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Although Walt Disney never played an instrument (except for a futile attempt at the violin in his youth), few people can claim more of an impact on the world of music. Walt Disney did not know how to read or write music, yet the songs from his cartoons and films are recognizable to people of all ages. The sheer magnitude of his personality and the power of his dream have inspired generations of musicians to come together to create the timeless songs that are the very heart and soul of the Disney empire. The stories behind the music used in On The Record span over 70 years and dozens of composers, writers, artists, and musicians. Long before full-length animated films graced the silver screen, Disney’s cartoons entertained audiences young and old. Their popularity inspired Walt Disney’s first and only attempt to contribute to the music in his productions. In 1930, he and Carl Stalling co-wrote the lyrics to “Minnie’s Yoo Hoo” in the classic Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Shindig. Over the course of the next few years, short cartoons kept Disney’s company going, but he knew that in order to make a profit, he would have to create a feature film. With regard to the music in the film, Walt Disney wanted to, “...set a new pattern, a new way to use music. Weave it into the story so somebody doesn’t just burst into song.” The task of weaving the story and the music together fell to Frank Churchill and Larry Morey. On December 21, 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs opened at the Carthay Circle Theater in Hollywood. It was an immediate success. With that film, Disney began a tradition of producing high-quality movies with catchy soundtracks. Subsequent films in this time period included Pinocchio, Dumbo and Bambi. With the beginning of World War II, Disney’s productions came to a temporary halt. Movie making efforts were geared toward short films designed to aid the war effort. After the war ended, Disney began experimenting mixing live-action and animation. This yielded such memorable films as Song of the South, with its trademark song, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”. The next full-length animated feature came in 1950 with the release of Cinderella. During this time period, Disney relied heavily on the talented members of Tin Pan Alley in New York City to continue the tradition of making memorable music. These were the days of musicians and lyricists such as Sammy Fain, Sonny Burke, Peggy Lee, Mack David, Al Hoffman and Jerry Livingston. This gifted group of individuals gave the world the music to such beloved films as Alice in Wonderland, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty and 101 Dalmatians. If the 1950s belonged to Tin Pan Alley, then the 1960s belonged to the Sherman brothers. Richard and Robert Sherman were amazingly diverse and prolific musicians. They used their extraordinary talents to create soundtracks to everything from theme parks and the New York World’s Fair (“It’s a Small World”), to live-action and animation (Bedknobs and Broomsticks), to full-length animated features (The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book and The Aristocats). Perhaps their most noteworthy contribution to Disney was the music from the film Mary Poppins. The brothers won two Academy Awards® for Best Musical Score and Best Song (“Chim-Chim-Cheree”). Mary Poppins was one of the last productions that Walt Disney would see leave his studios. He died on December 15, 1966. There was some concern that with Walt Disney gone, the studio could not go on. Even though his brother Roy took control of the company so that the movie making magic could continue, few films Disney produced in the 1970s and 1980s relied very heavily upon music. All this changed in 1988 with the release of Oliver and Company and when the studio hired Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Menken and Ashman have become legends in their own right. They composed the music and lyrics to The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin (along with Tim Rice). Each of these movies earned multiple award nominations for their music, including three Academy Awards® for the songs, “Under the Sea”, “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World”. Disney’s music continues to grow with people like Tim Rice, Elton John, Stephen Schwartz, David Zippel, Matthew Wilder, Jerry Goldsmith, Phil Collins, and Mark Mancina. These extraordinary men gave us the music and lyrics to The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan and Tarzan. The creative drive that began back in the 1930s with Walt Disney endures today, with great hope and expectations for the music of tomorrow. Sources: The Illustrated Treasury of Disney Songs. Milwaukee: Hal Leonard Publishing Company. 1998. Smith, D. and Clark, S. Disney: The First 100 Years. New York: Hyperion. 1999. |
