The Weirdest Musical Moments In Disney Animation
The Disney song catalog is a massive one and I probably should be putting a list together that highlights the best of the bunch but I think those lists have already been made a 100 times over. Most of us know already which songs have been influential over the years and making a list of the classic Disney songs I like best isn't something I feel like doing here. Instead I thought I'd focus on some of the more unusual songs that Disney has to offer. Each one of these special in it's own strange way. There is only one video I hesitated to include on this list because it doesn't really fall into the same category with the rest of the songs but I did want in on this list for a very specific reason, and I'll go over that reason later on when it comes up. I'm going to try and cover the videos in chronological order. I'm starting with a song from 1941's Dumbo titled "Pink Elephants on Parade".
"Pink Elephants on Parade" 1941 Dumbo
Everyone I know has some strange childhood memory that involves this scene in Dumbo. The musical sequence basically provided a "welcome to tonight's nightmare" moment for all children everywhere the first time they saw these psychedelic dancing elephants. As an adult I realize how unique this scene is and believe it or not, I throughly enjoy the animation here. Who knew a baby elephant could experience such bizarre hallucinations?
"Pink Elephants on Parade" on Youtube
"The Walrus and The Carpenter" 1951 Alice inWonderland
This one has always been unsettling for me to watch. I don't know why the artists at Disney thought it would be ok to style the oysters as babies. Seriously, WHY?! The oysters in Lewis Carroll's original book were never babies. Also the way the Walrus lures the little children in for supper Pied Piper style takes which instantly takes the whole thing up to a new level of creepy.
"The Walrus and The Carpenter" on YouTube
"What Makes The Red Man Red" 1953 Peter Pan
Next up is "What Makes The Red Man Red?" from 1953's Peter Pan. I don't think I have to explain why this song is listed here. The title itself is shocking. Everything about this song and how it's animated here makes me uncomfortable. It's just racist. I'm surprised Disney hasn't scrubbed it from the film. It's not even a good song. The Disney Elite basically summed it up perfectly a while back on Tumblr by saying the song was "Possibly the most controversial and ill-conceived Disney song ever".
He also wrote an intriguing post titled "Was Ward Kimball's 'Big Chief' Racist?" that is worth checking out.
"What Makes The Red Man Red" on YouTube
"Trust Me" 1976 The Jungle Book
I'm at a loss for words in what to even say about this one but it scared the heck out of me as a child and still makes me a little uncomfortable as an adult.
"Trust Me" on YouTube
"Be Prepared" 1994 The Lion King
Next up on my list is the song I mentioned earlier that was the one song on my lineup that wasn't quite like the others. I'm adding "Be Prepared" from The Lion King to this list even though it doesn't really belong here because I think it's a great song that is animated in a way that is close to technical perfection but still the fact that it is still so eerie is why I'm including it now. I would give Jeremy Irons performance for this song an A+/100% if I were handing out grades in voice acting because he leaves nothing to be desired here in my opinion.
The only reason I included it within this post is because I don't want to deny that parts of the animation are not totally inspired by Nazi imagery. I understand how it is used here and why but one the other hand if I'm writing a post about unsettling musical moments in Disney films, I'd be failing something somehow if I were to leave out the only musical sequence in the history of the studio where the artwork could be described as "Nazi Inspired".
"Be Prepared" on YouTube
"Hellfire" 1996 The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The song "Hellfire" is shockingly dark for a Disney film. Themes of lust and damnation are a little much in a children's film if you ask me. If you are not familiar with this song, I encourage you to read the lyrics carefully for more insight into what exactly makes this Disney song so very strange.
"Hellfire" on YouTube
"Yodel-adle-eedle-idle-oo" 2003 Home on The Range
"Yodel-adle-eedle-idle-oo" on YouTube
I'm finishing up this list now with another trippy musical sequence that is truly the stuff of nightmares. It isn't quite on the same level as "Pink Elephants on Parade" is when it comes to psychological torture for children but it does have a similar mesmerizing effect. No matter how hard you fight it, you won't be able to look away from the colors on the screen when you watch this piece of animation.
"Yodel-adle-eedle-idle-oo" on YouTube
So what Disney songs do you find especially strange or creepy? Did I miss something on this list that you think should be included? Let me know what Disney moments scared you as a child by leaving a comment below or sending me a tweet on Twitter. I can also be contacted via Instagram and of course at houseofsummersville@gmail.com if you prefer email. Thanks so much for stopping by!
