111 Awesome Disney Songs, Part 5

Ryan Dosier - Look, I'm being consistent and updating this list again! Let's jump forward with even more Awesome Disney songs!

45.)   "The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room" from Disneyland
This is one of those songs that immediately makes me think of Disneyland, and makes me wonder why I'm sitting here typing and not in the park right now. It's chock full of great, silly lyrics and jokes ("I sing so beautiful, I should sing solo." "Si, so low we can't hear you!"), and the birds are all wonderfully fun characters. Really, there's not much more to say other than I adore this attraction and this song. Favorite Lyrics: "All the birds sing words/And the flowers croon/In the Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room!"

46.)   "I've Got No Strings" from Pinocchio
Pinocchio is one of my favorite films, and the music is such a huge part of why it's so delightfully charming and enjoyable. This little number performed by Pinocchio as part of Strombolli's marionette show is so innocent and sweet... until the saucy German marionette girls swoop in. It's funny, it's fun, the music is simple but delightful, and the lyrics are adorable. Just like Pinocchio. Favorite Lyrics: "I've got no strings/So I have fun/I'm not tied up to anyone/They've got strings/But you can see/There are no strings on me."

47.)   "Dig a Little Deeper" from The Princess and the Frog
My favorite song from The Princess and the Frog is Mama Odie's brilliantly upbeat and joyful "Dig a Little Deeper." This song breathes so much life into Mama Odie, a character who only appears in a few scenes in the film, but steals every one of them. Couple that with the soulful vocals of Jenifer Lewis, and you've got one of the finest gospel-themed songs in any animated film. It's a blast. Favorite Lyrics: "Don't matter what ya look like/Don't matter what ya wear/How many rings ya got on your fingers?/We don't care--no, we don't care!"

48.)   "It's Gonna Be Great" from Winnie the Pooh
One of the most vastly underrated Disney animated features is 2011's Winnie the Pooh. It's so deliciously funny and clever, and its charm is never-ending. One of my favorite moments from the film is this song that Tigger sings with Eeyore as he helps the morose donkey become a Tigger. The song is, dare I say it, bouncy, and one of the finest singing performances from the legendary Jim Cummings. Favorite Lyrics: "Strike me down, give me all you got/Bounce me, trounce me, flounce me, pounce me/Do it, do it, do it/It's gonna be great, it's gonna be great, it's gonna be great."

49.)   "That's How You Know" from Enchanted
Ah, the modern day fairytale classic Enchanted. Not only is it one of Amy Adams' best performances, but the film features new music from Alan Menken and its awesome. No song is better than the show stopping production number "That's How You Know." The dancing, singing, spectacle is one of the best in live action Disney films. Trivia: the old men dancing in the park were the original "Step in Time" dancers from Mary Poppins! Favorite Lyrics: "Well does he leave a little note/To tell you you are on his mind/Send you yellow flowers when the sky is gray?/He'll find a new way to show you/A little bit everyday."

50.)   "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast
A spectacular opening number to one of Disney's finest features. "Belle" is a wonderful example of group performance and echoes Broadway-style music better than any Disney animated feature song before it. Leave it to Howard Ashman and Alan Menken for that! The catchy, "talking" lyrics, the refrain of "Bonjour!" to open the song, Paige O'Hara as Belle, and so much more make this song simply delightful. Favorite Lyrics: "There goes the baker with his tray, like always/The same old bread and rolls to sell/Every morning just the same/Since the morning that we came/To this poor provincial town/Good morning, Belle!"

51.)   "Topsy Turvy" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
A break from the dark tones of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is this joyful, colorful blast midway through the film. Clopin, the clown gypsy, sings the song with ease and speed. It's so much fun to watch all the wacky things going on in Paris on this Topsy Turvy Day. It also provides a brief moment of happiness for poor Quasimodo... before ripping it away in one of the film's darkest scenes. But still, fun song. Favorite Lyrics: "Once a year, we throw a party here in town/Once a year, we turn all Paris upside down/Every man's a king, and every king's a clown/Once a year on Topsy Turvy Day!"

52.)   "I've Got a Dream" from Tangled
Tangled features one of the few songs in modern-day Disney animated features to be primarily performed by unnamed characters, and it's this riotous ditty "I've Got a Dream." The main singers, voiced by Brad Garrett and Jeffery Tambor, are never given names, but their plights and their dreams are wonderful. It's such a treat to hear incredibly different voices like these performing in a Disney feature. This is perhaps my favorite moment in all of Tangled. Favorite Lyrics: "I've got scars, and lumps, and bruises/And something here that oozes/And let's not even mention my complexion!/But despite my extra toes, and my goiter, and my nose/I really wanna make a love connection!"

53.)   "Proud of Your Boy" from Aladdin (Deleted Song)
The only deleted song included on the whole list is also the fifth Alan Menken song in a row! Of course, "Proud of Your Boy" went on to be a major player in the Broadway version of Aladdin, but originally it was penned by Alan and Howard Ashman for the animated film. It was cut after a sub-plot involving Aladdin's mother was removed. But the song is so important and soft and powerful. It's one of the most resonating Disney songs, period, and I'm so thrilled that it has found a home on Broadway. Favorite Lyrics: "Proud of your boy/I'll make you proud of your boy/Believe me, bad as I've been mom/You're in for a pleasant surprise/I've wasted time/I've wasted me/So say I'm slow for my age/A late bloomer/Okay, I agree!"

54.)   "Winnie-the-Pooh" from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
I just need to hear someone start humming this song, and I immediately have to start singing along. It's so bouncy and catchy and lovely. This Sherman Brothers tune evokes everything that Winnie the Pooh represents: joy and kindness and friendship. Plus, it's a really handy way to remember all of the Pooh characters (except the oddly absent Tigger) in one handy song! Favorite Lyrics: "Deep in the Hundred Acre Woods/Where Christopher Robin plays/You'll find the enchanted neighborhood/Of Christopher's childhood days..."

55.)   "Bella Notte" from Lady and the Tramp
"Bella Notte" is one of the most wonderful Disney love songs, and one that often gets overlooked in favor of the newer era of songs. Still, its music and lyrics are some of the best to be found in the Disney canon. Performed by Tony, the Italian restauranteur who feeds Lady and the Tramp the famous spaghetti, "Bella Notte" is the perfect accompaniment to any romantic dinner or occasion. Favorite Lyrics: "This is the night/It's a beautiful night/And we call it bella notte/Look at the skies/They have stars in their eyes/On this lovely belle notte."

Mickeyology 101: The Early Years of Disneyland

Mitchell Stein- It all started with a simple merry-go-round.

Walt is known to have said that the true inspiration for Disneyland came to him one day when he took his two daughters to the carousel in Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Watching his daughters on the merry-go-round, he came up with an idea of a theme park where adults and kids could have fun. He pitched his ideas to the rest of his team and they thought he had gone crazy. At the time, amusment parks were well-known for cheap rides and rip-off carnival games, but Walt had envisioned much more than that. In order to fund raise his planned theme park, he created a new television show named Disneyland and appeared on ABC (which ironically, Disney would come to purchase decades later) and featured the five different lands scattered throughout the Disneyland theme park.

When the construction was finally over, Disneyland opened it's doors on July 17th 1955 to invited guests, but although only 15,000 were invited and over 30,000 showed up with counterfeit tickets. Other problems included constant ride breakdowns, gas leaks, and a major plumbers strikes, leaving restrooms and drinking fountains unavailable. The day is referred to as Black Friday in Disney lore.

The next day Disneyland opened it's doors to the general public, charging about $1.00 price admission and individual tickets for other rides for about 10-35 cents each.

In 1959, Disneyland introduced the "E Ticket", which was the most expensive ticket and allowed admission into the most popular rides, including Space Mountain, Autopia and Pirates of the Caribbean. In 1982, Disneyland swaps out the Ticket Book for a "passport" good for an unlimited amount of rides. The year of 1999 saw the addition of the FASTPASS system (still used today in Disneyland) which allows guests to earn a pass to an additional shorter line for the attraction.

In 1959, Walt began to look for new land for a second theme park, they looked into purchasing land in Florida, using fake company names in order to keep plans under wraps, which ended up not going so well when the story got leaked to the Orlando Sentenial.
Walt had various different plans for "The Florida Project", including his plans for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT), his futuristic planned city.

Walt Disney passed away on December 15th 1966, before construction even began on The Florida Project. The park opened on October 1st 1971, and was to be named "Walt Disney World" icnluding Walt's full name as insisted by his brother Roy and the plans for EPCOT evolved into EPCOT Center opening eleven years later.

Photo: Yesterland.com

The Mickey Mindset: mickeymindset@gmail.com

 

Retro Reviews: Dateline Disneyland

Today's article is written by Jesse Stephenson. 

Jesse Stephenson- The date is Sunday, July 17, 1955 (yeah, you probably know what I’m going to talk about, but hear me out). 

The sleepy little town of Anaheim is waking up, and by the time it goes to sleep again, it will never be the same.

This is the day Walt Disney debuts his Magic Kingdom, Disneyland to the honor students, celebrities, and dignitaries that have received special invitations.  He is also debuting the park to the hundreds who hold counterfeit invitations, and to those along Harbor Boulevard willing to climb a ladder and jump over the wall.

Fortunately for those who are at their homes across the US, Walt Disney has a plan. A plan that sounds as crazy as actually building his 160 acre theme park.  He will broadcast the 90 minute opening ceremonies LIVE across the United States on the ABC network.  Such an undertaking has never been attempted before.  Across the five lands, 29 cameras will be in place, with “miles and miles of cables.”  Corded microphones will be in place for our three hosts to use during the broadcast.

The broadcast shall be known as Dateline Disneyland.  Our three hosts: Art Linkletter is the Master of Ceremonies.  Bob Cummings and Ronald Reagan join in the hosting duties, introducing different lands and attractions to the viewers.  Along the way they shall greet celebrities, miss their cues, mispronounce names, and make every other mistake possible during the largest live broadcast in history.  

For the record, Linkletter, seen here with his son Jack, standing on the roof of the Kodak Eastman Photo Supply Company Store on Main Street during the opening parade, asked Walt to receive a percentage of films sales at Disneyland for ten years for his hosting duties.  That arrangement netted Art over a million dollars.

This was 58 years ago.  Why bring it up now?  Because this is history.  A true Walt Disney Presents. Dateline Disneyland was released on DVD in 2001 as part of the Walt Disney Treasures Disneyland USA in 2001, and has since gone out of print.  When it was released, only 150,000 copies were released, with the metal cases being pressed with the print run.

In total, four episodes appeared on this Out of Print DVD: Dateline Disneyland; The Disneyland Story, in which Walt announced the plans to build Disneyland; Disneyland After Dark, where Walt takes viewers on the happenings in the park after the sun goes down, with appearances by Louis Armstrong and Annette Funicello; and The Disneyland Tenth Anniversary Show. Here's to many, many more succesful years for Disneyland! 

The Mickey Mindset: mickeymindset@gmail.com

News Update: April 11th 2014

Starting off the news this week, the first teaser trailer for Disney Channel's Upcoming show, Girl Meets World has surfaced the internet. The show is a spin-off of the Disney Channel show which ran from 1993 to 2000. Characters Cory and Topanga return to the spin-off show, this time playing the parents of the main child characters. Watch the first teaser here:

Season two of the new Mickey Mouse shorts premiere on Disney Channel today, April 11th! Make sure you keep you DVRs running at 9:00 EST to catch the new wonderful shorts! 

This week, the Disney Parks celebrated fifty years of the famous "It's a Small World' attraction with a major worldwide celebration. The folks over at Inside the Magic have the full scoop, which you can read right here. Coverage of the entire event can also be found over at The Disney Blog as well right here. 

Toughpigs.com published this great article setting the record straight: The Muppets are still puppets, and no CGI was used in Muppets Most Wanted, contrary to internet rumors of the Muppets being replaced by CGI in some scenes. You can read that great article right here.

Speaking of Muppets, our friends over at This Happy Place Blog raised an excellent idea. What if the abandoned "Wonders of Life" exhibit became "Muppet Labs?" Make sure to check out their creative and exciting new ideas of what could quite possibly be of use for the abandoned building in a new, fun and creative way. You can read the article here: 

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is the show on TV that just keeps getting better and better. This week, ABC aired an episode leading directly off of last week's new film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The episode includes spoilers of the film, and this seems to be the new direction that the show will be taking from now on. Marvel released this all-new video where the cast and crew of the TV series talk about the new direction the show will be taking. Spoilers ahead. 

An all-new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse adventure will be hitting DVD shelves May 20th 2014! Around the Clubhouse World takes the Fab Five on a journey through France, China, Italy and more, and learn about different countries and cultures, with lots of song-filled fun, and will feature a slew of bonus episodes from the series. 

The date draws closer for the opening of the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in New Fantasyland in Walt Disney World, and today, Disney Parks released a thirty-second video taking a look at some of the impressive new Audio-Animatronics that will be featured in the attraction. 

UPDATE: Disney Parks ALSO released this 16-second CGI ride through of the attraction. Now we'r really, really excited. 

Disneynature's Bears opens next Friday, and in anticipation for the release, Disney released two more clips from the film, two of some of my favorite clips from the movie. In fact, the whole film is wonderful. We'll be reviewing the movie in it's entirety later this week. 

Speaking of Disneynature, the trailer for their next big film has been released yesterday online. The film, Monkey Kingdom will swing into theaters Earth Day 2015.

For the final bit of news this week, Disneyland Paris announced that Marvel's Spider-Man will start making meet-and-greet appearances starting April 19th in the Walt Disney Studios park! Disney also released this artwork to anticipate the upcoming appearances.

That's it for this week's short weekly news roundup! Be on the lookout for some special brand-new reviews this week, including our review for Disneynature's new film: Bears. 

The Mickey Mindset: mickeymindset@gmail.com

It's a 50 Year Old Attraction After All....

Mitchell Stein- Today, thousands of Disney fans across the globe will celebrate fifty years since the opening of It’s A Small World at the 1964 World’s Fair. The ride, which was one of the four main attractions presented by Disney at the World’s Fair, remains one of the most legendary and one of the most memorable of attractions in Disney history, and the incredible thing is that it still remains today, in each Disney theme park. 

Throughout the years, the attraction has entertained millions of guests who passed through the gates of the Disney parks and successfully got the song stuck in their heads on repeat for the remainder of the day. After riding many times throughout all my visits to Walt Disney World, I development a deeper appreciation for this ride.

This attraction is not just a funny boat ride with a catchy tune. This ride really has a much deeper message attached to it, and that message is unity. We all live in separate countries and we all have our differences, but we can all get along, just like the 24-7 singing dolls in it’s a Small World. They’re all entirely different, but they somehow all get along and sing together, and I figure this is the goal that Walt and team had in mind, to show people at the “World” Fair that we’re not all so different after all and we all share the same Earth, so why can’t we get along?

The attraction was such a success that it was decided to add it to Disneyland when it opened two years later, and the ride has been entertaining millions of people ever since, with other versions opening up in other Disney parks like Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris, and they still remain open today.

In essence, that’s what I found It’s A Small World means to me, and that’s why it remains one of the most iconic Disney attractions of all time. 

 I’m curious to find out if the Disney Parks are planning a 50 year celebration for Carousel of Progress and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln which opened at the same time, or even any future events related to the fiftieth anniversary of the World’s Fair would be highly received by fans.

Happy 50^th to the Happiest Cruise that ever sailed!  

It's A Small World at the 1964-65 World Fair

News Update: March 28th 2014

Starting off out weekly news roundup is Victory Hill Exhibitions is teaming up with Marvel for an all-new exhibit, Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N, which will take an all new look at the box-office smash and will be premiering at Discovery Center Times Square on May 23rd 2014! (Source: Stitch Kingdom)


Disney Parks have released some more info on their upcoming Destination D event, named "Attraction Rewind". At this D23 event, celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1964-65 Worlds Fair and debut of It's A Small World, Carousel of Progress, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and Primeval World. Also, see video concept art for these attractions and other fan-favorite attractions including If You Had Wings, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and many other beloved attractions that don't stand today. This event is not to be missed. The event will take place on November 22nd and 23rd at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney purchased company Maker Studios this week. Maker Studios is an online leader of Youtube video content with over 55,000 channels, 380 million subscribers, and 5.5. billion views per month. The purchase will cost $500 million, and another $450 million if the strong performance targets are met.

Muppets Most Wanted hit theaters in North America last weekend! If you still haven't decided to see the film or not yet, make sure to check out our review! Muppets Most Wanted takes the Muppets on a European World Tour only to get caught in the diabolical schemes of Constantine, the World's Most Dangerous Frog and his plan to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. There's lots of fun to be had, great gags, and the human cast is brilliant. Check out our review!

ABC'S Once Upon a Time in Wonderland airs it's series finale this upcoming Thursday on ABC at 8/7c. Once Upon a Time will remain on the air, and will probably be renewed for a fourth season, but it's Wonderland spin-off show will be airing it's final episode this week.

Going viral this week in the Disney fan circles is this brand new "Cell Phone Crashing" video, released by Mediocre Films on their Youtube Channel. The "cell phone crashes" decide to pay a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth and crash fellow visitors phone discussions, which result in very hilarious results.

Sofia the First: The Floating Palace arrives on DVD on April 8th! The film features Sofia visiting some her mermaid friends, including one you probably know from a 1989 classic Disney Animated film. See the clip below! 

Two new clips from Captain America: The Winter Soldier hit the internet this week! The first one is named "Blast from the Past" and the second listed is "Engine Room Secure". Captain America 2 hits theaters next Friday in North America. Check back next Friday for a review!

Because this was too fun not to share, Digital artist Chris Alcoran has taken photos from Disneyland's Tomorrowland and combined them with outer space visions. It's truly beautiful and awe-inspiring.

That's all for now! Have a magical week!