It’s hard to think of a Disney movie that doesn’t feature some sort of hit soundtrack. From “Part of Your World” to “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”, there’s nothing quite like a Disney banger to listen to, full blast, on a road trip! But certain movie soundtracks definitely get more love than others… I’m looking at you The Lion King and Frozen!
Below are 5 movies that I think deserve a little more love when it comes to their soundtracks:
The Aristocats
With only six songs on its entire soundtrack, The Aristocats may not be exactly the first Disney movie that comes to mind when you think of underrated soundtracks, but I really think it’s the epitome of ‘less is more’ when it comes to tracklists! “Ev’rybody Wants to Be a Cat” is truly iconic and has been remixed numerous times over the years for Disney parades and firework shows, showing how much staying power it has. “The Aristocats” is also absolutely brilliant and feels so authentically French. In fact, the legendary French singer and actor Maurice Chevalier was even brought out of retirement to sing the titular song – you can’t get much more genuine than that!
Soul
Soul is one of the best Pixar movies of the 2020s and is of course heavily musically focused, following Joe Gardner as he pursues his passion for jazz and what it means to have a soul. Music plays a big role throughout the movie, but I genuinely don’t think the soundtrack gets near enough love! Jazz is nowhere near appreciated enough in modern movies, let alone modern animation, so I really do enjoy the authenticity of the score in Soul. Unsurprisingly, the soundtrack won both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Original Score!
Mulan
There are a lot of Princess movies out there with fantastic music that takes the limelight, but for me, Mulan’s soundtrack is amongst the very best. I love the playfulness and charisma of “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” and also love the beauty and gentleness of “Reflection”. The whole soundtrack is the perfect blend of Disney charm and appreciation for Chinese culture. Granted, I may be slightly biased given Mulan is one of my favourite Disney movies of all time, but it still deserves more love!
Tarzan
Phil Collins famously wrote, composed, and performed hit songs for Brother Bear (which could have easily made this list!) and Tarzan. For me, Tarzan’s soundtrack is flawless. The driving, drum-heavy energy of “Trashin’ the Camp” and the emotional weight of “Two Worlds” fit the narrative of the movie perfectly and don’t even get me started on “You’ll Be in My Heart”! Phil Collins completely broke the traditional Disney mould by not having the characters sing the songs diegetically, which is exactly why the music fits the narrative arc so seamlessly.
A Bug’s Life
After the unparalleled success of the Toy Story soundtrack, John Lasseter teamed up with Randy Newman to deliver the soundtrack to A Bug’s Life – and I’m so glad he did! While A Bug’s Life doesn’t have the same heavy-hitting standalone songs as Toy Story, the entire score is so authentically Randy Newman, it’s hard not to listen to it and smile. The soundtrack has a really great blend of orchestral music and 1940s jazz which really makes A Bug’s Life feel atmospheric. I would even argue that “The Time of Your Life” is as good as “Strange Things” from Toy Story!
The next time you’re queueing up a Disney playlist for a road trip, skip the usual anthems and give these brilliant soundtracks another spin. You might just find a new favourite.
What do you think? What Disney soundtrack do you think deserves way more love?
Steamboat Charlie 