Summary

• Disney's animated movies are defined by their incredible soundtracks, featuring toe-tapping songs and heart-wrenching ballads written by some of the best composers.
• While some Disney soundtracks are better than others, some underrated gems deserve recognition.
• The Lion King takes the top spot as Disney's best score, with iconic songs like "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata" that capture the magic and joy of Disney movies.

Some of best Disney animated movies include irresistibly toe-tapping songs and heart-wrenching ballads.

Disney's earliest animated films, like their first full-length animated film 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and their next film Pinocchio three years later, were musicals. That tradition hasn't stopped, with the company producing incredible animated movies jam-packed with songs beloved even up until this day. Whether these scores are nostalgic or not so famous, the best Disney soundtracks are a major part of the animated films' successes.

15 Lilo & Stitch

Can't Help Falling In Love

Lilo & Stitch's soundtrack often goes forgotten by fans when discussing Disney songs, probably because they aren't sung by the film's characters in a typical musical style. Lilo's love for Elvis "the King" Presley influences the movie's soundtrack considerably with Swedish pop group the A*Teens even covering his music for the credits with their version of "Can't Help Falling In Love."

With a Lilo & Stich live-action remake, there's hope these great numbers will be appreciated by a whole new generation.

Still, the movie's soundtrack is incredible, especially the two original songs "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride" and "He Mele No Lilo" with their breezy and unique sounds perfectly setting the atmosphere for the film's Hawaiian setting. With a Lilo & Stich live-action remake, there's hope these great numbers will be appreciated by a whole new generation. However, due to its minimal number of songs, this excellent soundtrack can't be ranked any higher.

14 Pinocchio

When You Wish Upon A Star

Pinocchio, Disney's second foray into animated feature-length films, garnered two Academy Awards for its classic songs. One of the most memorable of them is "I've Got No Strings" a song whose plucky melody and witty lyrics are a perfect match for the main character and his quirky personality.

The most iconic song from the movie, however, is "When You Wish Upon A Star", a song that is still in use today as Disney's official anthem. The wishing star has even become a huge part of Disney lore, getting its own origin story of sorts in the 2023 movie Wish. These songs are cemented in Disney's canon, but their relative simplicity compared to Disney's more modern hooks keeps them low on the rankings of the best Disney movie soundtracks, despite their resonance and staying power.

13 Cinderella

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo

The massive critical and commercial success of Cinderella in 1950 helped pull Disney from the verge of bankruptcy. The movie is best known for the song "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" a bumpy and joyous song that mostly consists of gibberish lyrics and is sung by the Fairy Godmother. There's also "A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes", a gorgeous ballad about holding out hope that echoes the sentiments of "When You Wish Upon A Star."

These songs with their lovely old-school Disney sound and orchestrations are solidly cemented in the Mouse's canon and still as touching and fun as ever. They might be classics, but they pale in comparison to the more blood-pumping and complex songs of Disney's later years. Many of Disney's earliest animated movies have a distinct sound that is very dated today.

12 Encanto

We Don't Talk About Bruno

After the massive cultural success of his musical "Hamilton", no one was shocked that Lin-Manuel Miranda could churn out some real earworms. He did so for 2021's Encanto, helping the film to become 2022's most streamed movie. An instant classic and completely different from other Disney movies thanks to Miranda's unique sound, the songs paint the film's setting with their unique Colombian flare.

There's the movie's biggest hit, "We Don't Talk About Bruno," which has the bounce of salsa music, "Surface Pressure" a unique blend of pop and Miranda's signature syncopated lyrics, not to mention "Dos Oroguitas" an incredibly moving Spanish-language song that sells the film's heartwarming ending. Due to its recency, it is yet to be seen if this is a soundtrack that will stick with viewers like the movies of Disney's 1990s renaissance, but with time, this score could easily move higher up the list.

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11 Moana

How Far I'll Go

Lin-Manuel Miranda's first collaboration writing music and lyrics for Disney came in the form of Moana, a Polynesian-set story of an adventurous teenager who sets sail to try to save her people. Miranda perfectly mixes the sounds of the South Pacific setting with his musical theater background thanks to the movie's commitment to researching Polynesian cultures. Songs like "How Far I'll Go" and "You're Welcome" are as unique as they are endlessly hummable, Miranda's ingenious music matched with his skill for clever wordplay.

Not every song on the soundtrack is a standout through. While the background instrumentals are perfect, not all of the songs. Some of the songs, like "Shiny" are more grating on the ears, keeping this lower on the list when it comes to ranking some of the best Disney soundtracks.

10 Hercules

Go The Distance

Disney legend Alan Menken, the composer of several other scores on this list, collaborated with Broadway lyricist David Zippel on the soundtrack for Hercules, with the titular character's ballad "Go the Distance" earning the pair an Oscar nomination. While that's a gorgeous song, it isn't always the best-ed by fans.

The soundtrack definitely gives the movie a more modern appeal for audiences.

The soundtrack is endlessly repeatable, filled with songs like the doo-wop styled "I Won't Say I'm in Love" to the brassy gospel-inspired group number "Zero to Hero". The Muses who backed most of the songs in addition to having their own are what really make the numbers stand out. They were stacked with talent like Broadway veterans Lillias White and Cheryl Freeman. It's one of Disney's most fun scores, but it doesn't always seem to match the Ancient Greek setting of the movie. The soundtrack definitely gives the movie a more modern appeal for audiences.

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9 Tarzan

Son Of Man

English pop singer Phil Collins wrote and sang several rock songs for this film. As Collins also sings these songs instead of the characters, it isn't a typical musical, though his lyrics perfectly reflect the character's thoughts and feelings in each moment that they're used. Songs like "Son of Man", "Strangers Like Me", and "You'll Be in My Heart" with their heart-pumping rhythms and beats perfectly reflect the jungle setting, and are easy to rock out to.

Still, despite being some of Disney's most jam-worthy songs, they lack the emotional weight of some of the studio's best scores. As much as the music fits the movie, the fact that there's a pop singer adding it to the soundtrack instead of it coming from the characters directly can take the audience out of the story a bit.

8 The Princess and the Frog

Almost There

Famous film composer Randy Newman, who wrote "You've Got A Friend in Me" for the Pixar film Toy Story, composed the jazz and blues-inspired music that brought The Princess and the Frog's 1920s New Orleans setting to life on the screen. It's one of Disney's most underrated movies as it debuted during a time when Disney was making the transition from traditional 2-D animation for its big screen projects to the 3-D animation of CGI.

Equally underrated are the score and songs, with catchy songs like "Dig a Little Deeper" and the deliciously eerie villain song "Friends On the Other Side". The Princess and the Frog's best song, however, and arguably one of Disney's very best, is main character Tiana's solo number "Almost There", sung gorgeously by lead actress and Broadway veteran Anika Noni Rose.

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7 Oliver and Company

Why Should I Worry?

Another forgotten Disney animated gem is Oliver and Company, a modern retelling of Charles Dicken's famous novel Oliver Twist. Instead of orphaned children, however, it features stray cats and dogs in a story that definitely tugs on the heartstrings of kids and adults alike. It features Disney's single-handedly most underrated song "Why Should I Worry?", a poppy joyous number imbued with all the swagger of the suave 'Dodger' who sings it - pop singer Billy Joel in his only film role to date.

The score also features "Streets of Gold" and "Once Upon a Time in New York City", both of which mix clever lyrics with an unquantifiable 'New York' sound. This forgotten Disney film deserves a second chance, and hopefully, a reappraisal will bring these incredible and endlessly replayable songs back to the audience's minds. It's hard to imagine being able to top Billy Joel on a Disney soundtrack, but it's possible.

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6 Mulan

Reflection

The unforgettable songs of Mulan bring the audience right into the Imperial China setting of the film. The magic of Mulan's music is that it perfectly matches the emotions of the characters for the audience. There's the beloved training montage song "I'll Make A Man Out of You", which matches poignant and hilarious lyrics with an anthem reminiscent of a militarized rendition of "Eye of the Tiger".

The score's other standout song, Mulan's main ballad "Reflection" is one of Disney's most heart-wrenching songs, a lyrically complex song where Mulan struggles with who she really is versus who her family wants her to be. Broadway star Lea Salonga, who also provided the singing voice for Jasmine in Aladdin, nails the emotional nuance of the number. It also got a beautiful pop rendition by Christina Aguilera for the movie's release.