"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing: that it was all started by a mouse." Walt Disney was, of course, speaking of his enduring creation, Mickey Mouse. The character's debut in the 1928 animated short subject Steamboat Willie was indeed the watershed moment from which decades of entertainment in every conceivable medium followed. But the business that became The Walt Disney Company had been founded five years earlier, in 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy. That's the anniversary being celebrated now under the branding of Disney100. The campaign has touched every arm of Disney's merchandise empire from home video to breakfast cereal, and music is no exception. Walt Disney Records has just released Disney100, a new 2-LP compilation available with two unique track listings: one that's widely available (including on silver vinyl everywhere and Barnes & Noble-exclusive clear vinyl) and one that's exclusive to Walmart, also on silver vinyl.
The standard version of Disney100 features 29 songs on four sides of vinyl, spanning "Steamboat Bill" from Steamboat Willie (1928) through "Nobody Like U" from Turning Red (2022). Numerous Disney landmarks are represented, including the Academy Award-winning short The Three Little Pigs (1933) and its Depression-era anthem "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf," and the first-ever full-length animated feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), with "Whistle While You Work."
The emphasis is on Disney's rich legacy of full-length animated classics including a host of Academy Award-winning songs (Pinocchio's "When You Wish Upon a Star," Mary Poppins' "Chim Chim Cher-ee," The Little Mermaid's "Under the Sea," Beauty and the Beast's title song, Pocahontas' "Colors of the Wind," Frozen's "Let It Go," and Coco's "Remember Me") as well as all-time favorites (Cinderella's "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo," The Jungle Book's "The Bare Necessities," The Princess and the Frog's "Dig a Little Deeper") penned by such celebrated tunesmiths as The Sherman Brothers, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, and Randy Newman.
Disney's history in television (The Mickey Mouse Club, High School Musical) and theme parks ("It's a Small World" and "The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room," both by the Shermans) is also represented. There are a few (relatively) lesser-known gems sure to please aficionados, too, including the shimmering "Little April Shower' from Bambi, the jubilant title song of the live-action/animation anthology Saludos Amigos, Roger Miller's "Oo-de-Lally" from Robin Hood, and Helen Reddy's "It's Not Easy" from another live-action/animated hybrid, the fantasy Pete's Dragon.
The Walmart edition of the album offers 23 tracks on four sides of vinyl. Only one track is shared between the two versions: "When You Wish Upon a Star." Some of the same films are represented with different selections ("With a Smile and a Song" from Snow White, "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella, "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppins, "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid, "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast, "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King, "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog, and more). Still other Disney classics are only featured on the Walmart set: Peter Pan ("You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly!)," 101 Dalmatians ("Cruella de Vil"), Toy Story ("You've Got a Friend in Me"), Toy Story II ("When She Loved Me"), Monsters, Inc. (the Oscar-winning "If I Didn't Have You"), and Tangled ("I See the Light"). In addition to "If I Didn't Have You," two more unique Oscar winners are here with Alan Menken and Tim Rice's "A Whole New World" from Aladdin and Phil Collins' "You'll Be in My Heart" from Tarzan. Collectively, the Walmart version is skewed more towards modern-era Disney classics. In that vein, it's heavier on Randy Newman (four songs vs. one on the standard set) and lighter on the Sherman Brothers (two songs vs. four). Alan Menken gets five cuts on the Walmart LPs instead of just three.
Neither iteration of the collection includes any tracks from Marvel, Muppets Studio, or Lucasfilm productions, though the beloved characters from those franchises have been branded in other Disney100 products. No songs have been culled from any of Disney's theatrical cast recordings.
Disney100 has been compiled by veteran producer Randy Thornton and mastered by Jeff Sheridan; both releases are housed in a reflective silver jacket with a silhouette of the one and only Mickey Mouse. The standard version will also be available on July 28 in a Target-exclusive version with silver vinyl and alternate cover art. No CD release has been announced, nor is any iteration currently streaming. You'll find both track listings and order links for these enjoyable overviews of 100 Years of Wonder.
Various Artists, Disney100 (Walt Disney Records, 2023)
Silver Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Clear Vinyl: BarnesandNoble.com
Silver Vinyl with Alternate Cover: Target.com
Side One
- Steamboat Bill (Steamboat Willie)
- Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf (The Three Little Pigs) - Pinto Colvig, Mary Moder, Dorothy Compton, and Billy Bletcher
- Whistle While You Work (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) - Adriana Caselotti
- When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio) - Cliff Edwards and Disney Studio Chorus
- Little April Shower (Bambi) - Amy Lou Barnes, Sally Mueller, Mary Moder, Alice Sixer, Betty Bayne, and Disney Studio Chorus
- Saludos Amigos (Saludos Amigos) - Disney Studio Chorus
- Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo (The Magic Song) (Cinderella) - Verna Felton
- Mickey Mouse March (The Mickey Mouse Club) - The Mouseketeers and Jimmie Dodd
Side Two
- Once Upon a Dream (Sleeping Beauty) - Mary Costa and Bill Shirley
- The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room (The Enchanted Tiki Room) - Wally Boag, Fulton Burley, Thurl Ravenscroft, and The Mellomen
- It's a Small World (It's a Small World) - Disney Studio Chorus
- Chim Chim Cher-ee (Mary Poppins) - Dick Van Dyke, Julie Andrews, Karen Dotrice, and Matthew Garber
- Winnie the Pooh (Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree) - Disney Studio Chorus
- The Bare Necessities (The Jungle Book) - Phil Harris and Bruce Reitherman
- Oo-De-Lally (Robin Hood) - Roger Miller
- It's Not Easy (Pete's Dragon) - Helen Reddy and Sean Marshall
Side Three
- Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid) - Samuel E. Wright
- Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) - Angela Lansbury
- Circle of Life (The Lion King) - Carmen Twillie
- Colors of the Wind (Pocahontas) - Judy Kuhn
- Reflection (Mulan) - Lea Salonga
- Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride (Lilo and Stitch) - Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu and Kamehameha Schools Children's Chorus
Side Four
- We're All in This Together (High School Musical) - Cast
- Dig a Little Deeper (The Princess and the Frog) - Jenifer Lewis
- Let It Go (Frozen) - Idina Menzel
- How Far I'll Go (Moana) - Auli'I Cravalho
- Remember Me (Ernesto de la Cruz (Coco) - Benjamin Bratt
- We Don't Talk About Bruno (Encanto) - Carolina Gaitan, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz, and Cast
- Nobody Like U (Turning Red) - 4-Town
Walmart Exclusive Edition: Walmart.com
Side One
- Animal Friends/With a Smile and a Song (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) - Adriana Caselotti
- When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio) - Cliff Edwards and Disney Studio Chorus
- A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes (Cinderella) - Ilene Woods and Mice Chorus
- You Can Fly! You Can Fly! You Can Fly! (Peter Pan) - Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Paul Collins, Tommy Luske, and The Jud Conlon Chorus
- Cruella de Vil (101 Dalmatians) - Bill Lee
Side Two
- There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (Carousel of Progress) - Rex Allen
- Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag) (Mary Poppins) - Julie Andrews and Disney Studio Chorus
- Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid) - Jodi Benson
- Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast) - Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, and Chorus
- A Whole New World (Aladdin) - Brad Kane and Lea Salonga
- Hakuna Matata (The Lion King) - Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Jason Weaver, and Joseph Williams
Side Three
- You've Got a Friend in Me (Toy Story) - Randy Newman
- Go the Distance (Hercules) - Roger Bart
- You'll Be in My Heart (Tarzan) - Phil Collins
- When She Loved Me (Toy Story 2) - Sarah McLachlan
- If I Didn't Have You (Monsters, Inc.) - Billy Crystal and John Goodman
- Almost There (The Princess and the Frog) - Anika Noni Rose
Side Four
- I See the Light (Tangled) - Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi
- Do You Want to Build a Snowman? (Frozen) - Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn, and Katie Lopez
- You're Welcome (Moana) - Dwayne Johnson
- Un Poco Loco (Coco) - Anthony Gonzalez and Gael Garcia Bernal
- The Family Madrigal (Encanto) - Stephanie Beatriz, Olga Merediz, and Cast
- Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater (The Mickey Mouse Club) - Jimmie Dodd and The Mouseketeers
As a long time Disney fan and record collector I will most likely get all of these versions. However, I am deeply saddened and angered by the omission of the award winning classic song, "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah". It's a shame that Disney took it upon themselves to remove this beloved song from all things related to Disney. This song has been on every Disney collection for years and is still considered one of Disney's best songs. It's sad that future generations will not be exposed to this beautiful and classic tune.
https://open.spotify.com/track/1fQ2pN9MLxxi399nlHEth7?si=10846bba931d4098
Urgggg hope they put it on CD.