#ThrowbackThursday: Disney Edition
A screenshot from Disney’s 1940 classic animated film Pinocchio.by Sean Smith
Yesterday Disney’s Frozen soundtrack once again claimed the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart, a height first attained by the album back in January. This news comes just a day after the film was officially released on DVD and it was announced by Disney that worldwide box office sales have grossed more than $1 billion.
Like many Disney films that came before it, Frozen owes much of its success to the excellent music that aids in the progression of the story. Whether it is the characters of Anna and Elsa narrating their childhood progression in “Do You Want To Build a Snowman?” or the more lighthearted “In Summer” where the lovable Olaf provides the audience with some laughter, music plays an integral part in the film from start to finish. Perhaps the most popular song included in the film, at least according to my six-year-old daughter who has seen the film twice in theaters and has listened to the soundtrack from beginning to end countless times, is “Let It Go” which is sung by Idina Menzel voicing the character of Queen Elsa. A pop version of the song was recorded and released as a single by former Disney Channel star Demi Lovato which charted in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. However, Menzel’s movie version of the song has actually gained more popularity than the Lovato version meant for radio and is currently #9 on the Hot 100 chart. The song also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 86th Academy Awards ceremony earlier this month. Which leads us to the focus of this week’s #ThrowbackThursday post here on Clizbeats.com.
With “Let It Go” recently claiming the Academy Award for Best Original Song, we thought it would be a good time to remember the first song from a Disney film to ever win this prestigious honor, “When You Wish Upon A Star” from the 1940 Disney classic Pinocchio. It was just the second animated feature film released by Walt Disney, the first being Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. When looking back on Pinocchio, one of the more revolutionary things about the film is its use of music. From the string instruments used to bring to life the magic of the “Blue Fairy” to the songs sung by the characters of Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, the musical score of the film helped to set the standard of what we have come to expect from Disney films today. The most famous song from the film is “When You Wish Upon A Star” sung by Cliff Edwards who voiced the character of Jiminy Cricket. Not only did this song win Disney its first Academy Award for Best Original Song, but today it also serves as somewhat of an unofficial theme song for Disney. It is played during the opening sequence of every Disney film released since the 1980’s, used as the backdrop music for many events at Disney parks like firework shows and parades, and also is used in part as the horn on Disney cruise ships.
And so with the success of Disney’s Frozen and its most popular song “Let It Go” recently winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song, we remember the first song to ever win that award for Disney, “When You Wish Upon A Star” sung by Cliff Edwards and from the Disney classic Pinocchio. Enjoy!
Cliff Edwards
“When You Wish Upon A Star” (Soundtrack Version)
From Pinocchio
Disneyland/Walt Disney Records
Idina Menzel
“Let It Go”
From Frozen Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Walt Disney Records
“Let It Go” (Pop Single Version)
From Frozen Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Walt Disney Records
From Frozen Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Walt Disney Records
Walt Disney Records
