Best/Worst Disney animated soundtrack?

[LIPeter]

What is your favorite and least favorite Disney animated movie soundtrack?

My favorite: Frozen

My least favorite: Hunchback of Norte Dame

 

[Tennor]

WHAT?? Hunchback is in my top 3.

I'm a big Alan Menken Fan, so Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, and Aladdin are favorites of mine.

 

[TheDisneyNurse]

Anything from Alan Menken is a masterpiece (TLM, BaTB, Aladdin). Lion King is a classic, and Moana is the newest but I love the music a lot.

 

[Dinohood]

favorite: Lion King 1 and 2

least favorite: can't think of any for now

 

[Princess Jaz E Jaz]

Least favorite: Frozen

Favorite: The Princess and the Frog

 

[L&Lfan]

Favorite: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs/Cinderella (a tie)
Worst: The Princess and the Frog/The Fox and the Hound (neither one memorable, imo)

 

[Pintail]

Favorite: The Little Mermaid

Least Favorite: Home on the Range

 

[supernova]

WHAT?? Hunchback is in my top 3.

I'm a big Alan Menken Fan, so Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, and Aladdin are favorites of mine.

Which makes Hunchback #4, I guess?

 

[Vellerie]

Hunchback of notre dame is number one for me, and I like the stage musical versions even better. As for worst music, does Home on the Range count?

 

[LIPeter]

Hunchback of notre dame is number one for me, and I like the stage musical versions even better. As for worst music, does Home on the Range count?

I was really talking about the major theatrical movies. As for Hunchback, I just didn't like any of the songs. Usually there are a few songs in the movies I like, but I just didn't like them in that movie. I'm probably gonna get yelled at for this one as well, but I also didn't like the soundtrack to Hercules either. But I did like the song "Go the Distance".

 

[L&Lfan]

I think Alan Menken is overrated. I know that's heresy, but where most of his scores have one or two hits, the rest of the songs are quite pedestrian.

 

[Taylor Hart]

Alan Menken is so wonderful! It would be impossible for me to choose a favorite, but my least favorite would probably be the Fox and the Hound. I even like the more underrated sound tracks like Hercules and Oliver and Company!

 

[JustCor]

Favorite: Aladdin
Least favorite: Tarzan. *yawn*

 

[maltdizzy]

I think Alan Menken is overrated. I know that's heresy, but where most of his scores have one or two hits, the rest of the songs are quite pedestrian.

It does seem Menken was the lesser half of great duo.

Howard Ashman was a genius...Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Alladin are filled with catchy tunes. Beyond that, his sense of story and musical theater was fantastic. When production on Beauty and the Beast ground to a halt because the directors and writers couldn't figure out the opening of the movie, Ashman declared, "I'm dying and don't have time for this," then sat down, wrote "Belle" on the spot, and created the introduction to Belle, Gaston and the whole town we see in the movie.

But Menken's post-Ashman Hunchback, Hercules, and Home on the Range, while solid enough, isn't near as memorable as the stuff he did with Howard Ashman.

As for worst, off the top of my head, Tarzan and Emperor's New Groove.

 

[Disney_traveler]

I really enjoy Beauty and the Beast the most and The Little Mermaid second.

Frozen would be up there if someone other than Idina Menzel did the singing. I know a lot of people like that her voice is different but it's grating to me. Same thing with Kristen Chenoweth (speaking AND singing though). I'm glad I never saw or heard the original production of Wicked!

 

[Mattimation]

I think Alan Menken is overrated. I know that's heresy, but where most of his scores have one or two hits, the rest of the songs are quite pedestrian.

It does seem Menken was the lesser half of great duo.

I don't know about overrated, but I definitely don't think Menken today compares to Menken of the 80s/90s, and I have to agree that Howard Ashman is probably what raised Alan Menken up to such heights. "Little Shop of Horrors," the musical that propelled the duo to fame and got them Little Mermaid, is AMAZING and has some of the best songs out of any Broadway musical (in my opinion). It's unfortunate that Menken doesn't seem to "have it" anymore, but that seems to be the case - why else would he have been removed from three of the last four Disney Musicals and given TV Shows to work on instead?

That being said, "Little Mermaid" is absolutely my favorite soundtrack, though "Moana" is now giving her a run for her money. I have to say I think "Tangled" is the worst - the only song I truly like from that movie is the ending credits theme, and that wasn't even written by Alan Menken. Grace Potter did a great job on that, and she probably should have been hired to write all the music for that movie.

 

[DVCCaiti]

Definitely, Little Mermaid and Lion King if you are looking at the classics! When it comes to the more recent additions nothing can compete with Frozen! All of the songs are so catchy and you can listen to them over and over!

 

[EsmeCullen]

Favorite: Aladdin

Least Favorite: The Emperor's New Groove

 

[sunshinetree]

I'm extremely passionate about both of these:

Favorite: Princess and the Frog

Least Favorite: Frozen

 

[UmmYeahOk]

Best: tie - Lion King/Oliver & Company

Worst: Fox and the Hound 2