Top 5 Disney Songs from the Stage Musicals

For a bit of context, whenever Disney makes a stage musical based on one of their films, they will usually include all or at least two of the following:

• All or most of the songs from the source material
• Songs written for the original film but cut (such as Human Again in Beauty and the Beast, and Proud of Your Boy in Aladdin)
• Songs written exclusively for the stage production

I have covered the first two in previous reviews, so it is fitting that I should cover some of the songs written exclusively for the stage versions. I will be discussing when this song takes place in the show (so there will definitely be spoilers), the impact it has on the overall story, and my overall thoughts on the number. As was the case with the previous two reviews of this nature, I will only be doing one song per production, so each show gets their chance in the spotlight (pun intended). I will also be including links to the songs for you to listen to, so you can develop your opinions on which ones you like as well. 

#5: I Need to Know, Tarzan

(Source: TLMBroadway193)

Plotwise, this song takes place during the scene where the young Tarzan is trying to determine who (or what) he is, after a fallout with the gorilla tribe's leader, Kerchak. This song could serve as the customary "I want" number in a musical, something the original 1999 film lacked. Tarzan is trying to determine where he belongs and his place in the world, unaware of his humanity at this point in the story. He is later comforted by his adoptive gorilla mother, Kala, whom essentially informs him that even though they look different, they are indeed one in the same. I like how this song is used to develop Tarzan as a character, and sets up his development for the rest of the production (considering it directly precedes the iconic Son of Man from the original movie).

#4: Esmeralda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

(Source: Adam Ostrowski)

At this point in the production, we have learned of the desires of both Quasimodo and his adoptive father, Archdeacon Frollo. Essentially, they have the same desire, "the gypsy known as Esmeralda". Matter of fact, Frollo's desire for Esmeralda is so insane, he decides to burn down a majority of Paris simply to locate her; it essentially sounds like a stalker horror gone completely wrong. It serves as a turning point for the majority of the main characters; Phoebus turns on Frollo, Esmeralda decides to stand up for herself and the gypsies, we begin to see Quasimodo rebelling against his master, and Frollo (of course) goes insane. The song serves as a powerful finale for the show's first act, leaving the production on a powerful (and somewhat bleak) cliffhanger. Like the song preceding it (Hellfire) and The Lion King's Be Prepared (coincidentally, Frollo's actor played Scar in The Lion King), this is definitely one song that will send massive chills down your spine. 

#3: He Lives in You, The Lion King

(Source: TheSonicMaster123)

After reuniting with Nala and being persuaded to return to the Pride Lands to reclaim his throne, Simba is left confused on what he should do. He still believes he is the one who killed Mufasa, which makes him reluctant to return home. Essentially, this song takes place during the scene where Simba sees his father's ghost (one of my favorite Disney moments), and gives a powerful message; even though some are gone physically, they still live on in all of us. The message and Swahili vocals alone make this song one of my favorites, in addition to it taking place during my favorite part of The Lion King. Matter of fact, this song is so good, it serves as the opening for The Lion King II as an analogue to Circle of Life. It is one that reinvigorates and is a powerful showstopper before the final confrontation with Scar.

#2: A Million Miles Away, Aladdin

(Source: DisneyMusicVEVO)

After Aladdin and Jasmine meet, the audience learns of their desire to escape their current situations; Al wants to break away from being a street rat, and Jasmine does not want to be in an arranged marriage she has no consent to. They both decide to run away from Agrabah and start life anew, having only each other's company. A Million Miles Away discusses their plan and what they hope to expect from it, while also being a beautiful romantic ballad for the two. Matter of fact, this song also sets up their later meeting and A Whole New World, as hinted by Aladdin's short reprise at the beginning of the aforementioned song. I wish this song (or some equivalent to it) was used in the 2019 remake of Aladdin, as it would have further built their relationship. I love the song because it furthers the characters' development, it has a beautiful melody, and it hints at their relationship later in the show. Not having a duet like this in the remake was definitely a missed opportunity for the production staff.

#1: If I Can't Love Her, Beauty and the Beast

(Source: disneysoundtrack89)

Of course, my number one pick on this list is from my favorite stage musical, Beauty and the Beast; specifically, the finale of the show's first act. Taking place after Beast scares Belle out of the castle, the former begins to lament on possibly losing his only chance to break his curse. If he does not change his ways soon, "he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time". The song serves as the beginning of Beast's character development, along with being somewhat of an apology to those he's affected. It makes you want to cheer for the success of this character, and see him through his wish to regain his lost humanity. Like A Million Miles Away in Aladdin, If I Can't Love Her should have also been in its respective live action remake. Having this song and Evermore would have made perfect bookends to Beast's character development. (On a side note, I am glad that production I saw at Shawnee Mission Theater in the Park thought similarly. Instead of performing  If I Can't Love Her's reprise like usual, they performed Evermore instead. While I understand they were paying tribute to the recently released remake by doing so, it was definitely a smart move and gave Beast another well-deserved ballad.)

What are some of your favorite songs from Disney's stage musicals? What are some of your favorite musical numbers in general? Feel free to leave a comment below and discuss! Additionally, feel free to give me a follow for future updates on the blog. 

Top Five Disney TV Series

Hey everyone, guess what? It's time for the annual Top Five Disney list! However, this year we are going to change things up and give you two lists instead of one! In addition to the previously teased Top Five Disney Broadway Songs, I am also going to give you some insight into my top five shows made by Disney as well! Growing up in the late 90s and the 2000s as well, I was basically a Disney Channel/Toon Disney addict (along with a fascination for Nickelodeon and to some extent, Cartoon Network)! Below are five of my favorite shows from the company; there are more than this, but these are simply five that I enjoyed the most (with two honorable mentions).

5. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody/The Suite Life on Deck

I do admit, even now I love Disney Channel's iconic sitcoms from the mid 2000s. However, if you were to ask me which are my favorites, I would tell you that honor goes to the Suite Life of Zack and Cody series. The show centers around the titular twins played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse, (the latter of which is now known as the WORST version of Jughead Jones in Riverdale) living with their cabaret singing mother in a luxurious hotel. Their friends include a spoiled hotel heiress (Brenda Song), a candy counter girl  (Ashley Tisdale), and a mechanic (Brian Stephanik). The closest this show had to an antagonist was the hotel's manager, portrayed by Phill Lewis; however, Zack and Cody antagonized poor Moesby more than the former. Eventually, the series was given a rebrand and a new love interest for Cody (played by Debby Ryan). The setting was also changed from a hotel to a cruise ship, with the premise of the twins going to school at sea, something I feel was a bit of a stretch in retrospect (though it would be amazing to study abroad on a cruise ship). Matter of fact, the premise was so outlandish, iCarly referenced it in one episode of their own series. Despite my problems with the premise, the rebranded series had a stronger emphasis on story than its predecessor (which in my opinion makes The Suite Life on Deck the superior series out of the two). In my opinion, these two series were the best out of what Disney Channel offered in terms of sitcoms in the mid 2000s.

4. American Dragon: Jake Long

Before Gravity Falls first aired in Summer of 2012, American Dragon: Jake Long was my favorite animated series on Disney Channel. The plot centered around the titular character, who was descended from a family of human/dragon hybrids, tasked with protecting the mortal and magical realms (think Sabrina the Teenage Witch, but with dragons instead of witches). I loved the massive amount of action in the series, the overarching story, and constantly developing characters. I was also in suspense in regard to the relationship between Jake and his love interest, Rose. Unfortunately, Disney prematurely cut this show from the roster, cancelling it after two seasons. Consequently, that would be one of few times I was legitimately angered by the company; I felt this franchise had a massive amount of potential, and could have lasted much longer than it should. Disney would later do the same to another story-driven series with a similar premise, with similar success.

3. Gargoyles

I admit, while I consider this series one of my favorites, I have not seen it completely. In the early 2000s, Toon Disney had a tendency to air this show's episodes out of their intended order. As a result, it was extremely hard to follow the overarching storylines. If this series ever comes to Hulu and Netflix, you can count on me binge watching it while I work on my animation and design projects. The series has the premise of Gargoyles frozen in time, awakening in the modern day and severely displaced from their medieval era. Like the previous entry, I enjoyed the copious amount of character development and action sequences. Unfortunately, I have not seen much of the story, so I cannot comment on it at the moment; I will give my proper thoughts on this series in a future post.

2. Gravity Falls

As mentioned in entry four, this effectively replaced American Dragon: Jake Long as my favorite Disney Channel animated series. Unfortunately, it suffered a similar fate in terms of premature cancellation as well and left many questions unanswered. Nonetheless, this series is also similar to Jake Long in its subject matter; both explore the supernatural and mystical elements of the world while also being bound to an overarching story. The basic premise surrounds Mabel and Dipper Pines' adventures in Gravity Falls during their summer vacation, and as the story progresses they come across enemies such as Bill Cipher and the irksome Lil' Gideon (the latter of which I found to be an annoying character). Its emphasis on story, and balance between action and comedy makes this stand out from what Disney XD has to offer. It was one of those rare series that contained a singular overarching story as opposed to smaller background story arcs, which kept me watching (despite getting into it well after it ended by binging it on Hulu). Plus, who could forget other iconic characters such as Wendy, Soos, and the always lovable Gnome, Shmebulock?

Honorable Mentions: Aladdin: The Animated Series and Hercules: The Animated Series

Now I bet you are all surprised that I did not put the series based on two of my favorite Disney movies in the top spot, and you all have every right to be. I loved these shows when I was younger, but I did not put them in a top spot for two reasons; the first being I do not have as much nostalgic feeling toward them as I do toward their animated film counterparts. The second being they have not aged as well as these other series in the list. While they are series that I fondly remember and love, their quality is a bit of a downgrade along with creating quite a few plot holes in terms of continuity. However despite that, there are some memorable episodes from both series that are among my favorites in addition to a CROSSOVER between the two. If you are as much of a fan of Aladdin and Hercules like I am, then I would highly recommend giving these two shows a look, they are truly a "diamond in the rough".

1. DuckTales

This series (with Aladdin as an honorable mention) is the Disney show that I have the most memories of watching; matter of fact it is probably one of the earliest exposures to Disney I remember. Since I was really young, I remember watching Ducktales on channels such as ABC, Toon Disney, and Disney Channel. Additionally, they feature characters related to my favorite classic Disney characters, Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck. The series surrounds Donald's Uncle Scrooge and their nephews (the adorable Huey, Duey, and Louie) as they travel the world in search of treasure and adventure. During their travels, they come across enemies such as Scrooge's rival, Flintheart Glomgold, and a sorceress named Magica de Spell. Occassionally, they will also be confronted by smaller foes such as the criminal group known as The Beagle Boys and Disney's iconic Pete. In addition to being centered around Disney's duck characters, I was also hooked on the adventure aspect and diverse locales Scrooge and his gang would visit. I suppose many of you readers are asking what I think of the 2017 reboot, and I can confidently say I like what I have seen so far. I have not had time to watch much of the series, but from the few episodes I have seen, I love how it actually improves upon the source material. As an added bonus, Donald himself has more of a prominent role than in the original. I may give my thoughts on the new version in a later post, but so far I think this is a worthy successor to the Disney Afternoon classic.

What are some of your favorite Disney TV series? Feel free to leave your responses in the comments below, and be sure to like and follow for future posts from Reviews and Retrospectives! Maybe next time in Top 5 Disney I will finally discuss my favorite songs from the stage adaptations, but I will wait until I hear more from the upcoming stage version of Hercules before doing so.