70 Fun Facts About Disney Songs

Which 1940 film introduced "When You Wish Upon a Star," the first Disney song to win an Academy Award?

Cliff Edwards sang it as Jiminy Cricket, and the melody later became the Walt Disney Company's signature theme, played over the castle logo.

Who provided the singing voice for Queen Elsa on "Let It Go" in Frozen (2013)?

The song reshaped the film: Elsa was originally written as a villain, and the directors rewrote her as a protagonist after hearing it.

Which pop star recorded the end-credits version of "Let It Go" for Frozen?

The pop cut is a simplified arrangement of the show-tune version and plays over the start of the closing credits.

"A Whole New World" from Aladdin is the only Disney track ever to take home which honor?

The pop duet version also hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1993.

Who sang Jasmine's part in the film version of "A Whole New World" in Aladdin (1992)?

Salonga later sang for a second Disney heroine, providing the vocals for Mulan in 1998, while Brad Kane sang Aladdin's half of the duet.

Which musician composed "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" and "Hakuna Matata" for The Lion King?

Tim Rice wrote the lyrics, and John's own version of the love theme won him a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 1995.

The famous opening chant of "Circle of Life" is sung in which language?

South African composer Lebo M performed the chant, with Carmen Twillie taking the deep female lead vocal that follows.

What does the Swahili phrase "Hakuna Matata" mean?

The song lost the 1995 Oscar to another Lion King number, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," which took the prize instead.

Which Caribbean musical style shaped "Under the Sea" in The Little Mermaid?

Samuel E. Wright performed it as Sebastian, and its 1989 Oscar was the first for a Disney song in a quarter of a century.

Which Disney executive ordered "Part of Your World" cut from The Little Mermaid after a test screening?

Lyricist Howard Ashman reportedly said the song could only be removed over his dead body, and the filmmakers won the argument.

Which actress, voicing Mrs. Potts, sang the title ballad in Beauty and the Beast (1991)?

She doubted the song suited her aging voice, then finished it in a single take; the pop duet with Celine Dion was the soundtrack's only single.

Who sang "Colors of the Wind" as the singing voice of Pocahontas in the 1995 film?

Vanessa Williams's end-credits version reached the Billboard top ten, and the song swept the Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy.

Which singer, then 17, launched her career with the pop version of "Reflection" from Mulan?

Hitting one difficult note in her audition earned her the recording and a deal with RCA Records; she later called it the note that changed her life.

Which Genesis frontman wrote and sang "You'll Be in My Heart" for Tarzan (1999)?

It won the Oscar and the Golden Globe, and a version featuring Glenn Close, who voiced Kala, appears on the soundtrack.

"Remember Me," the Oscar-winning song from Coco (2017), was written by which songwriting team?

The married duo behind Frozen's songs won their second Best Original Song Oscar with it; Miguel and Natalia Lafourcade sing the pop version.

Before 'We Don't Talk About Bruno' in 2022, which duo had the last Disney animated Hot 100 number one, in 1993?

The Encanto ensemble number was never even submitted for the Oscar; Disney had put forward "Dos Oruguitas" before Bruno unexpectedly exploded.

Which Colombian singer performed 'Dos Oruguitas', Encanto's Oscar-nominated all-Spanish Lin-Manuel Miranda song?

It lost the 94th Academy Award to Billie Eilish's "No Time to Die."

Which Encanto character sings "Surface Pressure," a song about the strain of superhuman strength?

Jessica Darrow's number reached number eight on the Hot 100, making Encanto the first Disney film with two top-10 songs on that chart.

Who performed "How Far I'll Go" in Moana (2016) as the title character?

Alessia Cara cut the pop version, and the song lost the Oscar to "City of Stars" from La La Land.

Which wrestler-turned-actor sings "You're Welcome" as the demigod Maui in Moana?

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jordan Fisher duet on a second version that plays over the end credits.

How many letters are in the word "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins?

It has 14 syllables, and the Oxford English Dictionary traces an earlier spelling of the word to a 1931 newspaper column.

Which Mary Poppins song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 37th Academy Awards?

The Sherman Brothers' chimney-sweep waltz beat out the film's more famous tunes for the 1965 Oscar.

Which Mary Poppins song about tuppence-a-bag breadcrumbs was said to be Walt Disney's favorite?

Richard Sherman recalled Walt wandering to his office window on Friday afternoons and simply saying "Play it."

Who wrote "The Bare Necessities," the only song kept from an earlier draft of The Jungle Book (1967)?

Phil Harris sang it as Baloo, and it lost the Oscar to "Talk to the Animals" from Doctor Dolittle.

Which jazz bandleader voiced King Louie and sang "I Wan'na Be Like You" in The Jungle Book?

The Shermans wanted a Dixieland sound and built the character around the idea of an ape who is literally the king of the swingers.

Which character sings "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" in Cinderella (1950)?

Verna Felton voiced the spell-caster; the song lost the 1951 Oscar to "Mona Lisa."

"Once Upon a Dream" from Sleeping Beauty borrows its melody from a waltz by which composer?

The 1890 ballet's Garland Waltz supplied the tune; Lana Del Rey recorded a darker cover for Maleficent in 2014.

How many of the Seven Dwarfs actually sing "Heigh-Ho" in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?

Dopey is completely mute, so he marches along without singing a note.

Which Snow White song became a jazz standard and lent its title to a 1961 Miles Davis album?

Adriana Caselotti sang it in the 1937 film; the American Film Institute ranked it 19th among the greatest movie songs.

"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," the second Disney tune to win an Oscar, comes from which 1946 film?

James Baskett sang it as Uncle Remus; since 2020 Disney has removed the song from its US theme parks over the film's racial controversy.

Who wrote and sang "You've Got a Friend in Me" for Toy Story (1995)?

The film also has a duet version with Lyle Lovett, and in Toy Story 2 the toy penguin Wheezy's rendition is sung by Robert Goulet.

Which Pixar film's end-credits duet "If I Didn't Have You" won its composer a first Oscar after 15 nominations?

Billy Crystal and John Goodman sing it as Mike and Sulley over the end credits.

Which Norwegian singer provides the haunting call heard in "Into the Unknown" from Frozen II?

Panic! at the Disco recorded the end-credits version, and the song earned an Oscar nomination.

Which lyric-writing duo penned "Speechless," the new solo for Jasmine in the 2019 live-action Aladdin?

Alan Menken returned to compose the music, and Naomi Scott performed the number that starts with a lone piano.

Which Disney Channel star re-recorded "Kiss the Girl" for The Little Mermaid's 2006 Platinum Edition DVD?

The original lost the 1990 Oscar to a rival number from the very same film, and its lyrics were reworked for the 2023 remake to address consent.

Which actress voiced Ursula and sang "Poor Unfortunate Souls" in The Little Mermaid (1989)?

Melissa McCarthy took over the villain's showstopper in the 2023 live-action remake.

In early Beauty and the Beast drafts, Lumière sang "Be Our Guest" to whom instead of Belle?

Jerry Orbach performed the number in 1991 and Ewan McGregor took it on in the 2017 remake.

"Friend Like Me" was designed as a big-band number in the style of which entertainer?

Robin Williams performed it as the Genie in 1992; Will Smith did the honors in the 2019 remake.

Which former teen idol sang "I'll Make a Man Out of You" as Li Shang's singing voice in Mulan?

BD Wong provided Shang's speaking voice, and Jackie Chan recorded the song in Mandarin and Cantonese for Asian releases.

"I See the Light," the lantern-scene duet by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi, comes from which film?

Alan Menken and Glenn Slater wrote it; it lost the Oscar but won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2012.

Which Tony-winning actress sang "Almost There" as Tiana in The Princess and the Frog?

The sequence shifts into an art deco style matching Tiana's drawing of her dream restaurant; the song lost the Oscar to "The Weary Kind."

Shakira recorded "Try Everything" as the pop star Gazelle for which Disney film?

The song was written by Sia with the Norwegian production duo Stargate.

"It's a Small World" was written for a boat ride at which event?

Walt asked for one simple song that could be translated into many languages and sung as a round, after playing every national anthem at once produced cacophony.

Which Dumbo (1941) lullaby was Oscar-nominated and covered by Arcade Fire in 2019?

Betty Noyes recorded the original vocals for Mrs. Jumbo's cradle-song scene.

Which Canadian singer performed "When She Loved Me," Jessie's backstory ballad in Toy Story 2?

Its Oscar nomination was seen as unusual because Toy Story 2 is not a musical.

Which Frozen duet doubles as a secret villain song, sung by Anna and the prince who later betrays her?

Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana sing it; the idea took shape once Elsa became a tragic hero and Hans was left to be the villain.

Which singer recorded the pop version of "Go the Distance" from Hercules for the end credits?

Roger Bart sang it in the film, and Ricky Martin performed the Spanish-language version, later included on his album Vuelve.

How many Academy Awards has Disney composer Alan Menken won?

He is also one of the few competitive EGOT winners; lyricist Howard Ashman died in 1991 while they were still working on Aladdin.

In One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961), which character writes the song "Cruella De Vil"?

Songwriter Mel Leven composed three versions before settling on the bluesy one, and Bill Lee dubbed the character's singing voice.

Frollo's "Hellfire" in The Hunchback of Notre Dame weaves in which Latin prayer?

Tony Jay's villain number is regarded as one of the darkest songs Disney has ever released.

Which singer topped the Billboard chart in 1955 with "The Ballad of Davy Crockett"?

Fess Parker, who played Crockett, also recorded it, and the craze put imitation coonskin caps on schoolchildren across America.

Which voice actor sang the last third of 'Be Prepared' after Jeremy Irons's voice gave out?

The goose-stepping hyena sequence was modeled on Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi propaganda film Triumph of the Will.

Which country singer voiced the rooster narrator Alan-a-Dale and wrote songs for Robin Hood (1973)?

He began composing the film's songs in 1969, four years before it reached theaters.

Which singer performed the Oscar-nominated "Candle on the Water" in Pete's Dragon (1977)?

She also played Nora in the film; the song lost to "You Light Up My Life."

Who recorded the pop version of "God Help the Outcasts" for The Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack?

Heidi Mollenhauer sang it in the film as Esmeralda's singing voice, standing in for Demi Moore.

Which British comedian voiced Zazu and sang backing vocals on "I Just Can't Wait to Be King"?

Jason Weaver sang young Simba's part; in the 2019 remake, John Oliver took over the hornbill.

Which jazz singer co-wrote the songs for Lady and the Tramp and sang "He's a Tramp" as Peg?

She later sued Disney over home-video royalties and in 1991 was awarded more than $3 million.

Peter Pan's "The Second Star to the Right" melody was originally written for which Disney film?

It was meant for a song called "Beyond the Laughing Sky" before Sammy Cahn wrote new lyrics for Neverland.

Which High School Musical song set a 2006 record by leaping from No. 86 to No. 4 on the Hot 100 in a week?

Drew Seeley shared vocals with Zac Efron on the track, and it went gold within a month of release.

Billie Eilish and Finneas wrote "Nobody Like U" for the fictional boy band 4*Town in which Pixar film?

It peaked at number 49 on the Hot 100, the first chart entry for all five voice actors in the band.

What are the names of the two volcanoes in Pixar's musical short Lava, shown before Inside Out?

Put the names together and you get the instrument that carries the whole song.

Which Pixar composer scored Coco?

Gael García Bernal and Anthony Gonzalez perform the duet as Héctor and Miguel.

How many takes did the voice of Mrs. Potts need to record the title ballad of Beauty and the Beast?

She had feared the song did not suit her ageing voice; the Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson duet was the soundtrack's only single.

Which Beauty and the Beast song lost the 1992 Best Original Song Oscar to the film's own title ballad?

The bustling opening number was the first song Ashman and Menken wrote for the film, and they feared Disney would reject it as too long and complex.

'We Don't Talk About Bruno' set a Hot 100 record for credited artists on a number one. How many?

It is Disney's longest-reigning US chart-topper and the studio's first original song to hit number one in the UK.

What did Ashman and Menken nickname 'Part of Your World', after a Little Shop of Horrors number?

They saw it as an underwater version of 'Somewhere That's Green'; Ashman insisted the film needed a Broadway-style 'I Want' song.

'Under the Sea' won the 1989 Best Original Song Oscar, the first for Disney since which 1964 song?

Samuel E. Wright performed the reggae-tinged number as Sebastian the crab.

Who wrote 'Reflection' for Mulan (1998)?

Wilder was best known for the 1983 hit 'Break My Stride'; the pair also handled the rest of the film's songs.

'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' won the Oscar for Best Original Song at which Academy Awards ceremony?

The songwriter's own single version also won a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and topped charts in Canada, France and Panama.

What was the title of the last song Howard Ashman wrote with Alan Menken before his death, cut from Aladdin?

The scene had Jafar unmasking Prince Ali as Aladdin; its ideas survived as the 'Prince Ali' reprise sung by Jonathan Freeman.