Top 5 Underrated Disney Songs

Top 5 Underrated Disney Songs

By: Brian Cotnoir

Let’s talk about Disney again, shall we?  Equally as Iconic as the films themselves, Disney has given us some of the most memorable film soundtracks of all-time.  From the soundtrack of “Snow White” which not only was the first full-length animated feature made, but also was the first commercially issued film soundtrack made available for sale to the public, to the Academy Award Winning works of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.  Disney is responsible for some of the most memorable and beloved songs of all-time.  However, for every song in a Disney film like “Pinocchio’s” “When You Wish Upon a Star” or “Frozen’s” “Let it Go”, you’ll end up with one that falls flat like “Scrumps” from “Sleeping Beauty”, and then every now and then there’s a song that isn’t disliked, but it just somehow becomes forgotten.  Maybe it was because the film wasn’t well received or maybe it got outshined, by another more popular song from the film, but for whatever reason these are my Top 5 Underrated Disney Songs.

5.) Higitus Figitus from “The Sword in the Stone”

     I truly believe that this is the most underappreciated Disney film out there today.  For all the talk of Disney Princess’s there is on the internet, you rarely ever here anyone talk about a Disney King’s.  Yes Kings have played some minor roles in Disney films, but “The Sword in the Stone” is the first film that’s main character actually becomes a King, and he didn’t start out as a Prince like Phillip, Eric, or Hans, he starts out as an orphan peasant and becomes a King!  Probably the best song in the “Sword in the Stone” has to be a fun little song called “Higitus Figitus” sung by the wizard, Merlin.  Merlin sings the song when he’s packing up his home.

4.) Everybody wants to be a cat from “The Aristocats”

     I’m not going to lie; this is one of the most boring films Disney has ever created, but “The Aristocats” isn’t without some merits.  It’s strongest (and probably only good part of the film) is the song “Everybody wants to be a Cat”, a song that starts off as a smooth Jazz number, before transitioning into a real swinging party song by the end.

3.) Let’s get Together from “The Parent Trap” (1961)

     I only knew of this song from a “Disney Sing-A-Long Video” that my grandparents had when I was a kid.  My older sister and I used to sing this song when we were younger.  Yes, long before the days of Lindsay Lohan, Disney had an earlier film version of “The Parent Trap”.  I’ve never seen the original, but I still remember this song after all these years.  The plot to the film is pretty much identical to the remake Disney did in the 90’s with Lindsay Lohan.  The actress was Haley Mills, who would later go on to appear in an TV show called “Good Morning Miss Bliss”, which would later be renamed as the more popular, “Saved by the Bell”.  I must say though just judging from this one scene in the film that I know, Lindsay Lohan’s fake British accent is a thousand times better than Hayley Mills fake American accent.

2.) The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind from “The Great Mouse Detective”

It is said that Disney Studios created Professor Ratigan in “The Great Mouse Detective” specifically for Vincent Price.  I’ve also heard reports that Professor Ratigan was Price’s favorite role.  It should come as no surprise that someone who was so invested in a role gave one of the Best singing performances in any Disney film.  Yes, the Villain’s in Disney films typically do get an awesome song, but Price’s delivery in the song “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” truly makes it one of the best Villain songs ever.  Just listen to Price sing, he clearly loves how bad his character is in this film.

1.) I’m Still Here (Jims Theme) from “Treasure Planet”

     I remember this Sci-Fi version of Robert Louis Stevensons Treasure Island for two reasons: 1.) I am a Steampunk Hobbyist, and there is definitely a great deal of Steampunk influence in “Treasure Planet” and 2.) The Amazing song written and performed by John Rzeznik of The Goo Goo Dolls.  Rzeznik was no stranger to writing scores to films.  His song “Iris” which he wrote for the soundtrack to the film “The City of Angels” helped propel his band into the spotlight.  Years later he would be hired by Disney to write a title track and Theme song for the films main character, Jim.  While “I’m still here” wasn’t as popular on the charts as “Iris” (possibly because it was written for a kids for a film), it is still a great song, and in my opinion the most underrated Disney Song ever recorded.

Character Analysis: Olaf

Character Analysis: Olaf

By: Brian Cotnoir

I like “Frozen”.  There I said it, and I’m not even embarrassed.  Even the toughest and most rugged of men can have a Disney side.  Not only is this one of my favorite Animated Films, but it’s one of my favorite films of All-Time.  Nothing makes me happier then when my three-year-old niece asks me if we can watch “Frozen” together.  I enjoy this film.  I like the animation, I like the songs (yes, even “Let it go”), I like the story, but most of all this film has probably my favorite Disney Character ever, Olaf.  From the first time I saw this titular snowman in the film, I became instantly intrigued and fascinated by him; I found him to be charming, funny, and especially entertaining.  So today we are paying tribute to Olaf and analyze what makes him so darn awesome.

CHARACTER: Olaf from “Frozen” (2013)

Olaf from "Frozen"

Olaf is a anthropomorphic snowman created by Elsa, the Snow Queen of Arendelle. We first see him very early on in the film.  He is just a typical snowman created by a very young Elsa for her younger sister Anna.  Olaf cannot speak, or move, and has no conscious thoughts.  Many years later after Elsa runs away to the high icy mountain tops she uses her snow powers to create a snowman before creating a giant ice palace for herself to reside in.  For reasons never explained, Olaf is now alive and wanders through the mountains of woods on his own until he comes across Anna, Kristoff, and Sven the reindeer.  Olaf greets them with this typical greeting “Hi, I’m Olaf, and I like warm hugs”.  Olaf is a very kind-natured, innocent, and naive snowman whose only dream is to experience Summer (completely unaware of the fact that he will melt in the heat).  Olaf agrees to take the others to Elsa’s ice palace.  Even though, he was told not to enter the palace by Anna, Olaf can’t help himself and rushes in to meet his creator.  Even though, Elsa comes off as cold-hearted (no pun intended) and a little hostile, Olaf is beyond excited to meet his creator, and she is even more surprised to learn that he is alive.  Despite being tossed out, by Elsa’s evil snow henchman, Olaf is still delighted to have met her and hopes to see her again.  Unfortunately, Elsa’s ice powers hit her sister Anna in the heart, and now it’s up to Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven to rescue Anna.

THE VOICE ACTOR:

Olaf is voiced by Broadway singer Josh Gad.  Before, taking the voice role of Olaf, Gad was best known for playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in the hit Broadway show, “The Book of Mormon”.  Gad, not only does a fantastic job as a voice actor, but being a Broadway actor too also means he was more than capable of providing the singing voice for Olaf as well.  This is a nice change of pace, because in the past Disney Animated films have one voice actor for the speaking parts, and one for the singing parts.  Josh Gad does an amazing job at both.

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

“Frozen” is a lose adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Snow Queen. Walt Disney himself started developing the plot to the film back in 1959.  Disney, unfortunately never got adapt the story into an animated film, and the project remained in limbo for decades (not to mention went through many re-writes).  Olaf was not a part of the original story of The Snow Queen, and is definitely a creation of a Disney in an attempt to create a character for comic relief purposes.  Olaf, definitely falls in the same category of Wisecracking, funny Disney Sidekick like the late Robin William’s, Genie from “Aladdin” and Eddie Murphy’s, Mushu from “Mulan”.  Film Critic, Chad Rocco (aka CR! From Channel Awesome) did an episode on Olaf for his show “Familiar Faces”, and I highly recommend you check out his video on Youtube for more details.

CR!'s Analysis on Olaf (A Must Watch)

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

Olaf and Kristoff manage to get Anna to safety, and after an intense battle between Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf, and Prince Hans.  The spell is broken when Anna sacrifices herself to save her sister, and everyone lives happily ever after.  Arendelle is thawed and Olaf finally gets to experience summer, despite melting, he is brought back to his solid state by Elsa and she uses her ice powers to give him his own personal flurry so he can survive in Summer.

That’s all we know of Olaf up to this point, but I’ll be sure to add on any more details we learn about him when/if “Frozen 2” is released in theaters. 

Character Analysis: Charlotte La Bouff

Character Analysis: Charlotte La Bouff

Character Analysis: Charlotte La Bouff

By: Brian Cotnoir

Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve talked about Disney, so here I am to do another Character Analysis.  I’d like to start out by thanking my friends and family for helping me choose which Disney character I was going to do an analysis on, and by the narrowest margin of 3-votes-to-2, they requested that I do a Character Analysis on Charlotte La Bouff from “The Princess and the Frog”.  I hope you all appreciate it, and if there are any other characters you’d like me to do a Character Analysis on you can always make a request in the comment section.

CHARACTER: Charlotte La Bouff from “The Princess and the Frog” (2009)

Charlotte La Bouff from "The Princess and the Frog"

Charlotte is the only daughter of Eli “Big Daddy” La Bouff a wealthy Sugar Baron from New Orleans.  Despite being raised in a life of great wealth and privilege, she still manages to end up best friends with Tiana, a young black girl from a lower class, hardworking family.  Charlotte has one goal in life: marry a prince and become a princess.  Charlotte is incredibly hyper (possibly an undiagnosed sufferer of ADHD) and is constantly making herself the center of attention with her loud hit pitched screams of joy and her constant grabbing of people to make them pay attention to her and grasp the magnitude of how excited she is.  Charlotte is overjoyed when she hears that Prince Naveen of Maldonia is going to be making a trip to New Orleans in hopes of marrying a rich Southern Belle. She is so excited that she keeps interrupting her father as he tries to tell Tiana about how he has invited Prince Naveen to stay with his family.  Charlotte is gung-ho and making a good impression on the Prince, and hires her best friend Tiana to make beignets for their masquerade ball.  Unbeknownst to Charlotte, though, Prince Naveen has been transformed into a frog, by the evil Voodoo Witch Doctor, Dr. Facilier, and his valet Lawrence has been giving a charm that makes him look like the Prince.  It is Facilier’s plan to get Lawrence (who is impersonating as the Prince) to marry Charlotte, and then kill her father after so the two of them can inherit his fortune.    

THE VOICE ACTRESSES:

Young Charlotte is voiced by Breanna Brooks and Jennifer Cody does the voice work for adult Charlotte. Both actresses do a phenomenal job in their brief screen time, and really do capture the sound of that Deep Southern/New Orleans accent.  Cody actually won an Annie Award for her voice acting performance in “The Princess and the Frog”

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

All though I cannot confirm this, I suspect that Charlotte is a nod to the classic Disney trope of the young girls who watched their early films and used to dream of growing up to be a princess and wanting to marry a handsome prince in a fairy tale wedding.  I can’t prove that, but when you really watch the scenes at the beginning of the film with young Charlotte and Tiana, we see Charlotte dressed up as princess, listening to Tiana’s mother read them both the story of The Princess and the Frog, and she proclaims without hesitation that she would kiss over one hundred frogs if it meant she could grow up to marry a prince and be a real princess. I kind of feel like the writers were really trying to pay (a slight) homage to their old ways of marketing their films to young girls with that scene.

FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

Somebody Alert Chris Hanson, quick!

Prince Naveen ends up falling in love with Tiana and ends up marrying her after the two of them break the spell and defeat the evil Dr. Facilier.  Even though, she doesn’t end up marrying Prince Naveen, Charlotte is enthusiastically happy for her best friend and wishes Tiana the happily after romance that she has been waiting for her entire life.  However, Charlotte does end up meeting Prince Naveen’s younger brother and the two of them dance together at the Mardis Gras Ball.  Upon learning that Prince Naveen’s younger brother is only six-and-a-half-years-old she proclaims that she’s already waited that long to marry a prince and she can wait a little longer...which really makes her look like a gold-digger if you ask me.  Also, the fact that Prince Naveen’s brother is only six-years-old also makes Charlotte look kind of like a child predator (but that’s just my take on it).