Top Ten Tuesday - The Disney Musical

**** Major edit: I initially ordered this list on how much I liked the movie, apparently the title and lead up suggest that the order is based on how well the movie stacks up as a Broadway style musical... To that end I've reordered the list to acknowledge that some of my favorites might not be the most Broadway-esque.****


In 1989 a revolution began - one that changed the landscape of animated film for the next two decades: The Animated Musical. Now I'm not talking about a movie with music, Disney had been doing that all the way back to Snow White. I'm talking about the style of musical inspired by Broadway shows, we can trace this back to these gentleman:

Pictured: A dynamic duo.

Specifically Alan Menken and Howard Ashman.

Seriously can I get a documentary about them?

After a lot of deliberation I've come up with a simple formula:

Opening Number - Comes right at the beginning of the film, frequently there is no dialogue but if there is rest assured it simply opening narration. Note - some films have successfully skipped this by setting the scene with the score. I'll note this where applicable.

Slice of Life - A song used to help us identify the personality of our primary player. Of all the songs this seems the most optional.

I Want Song: The song where our hero/ heroine endures themselves to us through music. Howard Ashman dscribed …Early in the evening, the leading lady usually sits down on something and sings about what she wants in life — and the audience falls in love with her, and then roots for her to get it for the rest of the night.

Show Stopper - This is the song that comes out of nowhere and does relatively little in the way of advancing the plot compared to the other songs. Frequently this song is sung by (newly introduced) sidekicks.

Love Duet - The movie's main couple sing the love song that is inevitably going to play over the credits and get nominated for an award.

Finale - Usually very short closing number, quite often they are a reprise, occasionally they lead into the credits.

But those of you familiar with Disney will notice an absence... The Villain Song! I couldn't quite pin down where this one goes. I suppose it goes wherever it does the most work to help move the plot along, since that is the entire point of the antagonist.

Some movies also get into a loop... but the formula is actually incredibly straightforward - much to even my surprise.

So now listing songs in the order of the film contrasted against the order I devised... The list!

10 . Tarzan

Opening Number - Two Worlds
Slice of Life - You'll Be In My Heart
I Want Song - Son of Man
Show Stopper - Trashin' the Camp
Love Duet - Strangers Like Me
Finale - Two Worlds Reprise

Are you sick of me being surprised? 'Cause I am. Here's another that I never though of as a classic musical style. Mostly because the songs (with the exception of the Show Stopper) are sung by a giant voice in the sky. I'll also be the first to admit that this is the weakest match-up on the list. Many of the songs could be candidates for a different category. Strangers Like Me would work marvelously as an 'I Want Song'.

9. Mulan

Opening Number - Musical Composition
Slice of Life - Honor to Us All
I Want Song - Reflection
Show Stopper - Down to Business
Love Duet - A Girl Worth Fighting For
Finale - Music that segues into the credits

This movie is often listed as being close to the end of the Renaissance, and definitely deviates more from the Broadway style set forth in the rest of the era. But even so the style remains with the exceptions of Opening Number and Finale. The musical style during the opening credits very definitely sets the scene - you should have no doubt that this movie takes place in China, the ending doesn't work as well - with an upbeat pop song beginning to play over the last few lines of dialogue.

8. Oliver and Company

Opening Number - Once Upon a Time In New York City
Slice of Life - Why Should I Worry
I Want Song - Streets of Gold
Show Stopper - Perfect Isn't Easy
Love Duet - Good Company
Finale - Why Should I Worry Reprise

Wouldn't you have loved to be a fly on the wall during the pitch for this movie?
"What new idea have you got Perkins?"
"I'm thinking a musical adaptation of a Charles Dickens classic set in modern day New York."
"A musical, eh?"
"Yes, sort of tame rock, we could get Billy Joel."
"Hmmm...."
"And the main characters would be cats and dogs."
"....."
".....Sir?"
"..... I like it."
Another surprise on the Broadway style coincidences, especially since this was before the Renaissance. Especially when Good Company fell where the Love Duet would normally go, but (even though it not a duet) it still fits the bill as a love song - just not romantic love. But it is arguably the love between Jenny and Oliver that is the strongest love story in the film.

7. Hercules

Opening Number - The Gospel Truth
Villain Song - The Gospel Truth II
Slice of Life - The Gospel Truth III
I Want Song - Go the Distance
A New Slice of Life - One Last Hope
Show Stopper - Zero to Hero
Love Duet - (I Won't Say) I'm in Love
Finale - A Star Is Born

This was sort of a surprise to me. I never think of this film as being among the Broadway style films, but everything ended up fitting together quite nicely. The Villain Song comes pretty early in the film and isn't even sung by the villain. The choir of muses actually fits into the genre quite well, making this a modern blend of Broadway and classic Greek theatre. However it also seems slack in a couple of my categories, most noteworthy - the Love Duet is not a duet (it does include the harmonizing choir); also the Show Stopper does not come after the introduction of sidekicks and actually it could easily be a second slice of life song if it weren't for the signature Disney Acid Trip visuals (I did not make up that term).

6. Tangled

Opening Number - Narration
Slice of Life - When Will My Life Begin?
I Want Song - When Will My Life Begin? (Reprise)
Villain Song - Mother Knows Best
Show Stopper - I've Got A Dream
Love Duet - I See the Light
Finale - Narration

Now, when you look at the titles of the songs you might naturally assume that 'I've Got A Dream' is the I Want Song, that was certainly my first inclination. But then I dutifully lined up my list and found that things actually aligned better. 'I've Got A Dream' is upbeat, sung mostly by goofy side-characters that have only just been introduced, and comes right-the-heck-outta nowhere. This film has a slight break from musical tradition (or not - I've got examples) by opening and closing with bookend narrations by Flynn.


5.  The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Opening Number - The Bells of Notre Dame
Slice of Life - Out There
I Want Song - Out There
Show Stopper - Topsy Turvy
Alternative I Want Song - God Help the Outcasts
Villain Song - Hellfire
Second Show Stopper - A Guy Like You
Love Duet - None
Finale - The Bells of Notre Dame

You might be willing to call foul on my placing the same song on two categories... BUT! Listen to it, I'll wait. The first bit where Frollo is singing tells us what life is like for Quasimodo, then when Quasimodo takes over the song it erupts into what he wishes his life were. We get a bit of a loop around with the heroine getting an 'I Want Song' and the gargoyles getting a song in. However, you may notice the distinctive lack of a 'Love Duet' which is kind of Disney's signature piece. This movie catches flack in some corners of the Disney fandom because the hero doesn't get the girl. The story we do get feels much more genuine so... there you have it.

4. Aladdin

Opening Number - Arabian Nights
Slice of Life - One Jump Ahead
I Want Song - One Jump Ahead Reprise
Show Stopper - Friend Like Me
Second Show Stopper - Prince Ali
Love Duet - Whole New World
Villain Song - Prince Ali Reprise
Finale - Whole New World Reprise

Everything here falls into place so neatly that it hardly seems worth explaining. However, I will note that this movie was almost completely reworked from it's original design at least once - meaning the making of CD is quite expansive; it's got the full movie soundtrack plus another full soundtrack plus a few odds and ends songs. Jafar had very many villain songs, but the only one that seemed to fit in the final narrative was just a few line reprise (giving him possibly the shortest Villain Song).

Note: One Jump Ahead Reprise has very little to do with the original song in my mind. It fits where I've placed it, I'm just not sure why it didn't rate it's own title.

BONUS NOTE!!!! If you watch the entire trilogy back to back (to back), the finale is Arabian Nights Reprise making the series open and close with bookends!

3. The Lion King

Opening Number - Circle of Life
Slice of Life - Morning Report
I Want Song - Just Can't Wait to Be King
Villain Song - Be Prepared
Show Stopper - Hakuna Matata
Love Duet - Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Finale - Circle of Life Reprise

Ummm... there is a reason that the adaptation of this film is one of the most successful shows currently on Broadway. It hits every note. This is my favorite movie, but I gotta confess that I haaaaate the song Morning Report, it was cut near the end of production but put back in a decade later when the movie's Diamond Edition was released. It is interesting that this film so many associate with the Disney musical was actually much lighter on the music front than it's contemporary films. The original cut of the film only had five real songs in it, plus one very short reprise and one, I don't even know...

2. Pocahontas

Opening Number - Virginia Company
Slice of Life - Steady As the Beating Drum
I Want Song - Just Around the Riverbend
Auxiliary I Want Song - Mine, Mine, Mine
Show Stopper - Colors of the Wind
Love Duet - If I Never Knew You
Villain Song - Savages
Finale - If I Never Knew You Reprise

This movie tricks a lot of people... if they haven't seen the full edition. Many people would naturally assume that Colors of the Wind is the Love Duet. WRONG! If I Never Knew You was actually cut at the last minute and is so much more appropriate in this role. In fact musical cues from the refrain play in key moments between Pocahontas and John Smith AND it is the song that got pop-vocalized for the credits (classic fate of the Love Duet). I think one of the major issues people have with this movie - she fell in love too quickly- is actually cleared somewhat by the realization that Colors of the Wind is not a love song. In fact it is a 'getting to know you' song, it takes place over several days and possibly weeks- not one sitting.

1. Beauty and the Beast

Opening Number - Narration
Slice of Life - Belle
I Want Song - Belle Reprise
Villain Song - Gaston
Show Stopper - Be Our Guest
Love Duet - Something There
Ballad - Beauty and the Beast
ACTUAL Villain Song - Mob Song
Finale - Beauty and the Beast Reprise

Sweet molasses this movie has a lot of songs. I've noted that Gaston is not truly the Villain Song, it's more of a vain decoy. It isn't until the mob is preparing to attack that we get the true villainous lyrics of the film. This film comes with a bonus category, because how could the titular song -sung flawlessly by the wonderful Angela Lansbury - be anything but a ballad?