Music » Children's Disney Music

Disney's Greatest, Vol. 1

Lullabies lend themselves to woozy re-creations, a sort of endless repetition that flags under the weight of the concept (putting kids to bed for their much-needed sleep) and the lack of weight accorded to the music. You might expect a Disney lullaby collection to be on a par with the most mediocre collections, but this one is really a fine set. The tunes are standard--from the famous "Brahms Lullaby" to "All the Pretty Little Horses"--but they're uniformly excellent and creative, staying within the realm of acoustic music that sounds and feels organic. These are Disney-related tunes, for the most part, so "Stay Awake" is here, as is the whimsical "Sleep, Daddy, Sleep." Musically, the set is varied, steering away from a repetition of instrumentation or delivery. That makes it easily entertaining enough for back-to-back listens, which any parent will be asked for with this collection. --Andrew Bartlett

Disney's Greatest Vol. 2

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: PRINCESS COLLECTION
Title: PRINCESS COLLECTION
Street Release Date: 03/12/1996
Domestic
Genre: CHILDREN'S

Cynical types will accuse Disney of milking the "greatest" concept until it's drier than Tinkerbell's fairy dust ("Supercalafragilisticexpealidocious," "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Da," and "Heigh Ho" were hits off of Vol. 1; "Bare Necessities," "It's a Small World," and "Some Day My Prince Will Come" stole the show on Vol. 2), but a glimpse of this installment's track listing is all it'll take to squash their suspicions. Once again running reverse-chronologically, Vol. 3 opens with Jonatha Brooke's gorgeously achy ballad "I'll Try," from 2002's arguably not-so-great Return to Neverland, and gradually reaches back through the years to re-raise the curtain on Toy Story 2 ("When She Loved Me," performed by Sarah McLachlan), The Lion King ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight"), Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews's classic "A Spoonful of Sugar"), Pinocchio ("Give a Little Whistle"), and a bundle of treasured others, bottoming out at 1933's "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" from The Three Little Pigs. Vol. 3 is not without its weak moments--would a G-rated movie-goers' poll produce Beauty and the Beast's "Gaston" or The Hunchback of Notre Dame's "Topsy Turvy" on a hits list? Seems unlikely. Still, the bulk of these tracks are, as the included Little Mermaid song goes, "Part of Your World," and the spread of decades they represent proves their staying power. Don't expect Disney to latch the lid on its inexhaustible archives until a dozen or so of these records, each as strong as the next, beckon you back for more. --Tammy La Gorce

Disney's Cinderella's Dollhouse is a magical place where kids canplay and decorate the dollhouse of their dreams with Cinderella and all herfriends. Kids can decorate six different rooms, from the chateau Cinderella shares with her stepmother and stepsisters to the lavish palace where she meets her handsome prince. There are hundreds of accessories and millions of possible combinations, as well as numerous animated surprises. And once thefinal touch is in place, kids can wave a magic wand to bring the charactersto life, causing Cinderella and the other characters to play in the completeddollhouse.

"20 simply super singable silly songs"--container.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: SILLY SONGS
Title: 20 SIMPLY SUPER SINGABLE SILLY
Street Release Date: 01/17/1997
Domestic
Genre: CHILDREN'S COLLECTIONS

Instrumental albums from Walt Disney's mega-empire are a rarity. But judging from the excellence of Disney's Lullaby Album--from the superb arrangements to the surprise song choices--you'll probably be hearing more of them. Producer and arranger Fred Mollin exhibits not only good taste and restraint in his approach, but his song choices sweetly complement one another. Treading the fine line between Muzak and genuinely soothing music, Mollin lands softly and sentimentally on such Disney movie song classics as "Baby Mine," "When You Wish upon a Star," and "Stay Awake/Feed the Birds," as well as on other chestnuts such as "Brahms Lullaby" and Kenny Loggins's "House at Pooh Corner." The real delights, though, are the Beatles' "I Will" (rendered beautifully on piano and strings), Louis Armstrong's timeless "What A Wonderful World," the classic "Beautiful Dreamer," the old doo-wop favorite "Good Night My Love (Pleasant Dreams)," and an inspired reprise of "Brahms Lullaby" joined with Gershwin's "Someone to Watch over Me." Complete with sleeping tips from psychology professor Jodi Mindell, Disney's Lullaby Album almost guarantees that you'll fall asleep before the baby does--for all the right reasons. --Martin Keller

It's safe to assume that every kid in the United States--outside of those raised among fringe groups--grew up harboring fantasies of shoving aside the animated star of the latest hit Disney film and inhabiting the character's cartoon shoes him- or herself, at least until the end credits rolled. Such an assumption is not lost on the clever folks at Disney, who've launched the Disney Karaoke series, consisting of favorites from the company's perennially popular movies, first sung in apple-pure, completely unironic Disney style and then presented instrumentally, giving closet crooners a chance to show their stuff. Highlights on the first volume include 10 songs from 10 films, including "Just Around the Riverbend" (from Pocahantas), "Reflection" (from Mulan), and "A Whole New World" (from The Little Mermaid) as well as the feel-good "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" (from Song of the South), the infectious and entirely irresistible "Hakuna Matata" (from The Lion King), and the sentiment-stirring classic "When You Wish Upon a Star" (from Pinnochio). Even without the karaoke concept this CD would make lots of can't-miss lists; the song selection alone adds up to pure fun. Even so, Disney, not wishing to disappoint karaoke die-hards, has thoughtfully included complete lyrics in the liner notes. So no excuses for missteps and no more feeling silly--The Jungle Book's "I Wanna Be Like You" actually does include the phrase "Oh, Oobee doo--I wanna be like you." --Tammy La Gorce

If anyone could corner the millennium, Disney could. In presenting the theme music to its millennium celebration at Epcot Center in Florida, the megacorporation attempts a grand, musical year-2000 salute. Naturally, World Millennium Celebration weaves plenty of fiery brass, warm sting passages, stirring voices, and a mix of space romance and Earth adventure into the fabric of this fantasy work. Executive Music Producer Steve Skorija's task seems to be providing a backdrop for live performance, a scrim to unfurl behind the spectacle. And in doing so, the themes "Reflections of Earth," "We Go On," "Tapestry of Nations," "Promise," and "Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand" (complete as a gospel version as well) have an "Up with People" undercurrent that is ambiguous even as it is mildly diverting. On those merits, Millennium Celebration succeeds as a score. But for sheer entertainment value, the CD needs to give us more of the legendary mouse's magic and less of its roar. --Martin Keller