appearing during the iconic Italian restaurant scene between the two titular canine characters. It's sung by the owner of the restaurant, doing his best to make the dinner the two are having as romantic as possible, and the song really drives home the nature of the scene. It's one of the sweetest scenes in animation history and Bella Notte is what helps to make it so sweet. The song describes the feeling of curling up with a significant other on a lovely night and how nothing could be better than romance under the stars, using simple but vivid imagery to paint a picture of that perfect romantic evening. Bella Notte literally means "beautiful night" (making the first line REALLY redundant if you think about it), but it's true, it is indeed a beautiful night when you're spending a great time with the one you love, and this song captures that wonderful feeling.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#30: Can You Feel The Love Tonight? from The Lion King (1994) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h67RkwnchsI

Elton John composed this romantic song from The Lion King and did an outstanding version of his own, perhaps even better than the one that appears in the film itself... not to say that the one from the film isn't excellent, because it is. After Timon and Pumbaa lament the return of Nala and Simba seemingly falling in love with her almost instantly, we get into the main part of the song, with Simba and Nala's voices singing in warm harmony as an African chant goes on in the background. The song is beautifully composed (it's Elton John, so of course it is) and it makes Simba and Nala's reunion even more romantic than it already is. Timon and Pumbaa's hilarious interludes don't take anything away from it, it's very sweet to have the two of them reacting in such a way, knowing their carefree life with Simba is coming to an end. Simba and Nala's doubts but their obvious warmth toward each other makes it all the more endearing. It's a far more complex song than Bella Notte and while the two are about equally as romantic and appealing, I have to give the higher spot to the more involved song, which is this.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#29: Hellfire from The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1996) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDacUZ-bEhE

Frollo's hypocrisy and the start of his madness are on full display in this song, a dark, amazing, terrifying song from The Hunchback Of Notre Dame. Accompanied by meaningful Latin chanting, Frollo rants and raves and fears that his lust for Esmeralda will condemn him to hell. Through Tony Jay's incredible singing, we feel the depths of Frollo's fear and rage as he blames Esmeralda for his lust and even God himself. It's one of the darkest songs Disney has ever done, perhaps the darkest, exploring themes that haven't been explored in a Disney song before or sense. It's through this song that we get the truest glimpse of Frollo's character and why so many consider him to be the worst villain in Disney history. His true sin is deadly hypocrisy, where he blames everyone for his own failings but himself even while committing actions that he condems others for. Never has a Disney villain expressed such deep motivation in a song.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#28: When She Loved Me from Toy Story 2 (1999) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3qBbLyRixg

It doesn't get much more heartwrenching than this song from the Queen of Tears, Sarah McLachlan. Remember those ASPCA commercials? The ones that randomly come on TV and ruin your whole day? Yeah. This song tells the story of Jessie the cowgirl doll, who was once loved dearly by a little girl named Emily, only to be gradually separated from her as Emily moved on to more grown-up interests. Finally, Emily takes Jessie along with some of her other old things and dumps them all off the side of the road to be donated, all while McLachlan's mournful voice tells the sad story in the background. This song cuts really deep, singing about how two dear friends or loved ones can gradually grow apart, even if it's just a small child and her toy. You can hear the deep pain in her voice during the song, and though there's a hopeful note at the end, it's not to be. The song is one of the saddest moments in the Toy Story trilogy, maybe THE saddest moment, and it's this song that's the main reason why.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#27: The Second Star To The Right from Peter Pan (1953) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmI9fVrHaf0

The title theme to Peter Pan is a song that fills you with so much wonder when you listen to it that you're instantly transported to the fantastical world of Neverland on the wings of a dream. It's a beautiful song performed by a small group of men and women who sing wistfully about the wonder of Neverland and how you can go there yourself if you just follow the second star to the right. It's a song that takes you right back to your childhood, so very inspirational and heartwarming that it sets the perfect tone for the magical adventure to come. The second star to the right itself has become one of Disney's most enduring images, Disney has almost completely absorbed the Peter Pan story as it has done with so many other old fairytales, and though Peter Pan is still performed and re-enacted in many incarnations to this day, it's Disney's version that has endured the longest in our collective memories. This lovely song and the images it invokes helped to make Disney's Peter Pan the truest re-telling of the tale.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#26: Some Day My Prince Will Come from Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=394jSMBM60Q

Snow White sings this sweet song as she tells her friends the seven dwarves a story of the love she desires to find someday. This song is so warm and lovely, with an instantly memorable melody conveying Snow White's desire for a love she can have forever. While Snow White's romance with Prince Charming has been somewhat ridiculed in recent years for a variety of reasons, the purity of this song still shines through even after all these years. It's a very simple but very beautiful piece, and as in the other songs in the film, Adriana Caselotti's gorgeous voice is instantly endearing, never more so than while singing this. It's become Snow White's signature song, a symbol of her innocence and purity and one of the very best "yearning" songs in the Disney canon.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#25: Everything Is Awesome from The LEGO Movie (2014) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6lHm-stXdM

This song immediately gets it hooks in you and doesn't let up. Performed by Tegan and Sara and The Lonely Island, it's one of the happiest songs on the list and probably the funniest too. The Lonely Island's rather random lyrics just add to its charm and Tegan and Sara provide a bit of J-Pop flavor that makes the chorus super cute. It's an inspirational song too with lines like "everything you see or think or say IS AWESOME!" It's used quite well in the movie itself, it's kind of used as an example of a conformist song at the start of the film (considering the fact that everyone is listening to it, like they're supposed to) but to Emmett it takes on new meaning later on and inspires him to find the awesomeness within himself. It's one of those songs you're going to find yourself wanting to listen to over and over and the song was charming enough to build up a lot of hype for The LEGO Movie when it was released. Seriously, despite the great trailer the film had plenty of doubters, but along with stellar reviews, this song was one of the big reasons why people warmed up to the film and turned out in droves to see it. It's like very few other songs on this list. It's both completely earnest and really tongue-in-cheek at the same time, not taking itself at all seriously but just being really fun, really catchy, and capable of making just about anyone smile. After listening to "When She Loved Me" at #28, listen to this and make all the tears go away.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#24: Dreams To Dream from An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj5un1DYTxM (Cathy Cavadini) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82oVuAZIZUs (Linda Ronstadt)

The main theme song from Fievel Goes West is an utterly gorgeous song, and both versions of this song provide a very important function to the film, so I'm giving them both equal billing here. The version sung by Cathy Cavadini, who, like most talented voice actresses is also a very talented singer, has a quiet but softly stirring quality to it and in the film, it charms Cat R. Waul instantly (which definitely comes into play later on, since it saves the lives of pretty much every mouse in the town when he spares all of them in order to prevent her from being killed along with them). Linda Ronstadt's end credits version is one of the best ending credits songs ever performed. I truly believe that a good ending credits song can elevate a film far above what it would have been otherwise, as it's your last impression of the movie and can mute some of your bad feelings about what you've just seen and leave you with the good ones. That's what Linda Ronstadt's magnificent performance does at the end of this film. The song hits so many wonderful peaks due to her powerful voice, and moves the viewer in a very meaningful and impactful way. It's just a splendid song, in fact the Fievel Goes West soundtrack is probably the best part of the movie, elevating it almost to the level of its predecessor. So yes, both versions of this song crack the top 25 together, and deservedly so.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#23: Baby Mine from Dumbo (1941) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtOyWfkg7Wc

This heartwarming and sad song is the dramatic centerpiece of the film Dumbo, sung to Dumbo by his mother after the two are separated when Dumbo's mother is locked up. It's a song of pure love from a mother to a child, with Dumbo's mother trying to inspire him and cheer him up after Dumbo is picked on and bullied by pretty much everyone who meets him. The scene during the song is filled with images of mothers with their own baby animals all over the circus, sleeping together while Dumbo and his mother have to stay separated, though there is still a bit of hope to the song because of his mother's inspirational words. Though Dumbo is very small, his mother has all the love in the world for him and this song is really appropriate for any mother at all, conveying the warmth and depth of a mother's love with its soothing and sweet words, and no other song in the Disney library, and few other songs outside of it, conveys this feeling of motherly love better than Baby Mine.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#22: Friend Like Me from Aladdin (1992) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eydl-w0YK9U

Robin Williams is at his brilliant comedic best in this song that introduces the Genie and all he can do to Aladdin. He jumps from voice to voice without missing a beat, you can tell just how much fun he's having and the audience is having fun too, this song just radiates happiness and excitement in every word and every note. It's basically just hammering the same message over and over again ("I'm the genie and I can give you everything your heart desires") but it's stated in so many different ways thanks to Williams' madcap delivery and this song makes it abundantly clear why he's viewed as a true comedy legend. The Genie is a one of a kind character in Disney history, he's the best friend we all wished we had, not because he could grant us our hearts desires with his incredible cosmic powers, but because of his loyalty and his ability to make us laugh at every moment and this song gets that across perfectly. It's a standout moment of pure entertainment in a film that's chock-full of them, instantly endearing the Genie to all of us. Still more than 20 years later, it remains a highlight of the film and of our childhoods as well, which is why this is the song that Disney promoted heavily in the trailer...they knew it would put butts in seats and make their follow up to Beauty and the Beast a hit.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#21: Le Festin from Ratatouille (2007) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-3Z3jmDiL0

A very light-hearted and upbeat French song from Ratatouille, composed by the master Michael Giacchino and performed by the singer Camille, whose powerful voice lets you feel the emotion of the song even if you don't understand French, Le Festin is an unexpected treat in the film Ratatouille, a subtly brilliant song with a gorgeous melody. Translated from French, the lyrics tell of someone who seeks to find something new out of life and has nearly given up when life provides them with a new purpose (the "feast" that is referred to in the title). It's a lovely sentiment and very appropriate to the film itself, with Linguini gaining a new purpose himself because of Remy helping him to become a chef and run his own restaurant. The song is used beautifully in the film, it's played after Skinner is deposed as executive chef of the restaurant after the discovery that Linguini is Gusteau's son, and Linguini starts his new life with his new girlfriend Colette at his side. It's also played at the end of the film, a lovely way to cap off a beautiful movie. It's one of the few non-English songs on the list but even if you don't understand the words, the beauty of the song itself is clearly evident and the uplifting melody makes it an instantly captivating classic.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#20: Journey To The Past from Anastasia (1997) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bCKBHvpNSg

Journey To The Past is the Oscar nominated centerpiece song featured in the 1997 film Anastasia. It's sung by the title character as she gets ready to start out on her journey to find out the truth about who she truly is. It's both an adventurous song and a yearning song and Liz Callaway's delivery really captures Anastasia's feelings of both fear and anticipation perfectly. The song moves along very quickly, though it does feature a soft bridge toward the end of the song where Anastasia sings about her desire to find her home and her family. Other than that bridge though, this song moves right along at a very brisk pace, bringing forth an energy that carries you right through along with Anastasia. I love the little "yes" part she sings to string together two lines in the final verse, it gives the song even more of a journeying feel to it, bringing the excitement of Anastasia's adventure to life. It's such a spirited and uplifting piece, it brings joy to the heart of the listener and makes Anastasia seem like such a real person, very few songs of this nature really accomplish that like Journey To The Past does. It lost out on the Oscar to My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, and I think that's a shame because this is the superior song. It's a much more original and emotional and real composition, but it got swept up along with everything else that year in Titanic-mania. Still, this song stands out along with Once Upon A December in a movie full of great songs.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#19: Hakuna Matata from The Lion King (1994) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbom691n-14

This song was EVERYWHERE after The Lion King came out, and it's easy to see why. It's one of Disney's catchiest songs and it's got such a happy sentiment...I mean, forgetting about all your worries, who can't get on board with that? While everyone remembers the main chorus, people forget that the film gave us some very hilarious lines from Timon and Pumbaa about how the phrase helped Pumbaa stop worrying about his flatulence problem ("Pumbaa, not in front of the kids!") In the film, this is the song that bridged Simba's transition from childhood to adulthood, after just a brief instrumental we went from hearing Simba singing as a child to hearing his adult voice for the first time singing the very next line, basically illustrating that Simba lived the entire next decade or so forgetting the tragedies of his childhood and chilling out with Timon and Pumbaa, so not only was the song itself fun to listen to but it served an extremely important purpose in the film itself. It's probably the most memorable song from The Lion King, though perhaps not the best, and it's joined the pantheon of Disney's lineup of "carefree and happy" songs. Listening to Hakuna Matata, hell, singing along with it makes you feel good, which is why in the summer of 1994, everyone was jamming to this song and forgetting about their worries.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#18: I'll Make A Man Out Of You from Mulan (1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbp52Z9jRg0

This song is dripping with epicness and it's a serious high point in the film. It plays over Mulan's transformation from a scared, nervous girl into a hardened warrior, with Shang singing about how he's going to turn his band of recruits into a fierce fighting force (with the irony of course being that the toughest one of all of them isn't a man at all). It's performed by Donny Osmond, yes, THAT Donny Osmond (he's a seriously good singer though, whatever you think of him). Did you know that the Chinese version of the song is performed by Jackie Chan? Seriously. How could it get any more epic than that? This is such an exhilarating song, it gets you pumped up really quickly, probably one of the best exercise songs ever written. With the accompanying scene it's even better, it's one of the most inspirational scenes in Disney history. Mulan has failed at every aspect of her training and Shang is telling her to go home. This is what Mulan's been waiting for, right? She's gotten her father out of danger AND she won't have to fight in the war....but Mulan is determined not to disgrace her family or herself, and climbs up the pole with the weights to get the arrow, while inspiring her entire squadron to succeed in their training as well. It's one of the greatest scenes in Disney history and this song is definitely deserving of a top 20 spot.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#17: You've Got A Friend In Me from the Toy Story trilogy (1995-2010) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHFy3YWpRx8

Randy Newman provided so many songs for Pixar over the years, but this song from Toy Story remains one of the most iconic in animation history. It captures the main theme of the series, which is friendship no matter what ordeals you might go through. The characters of the trilogy are put through so much together, but they stick together through it all, even to the bitter end, reinforcing the song's message over and over again. The song features prominently in all three films, it plays at the beginning of the first movie while showing the fun times Andy and Woody have together. In the second film, Woody, the TV character Woody, sings it during Woody's Roundup (and yes that is Tom Hanks doing his voice) and it inspires the real Woody to return to his friends. It's also sung by Robert Goulet to close off the film. In the third film it plays over a montage of Andy's childhood, and then a SPANISH version appears to cap off the whole trilogy. I can't think of a more fitting song for the Toy Story series than this, it brings back so many memories, has so many contexts, and is deeply important to the events of the films themselves.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#16: The Bare Necessities from The Jungle Book (1967) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5AKhAH1-7YY

This was the most well-known song from the classic Disney film The Jungle Book. It's somewhat similar to Hakuna Matata in theme, but a bit more profound in terms of lyrics. Baloo the bear, voiced by the legendary Phil Harris, waxes opine to Mowgli about how you don't need to worry about anything in life when you have what you really need. It's a very lively jazz tune and Harris has a naturally cheerful voice when he's singing, making this a really feel-good, fun song to hear. After a long musical interlude, Mowgli even joins in with some singing of his own. This song is one of Disney's most memorable and enduring tunes because of its simple but meaningful message and because of its fun rhythm that you can easily find yourself dancing to. It's not quite as instantly catching as Hakuna Matata is but it's still the better composed and better performed of the two songs, and Baloo's jungle anecdotes are somewhat more lyrical than Pumbaa's farting lament. Plus, the idea of Baloo singing and dancing around is an instantly joyful thought. It's one of the great memorable Disney songs for a reason, its simple message continues to charm and entertain audiences to this day.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#15: Circle Of Life from The Lion King https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4efZIHtiQQ

I once had a choir teacher tell me that you could instantly tell how good a movie was going to be by the opening song. Well, he was absolutely right about The Lion King. Fantastic movie, FANTASTIC opening song. We pan over the African landscape and onto Pride Rock, where thousands of animals of all kinds are coming together to witness the birth of the new prince Simba. Playing in the background is this song, a perfect mix of an African chorus, a wonderful singer, and incredible instrumentals, the song builds up to bigger and bigger climaxes throughout before ending on a truly majestic final note. It mixes quiet, tranquil beauty with majesty and enormity. The lyrics perfectly reflect the film's theme, how we all exist together, impact one another and connect in the universal circle of life whether we like it or not, big or small we all have a place within it. The song helps to give weight and purpose to the events at the beginning of the film and starts the movie off splendidly, from the moment you hear this song you know the movie is going to be epic and amazing and indeed it was. There's nothing more powerful than making a good first impression and The Circle Of Life made a great one.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#14: Once Upon A Dream from Sleeping Beauty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlCfJkAaWeU

Once Upon A Dream is a sweetly romantic song from Sleeping Beauty, sung by Aurora and then Prince Philip before it turns into a duet between the two of them. Aurora's voice is melodic and warm as she sings, her voice is significantly deeper than Snow White's (and probably too deep for someone who's supposed to be 16) and quite a bit more powerful her gorgeous voice singing those notes (especially the "ah ah ah" part after the first verse) is appropriately melodic and when Prince Philip comes in it turns into pure Disney magic. To Disney's credit, they did develop the romance between Aurora and Philip a bit more than they did with Snow White and Prince Charming (or Cinderella and Prince Charming for that matter), while it's still not developed nearly as much as we'd see in later Disney films the chemistry between them is immediately apparent and this song does its purpose well of bringing the two harmoniously together. It's become one of Disney's greatest love songs, and I'm sure we've all heard the dark version of the song that Lana Del Rey did for Maleficent, I personally loved that version but I know more than a few Disney fans are divided on it. As is the case with most of the songs on this list, there's no beating the original.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#13: Somewhere Out There from An American Tail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgHh3WaCOpw (original film version, scene included this time) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkI-B2JWSZI (James Ingram and Linda Ronstadt)

Once again, an American Tail song makes the list and once again I'm counting both versions, because you really can't separate the two of them from each other. The first version is simultaneously one of the saddest and most hopeful songs in animation history, it's Don Bluth's "Baby Mine" moment so to speak. Fievel has been separated from his family and only his older sister Tanya believes he's still alive. She believes it so strongly that she'd do anything to get him back again, while Fievel of course just wants to reunite with his family. That leads to this magical moment, where the two of them, despite being so far apart, sing a duet under the stars in the hope that they'll be reunited someday. The lyrics are very very sweet and heartwarming, conveying the sentiment that Fievel knows he's being loved and missed and that he has to get home for his family, and he and Tanya know that they're both sleeping under the same stars, the same moon, and the same sky. The version performed by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, while of course not quite as emotional as the version in the film, is still incredibly powerful, the two gifted voices sing with great harmony to make the "pop" version of the song almost as heartwarming as the one in the film. An American Tail is a movie that can be very heartwrenching but it also conveys a message of hope and love and Somewhere Out There conveys that message in a truly beautiful way.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#12: Be Our Guest from Beauty And The Beast (1991) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASEdQLVIXRo

Everyone remembers this fantastic song from Beauty and the Beast. Hell, The Simpsons even directly parodied it! It was performed during the dinner scene toward the middle of the film, after Belle refuses to eat with the Beast who then leaves her to starve, but the castle's staff decides to prepare dinner for Belle anyway, and it's a truly spectacular affair, with nearly the entire castle staff joining in. Lumiere, of course, is the main performer in this song, he's voiced by Jerry Orbach (RIP), who you also might know as Det. Briscoe from Law and Order. Yeah, seriously, Detective Briscoe sang this song....well, he was also joined by the legendary Angela Lansbury along with a huge chorus of singers in one of the most spectacular numbers in a Disney film. This song has pretty much everything going for it, it's such a spectacular and celebratory song, only slowing down for Lumiere to explain why the staff is going to such lengths to give Belle a good time (well, besides the fact that they need her to help break the curse, anyway), it's explained that the castle staff hasn't had a chance to provide a meal like this for anyone in ten years, so it's a sort of pent-up thing for all of them, they simply HAVE to serve someone and that someone happens to be Belle. This song is a classic Broadway-style musical number done just like the big spectacular numbers in the musicals of old, and it absolutely soars in every possible way.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#11: A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes from Cinderella (1950) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFllJcKJXD8

The most famous song sung by Cinderella, this song is one of many in the Disney tradition of singing about the power of dreams to change the world. Though Cinderella faces a terrible life being forced to do everything for her stepmother and stepsisters, she never stops dreaming and hoping, as her hopes and dreams can never be taken from her and she sings this song to encourage her many animal friends to never stop dreaming as well. The gorgeous voice of Ilene Woods as Cinderella carries this song, featuring one of the most beautiful melodies ever heard in a Disney song, it's very calming and comforting as she sings about her dreams despite the circumstances she currently finds herself in, that indeed any dream that you wish can come true. It's a sentiment reflected by many of Disney's greatest songs (perhaps even some that haven't been listed yet), and the title itself is one of the most famous quotes to ever come from Disney and perhaps the central theme of most of the Disney animated films, particularly the early ones. Walt Disney always believed that dreams really can come true and no song reflects that sentiment more than this beautiful tune.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#10: You'll Be In My Heart from Tarzan (1999) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=git6DCXSqjE

Phil Collins' best song for Tarzan, this was the main song from the film and it even won the Best Song Oscar (and is consequently the reason Trey Parker doesn't have an EGOT yet). It's a song that conveys pure love and caring, it's originally sung in the film by Kala to Tarzan but can really apply to any kind of love, whether it's from a parent to a child, a friend to a friend or between a couple. It's not only the best song in the film, it's one of Phil Collins' best songs period, conveying both love and encouragement, it's such a positive song and it's perfect for the film Tarzan. Tarzan finds himself conflicted and doubting himself so much, but when he remembers how much he's cared for it gives him the strength to go on. The song conveys the power of love and is wonderfully composed and performed as well. It was also one of Disney's most commercially successful songs, not only did it win at the Oscars but it stayed on the charts for quite a while as well. It was Disney's last great song of the Disney Renaissance and provides a perfect conclusion to the era when Disney was arguably at its very best.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#9: Part Of Your World from The Little Mermaid (1989) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IOqRLR3Oug

From the last great song of the Disney Renaissance to the first, Part Of Your World was Ariel's theme song from The Little Mermaid, where Ariel explains just why she wants to leave her sheltered ocean kingdom and walk among humans. For anyone who bashes this movie because it seems like Ariel's just a shallow girl who gave up everything for her man, this song pretty much refutes all of their arguments. Ariel didn't give up her voice and become a human just for Eric, but because she wanted desperately to be a part of the human world in general. She was bored in her gilded ocean cage, but through all the things she collected from the human world that fell into the sea, she painted a picture of the humans and their world and it became the thing she wanted most in the world. Jodi Benson's performance of this song is one of the best performances of a song in Disney history, she puts so much emotion into every word and every note, her voice quiet and reserved when it needs to be and rising to a crescendo at the song's glorious climax where we truly feel the power of Ariel's longing. This song became a Disney classic pretty much instantly and while Under The Sea may have gotten all the popular success, this was truly the best song in The Little Mermaid and it wasn't really that close. Even now, this song has entered the culture as one of the songs little girls sing when they want to feel like a Disney princess, it's become one of the most popular songs to cover on Youtube and Jodi Benson is asked to sing it pretty much everywhere she goes. It's an amazing song and instantly makes you fall in love with Ariel, few songs in any movie have the power to make you feel so much empathy for a character like this one does.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#8: The Plagues from The Prince Of Egypt (1998) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2WjCHuYg4g

Another song that wasn't the most famous song in its film but was the best by a wide margin, The Plagues is the song that plays when Egypt is being ravaged by the Ten Plagues as punishment for Ramses not letting the Hebrew slaves go. The song is simultaneously a dramatic choral piece and a deeply personal and heartbreaking dialogue between Moses and his brother Ramses (whose singing voice is actually performed by Ralph Fiennes!). Moses expresses his deep reluctance and sorrow at having to call down the plagues on God's behalf, while Ramses furiously blames Moses for the plagues and accuses Moses of hating him, which is of course the last thing Moses thinks, and adamantly refuses to ever let Moses' people go. The song is dark and very powerful, showing how deeply violent the conflict between the two brothers has become. It's a "point of no return" for them, and if you've watched the film, you know just how painful that is, as the two used to be the best of friends as children and even as young adults. The plagues, while perhaps the only way to get Ramses to release the slaves, are shown to be devastating to the innocent people of Egypt and intensely painful to Moses. The level of emotion in this song is through the roof and it's hard not to feel something while listening to the dramatic words of every verse.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#7: Happy from Despicable Me 2 (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a89mn7qpSBE

Pharrell's instantly catchy, infectiously uplifting song from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack might be the most commercially successful song ever from an animated film. It stayed atop the Billboard charts for ten weeks, one of the longest runs of any song ever. Why was it so popular for such a long time? Well, for starters, it's a great song. Listening to it makes you feel good, makes you want to dance, and people all over the world have posted their own tribute videos of themselves dancing to the song's great beat and fun lyrics. While it has little to do with the events of Despicable Me 2 itself, it's still very fitting for the film, which itself is very upbeat and fun. It's the song that really put Pharrell Williams on everyone's radar, even moreso than his work on Daft Punk's Get Lucky. It very nearly beat out one of the top six songs on this list to win at the Oscars. With all the other emotionally charged, in some cases downright tear-jerking songs on this list, this might just be the best "pure fun" song to appear (well...maybe not THE best, more on that later). It's definitely one of the catchiest songs in recent memory and it got us all up to dance, contributing to the great success that Despicable Me 2 had and elevating Pharrell's status into one of the biggest names in music. It's for all these reasons that Happy cracked the top ten.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#6: Beauty And The Beast from Beauty And The Beast (1991) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_TGwSUpLb4

For all the great songs to appear in Beauty and the Beast, the title song is still the best and still the most enduring musical number from this fantastic film. It appears during the iconic ballroom dance sequence between Belle and the Beast, playing as the two dance under the beautiful vaulted ceiling. Angela Lansbury is one of the greatest living Broadway legends we have, and her voice is at its best in this magnificent piece. Do you know if it wasn't for her, this song might have ended up being an upbeat pop number? Believe it or not, Disney actually wanted this song to be upbeat 90s pop, with a guitar and everything, but Lansbury rightfully set them straight and we got the beautiful, memorable number that appeared in the film. The lyrics are of course perfect, with the classic "tale as old as time" line and describing Belle and the Beast's romance before invoking lyrically the same imagery that appears on the ballroom ceiling, the song is written almost flawlessly and it's always a tear jerker to hear Lansbury's gentle voice singing of Belle and the Beast's romantic love. The version that appears during the credits, featuring Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, is a great way to cap off the film, but there's no comparison to Angela Lansbury's timeless classic that will remain one of Disney's most beloved songs probably even 100 years from now.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#5: La Resistance from South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LonKGuS9uuQ

This may seem like a strange choice for one of the five greatest animated movie songs of all time, but this song from the South Park movie ties together so many elements from this film's other great songs that it stands tall above every other musical number in the film. It's a sort of medley, featuring both new verses (Gregory's lines about La Resistance) and also parts of some of the other songs (Blame Canada, Up There, etc.) as pretty much every major character in the film sings about the momentous events soon to take place. It's Matt Stone and Trey Parker's nod to Les Miserables, particularly the classic "Can You Hear The People Sing?" and also "One Day More". It features Broadway's longest running Phantom of the Opera as the singing voice of Gregory, singing some hilariously vulgar lines. It continues the fierce satire of the film itself, with Gregory singing about how Kyle, Cartman, and Stan are heroically going to stand up for freedom and peace...while also singing about all the horrible ways they're going to die in the process. It's definitely the dramatic climax of the entire film, it's both stirring and uproariously funny, perfectly tying together the events of the first part of the film and setting everything up for the big showdown in the second. Stephen Sondheim once called the South Park movie the best musical of the last 20 years, and nowhere does that claim ring truer than in this amazing song, which is both a biting parody and a loving homage to some of Broadway's greatest hits.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#4: Let It Go from Frozen (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk (Just had to include the whole sequence here ^_^)

You knew it was going to be SOMEWHERE on this list. It's the Disney earworm that everyone's heard, everyone's tried to sing, everyone's had an opinion on over the past year. It's a classic Disney character song, featuring Elsa finally accepting her magical powers and using them in a brilliant display as she sings with that powerful voice of hers (perfectly performed by Idina Menzel). It's probably the best moment of the film, though that's obviously debatable. What's not even remotely debatable is that Frozen would not exist without this song. It's true, Elsa was planned originally to be a classic Disney wicked queen, but when this song was written for her, the writers all knew that Elsa was something else...a troubled but warm-hearted young woman full of all sorts of emotions who decides to isolate herself to protect those she loves. It's then that the groundwork was laid for a true Disney classic. So much meaning has been attributed to this song by pretty much everyone. Some have said that it's a metaphor for LGBT people coming out, and that meaning can certainly be gleaned from the song, though others have claimed that the writers had no such intention and maybe they're right too. Whatever meaning you ascribe to the song, its impact on Disney's current fortunes cannot be understated. Years down the road, if this truly does become a Second Renaissance for Disney, perhaps it can all be traced back to Let It Go, the first Disney song since You'll Be In My Heart to get significant radio airplay and probably the first Disney song ever to penetrate so deeply into the public consciousness.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#3: What's This? from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oSJKXlg5OU

Jack's heartwarming exclamation upon seeing Christmas Town for the first time is the third greatest animated song of all time. While not quite as famous as Let It Go, it has become one of the most ubiquitous movie trailer songs of all time. Its jaunty and upbeat melody instantly calls forth memories of joyful Christmas merriment, making it a modern Christmas classic. Composed by Danny Elfman, who's composed many of the greatest themes for all sorts of animated works, Jack's discovery of Christmas remains a classic movie moment. You can hear the joy in Elfman's voice as Jack realizes the strange wonder of the Christmas season, exclaiming his surprise and glee at everything he sees. The joy just pours out of every moment of this song, from Jack's first sighting of those Christmas elves riding a polar bear to the appreciation he gains for life and love, his reaction to kissing under the mistletoe, of Christmas trees and lights and everything else. The song does so much to humanize Jack, it's a perfect yearning song and character song for him and his excitement is contagious as the song builds up to Jack's boisterous conclusion. The Nightmare Before Christmas possesses one of the greatest soundtracks of any film, with three songs in the top 40 on this list, and What's This? is the best of the bunch.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#2: A Whole New World from Aladdin (1992) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kl4hJ4j48s (movie version with scene) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIlu5rNfulE (Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle)

The greatest love song in Disney history, A Whole New World depicts Aladdin and Jasmine soaring above the clouds on a magic carpet as the two sing beautifully to one another about the wonders of the world and the chance to start a new life together. It's a gorgeous song, perfect for duets, with Brad Kane and Lea Salonga's voices shining in perfect harmony. Both Aladdin and Jasmine sing just about equally, each of them gets their own lines and then they come together at the song's conclusion. The chemistry between the two characters shines even when the song is separated from the scene in the film (though the scene itself also ranks among the top two or three scenes in Disney history). I can't exclude the "pop" version by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. It's probably the best Disney pop song ever, and I'd rank it among the ten best songs of the entire 90s, with added lines and that early 90s guitar instrumental that so many other film songs had, but that works perfectly to bridge together the last couple parts of the song. The meaning of the song still shines through in the pop duet, and it's hard to pick the better one out of the two of them. This amazing song still remains a Disney classic, and if you ask people who grew up during the Disney Renaissance about their favorite moment from one of those great modern films, the Whole New World sequence would probably get the most votes. It's just too perfect. It's a masterpiece.

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<p style="margin-bottom: 0in">#1: When You Wish Upon A Star from Pinocchio (1940) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKh6XxYbbIc

There simply couldn't be another number one song on this list. This song perfectly captures the essence of Disney in three minutes. The lyrics are full of magic and wonder and Cliff Edwards' endearing voice makes this song the perfect lullaby, stirring up so much emotion in anyone who hears it. In Pinocchio, the puppet is turned into a young boy when Geppetto wishes on a shining star in the sky, and it's a trope that's appeared in so many works since that it's become a cliche, but no film did it more earnestly or beautifully than in Pinocchio. This isn't just a theme song for Pinocchio, but a theme song for Disney itself. If you go to a Disney film today, you'll hear this song before the movie begins in all of its orchestral majesty. Even without the lyrics, the song's melody is enough to inspire wonder and joy. If there's any doubt that this isn't both the greatest and most influential animated film song in history, Disney's continued use and admiration of this song drives home just how good of a song it is. It was the highest ranking song from an animated film to appear on the American Film Institute's list of greatest film songs at #7, but it should have been higher, maybe even higher than Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Few songs of any stripe can inspire so much childlike wonder as this. It IS Disney's theme song and without it, most of the songs on this list would never have been written. As far as animated musical numbers go, it all begins and ends with When You Wish Upon A Star.