10 Animated Disney Movies With The Most Songs, Ranked

10 Animated Disney Movies With The Most Songs, Ranked

As Disney turns 100 next year, it’s important to note the outstanding number of musical movies that have been released by the studio in its century-long existence. The animated or animation-hybrid musical is practically synonymous with the company itself, and almost every movie contains at least one iconic song.

Even so, not every musical film has the same amount of songs. In this case, a musical number is one that features someone—either a character or omniscient singer—singing within the movie. Some of the Disney films with the most songs have musical numbers scattered throughout, whereas others only have a handful.

Updated on November 30, 2022 by Stacie Rook: The songs of Disney’s animated movies continue to be one of the most recognizable aspects of their works, and such songs have been used to advertise new live-action adaptations, as is the case with 2023’s The Little Mermaid (via YouTube), showing their cultural impact and legacy.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs (1937) – 9

10 Animated Disney Movies With The Most Songs, Ranked

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the first Disney animated feature, and also happens to include several songs. This film favors soft and fun melodies over the bombastic musical numbers that Disney would later become known for, but that doesn’t make its tunes any less iconic.

Sung by the dwarfs, “Heigh-Ho” is completely catchy, but Snow White herself also gets some lovely numbers, such as “Someday My Prince Will Come.” Snow White’s unique style of voice helps her stand out among the array of Disney Princesses, even now.

The Little Mermaid (1989) – 9

Ariel sings on a rock as water splashes behind her in the Little Mermaid

Alan Menken is considered one of the best Disney composers, and this was kick-started by his work on The Little Mermaid. In the film, Menken introduced the idea that the characters should speak along to the music before singing, which made the numbers feel more organic when the singing did start.

It’s for this reason that the songs are memorable, and “Part of Your World” is perhaps Disney’s most iconic “I Want” song, which explains Ariel’s desires and personality to the audience. With the film’s live-action adaptation set for release in 2023, fans can get excited for potential original songs in the Disney remake.

The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh (1977) – 10

Pooh trying to rescue his honey on a tree branch in The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh

The Winnie the Pooh theme song is familiar to generations of children, and this is thanks to the 1977 movie. This film, about the titular bear, features a number of simultaneously whimsical and low-key musical moments, which matches the film’s overall relaxed tone.

The exception of course is the iconic “Heffalumps and Woozles” song, which mixes frighteningly psychedelic animation with bombastic instrumentals, creating one of the most surreal moments in any Disney film. For this song, as well as others, the singing comes from the film’s narrator, rather than the characters themselves, which emphasizes the movie’s storybook feel.

Beauty And The Beast (1991) – 10

Belle and the Beast sit outside the castle in Beauty and the Beast

Menken is also the composer behind Beauty and the Beast‘s fantastic music. The songs are great at showcasing the characters, which is emphasized since many of the numbers are named after them, like the songs “Belle” and “Gaston.”

The movie famously features one of the best Disney love songs not sung by the protagonists, the titular “Beauty and the Beast,” which is sung by Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts. The film’s soundtrack also includes the once-deleted but then restored “Human Again,” in which the castle’s enchanted items joyously sing as Belle and the Beast grow closer.

Pete’s Dragon (1977) – 11

Pete and the dragon in the forest in Pete’s Dragon

Pete’s Dragon is a great mix of live-action and animation, and features a surprisingly mature story about an orphan boy and his magical dragon running away from the boys’ abusive foster parents. On top of this hard-hitting narrative, though, the movie also has some great songs.

The music is upbeat and childlike to match the film’s whimsical tone, but it also manages to be heartfelt and emotional. It perfectly captures the quaint vibes of the film’s setting of a fishing town, and the music was well received critically, with the song “Candle on the Water” even being nominated for an Academy Award.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) – 12

Jack Skellington on a hill silhouetted by the moon in The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Nightmare Before Christmas is not only one of Disney’s best Halloween movies, but also one of the studio’s best Christmas movies, and it has the perfect musical numbers for both holidays.

Since there are a lot of characters in the film, there are also a lot of songs, as almost every character gets their own number. The opening number, “This is Halloween,” is probably the film’s most iconic song, but many are just as memorable, such as “What’s This,” which Jack sings when he arrives in Christmas Town, and Oogie Boogie’s deliciously fun villain song.

Moana (2016) – 12

Moana sings on her boat in Moana

As Moana is an American film based on Polynesian culture, the film features songs written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mark Mancina, and Opetaia Foa’i, with lyrics in English, Samoan, Tokelauan, and Tuvaluan. The use of multiple languages and Polynesian instruments adds to the richness of Moana’s world, which can be felt throughout the entire story.

The songs are effective at establishing the movie’s world, advancing the plot, and developing the characters. Moana gets an iconic “I Want” song with “How Far I’ll Go,” but the film also features one of the best Disney sidekick songs with Maui’s fun number, “You’re Welcome.” Additionally, “I Am Moana” is probably the most emotional number, serves as a big turning point in the plot.

The Three Caballeros (1944) -14

The Three Caballeros singing and holding up three fingers

The Three Caballeros is one of Disney’s oldest animated features, and as such, it unfortunately contains some harmful racial stereotypes, which Disney has addressed (via The Walt Disney Company), adding an advisory note to the start of the film on Disney+. The story follows Donald Duck and friends as they go on an adventure through Latin America, and was made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Donald Duck character.

The songs’ lyrics are in a mix of English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and musical influences are taken from all over the different parts of Latin America, including the spectacular voice of Brazillian singer, Aurora Miranda.

Mary Poppins (1964) – 16

Burt and Mary dance in Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins is considered to be a classic for a reason. It was innovative for its use of a live-action and animation hybrid, and its songs are superb too. Julie Andrews’ voice and performance skills are incredible, so it’s no wonder that she received an Oscar for the film.

“A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Chim Chim Che-ree,” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” are songs that stand out for how catchy they are, and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is also iconic. The fact that the film got a sequel in 2018 shows its lasting cultural impact, thanks in part to its memorable soundtrack.

Alice In Wonderland (1951) – 19

Alice, the March Hare, and the Mad Hatter at a tea party in Alice in Wonderland

Alice In Wonderland, the tale of a young girl falling into a nonsensical world, may be remembered more for its wacky and incredible visuals than its songs, but that doesn’t mean the music isn’t also incredible. But the movie and the songs are quite short, but they still manage to make an impact.

“Painting the Roses Red” is probably the movie’s most iconic number, but each character gets their own fun and memorable tune. Overall, Disney managed to successfully take the wondrous and nonsensical words of Lewis Caroll and adapt them into song form.