10 Famous Songwriters Who Penned Disney Classics | ScreenRant
The Walt Disney Company is responsible for some true classic cinematic moments. Many of the brightest hits have been linked to iconic music. A Disney song can live forever, and a range of noteworthy lyricists have put pen to paper for these musical masterpieces.
Some songwriters are long-time Disney collaborators while others are well-known music stars, brought into the company to provide an alternate perspective. Regardless of their background, these writers have managed to create movie magic. These songs continue to be sung around the world and capture the essence of the famous live-action and animated characters from the House of Mouse.
10 Lin-Manuel Miranda ("How Far I'll Go," "You're Welcome" etc.)
Lin-Manuel Miranda found his big break with the musical In The Heights, which will be making its cinematic debut in its own right this summer. However, his talents were truly broadcasted thanks to the ground-breaking, hip-hop songs in Hamilton.
His work on the musical impressed Disney, who sought out the artist to help produce original songs for the 2016 animated production Moana. Miranda delivered, with "How Far I'll Go" nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2017. He has returned to work on the music for the live-action reboot of The Little Mermaid.
9 Beyoncé ("Spirit")
Beyoncé is a mega star in the music industry. With Disney's highly regarded picture The Lion King receiving the live action treatment, the singer and songwriter was brought on board to provide her talents on both the page and in the studio as a voice actor.
The 2019 production therefore featured original music from Beyoncé including the featured song "Spirit," which was performed by the singer. The album The Lion King: The Gift was brought out alongside the film and her work led to Disney+ airing a visual album titled Black Is King.
8 Elton John ("Can You Feel The Love Tonight")
The original 1994 Lion King and the modern live action iteration both also feature the music of renowned singer/songwriter Elton John. The Brit's contributions to the film's soundtrack are legendary, with John penning famous hits like "Can You Feel The Love Tonight."
The 1995 Oscars saw John and writing partner Tim Rice receive a great deal of accolades including nominations for the original songs "Hakuna Matata" and "The Circle Of Life," as well as winning for "Can You Feel The Love Tonight." Interestingly, Hans Zimmer also won in the same year in the Best Score category at the Academy Awards.
7 Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez ("Remember Me," "Let It Go," etc.)
Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez's contributions to the Walt Disney Company are seemingly endless in recent years. While they have written music for live action shows like WandaVision they also drove the animation renaissance period forward through their songs.
The couple have far too many accolades to make mention of, but wrote the songs to the smash hit films Frozen and Frozen II. What's more, they were a vital component to the success of Pixar's first ever musical movie Coco. They've even made a significant mark on the world of Winnie The Pooh and Finding Nemo: The Musical, getting hired off of their initial success with The Book Of Mormon and In Transit respectively.
6 Howard Ashman ("Be Our Guest," "Under The Sea," etc.)
Howard Ashman's background can be found in musical theatre. One of his most notable pieces of work is that of The Little Shop Of Horrors, which has gone on to become an iconic piece of Broadway history. His life within the walls of Disney are so significant that Disney+ now has an exclusive documentary about the man, entitled Howard.
The popularity of a number of Disney animated features are largely down to the storytelling of Howard Ashman. The songwriter penned classics for Aladdin, Beauty And The Beast and The Little Mermaid, truly changing the Disney landscape forever. His potential was sadly limited by his tragic passing in 1991, after battling with HIV/AIDS.
5 The Sherman Brothers ("Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," etc.)
The Sherman Brothers are Disney legends in their own right. Working alongside one another during the heyday of Walt Disney himself, their music is now recognisable across the planet. Their filmography includes films such as The Parent Trap, The Magic Of Lassie and The Mighty Kong.
Their work at Disney is simply irreplaceable though. Some productions they have credits on include The Sword In The Stone, Winnie The Pooh, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and Bedknobs And Broomsticks. Without a doubt their most significant project was 1965's Mary Poppins, with the brothers immortalized in the consequential 2013 biopic Saving Mr Banks and thanks to their 1965 Academy Award.
4 Randy Newman ("You've Got A Friend In Me")
Randy Newman's work within The Walt Disney Company goes far deeper than many may believe. His credits go as far back as The Muppet Show and includes The Princess ,And The Frog, Monsters University and the original Monsters, Inc.
Undoubtedly though, for both his vocal performance and songwriting abilities, he will be largely remembered for Pixar's Toy Story franchise. The standout piece is the deeply emotional "You've Got A Friend In Me" which was also nominated during the 1996 Academy Awards.
3 Alan Menken ("Speechless," "Go The Distance," etc.)
Alan Menken was a long term collaborator of Howard Ashman but has continued to hone his craft at The Walt Disney Company, consistently turning out award winning music. His credits are incredibly well varied, with the artist featured on both the animated classics and live action reboots.
Some of his standout work within the music departments of feature films include Hercules, Tangled, Aladdin and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. In recent years his narrative based work has included the song "Speechless" in 2019's Aladdin and "A Place Called Slaughter Race" in Ralph Breaks The Internet.
2 Phil Collins ("You'll Be In My Heart")
Phil Collins is a highly regarded drummer, songwriter and musician, famous for his past in the band Genesis and for his well respected solo career. Interestingly though, alongside his notable work within the music industry, Collins also stepped into the world of film at Disney.
The most famous collaboration was 1999's Tarzan with "You'll Be In My Heart" becoming the standout of the soundtrack. His work on the picture earnt Phil Collins an Oscar in 2000 for the same song. This was notably Tarzan's only Academy Award nomination and victory.
1 Tim Rice ("Hakuna Matata," "A Whole New World" etc.)
Tim Rice's career is truly history making. His collaborations with Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber have massively contributed to the West End and Broadway respectively and his years within the film industry have seen the artist inducted into the Songwriter's Hall Of Fame.
With Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ Superstar in his past, Tim Rice moved on to projects like The Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty And The Beast. He worked on both the original animated hits and the modern live action reboots.
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