Top 10 Soundtracks in Animated Films
A few posts ago I made a list highlighting my top 10 favorite movie soundtracks, though that was limited to live action films. Now we’re going to hit the top 10 animated movies, which is just as strong of a list. Before we get into the list I want to shoutout one movie that didn’t make it, ‘Mulan.’ I strongly considered putting it on here solely for ‘I’ll Make a Man Out of You’ which is CONSTANTLY stuck in my head.
Tarzan- Starting out our little track of Disney films we have a movie that is notorious for how hard Phil Collins went on the soundtrack. With good songs like ‘Two Worlds’ & ‘Son of Man’ and great songs like ‘Strangers Like Me’ (always make me scream the lyrics in the car) & the Oscar-winning ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’ (which holds a special place in my heart because I danced with my mom to it at my wedding!).
Moana- Written by the great Lin-Manuel Miranda (along with Opetaia Foa’i) this soundtrack features fun songs like ‘Shiny’ and a handful of songs sung beautifully by Auli’i Cravalho like ‘Where You Are,’ ‘Know Who You Are,’ ‘I Am Moana,’ and of course, the Oscar-nominated ‘How Far I’ll Go.’ It also features the Rock going off on ‘You’re Welcome,’ which is always a great time.
Frozen- Literally every song on ‘Frozen’ is a banger. I could list them all, but I’ll spare you and will just say that ‘Let It Go’ is the best song from any Disney movie.
Cars- A little different this film curated a variety of songs, highlighted by Chuck Berry’s ‘Route 66’ and Rascal Flatts’ ‘Life is a Highway’ that are the perfect cross country road trip vibe. So I’d say that fits a movie about cars.
Encanto- Another Lin-Manuel Miranda/Disney collab that resulted in some songs that quickly became iconic. We go through ‘The Family Madrigal,’ ‘Waiting on a Miracle,’ ‘Surface Pressure,’ ‘What Else Can I Do?’ & ‘All of You,’ all sung by the ensemble cast. Sandwiched into that list is the Oscar-nominated ‘Dos Oruguitas’ and the Internet darling ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno,’ which Disney’s longest reigning chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Lion King- The last Disney movie on my list, this soundtrack was written by all-time great musical & film lyricist, Tim Rice, & the one and only Elton John. Out the gate we get ‘Circle of Life’ which is just legendary. Then it’s followed by ‘I Just Can’t Wait to Be King’ & ‘Be Prepared.’ We then get two more absolute bangers in ‘Hakuna Matata’ & ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight.’ Sheesh that’s an insane stretch. While the 2019 remakes features the talents of Beyonce & Donald Glover, it just can’t beat the OG.
The Polar Express- While this Christmas flick features a variety of classic songs from Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, & Perry Como, it makes my list off of its own original songs. You have ‘The Polar Express’ & ‘Hot Chocolate,’ both performed by Tom Hanks, Steven Tyler’s ‘Rockin’ on Top of the World,’ ‘When Christmas Comes to Town’ sung by cast members, and the highlight Josh Groban’s ‘Believe.’
Shrek & Shrek 2- I don’t typically allow two entries from the same franchise on my lists. But I couldn’t choose between them! The original Shrek has Smash Mouth’s ‘All-Star’ & ‘I’m a Believer,’ Joan Jett’s ‘Bad Reputation,’ & Rufus Wainwright’s ‘Hallelujah,’ among other great songs. While the 3rd and 4th movies also feature great songs, they don’t match up with the first two. The second movie features ‘Holding Out For a Hero’ & ‘Livin’ la Vida Loca’ and my wife’s all-time favorite song, ‘Accidentally in Love.’
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse- Before I get into all the artists featured on this soundtrack I want to shoutout Blackway & Black Caviar’s ‘What’s Up Danger’ which is put perfectly into this film. Some of the artists featured on the tracklist include Jaden Smith, Nicki Minaj, Aminé, Juice WRLD, Lil Wayne, XXXTentacion, Ty Dolla Sign, Denzel Curry, & Vince Staples. It also features the double diamond certified and 4th most streamed song ever on Spotify, ‘Sunflower’ by Post Malone & Swae Lee.
