With the 94th Oscars coming this March, it’s a good time to take a look at some past Academy Award winners. Disney songs and films more often than not have quite the presence at the Oscars. This year Encanto has been nominated for best original song with its beautiful piece Dos Oruguitas by Lin-Manuel Miranda. There is some great competition in this category. The nominations include Down to Joy from Belfast, Somehow You Do from Four Good Days, Be Alive from King Richard, and No Time to Die from No Time to Die.

In hindsight, the choice to put forth the Disney song Dos Oruguita may not have been the wisest decision, as We Don’t Talk About Bruno has far surpassed it in popularity, with 255 million YouTube views and counting. So, why did Disney submit “Dos Oruguitas?” Disney thought that te narrative of Dos Orugitas would be more successful, as it's the first song Lin-Manuel Miranda has written entirely in Spanish, but it’s also hard to assess the popularity of a song before submitting. This article will help give some context and show other award-winning Disney songs that may not have ultimately been the most popular of the film.

Perhaps it's the medium of animation or the enchanting and magical backdrop in which so many of the films are born, but Disney has a knack for creating some of the most masterful original songs, and Disney songs have been nominated for 42 Academy Awards for Best Original Song, winning 14. In this article we will be tracing back to the 1940s and recounting and ranking the very best Oscar-winning Disney songs.

9 Can You Feel the Love Tonight — The Lion King

The lions and the monkey in The Lion King
Buena Vista Pictures

With so many classic Disney songs from the movie, it may come as a surprise to some that this is the one that took home the best original song. But this ballad really does have it all. It starts with an intro from lovable Timon and Pumbaa and works itself into the beautiful orchestral symphony that envelops the entire film. The song features wonderful vocals from Joseph Williams as Simba and Sally Dworsky as Nala. Tim Rice and Elton John were the writers of this piece, and although it may not be the first song to come to mind when you think of The Lion King, it is the perfect culmination of themes throughout the film.

8 A Whole New World — Aladdin

Aladdin and Jasmin on their magic carpet ride in the original
Buena Vista Pictures

Composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Tim Rice, the song is originally sung by Brad Kane as Aladdin and Lea Salonga as Jasmine. This magical song highlights the memorable magic carpet ride taken by Aladdin and Jasmine as their love for one another grows. Aladdin also features a pop rendition of the song that is played during the credit sequence.

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7 Under the Sea — The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

One of the most recognizable Disney songs, this ballad from The Little Mermaid is inspired by the Calypso stylization, a genre popular in Trinidad and Tobago. The song is performed by Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian, and serves as an argument for Ariel to stay sea-bound instead of pursuing her desires to become a human. This song was also the featured production number in the 2007 Broadway musical version, with Tituss Burgess performing as Sebastian.

6 Chim Chim Cher-ee — Mary Poppins

Mary-Poppins-1
 Buena Vista Distribution Company, Inc.

The oldest of the Disney songs on our list today (though Disney Best Original Song Oscars go back to 1940, with Pinocchio), the Mary Poppins number speaks about the folklore of chimney sweeps and the luck that is brought upon those who shake their hand. The sinister and deep instrumental paired with the incredible vocals of Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews makes this timeless song a wonder. The song was written by the brothers Robert and Richard Sherman and was inspired by an illustration created by the Film’s screenwriter Don DaGradi.

5 You’ll Be in My Heart — Tarzan

Tarzan-1
 Buena Vista Pictures

In addition to the soundtrack of this film, Phil Collins composed the music for Brother Bear and Tarzan II, and received two other Oscar nominations for Best Original Song in the '80s (but not for Disney songs). An incredibly talented artist independent of film, Collins adds much emotion to the scenes in which his music is played. Interestingly, directors Kevin Lima and Chris Buck decided to part from the tradition of having the characters perform the singing and instead used Collins’ songs as a sort of narration, which works perfectly to tell the larger-than-life tale.

4 Colors of the Wind — Pocahontas

Pocahontas
Buena Vista Pictures

Getting back to the tradition of characters singing, this scene shows Pocahontas giving an emotional explanatory plea to John Smith to value nature. The song was composed by Alan Menken and Stephan Schwartz with lyrics performed by Judy Kuhn. The song sounds wonderful, and the content of the lyrics are incredibly touching and shares a virtuous message that is just as important today as in 1995. The beautiful homage to mother nature is filled with an explosion of light and colors which visually compliment the equally bright song. This combination of the song and its placement in the film is what really solidifies it as one of the best Disney-produced originals.

3 Remember Me — Coco

Coco
Walt Disney Pictures

This is one of the most thematically significant Disney songs, as it is performed in a few different styles and variations, appearing multiple times throughout Coco like a motif. The first and more acoustic-style is sung by Hector in a flashback to his great-great-grandson Miguel and then by Miguel to Mama Coco. The second version is performed by Miguel’s idol, Ernesto de la Cruz, and a third duet-style extended version is heard during the film's credits. The song is very sweet and is hugely important within the context of the film, being utilized to create an even more touching history.

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2 Let It Go — Frozen

Frozen
Walt Disney

In recent years, this has become one of the most identifiable Disney songs. The success of Frozen thrust the song into the heights of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the first Disney original to do so since Colors of the Wind in Pocahontas; now, We Don't Talk About Bruno has done the same. The song plays over a moving montage of Queen Elsa, who has fled her kingdom to create a castle of her own. The song was written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez with lyrics sung by the actor who plays Elsa, Idina Menzel.

1 If I Didn’t Have YouMonsters Inc.

Monsters Inc.
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

This song is featured in the credits of Monsters Inc. and serves to perfectly cap off a wonderful movie. The song is written by Randy Newman, who takes a break from his usual duties as a singer and cedes the performance to John Goodman and Billy Crystal. This song was the first time Randy Newman won an Oscar, though many think his earlier Disney songs (such as You've Got a Friend in Me, in Toy Story) should have won. With songs in over 10 Disney movies and nominations for 22 Oscars, Newman was officially recognized as a “Disney Legend” in 2007, a strange but sweet renaissance for the darkly ironic singer-songwriter from the '70s and '80s. Being a credit sequence song, If I Didn't Have You is easily able to stand on its own without any visual accompaniment, and keeps audiences in their seat even after the film is over. The song highlights the jovial relationship Mike and Sully have, and ends the movie on a funny, kind, and light-hearted note.