Tag: Disney fans

5 Disney Movie Soundtracks That Deserve More Love

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?

02/06/2026
Why is there a lack of merchandise for modern Disney films?

Disney merchandise, be it toys, clothing, video games, plushies or pins, is seemingly unavoidable. Everywhere you look there is a new partnership or collaboration being announced on social media. It’s unsurprising, particularly when you consider how much revenue merchandise generates for the Walt Disney Company.

According to their 2025 Annual Report, Disney’s total “Product” revenue (which covers merchandise, publishing, and games) reached a whopping $9.8 billion. Despite this, there has been a noticeable lack of merchandise in recent years, specifically for modern Disney films.

After watching Pixar’s Hoppers recently, I was incredibly excited to check out what merchandise would be available, particularly given the impressive marketing push Disney and Pixar gave the movie. With the film’s cast of cute and cuddly characters, I was expecting a range of plushies and maybe even a series of pins too, but I was frankly left incredibly disappointed with what I could find on the Disney Store.

A very disappointing search on the Disney Store!

A single plush toy of King George and a figurine set of a handful of the characters made up the merchandise available here for fans in the UK. Upon checking the US Disney Store, stateside Hoppers fans didn’t get much of a better treatment, with only a handful of T-shirts available in addition to the soft toy and figurine set. As a fan who is partial to a Disney collectable or two, I was really disappointed with what was available to coincide with the release of Hoppers.

So, why are we getting less and less merchandise for original Disney movies? Why are we seemingly getting more and more merchandise for the classic Disney movies instead? I’ve taken a look at why this might be happening…

The Financial Unknown

Despite the vast amount of revenue which merchandise delivers for the Walt Disney Company, to ensure that revenue is profitable, Disney’s current strategy is built on “guaranteed wins.” It’s reported that in 2025, Lilo & Stitch merchandise alone generated over $4 billion. When one 20-year-old movie makes that much (granted, the live-action remake certainly had an impact on that figure!), Disney is less likely to risk floor space on a brand-new movie like Hoppers until they are certain it has the same “staying power.”

Walking past the Disney Store, you’d expect to see the latest hits front and centre, but the reality inside the shelves is often very different.

From “Toy Aisle” to a “Lifestyle Brand”

Have you noticed how the toy aisles in supermarkets seem to be shrinking, while the adult sections in shops like H&M or Pandora are growing? Disney is undergoing a massive pivot. They’ve realised that while a child might play with a plastic figurine for a week, a Gen Z or Millennial fans will pay a premium for a high-end collaboration they can actually wear or display.

We’re seeing fewer traditional “playthings” and more “lifestyle” items – designer handbags, jewellery, and “streetwear” collections. By targeting fans with disposable income who grew up with the classics, Disney is essentially trading the £10 plastic toy for a £100 fashion statement. It makes sense for their bottom line, but for those of us who just want a decent plushie of a new character we love, it feels like we’re being left behind.

The Digital Takeover

It’s not just physical aisles that are changing; it’s digital ones, too. Disney has realised that a lot of their audience, especially the younger generation, would rather spend their money on a digital “skin” for Fortnite than a plastic toy for their bedroom. With Disney’s massive $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games, we’re seeing a shift where characters like Buzz Lightyear or the Incredibles gang show up as playable avatars before they even hit the Disney Store shelves.

These digital goods are a goldmine for Disney; there are no manufacturing costs, no shipping delays, and no clearance aisles. When you consider that in-game spending is projected to hit over $170 billion by 2030, it’s easy to see why Disney might prioritise a virtual “Mabel” skin over a physical plushie. In their eyes, a digital item that you can show off to millions of other players online has more “social currency” than a toy sitting on a shelf at home.

The “Wait and See” Strategy

In the 90s, you couldn’t move for merchandise hitting the shelves months before a movie even premiered. Today, the strategy has flipped. To avoid the dreaded “clearance aisle” fate that hit films like Wish, Disney often waits for a movie to prove its “staying power” before mass-producing a full range.

It’s a frustrating cycle for fans. We want to celebrate a movie like Hoppers while the hype is at its peak, but Disney is playing it safe, waiting to see if the streaming numbers justify the manufacturing costs. It feels like they’re missing the “magic” of the moment in favour of a spreadsheet.

While new films struggle for shelf space, the “Classics” like Mickey Mouse and Stitch continue to dominate the physical Disney Store aisles.

The Verdict

It’s a bittersweet time to be a Disney fan. While it’s great to see the classics getting so much love, the lack of support for original stories like Hoppers feels like a missed opportunity. If Disney doesn’t let us bring these new characters home through merch, how are they ever supposed to grow into the ‘classics’ that the next generation falls in love with?

What do you think? Have you struggled to find merch for your favourite modern Disney films, or are you happy sticking with the classics? Let me know in the comments!

14/04/2026