Top 20 Hardest Disney Songs to Sing
#20: “With a Smile and a Song” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937)
Can you imagine having the ability to trill like an actual blue bird? Yeah, we can’t either. Snow White has one of the more soprano voices out of all the Disney princesses, thanks to the late Adriana Caselotti's gorgeous voice. But this is just wild. Throughout “With a Smile and a Song,” Snow White and the little birdies she’s befriended go back and forth with beautiful melodies. When she actually starts to sing, most of the notes aren’t actually too high. But Caselotti’s soaring, uplifting vocals are what make the tune work as well as it does. To do this one justice, you’ve got to have the voice of a bird – no exceptions!
#19: “I Wonder” “Sleeping Beauty” (1959)
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Much like Snow White, Aurora also loved to hang around outside and sing with birds. The woman behind the character, Mary Costa, was a literal opera queen. So it appears our protagonist in this 1959 flick mainly sings with the soprano birds! The strength of Costa’s voice gives “I Wonder” the extra oomph it needs to become a classic. When she stops vocalizing with the animals and gets to the actual meat of the number, the power behind her voice shines through even more. And that’s not power just anyone can achieve. Though she makes it seem effortless, confidence is also paramount for this number. You can’t bring it to life properly without it.
#18: “I Won't Say (I'm in Love)” “Hercules” (1997)
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The music in “Hercules” is anything but easy. The songs are mostly upbeat, but even when they’re ballads like “Go the Distance,” they require a ton of energy and vocal power. But the hardest solo number in the film definitely belongs to “I Won't Say (I'm in Love).” Meg’s bittersweet pop ballad requires a strong belt and plenty of sass. The song features aspects of Motown and R&B, so the singer who takes it on needs to be comfortable with those vocal flourishes. We think Susan Egan, the voice of Meg, handles it with aplomb.
#17: “Circle of Life” “The Lion King” (1994)
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From the moment “The Lion King” starts, it’s apparent that the minds behind the music are some of the best in the business. Elton John and Tim Rice wrote gorgeous songs for “The Lion King,” and one of their most complex creations is the first thing you hear. “Circle of Life” opens with an iconic Zulu part, performed by Lebo M, before heading into the opening lines of the verse. Carmen Twillie is the vocalist who sings the verses and chorus, and her unique sound makes the number what it is. It’s hard for just any singer to capture the magic Twillie brings. It takes a special voice to get this one right while also nailing the technical aspects.
#16: “Colors of the Wind” “Pocahontas” (1995)
Disney is known for their princess power ballads. And it’s hard to beat the magic of “Colors of the Wind” in “Pocahontas.” The titular character sings the tune after meeting John Smith as she tries to teach him about the world from a different perspective. Judy Kuhn serves as Pocahontas’s singing voice, and her layered vocal gives the number the force it needs to carry the weight of the song’s message. To sing “Colors of the Wind” well, a vocalist needs not just a powerful belt, but the capacity to tap into the emotional truth behind the track’s lyrics.
#15: “We Don't Talk About Bruno” “Encanto” (2021)
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This viral sensation is a lot tougher to perform than it seems. “We Don't Talk About Bruno” might seem like a simple song aimed primarily at kids, but it’s got a lot more going for it than that. The ensemble song features lots of “Encanto”’s cast, and has a lot of moving parts that all have to come together to create one musical moment. The rhythms combine the musical stylings of salsa, hip-hop, pop, and more, and each singer has to deliver their lyrics in a syncopated beat that can be hard to master. Each section is vastly different, but by the end they’re all fusing together cohesively. You’ve got to focus on your own part, while paying attention to the whole – that’s tough!
#14: “Gaston” “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
Think drinking song, but in the style of Broadway. That’s the type of ditty Alan Menken and Howard Ashman created with “Gaston.” You might not hear the words “drinking song” and think: ‘oh, that’ll be particularly difficult to master’. But when you’ve got Ashman holding the proverbial pen and Menken creating the music, things are different. The lyrics of “Gaston” are some of the best in “Beauty and the Beast,” and the close harmonies help give the song a silly, winking flow. When you add in Gaston’s stellar baritone and LeFou’s personality, you’ve got yourself a tough one to recreate.
#13: “A Whole New World” “Aladdin” (1992)
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This duet is one of the crowning achievements of any Disney movie. That’s high praise, but it really is one for the books. While “Aladdin” features a ton of wonderful songs, “A Whole New World” requires really excellent singers behind the mic to make it work. Jasmine’s parts in particular soar high into the upper register, so whoever is taking it on needs a strong mix and belt. The harmonies near the end, meanwhile, move in tandem and require both vocalists to follow each other closely and stay exactly in tune. When it comes to this duet, there’s no room for mistakes.
#12: “When Will My Life Begin?” “Tangled” (2010)
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Do you ever listen to a song and try to figure out when the singer is supposed to breathe? Yeah, us too. “When Will My Life Begin?” is a perfect example of this phenomenon. The opening number of “Tangled” moves relatively quickly, and basically covers the performer’s entire register throughout its run. Those two factors combined make it difficult to sing in general, but exceedingly difficult to sing well. Of course, Mandy Moore utilizes the breathy quality to her voice perfectly in her rendition of the tune. But not all vocalists are as lucky!
#11: “Under the Sea” “The Little Mermaid” (1989)
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Talk about a fast-paced, whale of a good time! Sebastian is a beloved character in 1989’s “The Little Mermaid,” and no one could have voiced him as well as the late Samuel E. Wright. One area where Wright really shines is during his performance of “Under the Sea.” He perfectly nails the calypso and reggae styles of the song. He also has the chops to sing and shimmy his way through the song’s quick tempo, getting the words out with a sense of ease and relaxation. You need to be a singer who can compete with him to make something like “Under the Sea” sparkle. It takes a true wordsmith!
#10: “Be Our Guest” “Beauty and the Beast” (1991)
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One of the most famous songs in the Disney canon, “Be Our Guest” is a showstopping Broadway number performed mostly by baritone vocalist Jerry Orbach. Orbach’s vocal performance has long garnered critical acclaim and award recognition, and “Be Our Guest” was nominated for the American Film Institute’s 100 Years...100 Songs list. Part of its difficulty undoubtedly stems from Lumière’s accent, as Orbach, a New York native, was forced to sing in a convincing French accent. Singing this song and hitting its signature low notes is hard enough, let alone in a completely different accent.
#9: “Almost There” “The Princess and the Frog” (2009)
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Known for playing the first Black Disney princess, Tony winner Anika Noni Rose has had a long and prosperous career on stage, but she’s certainly no stranger to the silver screen. She’s obviously supremely talented, and that shows in the beautiful song “Almost There”. This is Tiana’s main song, signaling her ambition and pride. Most of the song is wonderfully sung by Rose, her voice proving buttery smooth and captivating. But like “The Bells of Notre Dame”, much of the wow factor comes in the final line, when Rose holds an impressively extended high note that caps the song in thrilling fashion.
#8: “Zero to Hero” “Hercules” (1997)
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This Disney film follows a group of Gods, so what better way to honor that theme than with some gospel music? “Hercules” is notable in the Disney canon for containing gospel, with the muses inhabiting the genre while discussing the events of the story. “Zero to Hero” is a whirlwind of a song performed by seasoned professionals, including R&B legend Tawatha Agee and Tony Award-winning Broadway performers Lillias White and LaChanze. As is often the case with gospel, the song contains a lot of difficult high notes, and it moves along at a zippy speed that could easily leave behind more inexperienced singers.
#7: “Show Yourself” “Frozen II” (2019)
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This might not be the most famous song in “Frozen II,” but it’s certainly the hardest. When this sequel came out, most people probably left the theater singing “Into the Unknown.” That one is certainly challenging in its own right. But the more we listened to “Show Yourself,” the more it became apparent that it was the true test. The ballad is mostly sung by Idina Menzel, and runs the gamut of her vocal range. She’s joined by Evan Rachel Wood, who adds a majestic quality. Bringing the number to life necessitates precision, along with great emotion. Seasoned performers like Menzel and Wood are talented enough to deliver all that and more, but an amateur will have to work to get it right.
#6: “Reflection” “Mulan” (1998)
After providing the singing for Jasmine in “Aladdin,” singer Lea Salonga returned to lend her voice for Mulan. And “Reflection”, while quite a short song, at just two minutes, has long proven one of the most memorable and difficult Disney Princess tunes. Both an Olivier and Tony Award-winning singer, Salonga has a marvelous voice. She is forced to hit and hold many challenging high notes throughout “Reflection”, and just thinking about trying it makes our throats hurt. It’s a perfect representation of Salonga’s commanding stage presence, as she has the ability to belt out vocals with amazing clarity.
#5: “How Far I’ll Go” “Moana” (2016)
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With songs co-written by the Pulitzer-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, the soundtrack to “Moana” has proven one of the most popular of Disney’s modern efforts. It features a fantastic yet deceptively challenging villain song in “Shiny”, which is wonderfully performed by Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement. But “How Far I’ll Go” is a shining example of the Disney “I Want” song, and it is sung with amazing precision by Hawaiian native Auliʻi Cravalho. Cravalho shows off her enviable range throughout the song, and caps the piece with an impressive flourish. Miranda knows how to write a killer showtune, and Cravalho certainly knows how to sing them, but it ain’t easy.
#4: “Let It Go” “Frozen” (2013)
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It’s not often that we get a song like “Let It Go”. As seemingly everyone in the world knows, “Let It Go” transcended its movie to become a genuine pop culture phenomenon, and it’s mainly due to the aforementioned Idina Menzel’s matchless voice. There’s simply no one else out there who can do what she does behind a microphone. Some critics called it Menzel’s best vocal performance since “Wicked”, displaying her signature power, clarity, and belting technique. She hits the type of high notes that few others can, and she ends “Let It Go” with the most famous sustained note in Disney history. Bravo for the pros!
#3: “Friend Like Me” “Aladdin” (1992)
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Proving his incredible talent as an all-around performer, Robin Williams absolutely killed it with “Friend Like Me”. The vocals obviously don’t stand out, as Robin Williams wasn’t a professional singer. But it’s the energy and the multifaceted nature of the song that prove immensely difficult. Williams rapidly varies between voices, tones, and inflections, and the lyrics are both dense and fast-paced. It’s hard to sing this one without quickly running out of breath, and only a performer with Williams’ energy can do it justice. It’s this quality that makes “Friend Like Me” such a joy to watch on stage, and it quickly became the most popular number of the Broadway musical.
#2: “The Bells of Notre Dame” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1996)
For such an underrated Disney film, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” contains some killer tunes. “Out There” is a heartbreaking song beautifully performed by Tony Jay and Tom Hulce, playing Frollo and Quasimodo, respectively. But the most technically demanding song of the film is arguably the opening number, “The Bells of Notre Dame”. It’s mostly performed by Paul Kandel, a supremely talented tenor singer and Tony-nominated Broadway performer. There’s a reason tenors are so respected - what they do can be incredibly difficult, but their effort pays off in magical and gorgeous ways. Plus, that extended high note in the finale is absolutely heavenly. It could very well be the greatest opening number in any Disney film.
#1: “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” “Mary Poppins” (1964)
While both “Spoonful of Sugar” and “Step in Time” are great yet tricky tunes, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is unlike anything heard in film, either before or since. Performed by both Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews, the song’s tongue-twisting title has entered the common vernacular, and can even be found in the Oxford English Dictionary. The song gallops along at quite a rapid tempo, and both Van Dyke and Andrews require great skill to sing at high speed. Simply saying the word is difficult enough, let alone integrating it within such a fast-moving song! These performers have astonishing breath control and vocal clarity, and they make the most challenging Disney song look easy.
