Not everything is as it seems in the magical world of Disney! Join us as we explore the hidden depths behind some of the most cheerful-sounding tunes from the House of Mouse. These songs may have you tapping your feet, but their lyrics and context reveal a darker side that might just give you goosebumps.
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00:00Mother knows best, one way or another, something will go wrong, I swear!"
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, we're counting down our picks for the Disney tunes that have some upsetting undertones once you get past the peppy melodies.
00:15["Love is an open door!" plays in the background.]
00:20Number 10. The Walrus and the Carpenter, Alice in Wonderland.
00:26["The oysters were curious too, weren't they? Aye. And you remember what happened to them? Poor things."
00:35At first, this sequence seems like a little diversion from Alice's journey through Wonderland.
00:40Tweedledee and Tweedledum narrate the tale of a walrus and a carpenter for their new young friend.
00:45["The walrus and the carpenter. Or, the story of the curious oysters."
00:52With its jaunty melody and happy whistles, it's a deceptively charming track.
00:56But this number, adapted directly from one of author Lewis Carroll's poems, turns out to be the story about the walrus enchanting a group of oysters into becoming his meal.
01:05It's pretty on par for the bright yet twisted tone of the whole movie, but it's one of the cheeriest murders in Disney history.
01:11["But, and she, there came none. And this was scarcely odd, because they'd been eating everyone."
01:21Number 9. Gaston, Beauty and the Beast.
01:24After another rejection from Belle, the brawny but not too brainy Gaston goes to the pub with his pal LeFou.
01:31Gaston is a catchy number that has all the liveliness and rhythm of a drinking song.
01:36["No one's slick as Gaston, no one's quick as Gaston, no one's next as incredibly thick as Gaston."
01:45When Gaston isn't singing his own praises, LeFou and the villagers are doing it for him.
01:50Yes, it's goofy and hilariously narcissistic, but as you listen you really have to wonder how much fear is behind this sing-along.
01:58["In a spitting match, nobody spits like Gaston. I'm especially good at expectorating. Three! Eight points for Gaston!"
02:08What would happen if everyone wasn't so eager to prop up Gaston's ego?
02:12We eventually find out just how far he's willing to go when someone dares to suggest he's not a god among men.
02:18["She's as crazy as the old man! The Beast will make off with your children! He'll come after them in the night!
02:25We're not safe till his head is mounted on my wall!"
02:28Number 8. Everybody Wants to be a Cat. The Aristocats.
02:32Jazz-infused horns and a rocking feline band make this an all-time classic Disney song.
02:37["Everybody wants to be a cat, because the cat's the only cat who knows where it's at."
02:45Allegedly, it was originally supposed to be performed by jazz legend Louis Armstrong,
02:49but health issues made him unable to perform the role of Scat Cat.
02:53Actor and musician Scatman Crothers replaced him,
02:56and Armstrong would actually pass away a few months after the film's release.
03:00["He was 71, and although he had been quite sick earlier this year, his death was unexpected."
03:05However, audiences have another reason to find the exuberant track a total downer.
03:09One of the featured cats is drawn as a racist caricature.
03:13The version on Disney Plus inserted a disclaimer before the movie as a result.
03:17Number 7. Someday My Prince Will Come. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
03:22In the Disney Studios' very first feature-length animated film,
03:25the titular princess serenades her new friends about the handsome prince she met.
03:29["He was so romantic, I could not resist."
03:37Snow White has already been through a lot by the time she sings the movie's big love ballad,
03:42because it's Disney, we know she'll have her happily ever after.
03:45But as sweet and fluttery as the song is,
03:48there's something achingly sad about her faith in a true love rescuing her despite all the odds.
03:53["Someday my prince will come."
04:00There's a reason the song became a standard.
04:02It leaves a lot of room for longing and heartbreak.
04:05["Someday when my dreams are true."
04:15Number 6. I Just Can't Wait To Be King. The Lion King.
04:19["I'm gonna be the main event, like no king was before.
04:24I'm brushing up, I'm looking down, I'm working on my roar."
04:29Young Simba is tired of being told what to do by his father, King Mufasa,
04:33and his father's irritating hornbill advisor.
04:35Filled with bright naivete and stunning visuals,
04:38I Just Can't Wait To Be King is bursting with joy and humor.
04:41["We don't run around all day."
04:45["Well that's definitely out."
04:46["I'm free to do it all my way."
04:50Simba is looking forward to growing up and doing what he wants,
04:53when he wants.
04:54But if you know the Lion King, you know how that's gonna go.
04:57["Dad? Dad, come on. You gotta get up. Dad."
05:07Unbeknownst to Simba, his independence and place as king come at a major cost.
05:12For him to finally become king, he'll have to lose his father
05:15and overcome his uncle's betrayal.
05:17Number 5. It's A Small World After All. It's A Small World Ride.
05:22["It's probably the most important thing that's in any of the parks.
05:26Wouldn't it be wonderful if people acted like that, the words of that song?"
05:31Walt Disney had a very simple directive for the Sherman Brothers,
05:34the songwriting duo who would create tracks for Mary Poppins,
05:37the Aristocats, and the Jungle Book.
05:38He wanted a theme for his new attraction,
05:41and it had to be easy to translate into other languages.
05:44Their composition was one that emphasized all the things humanity shares.
05:48["It's a world of hopes and a world of fears.
05:52There's so much that we share and it's time we're aware.
05:56It's a small world after all."
06:00The Cold War context and the threat of global war
06:03informed the Sherman Brothers' writing.
06:04Originally meant to be a slow ballad,
06:07Disney's request that it be sped up and arranged in a more upbeat fashion
06:11might have helped to hide its slightly mournful content.
06:14["People think it's a little novelty. It's a prayer for peace."
06:18Number 4. Once Upon a Time in New York City.
06:21Oliver & Company.
06:22["Now it's always once upon a time in New York City.
06:30It's a big old battle. Tough old town, it's true."
06:35Between the riffs and synthesizer sounds and the lead vocals of Huey Lewis,
06:38this opening song from Oliver & Company could have been at home
06:41on a late 80s Top 40 chart.
06:43["If they pick you out, you're everywhere.
06:47To a once upon a time that never ends."
06:53Once Upon a Time in New York City is full of inspirational lyrics
06:56about not giving up on your dreams.
06:58But in the context of the movie,
07:00the song is used to underscore a young, unhoused kitten's journey
07:03from being the only cat left in his litter
07:05to scrounging for food on the streets.
07:07Its message about how the strong survive
07:10suddenly feels a lot more poignant.
07:12["Keep your dream alive. Dreaming is still how the strong survive.
07:18Once upon a time in New York City."
07:24Number 3. Mother Knows Best, Tangled.
07:27As Broadway star Donna Murphy flits through Mother Knows Best
07:30with her easy charm,
07:31we can see how she's such an effective villain.
07:34Mother Gothel has a sickly sweet lilt in her voice
07:36as she disguises her ill intent
07:38with overdramatic descriptions of the outside world.
07:41["Rodians, thugs, poison ivy, quicksand, cannibals and snakes,
07:45oh, the plague. Yes!"
07:47The song is so catchy, you almost forget how evil she is.
07:51She's determined to keep her daughter afraid
07:53in order to control her.
07:55["On your own, you won't survive.
07:58Sloppy, underdressed, immature, clumsy littlies.
08:01They'll eat you up alive."
08:03The music, though, is deceptively fun and cheeky.
08:06It's only when her solo comes back at the end
08:09that we really get to see all the evil behind it.
08:12["Why would he like you? Come on now, really.
08:15Look at you! You think that he's impressed?
08:19Don't be a dummy. Come with mommy."
08:23Number 2. Love is an Open Door, Frozen.
08:26When Princess Anna meets Prince Hans,
08:28it seems like love at first sight.
08:30Their quirky and lovable duet,
08:31Love is an Open Door, illustrates how much
08:34they've been changed by each other,
08:35even though they've only just met.
08:37["And it's nothing like I've ever known before.
08:41Love is an open door."
08:46They're so in sync, it's like they've known each other
08:48their entire lives.
08:50Sounds great, right?
08:51Well, Frozen's big heel turn at the climax
08:54is that Prince Hans has been a villain the whole time.
08:57["Oh, Anna.
09:00If only there was someone out there who loved you."
09:03What?"
09:04He doesn't love Anna, and never did.
09:07All he wanted was to usurp her crown.
09:09It makes the entire romantic, hilarious,
09:12crowd-pleasing song a complete and utter lie.
09:14["Say goodbye to the pain of the past.
09:20We don't have to feel it anymore."
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09:40Number 1.
09:41Zippity-Doo-Dah – Song of the Self
09:43On its face, this ditty is about feeling so happy
09:46you can't stop yourself from singing.
09:48["Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder.
09:53It's the truth.
09:54It's actual.
09:56Everything is satisfactual."
09:58Zippity-Doo-Dah has been covered and repurposed
10:01so many times that many have probably forgotten
10:03the movie it came from.
10:05Considering Disney has kept Song of the Self
10:07out of circulation in the United States for decades,
10:10that's probably by design.
10:12The controversial film has been lambasted
10:14since its 1946 release for its use of racial stereotypes.
10:18["Oh, what's the matter with you?
10:20I said howdy.
10:22Is you hard of hearing?
10:24I said howdy!"
10:26It's even been suggested the nonsense title
10:28was actually inspired by a racist folk song
10:31from the 19th century.
10:32Disney has largely distanced itself
10:35from the Oscar-winning Zippity-Doo-Dah.
10:37["Zippity-Doo-Dah, Zippity-Yay.
10:42Wonderful feeling, feeling this way."
10:46Did any of these songs surprise you?
10:48Let us know in the comments.
10:50["It gets a little lonely.
10:52All these empty rooms.
10:54Just watching the hours tick by."
11:00Do you agree with our picks?
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