My Thoughts on Disney Music

My personal thoughts on some of the most wonderful movie soundtracks and scores. I am currently an Audio Engineering Technology major with the dream of being an Audio Engineer in either the Disney or Pixar Film Studios someday. "There's a terrific power to music. You can run any of these pictures and they'd be dragging and boring, but the minute you put music behind them, they have life and vitality they don't get any other way." -Walt Disney

[disneyonbroadway]

January 22 can not come soon enough. 

[thedisneyprincess]

The Legacy Collection

[mebedanid]

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) I decided to share what I learn through my adventures of exploring all 54 Disney Featured Animated Films. This is my first post on this blog, Dani Does Disney, where I watched Snow White and then shared my thoughts and facts I gathered about the history and impact of this film. Hope you find it interesting! 53 more Disney Animated films to go!

And so it begins with “The One that Started it All”: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There is a lot to cover with this film. I won’t be able to talk about everything, not even in my notes that I hand-wrote and added below. This film is a big deal. It has a lot of “firsts” to not only the company, but to the industry as well. It’s fascinating how impactful this film was, even in ways that are…

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[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

I’m sorry I haven’t posted much, it’s just been hard to feel like I’m writing something new each time. So I’ve started a personal research project of going through all 54 Disney Animated Featured Films and you guys are welcome to follow along for this adventure by checking out this blog!

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

Lava from “Lava” (Inside Out Short)

Potential of Spoilers so don’t read if you haven’t seen Inside Out. But if you haven’t seen Inside Out, you need to scoot on over to a movie theater ASAP and treat yourself. One of Pixar’s best so far. 

I’ll even put everything below a break to help people who are really trying to avoid spoilers :)

Length 5:46 

Performed by Kuana Torres Kahele, Napua Greig, and James Ford Murphy.

I love this song so much and I’m super appreciative that they put it up on iTunes so quickly. This song is the backing to a 6 minute, Pixar Short musical that takes place before Inside Out. It’s essentially styled to be like a music video, but sung by a volcano. I did some research on the creation of this song because I was fascinated with where it came from. So this post will include facts that I read in this interview (check it out for more information!)

This song was inspired by the active volcano on the Big Island in Hawaii called Kilauea, and also by the performance of “Over The Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. (If you aren’t familiar with that song, please click here to experience this beautiful rendition). Tradition Hawaiian vocalists were chosen for this film in order to create an authenticity to it that brought out the beauty of the culture. It also turns out that the vocalists they chose knew each other since childhood and had taken hula classes together back in the day. So there was some form of connection between the singers before they even began recording.

The short creates a love story that spans thousands of years, all within six minutes and it’s really beautiful how they do it. But I’ll let you discover that for yourself by watching it and experiencing it.

The simplicity of a vocal and a ukelele can speak with just as much emotion, if not more sometimes, than a full orchestra or band. The entire song is just vocals with a ukelele playing chords, with the occasional sound effect to fit in with the story. The song follows a simple pattern, relying on the story in the lyrics to carry the song more than the music underneath. 

I’ve gotta say, it’s incredible how emotional a song sung between two volcanoes can be. Honestly, this short made me cry. I mean, I don’t think it was better than Paperman, which is my favorite yet, but it was the most emotional yet for me. The power of music telling a story can really pull on the heartstrings. Pixar knows how to reach their audiences of all ages. 

Here is a link to the song (without the video): Lava

I don’t know if it’s possible to find the short yet, so I’d recommend to go see Inside Out in theaters to really experience this song!

Have a magical day and never grow up :)

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

Coming back!

Hey there, followers! So I’ve been inactive on this blog for probably well over a year now and I miss looking through music and writing about it. 

Tomorrow, I’m going to start posting again! If you have any requests, just let me know! Thanks for dealing with my absence and I hope to rediscover the magical moments in music that Disney gives us :)

[mebedanid]

Rest in peace to our dearest Genie, Robin Williams. This is heartbreaking news :(

[playbill]

Happy Birthday Alan Menken!

Tony Award winner Alan Menken was born on July 22. Find out more about the composer of Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Newsies and more at PlaybillVault.com.

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

Happy Ending by Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid)

Length: 3 minutes, 11 seconds

What have I told you about my love for finales and reprises? My love for them is endless. It's time for another one :)

This piece begins subtly, with a nice build. You can hear the bubbling sounds from the harp with its arpeggios. The cellos and the rest of the orchestra begins to join in until it gets to a nice release 17 seconds in: a warm chord with a full sound. At 30 seconds, a nice wind instrument takes lead with strings playing the background. 

At 44 seconds, the cellos take over with a slowed down version of the "Part of Your World" melody. I love when deep instruments take over; the warmth is genuine. Then at 1:08 a deep tremolo begins, swelling into the sounds of wedding bells (and chimes). 

The tempo picks up into a light flutter. Large bells strike just before the essential Little Mermaid melody comes in by the strings. There is a fun pick of up tempo again around the 2 minute mark with moving parts all over the orchestra. 

I love that they keep returning to the main melody throughout, with all sorts of tones and styles. It recaps the movie and sets the tone for the monumental moment at 2:30 where that quintessential Disney choir comes in singing, "Now we can walk. Now we can run. Now we can stay all day in the sun. Just you and me. And I can be. Part of Your World." Their harmonies are flawless. The goosebumps triggered are endless. They end by dropping down into a collection of "ahh's" that builds into a fantastic ending chord.

Here, for your viewing and emotional pleasure, is the scene in which this piece occurs: Movie Clip

And here, for your listening pleasure, is the recording of that wonderful piece: Happy Ending

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

Any Requests?

I'll be arriving home from vacation either tomorrow or the next day and I'd love to talk about stuff you lovely people would like to hear about. Any songs in particular come to mind? I'm happy to take ideas!

[itsdisneyfreaks]

Disney has announced a new Disney Channel original movie called “Descendants” following the teenage lives of the Villains’ children.

The film takes place in a present-day idyllic kingdom, where the benevolent teenaged son of the King and Queen (Beast and Belle from Disney’s iconic Beauty and the Beast) is poised to take the throne. His first proclamation: offer a chance at redemption to the trouble-making spawn of Cruella De Vil, Maleficent, the Evil Queen and Jafar who have been imprisoned on a forbidden island with all the other villains, sidekicks, evil step-mothers and step-sisters. These villainous descendants (Carlos, Mal, Evvie and Jay, respectively) are allowed into the kingdom to attend prep school alongside the offspring of iconic Disney heroes including Fairy Godmother, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel and Mulan. However, the evil teens face a dilemma. Should they follow in their nefarious parents’ footsteps and help all the villains regain power, or embrace their innate goodness and save the kingdom?

“Descendants” will begin production next year and will debut in 2015

Source: Inside The Magic, D23

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

This sounds quite wonderful :)

[churchoftheshrike]

Coming in 2018 is Disney’s next fairy tale mythology animated feature film, set amongst the South Pacific islands, rendered in a ‘painterly-style CGI’ (think the Paperman short): and y’all are going to LOVE IT:

The main character will be Moana Waialiki, a sea voyaging enthusiast, and the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators. When her family needs her help, she sets off on an epic journey. The film will also include demi-gods and spirits taken from real mythology.

[rebbemcdonald]

Waaahaaaaaaaa

[lissyfishy-blog]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

New movie announcement guys!! :)

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

A new project is beginning :) 

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride by Mark Keali'i (Lilo and Stitch)

Length: 3 minutes, 28 seconds

With all this cold weather, I figured I should warm things up with this tropical tune! This is the song that is happening during the family bonding scene when David takes Nani, Lilo and Stitch to the beach to relax and have fun. This is after Nani has been denied yet another job. David did this to cheer her up and help her out. He is one of the sweetest male Disney characters. And so underrated. 

This scene is also beautiful because of the water. They are out surfing and the waves are clear, blue and gorgeous. I love the way they animated the ocean. Also, shout out to the awesome turtle swimming underneath the characters at the very beginning of the song!

The song begins with a chorus of children singing along with Mark Keali'i a cappella. It has a cool effect. Then music comes in. The instrumentation is very chill and relaxed. A solid bass, some ukelele, tambourine, etc. I think the bass carries the song. It is pretty loud and even competes with the vocals. Not that that's a bad thing for this song, I think it fits really nicely.

They sing about the "Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride", referring to surfing. Moving with the "motion of the ocean". They have that classic Hawaiian sounding steel guitar performing a solo during an instrumental. I think it sounds really awesome. 

I love Stitch's curiosity throughout the song. You can see his character development here more than anywhere. He had just lost Nani another job and seemed slightly ostracized, but here is when he sees happiness and true family bonding and things begin to make sense to him. It's so cute at the end where he asks to trying surfing and he's freaking out for awhile; even though he is scared, he is trying to bond with Lilo and Nani by trying what they love. You can see him becoming a true piece of the family here.

Other than that, it's a pretty repetitive song. But not in a bad way - more like a way that you could happily sit and relax too. It's a gorgeous song and makes you feel all warm inside, especially when thinking about Hawaii and surfing. 

It's a good way to warm up from this cold December weather..well depending on where you are. Those bloggers from the south and warmer locations probably aren't too familiar with the cold we get up here in the north that is oddly similar to Frozen ;)

Anyways, have a magical day/night and drink a hot chocolate today and relax :) 

Keep your head up for those of you taking finals during these weeks! "If you can dream it, you can do it"!

Here is a link to the movie clip: Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

New Followers!

Hey there! Welcome! I'm so thankful that you followed my blog. I just wanted to let both my new and old followers that I do take requests and I'll talk about anything Disney. Just shoot me a message and I'm happy to ramble on about whatever: songs, movies, etc. 

Thanks for following and I hope you enjoy my thoughts on Disney music :)

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

A Girl Worth Fighting For by Cast (Mulan)

Length: 2 minutes, 26 seconds

Oh this song :) 

This song begins with a nice little musical entrance. It has a marching pace and accents that feel like footsteps. When the vocals come in, it's the soldiers all singing about how they are marching to battle and how tired and sore they are. Their voices drag and feel as lazy and tired as the words they are singing. But then Ling pipes in singing to "think of instead, a girl worth fighting for".

Of course, at this point, the men's eyes light up as they let their minds wander. All except Mulan who has no idea what they are talking about. Ling sings about his dream girl. Then Yao jumps in singing about how much his dream girl will love his buffness. Chein-Po comes in with how he doesn't care what his girl looks like, only on how she cooks: "beef, pork, chicken, mmmmmm". 

They continue to drool about their dream girls for awhile. Then Mulan comes in with the line "how 'bout a girl who's got a brain, who always speaks her mind?" and all the guys go "nahhh". This line is very fitting for the time period because women didn't have power then. Especially in that culture. In our culture, what Mulan did by standing up for herself and her family makes sense to us. Why not? But in those times, she would have been killed for her actions. Luckily she's the title character of a Disney movie, and unlike Shakespeare, they don't die. (I'm racking my brain for a Disney title character who dies, but I'm not coming up with anything. Correct me if I'm wrong!). But it was against the law for women to be in the army in that time period. 

I love Ling's squeaky voice. 

Chi-Fu, the advisor, even takes part in the song for a moment.

After a cute little whistle of the melody at the end of the song, they sing the main line "a girl worth fighting"...but they don't resolve it. When watching the movie, it makes sense because of the sequence of events and coming across the burnt down town. But when listening to the song by itself, it kills me at the end to not have that note resolved. It makes the song a cliffhanger and catches the audience's attention because they don't hear the last note that they are expecting. 

It's a fun song, it makes you bob your head around and want to sing along. Mulan has a great soundtrack!

Here is the link to the movie scene: A Girl Worth Fighting For

Have a magical day/night! :)

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

Hellfire Tony Jay (Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Length: 2 minutes, 6 seconds

This is a very dark song with a lot of underlying meaning for a kids movie. Not that they notice when they are young, but rewatching this movie recently shows me just how dark it is. 

This song begins with a chorus singing a hymn with some church bells ringing and winds playing along with them. Then the cellos enter with a moving part to get the song going. Frollo then comes in singing with a smooth and nice voice. The choir sings during his pauses. He begins singing almost like a prayer, but moves much past that.

He sings about Esmeralda and his lust for her. He sings about how much he wants her, no exaggeration. "The sun caught in her raven hair is blazing in me out of all control". He recognizes that this is sin and is begging for an end to the confusion in his soul. Frollo begins blaming Esmeralda and the devil for his feelings, not himself. He begs Maria to protect him from this sin or else just let him have her.

"Hellfire, dark fire, now gypsy it's your turn. Choose me or your pyre. Be mine or you will burn"

Like I said, very dark for a Disney movie. 

Musicality-wise, it's a beautiful piece. The violins and winds have some fast moving runs that move throughout the song to add intensity. The choir comes in to add background vocals and it causes an epic build and a full sound to back his vocals. The instrumentation is powerful with loud brass, strings, cymbals, etc. It's a very dark and powerful song. And Tony Jay has a really awesome voice that fits the character perfectly. 

The best part about this song is the colors and the scene itself. It begins looking over the city at dusk, with its deep purples and blues. Everything is cool and calm, but as he enters the room, the fireplace is blazing bright orange. They do this cool thing where they have the fire look like a dancing Esmeralda. The fire casts dark shadows on his face which make him look more evil. Then the choir appears who he begs to for forgiveness. They are all in red cloaks surrounded by a dark purple scene. Very eerie. Smoke then comes out of the fire in the form of Esmeralda, which shows how she is just out of his grasp. They also use shadows which start in a bright red room, but then grows darker and darker to that purple again. But when the end of the song hits, all the color disappears and it's just left with that deep, lonely purple. 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a super cool movie. Probably one that you haven't seen in years and you forget all about. But it's much cooler when you are older, so I recommend a rewatch. It's actually on Netflix, so you can check it out there. 

Here is the movie clip: Hellfire

Enjoy and have a magical day/night! :)

[mythoughtsondisneymusic]

The Great Thaw by Christophe Beck (Frozen)

Length: 2 minutes, 29 seconds

(With vocals by Frode Fjellheim)

This is an instrumental piece from Disney's newest hit, Frozen. It is also called the Vuelie Reprise (and to those of you who've been following me for awhile, you know what a sucker I am for a good reprise! haha) 

It begins with a melancholy string part that is slow and hauntingly beautiful. Around 32 seconds, some harp comes in with some runs to begin the build up by the strings. As the tension breaks at the end of the build, the release is beautiful. There are fast moving violins, deep melodies from the brass and winds, and swirling sounds by the flutes. The flutters of high moving parts add effects as though they are snow flurries swirling through the air. These musical parts are helpful at providing a feel to the setting of the piece.

Things lighten up with some "bouncy" parts emphasized by the pizzicato from the low strings. There are some light melodies playing above this part to allow it to be an interlude between main themes of the piece. This all comes together to some chords, where the piano spirals into the piece with the chimes alongside.

This simply beautiful piano parts leads into a key theme for this movie, the chorus singing the Vuelie part. There is also a great horn note that leads the rest of the instrumental ensemble back into the piece and continues with its own melody and part. I love this Vuelie version because the full orchestra accompanying it increase its power and emotional tug. Not that the a cappella version wasn't great, because it is absolutely fantastic. I love when a full orchestra comes together with a choir to make music, the emotions it brings to the table are unexplainable. 

After the big chord finishing off that section of the song, there is a horn that plays the melody for "do you want to build a snowman", which is passed around to some other instruments while the winds have some fluttering "snow-like" parts and the strings provide a beautiful chord structure. The piece then ends very gently with some high violin tremolos. 

Christophe Beck did a wonderful job with the score! Fun fact: He is also known for composing for the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, especially the episode Once More, With Feeling (if you watch the show, you know what I'm talking about. If not, I totally recommend the show! Sorry for the little non-Disney plug).

It's a beautiful instrumental piece and arrangement and I love the combination of pieces from the movie. This allows for connections to recognizable themes. This soundtrack has some great themes and melodies in it which contain many symbolic references to the story line and the setting.

I definitely recommend going to see this new and wonderful movie in theaters to get the full experience! :)

Have a magical day/night! 

Here is a link to the piece: The Great Thaw