Disney Mornings Playlist

Do you have a secret desire to be a mermaid?

Do you like to hold up your pet(s) and pretend they’re a cub destined for greatness?

Does a perfect day for you include pirates, hitchhiking ghosts, churros and fireworks?

Honey, are you a bit of a nostalgia whore?

Yes! Same.

What I am not, though, is a morning person and sometimes I need a little help to get me moving.

Ugh. I lied. It’s all the time. All the time I need a help to get me moving. So I figured, why not get help from the music and memories that have been helping me since I was a kid?

Enter...Walt Disney.

The friend that’s been there for as long as I can remember, bringing me comfort, laughs and motivation. The friend that reminds me of everything I can accomplish, if I just believe in myself. The friend that despite how much I want to stay a wallflower, drags me out onto the dance floor and demands that I give myself over to all the moments life has to offer.

Who better to pull me into my day than the soundtrack that turns me positively Pavlovian? Songs that in many ways bring me to life could be a really effective way to, well, bring me to life in the mornings (when the sun is at its absolute bitchiest).

So...

(as romantic French music plays)

Mes monsieurs et mademoiselles, it is with deepest pride

And greatest pleasure that I welcome you today

And now I invite you to relax

Pull up a chair as I proudly present my...

Disney Mornings Playlist

We Know The Way

Opetaia Foa’i & Lin-Manuel Miranda

Moana

Moana is a story of perseverance. It’s a story of believing in yourself and being who your soul tells you that you are. It’s about how life and the world can change you. It shows us that how we deal with our pain is so very important.

Moana invites you to hold onto yourself, to nurture yourself and to then, watch yourself soar.

This song, which occurs during a vision about Moana’s ancestors, happens to be my favorite from the movie. It takes Moana back to her roots, shows her that the thing she thinks makes her so different connects her inseparably to the past. It lets her know that she’s not alone, that there’s nothing wrong with her for feeling the way she does. And it gives her generations of allies she can take with her on her life’s journey.

That safety net is the perfect way for me to start my day. To wrap me in its webbing and keep me warm with the knowledge that I’m me and I have support.

Circle of Life

Carmen Twillie & Lebo M

The Lion King

I honestly feel like this one needs no explanation.

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba

Sithi uhm ingonyama

Nants ingonyama bagithi baba

Sithi uhmm ingonyama

Ingonyama

Siyo Nqoba

Ingonyama

Do you speak Zulu? Despite the fact that there are roughly 12 million native speakers, I think there’s a pretty solid chance that you don’t. I bet those lyrics are pretty damn familiar, though.

Like most of you, I do not speak this Southern Bantu language but I can sure as hell rock out some fine-ass Zulu lyrics that make up the beginning of one of the all-time best and most memorable Disney songs in existence.

And the endorphins that shoot through my body when the opening bars of this song hit, work better than any alarm I’ve ever used.

One Jump Ahead

Brad Kane

Aladdin

This is simply a fun little romp. While I’m dragging myself out of bed, I can be mentally racing through the bazaar with Aladdin and Abu. We make an unstoppable trio.

Under the Sea

Samuel E. Wright

The Little Mermaid

Our trip through Disney’s second golden age hits its sweet spot as soon as the first notes of Caribbean music reach our ears. There are so many choices from The Little Mermaid that are playlist-worthy but this one really let’s you get your groove going. It’s hard to keep a scowl on your face, even on a Monday morning, when you’re singing and dancing along to this song.

The Beautiful Briny

David Tomlinson & Angela Lansbury

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Angela Lansbury is a treasure. We mere mortals have been lucky enough to watch her do everything from quaintly solve mysteries (Murder She Wrote) to absolutely screw with her son’s psyche (The Manchurian Candidate). But here, we get to watch the magical marriage of an apprehensive witch kicking some Nazi butt, Disney style.

And this ditty is a true delight.

I See the Light

Mandy Moore & Zachary Levi

Tangled

I think of this entry as a bit of a palate cleanser, like a lemon sorbet between courses or cucumber water. The song is light and airy and Mandy Moore delivers on all of her strengths: clean, uncomplicated notes with a flawlessly lilting performance.

It’s All Right

Jon Batiste

Soul

I don’t think Soul was made for children. There, I said it. And because of that, the movie really flew under the radar. Thing is, when you’ve got Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross arranging and composing, you’re kind of holding gold.

It’s All Right is a standard. Everyone knows it, even if you don’t think you do. Things is, not everyone has heard Jon Batiste’s cover. This man is the personification of soul. Real soul, not the artifice of cool that people are sometimes referring to when they throw that word around. This man is soulful and it comes through in every note that comes from inside of him.

Side note: Give a listen to his new album WE ARE. To say it’s incredible is a hostile understatement.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke & The Pearly Chorus

Mary Poppins

This song could put some pep in the step of Buzz Killington, himself. You knew this song was going to be on the list when you read the title and if you didn’t, why not? It’s like the free space on a bingo card—it’s a gimme.

The Gospel Truth I

Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Vaneese Thomas, Lillias White & Roz Ryan

Hercules

The muses own this movie and they know it. Now, bow down to your queens and let them do their thing.

I’ll Make a Man Out of You

Donny Osmond & Chorus

Mulan

Mulan is incredibly empowering. Again, a movie about finding yourself and then believing in her/him/them, this song is one of many that builds you up, both lyrically and musically. Broadway miracle Lea Salonga is the singing voice of Mulan and makes the entire soundtrack (you can hear a taste of her perfection at 1:35) but this song in particular, performed by Donny Osmond, singing voice of Li Shang and no stranger to Broadway himself, gets the blood flowing and the heart pumping in a way that’s perfect for the mornings.

Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride

Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus & Mark Keali’l Ho’omalu

Lilo & Stitch

Everybody has at least one friend that’s obsessed with Lilo & Stitch and, honestly, they have every right to be. The movie is stunning and an absolute breath of fresh air. The background animation, based on watercolors, is truly beautiful and the story itself will move you to tears plus much of the soundtrack is the music of Elvis Presley through the filter of a little blue alien.

Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride encapsulates the entire movie. Its fun and whimsy, its salute to childhood, the beauty of the landscape and its culture—it’s all there. You’ll fight the urge to grab a surf board, I guarantee it.

Un Poco Loco

Anthony Gonzalez & Gael García Bernal

Coco

This song is just pure fun. It’s short and sweet and will easily make you smile, which is hard to come by when you’ve just woken up. A quick little ditty to get you into the shower.

The Bare Necessities

Phil Harris & Bruce Reitherman

The Jungle Book

This song is energetic, bouncy and peppy without being annoying. It’s pure jazzy deliciousness that will have you swinging your hips a little as you get your day going.

King of New York

Newsies Ensemble

Newsies

Ever wanted to hear Bill Pullman sing? Now’s your chance, baby!

All kidding aside, Newsies is fire. I’m definitely dating myself but I was in early high school when this movie came out and I couldn’t get to the theater fast enough. They gave each moviegoer a commemorative pape (that’s newsie-speak for newspaper) that taught you some of the dance moves from the movie and gave you “stats” on your favorite newsies. A lifelong fan was born!

There are so many songs from this movie that could’ve been included but this song is a strong 10 on the energy scale and if you don’t know the song before you start listening to this playlist, you will in no time.

Side note: Did I mention Christian Bale stars in this movie? Hear his dulcet tones at 0:33.

Almost There

Anika Noni Rose

The Princess and the Frog

I like including this song for so many reasons. First, there’s my love of double meanings. By this time, our playlist is beginning to come to a close and our day is about to get underway. We can see the finish line, honey! Then, there’s the song itself. We’re back to that old Disney motif of believing in yourself and not giving up, no matter the impediments, and that’s very specifically the feeling with which I like to start my day: unstoppability.

Anika Noni Rose, gimme your arm, honey. We’re almost there!

You’re Welcome

Dwayne Johnson

Moana

Moana gets two songs. It’s literally that good of a movie.

You’re Welcome has the beat, the lyrics, the gravitas, the cheekiness and the fun to set you out on the right foot to begin your day. And...there’s a rap! Dwayne Johnson raps!

Come on, can you smell what Maui is cooking?

16 songs, 48 minutes

Well folks, there you have it: my Disney Mornings Playlist. It’s gonna change your life—or at least your mornings.

You’re welcome. 😉