The surprise success of theDisneyhit single ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno,’ taken from theanimated feature filmEncanto,ironicallyhad everyone talking about it. Interestingly, not even Disney predicted the popularity of the song, which climbed to the top of the Billboard Chart, making it the second Disney song to ever do so. At the moment, just one YouTube video for the song is pushing 500 million views.
A successfulsoundtrackis nothing new for Disney, though. For over 80 years, Disney has been responsible for some of the greatest movie soundtracks of all time. While children are a large part of the target audience, the soundtracks are far from just sing-alongs and nursery rhymes. Disney has worked with some of the world’s most talented songwriters to compose songs across a vast array of styles ranging from pop and rock to traditional mariachi, jazz, and classical. With millions of sales worldwide, 14 Oscar-winning songs, numerous Grammy Awards, and dozens of soundtracks to choose from, here are the best Disney animated movie soundtracks, ranked.
Updated on October 15th, 2023, by Danilo Raúl:to maintain our high degree of quality and consistency, and to acknowledge new releases, we’ve updated this article to reflect the best collection of great Disney soundtracks in movie history.
15The Nightmare Before Christmas
It’s a bit challenging to consider the peculiarThe Nightmare Before Christmas, a Disney film, but it fulfills all the quotas. It’s an animated feature filled with musical acts, placing a series of characters out of their comfort zone. It doesn’t get any more Disney than that. The score created by Danny Elfman is unmatched in uniqueness as the beloved composer is also the singing voice for Jack Skelington.
While songs such as “This is Halloween,” “Kidnap the Sandy Claws,” and “Making Christmas” feature the voice talents of Paul Reubens, Catherine O’Hara, and the rest of the cast, multiple rereleases of the soundtrack over the years have drawn many bands from the alternative Rock scene with artists such asFallout Boy, Marylin Manson, Amy Lee, Flyleaf, Korn, Rise Against, Plain White T’s, The All-American Rejectsand many others contributing with cover songs in official Disney releases.
Encantofeatures a collaborative effort between composer Germaine Franco, who did the score for the film, and Lin Manuel Miranda, who wrote eight original songs for the film. Just as Frozen did in the past, the music for this movie became a staple in one too many households, with small children blasting the tune “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” one too many times for their overwhelmed parents.
This soundtrack was another Disney-produced entry that landed the number one spot in the top US Billboard 200, breaking triple platinum in record time and becoming entrenched into the pop culture zeitgeist for all eternity.
13Hercules
Despite not being as popular as other Disney properties,Herculesdoes have an impressive pool of talent behind the music for this production. Composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel worked alongside Daniel Troob and Michael Starobin to create a unique score that chose to do away with the epic grandeur of Greek mythology, instead opting to explore gospel music.
Songs performed by Lillias White, LaChanze, Roger Bart, and Danny DeVito were paired with the main theme, “Go the Distance,” performed by Michael Bolton. This soundtrack has a unique bit of trivia: this was the first voice-over role for singer Ricky Martin for the Spanish dub of the film, and he also gets to sing the main theme for this market.
For the soundtrack for the 1999 classicTarzan, Disney turned to former Genesis drummer, singer, and all-aroundpop sensation Phil Collins. His signature upbeat pop-rock anthems were plentiful, with the inescapably catchy “You’ll Be in My Heart” winning both the Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Looking back, it’s hard to imagine anyone else than the inimitable Phil Collins providing the soundtrack to this rip-roaring jungle adventure, but at the time, he might not have been the most obvious choice.
His last studio album had beenDance Into The Light, which had been released a full three years prior and had underperformed, eventually getting certified Gold in the US. TheTarzansoundtrack turned out to be a huge comeback for him going double platinum in the US and winning him and Disney a Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album.
The most recent entry on the list,Moanahas a beautiful and eclectic soundtrack, featuring songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina and Opetaia Foa’I, that was repeated word for word by millions of children across the globe.
From the powerful Broadway-inspired “How Far I’ll Go” to the semi-sung, semi-rapped “You’re Welcome,” (performed surprisingly adeptly by Dwayne Johnson), to the Davie Bowie-styled glam rock of “Shiny"and the more traditional South Pacific influences found elsewhere throughout the album, there’s a whole heap to love about theMoanasoundtrack. A lot of people did love the soundtrack, it turns out, evidenced by its peak at number two on the US Billboard Chart.
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10Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
The oldest entry on the list,Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsand its accompanying soundtrack is notable as the first ever commercially issued soundtrack album and is nothing short of iconic. Firstly, there’s the beautiful and hypnotic voice of Adriana Caselotti as Snow White, keeping morale high among her animal companions as she whistled while she worked.
She maintains her positive outlook as she serenades the audience and the seven dwarfs with “Someday My Prince Will Come.” Then, there’s the fantastic whimsy of slightly more playful songs of the seven dwarfs themselves, including their Yodel song and “Heigh Ho,” a song that sounds just as fun and catchy today as it did over 80 years ago.
Featuring one of Disney’s most admirable and inspiring heroines of all time, the beloved 1998 hitMulantells the unforgettable tale of the brave titular character as she disregards the law and social norms to serve in the army in place of her father, disguising herself as a man to do so. ’90s kids couldn’t get enough of the animated film’s catchy numbers, belting along to the emotional ballad “Reflection,” the butt-kicking up-tempo classic “I’ll Make a Man Out of You,” and the humorous “A Girl Worth Fighting For.”
The Matthew Wilder and David Zippel penned soundtrack was a smash hit that enlisted the talent of legendary performers like Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera and went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. Donny Osmond provided his vocals for the singing voice of Li Shang while Disney alum Lea Salonga provided hers for Mulan, with the actress having previously done so for Jasmine in 1992’sAladdin. The songs included inMulanremain some of the Disney Renaissance’s most outstanding and distinct tunes that are celebrated to this day.
8Pocahontas
Despite taking somewhat controversial creative liberties with the eponymous historical figure, 1995’sPocahontasis revered for its stunning visuals, empowering female lead, and outstanding voice performances and music, all of which led to the overwhelming success of both the film and soundtrack. Few Disney songs were able to connect with audiences on an emotional level like the enlightening ballad “Colors of the Wind”, which beautifully taught us about the importance of respecting nature while also exploring the concept of animism. The song went on to become a top-ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and won both a Grammy, Golden Globe Award, and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
For the epic soundtrack, Disney once again enlisted lauded composers Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, with the duo nabbing the Oscar for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score. “Colors of the Wind” isn’t the only stand-out track on the album, with the moving romantic ballad “If I Never Knew You,” the exciting “Just Around the Riverbend,” and the melancholically somber “Savages” also being noteworthy numbers.
7The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaidis often credited as being the movie that brought about theDisney Renaissance Eraof the 1990s, and the soundtrack certainly played a big part in the success of the movie. Written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, it features an array of all-time classics including the romantic calypso-tinged ballad “Kiss the Girl,” the huge Broadway/burlesque-inspired villain’s song “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and Princess Ariel’s own power ballad “Part of Your World.”
The undeniable standout track, though, is the reggae/calypso banger “Under the Sea” performed by Samuel E. Wright. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
6Pinocchio
It’s hardly a surprise to find the soundtrack that contains the song that has becomeDisney’s official anthemon this list. Based on a simple melody and pure and hopeful lyrics that speak to anybody and everybody, thePinocchiosong “When You Wish Upon a Star” has been covered by a never-ending list of artists in the decades since the film’s release including Glen Miller, Beyoncé, and even Kiss’s Gene Simmons.
It was also the firstOscar-winning Disney song. Despite the cultural significance of the song (and thisversion ofPinocchio), it’s important not to forget there were other great songs on the soundtrack including “Hi-Diddle-Dee-Dee” and “I’ve Got No Strings.”
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