Ok, most of the bloggers here are parents of small children. As such, most of us are constantly exposed to Disney. I’m coming to believe that a trip to Orlando is a required pilgrimage for an American Family. Anaheim, though the original, is a cheap substitute at this point.

So the issue at hand in this post isn’t to debate the cultural significance of Disney. The issue here is top 5 Disney films, and top 10 Disney songs. Why 5 and 10? Why the hell not. Pick your own numbers. And, yes, Pixar counts.

Top 5 Disney Films. (Personal Preference). No doubt that the older animated films are tremendous. But when the modern animated team hit a home run, as with Lion King, it was pure transcendence. Maybe it won’t age well, who knows. Certainly Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are great films. But as the father of a three year old girl obsessed with princesses, I’m going to invoke the Emma rule. No princesses on this list.

1. Lion King
2. Jungle Book
3. Mary Poppins
4. Mulan
5. Toy Story 2

Top 10 Disney Songs (Roughly Chronological order). I have to add a caveat here. I’m not to particular about songs from the Lion King, though they work very well in the film. However, the musical score when Simba’s father is revealed to him in the clouds is amazing. So I’ll give the orchestral score of the Lion King a nod here, while omitting Hakunah Matata (sp) et al. from the following list.

1 Hi Ho - Snow White
2 When you Wish upon a star - Pinocchio (?)
3 Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious (sp?) - Mary Poppins
4 I wanna be like you - Jungle Book
5 The Bare Necessities (sp?) - Jungle Book
6 Kiss the Girl - Little Mermaid
7 Under the Sea - Little Mermaid
8 Be Our Guest - Beauty and the Beast
9. Whole New World - Aladdin
10 You’ve got a Friend in Me - Toy Story