In the spirit of the various park photo threads, I thought it would be fun to have a running thread for people to share their favorite Disney music. Similar to how the photo threads are more than just hundreds of photos of the castle, I'm hoping that this will dig a little deeper (see what I did there?) that the latest version of Let it Go and share some unique and little-known bits of Disney music that people especially like First up is the outdoor background music loop from The Land pavilion at Epcot. It's one of the few things that hasn't changed since the park's opening, and really seems to capture the old school EPCOT Center vibe. I discovered it online many years ago, while looking for music to listen to while I work, and have come back to it countless times since then
Wonders how long this will take turn into and Epcot music thread When I listen to this and what the theme parks have turned into, it makes me cry. Sure the music definitely says "not contemporary" but if I have spent an entire day just listening to the Horizons music over and over. It's one of my favorite scores ever.
I'm definitely going to have to make a concerted effort not to put too much Epcot stuff here, but there are so many great options. Especially when I start thinking about music that's tangentially-related to Disney, there's an embarrassment of riches in that park Next from me is Transformation from Brother Bear. It certainly gets a lot less attention than the track by the same name on the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, but I much prefer this one. It's got a unique sound that completely fits the film, and really striking visuals that haven't been copied since. It even works well on my playlist for running! It's also interesting to point out that it seems to be the source of inspiration for the upcoming Rivers of Light show at DAK. Even though that show isn't going to have any direct character references, the similarity of the initial concept art is undeniable, and the show will also have the same composer. Given how much I've loved this scene since it first came out, I'm very excited to see what they come up with
I feel like the soundtrack to Ratatouille is an under-appreciated element of an under-appreciated film. It's done by Michael Giacchino, who also did The Incredibles, Up, and DL's Space Mountain (among many others) but for some reason never quite got the same following as his better known films This track is one of the highlights of the score, combining the main themes into a fun little tango. Plus, the title is just so silly that you have to like it: Colette Shows Him Le Ropes
Today I'm going for something a little more tangentially related to Disney, with The Aquarium from Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals. Most recognizably, it served as a major inspiration for the Beauty and the Beast score, and was even the basis for one of the songs in the Broadway productions. It's also used in the opening scene and throughout Impressions de France at Epcot. But I think my favorite Disney use of it was the original soundtrack to DL's Space Mountain, which presented the tune in an upbeat Dick Dale surf guitar style; it was wacky and had nothing to do with space, but it was a lot of fun!
This is glorious! How did I live my whole life without knowing this existed? I see your novelty version of the Ballad of Davy Crockett, and raise you another (though it's a slow burn, like most songs on that album). Coincidentally, when I was listening to it in the car a few weeks ago while driving through the mountains, I actually saw a black bear cub playing near the side of the road. I'd never seen one in the wild before, so it seemed like perfect timing
For today I decided to go with Esmeralda, which is the Act I Finale to the stage production of Hunchback. It does a great job of bringing all the storylines and characters into a single scene, while sparking the conflict for Act II, all during one of the biggest music moments of the show Although the song is basically identical to what was used in the German production, I actually like that version better. In the Berlin show, Esmeralda introduced herself to this tune during a quiet moment in the Topsy Turvy scene, so the Act I Finale was actually a bit of a reprise. In the US, it's the first time that the tune is used, and several variations are used during the song. Combined with all the action and various characters involved, it's just a little too much to digest at once
One of my favorite "what were they thinking?" Disney songs - from the 1963 Disneyland album "Addition and Subtraction". Vocal by Bill Kanady, narration by Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket.
The Cannibal sure is an odd one. I guess it must have made sense when they were trying to come up with things that can be used for subtraction/counting down, but it's weird that only one of them goes away due to cannibalism (and technically he eats himself, which is even stranger). I seem to recall a photo op in Adventureland around that era where you could sit in a cauldron surrounded by "natives", so perhaps it was a nod to that, even if the concept makes people squirm today The Miles Davis recording is great! It sounds like what the Carthay Circle music was trying to be, but so much better. It's way more subtle with the tune, and the jazz is just too cool to handle Keeping with the Davy Crockett theme, I stumbled upon Tim Curry singing (speaking?) the song. It's every bit as terrible as you'd imagine
Probably an unfair standard. Plus, the Carthay music is more background music. Miles Davis is more for active listening. But, yeah, they probably were trying to evoke something similar.
'Hellfire" from "Hunchback of Notre Dame" -- great vocals by Tony Jay and absolutely gorgeous animation.
Voices of Liberty singing Golden Dream. It's not a perfect recording (background noise, as always with the live shows) but it's one heck of a performance. They're a highlight of my visits to Epcot, but somehow I've never managed to hear them perform this live. I guess I'll just have to keep coming back
Here's the soundtrack to BraviSEAmo! at TDS, which was composed by Gavin Greenaway who also wrote the score for Illuminations and Tapestry of Nations at Epcot. The show aimed high with a somewhat abstract concept, and while the overall production fell somewhat flat, the soundtrack is pretty great IMO
I realize that this isn't exactly music, considering the amount of spoken dialogue, but it's almost the weekend and it's one of my favorite shorts of all time. So there!
I don't know how to post videos, but Hayley Mills version of "Jimmy Bean" is what Meg Ryan was channeling in the Oklahoma scene of When Harry Met Sally.
