The pioneers of 3D animation, Pixar films have been consistently charming audiences for 36 years. Their memorable characters and heartfelt plot lines are enjoyed by people of all ages, all around the world. Pixar’s unique charm may come from the animation, colors and slapstick Esq sequences. It may come from the writers who piece together the stories of our favorite characters. Like all movies, animated or live action, sound design is half the battle. In particular, Pixar is known for having incredible original music on the soundtracks to their hit films. Music that is sometimes so incredible, the songs have takes on a success story of their own
Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammy Awards, these are all good barometers for a movie soundtrack’s success. While Pixar has earned many of these awards for their original music, they have also found great success in another area, the top of the charts. Compiling data from Billboard Music charts, here are Disney Pixar’s 10 top performing songs of all time
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10 “For the First Time in Forever”
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
“For the First Time in Forever” was written for Disney and Pixar’s Frozen. As the castle prepares for Elsa’s coronation, her younger sister Anna sings a show tune style number about her excitement for the event. The lyrics display her optimism and idealization of the event to come. In the third verse, Elsa harmonizes with Anna. Singing a counterpoint melody to offset the mood, she expresses her fear surrounding her secret ice powers being revealed at the coronation.
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The song’s vocals were recorded by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. In 2014, it reached number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song had a fair run globally as well, reaching number 19 in Sweden, number 14 in Japan, and number 4 in South Korea.
9 “Dos Oruguitas”
Walt Disney Studios
“Dos Oruguitas” is a song performed in the Folk genre for the soundtrack of Disney and Pixar’s Encanto. Written by American musician and writer Lin Manuel Miranda, the song is completely in Spanish. In English the title is, “Two Little Caterpillars”. The song is played over the part of the film that reveals the Madrigal family’s painful history. Lyrically, the song is about two little caterpillars who fall in love but must separate. It is a metaphor for the relationship of the lead character’s grandmother and her long-lost husband.
The song is performed by Columbian singer Sebastian Yatra. Though it was not the best chart performing song from the film’s soundtrack, it was adored by critics as a heartfelt ballad. “Dos Oruguitas” reached number 36 on the US charts, and number two on the Latin Billboard charts.
8 “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”
“Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” is another chart performing song from Disney and Pixar’s Frozen. This is another point in the film where Anna sings to express herself. The song is a plea to her sister Elsa to come out of her room and play. Elsa has kept to herself since accidentally harming her sister Anna with her ice powers. In the early stages of the film, this song was cut for being too complicated and sad with too much exposition. After a cheery review from Disney executives, the song was put back into the film to stay.
Lucky for Disney that was definitely the right move. “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” is one of the best-selling Christmas singles of all time, just behind Mariah Carrey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”. The song reached three times Platinum status in the US, and number one Billboard’s US Holiday Digital Songs chart.
7 “How Far I’ll Go”
Walt Disney Pictures
“How Far I’ll Go” is a successful song written for the hit Disney and Pixar film Moana. Another Pixar song written and composed by Lin Manuel Miranda, the song is used in the film as exposition for the main character Moana. In the lyrics, Moana struggles with the conflict between her insatiable desire to explore beyond the reef and her love and respect for her people, and the island they are from.
Lin Manuel Miranda reportedly locked himself in his childhood bedroom to get into the headspace of a 16-year-old to write the song. The recording of the has gone five times platinum in the US and reached number 41 on the
6 “What Else Can I Do?”
Disney
“What Else Can I Do?” is another chart climbing song from Disney Pixar’s Encanto. When the lead character Mirabel helps her sister Isabela realize she does not have to be perfect, Isabela breaks out into song. Lin Manuel Miranda wrote and composed this song as well, citing 90s Columbian music as the primary inspiration. Since Isabela’s power in the film is to grow plants, Lin Manuel Miranda relied on a botanist friend to educate him on Columbian plants in order to write the song.
Performed by actresses Dianne Guerrero and Stephanie Beatriz, this song among others from Encanto, has performed very well commercially. Despite not receiving any award nominations like other songs from the soundtrack, “What Else Can I Do?” reached number 21 on the Billboard charts.
5 “Try Everything”
“Try Everything” is a song written for the soundtrack of the Disney and Pixar movie Zootopia. In the film, the song is recorded by a singer named Gazelle that the lead protagonist Judy Hopps plays on her mp3 player. In the end credits the song is played again by Gazelle live in concert for the citizens of Zootopia. The song’s performance was recorded by the Columbian singer Shakira, she is also the voice of Gazelle in the film. “Try Everything was named one of Billboard’s top 12 Disney songs of the 21st century. It also placed number 63 in the US Hot 100 and number one in Japan.
4 “The Family Madrigal”
“The Family Madrigal” is yet another song from Disney and Pixar’s Encanto. The number is sung by lead protagonist Mirabel as a way to introduce the film’s audience to her family. Driven by accordion, the song is a Columbian folk tune in the vallenato style. The song is peppy and does a concise job at introducing each member of the family and their powers one by one. The sequence is a colorful number in the film that visually highlights not only the characters but the environment that serves as background to their story
Again, written by Lin Manuel Miranda and performed by Stephanie Beatriz, the song was well received by critics and performed well on the charts. “The Family Madrigal” went Platinum in Canada, Gold in the US and reached number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
3 “Surface Pressure”
“Surface Pressure” is one of the most well received songs from Encanto and Pixar as a whole. Sung by Mirabel’s sister Luisa, the song is a testament to the struggles of her character. As the oldest sibling of the family, Luisa has to shoulder the responsibility of being an upright older sister. She also has the power of super human strength which rests well in theme of the song. In the movie, the song’s sequence displays the strength of Luisa, relying on Herculean imagery in the animation as well as the lyrics.
Written by Lin Manuel Miranda and performed by Jessica Darrow, the song is produced in a raggaeton style. The song went viral on TikTok, showing how people were resonating with the song as a representation of what it means to be an older sister. The song went to number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and two times platinum in the US.
2 “Let It Go”
“Let It Go” is the most successful song from Disney and Pixar’s Frozen. It takes place in the climax of the film when the lead character Elsa has a moment of self-actualization. She decides to own up to her powers and relish in the truth of her identity despite what people may say about her. The song is dramatic, and the film sequence heightens the drama by placing Elsa high up in her ice castle for the musical number.
The song was performed by actress Idina Menzel for the movie’s soundtrack. It was also recorded by American singer and Disney alumni Demi Lovato. Both the recordings have earned spots on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number five and number eight respectively.
1 “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
By far the most commercially successful song from Encanto and Disney Pixar in general, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” is a viral sensation. The song is an ensemble number that features many members of the Madrigal family. Bruno is a sibling in the family who is the topic of much controversy. The song paints a dark image of the character as if he will be villainous. He has a polarizing ability to foresee the future and has inadvertently caused pain to the townsfolk and his family because of it, leading Bruno into reclusively.
The song was written by none other than Lin Manuel Miranda and performed by the cast of the film in ensemble. Popularity spiraled out of control when the song went viral on TikTok. It has gone three times platinum in the US and reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100.
