Disney, an extremely creative company filled with memorable
characters; dark and twisted villains; timeless stories; and wonderful
animation. One of the biggest reasons why we remember Disney is the songs. The
songs are catchy, beautifully written, and give their films such great atmosphere. The
only time when their songs stink is when they're usually covered by an artist.
Most of the cover versions of Disney songs stink because you either get a
crappy pop artist to sing them and butcher the magic out of them; or you get a
great artist who doesn't bring the same feeling you get when hear the original.
Some artists such as Elton John, Phil Collins and Randy Newman do write the
songs for the films and bring the Disney spirit but that's very rare. However
there is one video out there where artists and Disney cover songs mix well
together and that video is...
This is a video I grew up watching as a kid where I was
introduced to great artists while listening to my favorite Disney tunes at the
same time. This video is just a complication of Music Videos with no story and
with the exception of my review on "Moonwalker", "UHF" and
that ugly long 3D film that should just show the Music Video instead having a
crappy story “Captain Eo”, this is the first time I'm just reviewing Music
Videos. I will be rating each Video individually, so let’s not hold up the
magic, ON WITH THE REVIEW...
THE INTRODUCTION
The video opens with a vault door magically opening, which I'm guessing is the Disney Vault. Inside the vault, we see various props, posters, and song sheets from Disney animated films. We then see a drawing of Mickey from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" come to life and make the room come alive by making pictures moving; music notes flying around the room; and song sheets floating. This an extremely cool way to open the video. The music starts out calmly but once Mickey uses his magic the music sounds hip and cool (And not in the annoying and desperate way either). The effects for the things coming alive in the room are impressive but I wish they did more, but hey "What you see is what you get".
Throughout the video as we're going into different Music Videos, we follow a flying music sheet that's flying over scenes and backgrounds of Disney films which is an amazing effect. As we see it flying, we hear the opening to start the next video, and while we're hearing the music being build up to start the next video; we see the song sheet magically show the title of the song. It's one of the best transition scenes I have ever seen.
It’s a great opening to the video, and the transitions to each Music Video is really creative.
RATING 5/5
"WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR" SUNG BY BILLY JOEL
"When you wish upon a star" is Disney's theme song that came from the film "Pinocchio" sung by that loving cricket, Jiminy Cricket. It's a timeless heart warming tune that'll be around forever.
The artist who covers the song is Billy Joel, who has written great songs such as "Still Rock N Roll To Me", "Uptown Girl" and the classic song "Piano Man". He had worked with Disney before, by writing and singing the song "Why Should I Worry" in "Oliver and Company", while also serving as the voice of Dodger. He's a great artist but does he due justice to the song he's covering?
Well as the song opens, he puts a new opening into the song that I thought was cleaver. The opening lyrics is "When a star is born, they receive a gift or two. One of them is this, they have the power to make a dream come true"; and then he starts singing the original lyrics. The song uses a jazzy tune that makes the song just as powerful as the original. The jazzy piano playing and trumpet solo always haunts me every time I hear this song; and Billy Joel puts a lot of energy and heart in his singing and as a result makes the song the greatest Disney cover song in Disney music history.
The video takes place in an animation studio as we see animator Sam Cornell see a drawing of Billy Joel come to life and show us classic scenes from Disney films. The animated Billy Joel looks beautifully drawn and can be very life like at points. The scenes when he’s walking around scenes from Disney films actually look like he's there. The montages of the scenes from Disney are wonderfully edited together and the scene when he's flying out of the paper is really impressive. I also love the designs they created to give the video it's being an animator feel. In fact, when I watch the video with the song, I feel like the message Billy Joel is trying to give in this video is "The animators are the huge reason why the Disney films are so important and the reason why they do this job is because they have a dream to create all this and see it come alive. Don't just wish upon a star; make your dream happen like this guy (The Animator)".
It’s a wonderful Music Video and the greatest cover on the song ever.
RATING 5/5
"ZIP A DEE DO DAH" SUNG BY RIC OCAESEK
"Zip A Dee Doh Dah" is another one of Disney's catchiest and timeless songs that's not just one of Disney's best songs but also won the Oscar for "Best Song".
Ric Ocasek from the band "The Cars" sings a cover on this timeless song. Is it as amazing as Billy Joel's cover on "When you wish upon a Star" or is it a failed attempt?
Ric Ocasek turns this timeless melody into a modern rock tune and does it work? It actually does, it doesn't just sound like a modern rock version of the song, it also brings the same magical, relaxing feeling as the original. Ric Ocasek singing is great; the back up vocals is nice; and the guitar riff is cool. The only problem I have with the cover is the background sounds. Some of it has its "Wonderful Day" feel but most of them have a very surreal feel. If you watch the video those sounds match the atmosphere of the video but if you listen to it without the video it feels out of place.
The video is basically just Ric Ocasek singing and walking into scenes from Disney films (Mostly scenes from "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Pastoral Symphony" from "Fantasia"). The special effects just like Billy Joel's music video are outstanding. I really feel like Ric Ocasek's walking around in these scenes singing to the characters he sees. It not just that one of effect, they also uses many different kinds of special such as putting his face on various animated characters; duplicating himself; throwing in added props, and they all work.
It's a very surreal video but everything works. The special effects are great; the cover of the song is rockin; it’s seriously just as amazing as Billy Joel's music video.
RATING 5/5
"WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?" RAPPED BY LL COOL J
Disney's "The Three Little Pigs" cartoon. A cute cartoon with cute characters; a scary but comedic villain; a story that never gets old; and a song that's as catchy as "Zip A Dee Do Dah".
LL Cool J raps out the story with this memorable tune. Remember when I talked about artists ruining Disney songs with covers, this is one of them. I like LL Cool J but this cover on the song and retelling of the story has to be one of the worst versions ever.
His rapping is so fast that it's hard to understand the story; in fact, he never even finishes the story. The back up vocals for the lyric "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" sounded cool at first but then got so annoying that I wanted to shout "STOP YOU'RE DESTROYING A GREAT SON!". The beat started out nice but then got completely out of tune. The music video felt so rushed and fast paced that it's nothing but break dancing; neon lights; and sexy singing girls, as LL Cool J is posing in every shot. There’s nothing in it that feels as Disney-ish as the last two videos. The only part of the video I liked was the transition to it. It's night time, then the sun comes up in New York City (From "Oliver and Company") and we go to a low part of the city and everything’s in black and white to show how low this part of the city is and the music video itself.
What can I say; it’s a worst cover on a cute song and is a very boring video, that lacks the Disney magic.
RATING 1/5
"I'VE GOT NO STRINGS" SUNG BY THE GIPSY KINGS
"I've got no strings" is Pinocchio's trade mark song that can only be sung by the puppet himself Pinocchio.
A Spanish band called "The Gipsy Kings" decided it was time to push Pinocchio out of the way and make the song there's. Do they succeed?
The song is sung in Spanish but it's still very catchy. The rhythm is great; the guitar playing brings it's Spanish feel; and it is sung in nice harmony. The video is just full of animation of Spanish people dancing as the band plays. While it started out nice, it then became so boring that I wanted to stop the video thinking that "I have seen enough".
It’s an interesting video and a good cover; but it all gets boring fast. Pinocchio it still is and always will be your song.
RATING 2/5
"THE BARE NECESSITIES" SUNG BY HARRY CONNICK JR
"The Bare Necessities" the catchiest song to come out of "The Jungle Book" on top of "I Wanna Be Like You".
Modern day swing singer Harry Connick Jr. decides to do a cover on the song. Will this be a good Disney cover like Joel and Ocasek or will it fail like LL Cool J's and The Gipsy Kings?
Harry Connick Jr. makes this song his own but still keeps it true to the original. He mostly uses the same lyrics and the same tune, but puts more swing and jazz into it than the original. This is the best cover of the song I have ever heard and is actually catchier than the original. As a kid I sang "The Bare Necessities" in the tune of Connick Jrs. version than the Baloo and Mowgli version; and you know what, I still do. I mean his singing brings back the swing of the old days; the horns playing in this song are unforgettable; and it gets better every time I hear it.
The music video however, I don't see the connection to the song. It starts out with a party in his mansion but then the Repo Company comes in and takes everything away including his guests. What does this have to do with the song? The only special effects they use in this video are floating bubbles but the effects for them are so cheap that it looks out of place. Harry Connick Jr. throughout the video also looks like he's just posing for the camera instead of singing; in fact, he actually does pose for a brief second towards the end of the video.
The cover is swingin' but the video’s dumb, but with that said, I still found it fun to watch.
RATING 3/5
"THE SIAMESE CAT SONG" SUNG BY BOBBY MCFERRIN
"The Siamese cat song" is the villain song in "Lady and the Tramp". A catchy song even if the design for the cats does look like an Asian stereotype.
Bobby Mcferrin, the guy who told us to "Don't Worry, Be Happy" does a cover on this villain song but sadly fails.
When I hear the song, odd and surreal images are going through my head and the last thing that I think about while hearing it is cats. In fact, the music video is nothing but surreal images and not a single cat is shown. What really give me the creeps about the video are the two separate hands conducting the song, they look really creepy. The special effects for the surreal images are good but to be honest they're really boring.
This is sadly a Music Video that just depends on special effects, than the song that the artist is singing, and really everything about this video is boring. The cover is boring and the visuals are boring.
RATING 1/5
"KISS THE GIRL" SUNG BY SOUL 2 SOUL
"Kiss the girl", a very romantic song and is beautifully written and composed.
Soul 2 Soul did a cover on this song. I hope it still has it's romantic feel.
Soul 2 Soul took away the romance from the song and popped it up. Like most pop covers on Disney songs, they stink and never work. To my surprise this cover actually worked. It's not good, I mean it's missing the romance but it's not bad. The music’s catchy; the harmony's ok; and the singing's nice.
The music video takes place on a small Island and under the sea showing under water scenes from Disney films. The montage of those clips are good especially when you see it through a "View Master", however the scenes when they're in a scene from a Disney film looks like they're in front of a green screen than being actually in the scene. Also the background vocalists coming out of water look just as cheap as the bubbles in Harry Connick Jrs. music video. The lead singer just like most artists in this video looks like she's posing for her looks and beauty. The only part of the video I thought was kind of cool aside from the montages is seeing the musician on the Island change instruments.
While not a good video, it’s not bad either; it’s ok, leaving me with mixed feelings. There’s no romance but the song is still catchy; the effects are cheap, but they’re not horrible either.
RATING 3/5
"A DREAM IS A WISH" SUNG BY MICHAEL BOLTON
"A Dream is a wish" is the most powerful song in "Cinderella" that has a very true meaning.
Michael Bolton ends the video by singing a cover on this beautiful song. Will he put as much heart as Cinderella did?
I'm not crazy about Michael Bolton even though I like his voice, but this is a song I get emotional towards when ever I hear it. His singing in this song is so powerful that it really makes the message stand out. The song also has an orchestra to bring its romantic feel. The music video is nothing spectacular; it's just basically seeing him recording his song in the studio in front of the orchestra while romantic clips from Disney films are playing. There are scenes when’s he's standing in front of a background in a Disney film, but you can tell he's in front of a screen. The montage of clips from Disney films are edited together so nicely that it's just touching. There's also a bit of dancing in the video. When they show clips of the Disney Prince and Princess dancing together, you see a live young couple dressed up dancing together. The choreography is nice and the background design is pretty.
Michael Bolton did a powerful job covering the song and the video is very romantic, as well as bringing that Disney spirit.
RATING 5/5
THE ENDING OF THE VIDEO
The flying song sheet goes back into the vault; the magic ends ;and the room where the vault has been turned into a garden ending with a jazzy instrumental of "When You Wish Upon A Star". What a wonderful ending.
RATING 5/5
CONCLUSION
Some of the videos do fail and some of them work.
The videos that completely bombed
"WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?" RAPPED BY LL COOL J
"THE SIAMESE CAT SONG" SUNG BY BOBBY MCFERRIN
The videos that did a great cover on the song, but didn't have a good video representing the song.
"I'VE GOT NO STRINGS" SUNG BY THE GIPSY KINGS
"THE BARE NECESSITIES" SUNG BY HARRY CONNICK JR
"KISS THE GIRL" SUNG BY SOUL 2 SOUL
The best videos that did great on both sides of the coin
"WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR" SUNG BY BILLY JOEL
"ZIP A DEE DOH DAH" SUNG BY RIC OCAESEK
"A DREAM IS A WISH" SUNG BY MICHAEL BOLTON
It's defiantly better then that B.S. Disney Mania series and I wish they would release it on DVD someday.
"WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR" SUNG BY BILLY JOEL
"When you wish upon a star" is Disney's theme song that came from the film "Pinocchio" sung by that loving cricket, Jiminy Cricket. It's a timeless heart warming tune that'll be around forever.
The artist who covers the song is Billy Joel, who has written great songs such as "Still Rock N Roll To Me", "Uptown Girl" and the classic song "Piano Man". He had worked with Disney before, by writing and singing the song "Why Should I Worry" in "Oliver and Company", while also serving as the voice of Dodger. He's a great artist but does he due justice to the song he's covering?
Well as the song opens, he puts a new opening into the song that I thought was cleaver. The opening lyrics is "When a star is born, they receive a gift or two. One of them is this, they have the power to make a dream come true"; and then he starts singing the original lyrics. The song uses a jazzy tune that makes the song just as powerful as the original. The jazzy piano playing and trumpet solo always haunts me every time I hear this song; and Billy Joel puts a lot of energy and heart in his singing and as a result makes the song the greatest Disney cover song in Disney music history.
The video takes place in an animation studio as we see animator Sam Cornell see a drawing of Billy Joel come to life and show us classic scenes from Disney films. The animated Billy Joel looks beautifully drawn and can be very life like at points. The scenes when he’s walking around scenes from Disney films actually look like he's there. The montages of the scenes from Disney are wonderfully edited together and the scene when he's flying out of the paper is really impressive. I also love the designs they created to give the video it's being an animator feel. In fact, when I watch the video with the song, I feel like the message Billy Joel is trying to give in this video is "The animators are the huge reason why the Disney films are so important and the reason why they do this job is because they have a dream to create all this and see it come alive. Don't just wish upon a star; make your dream happen like this guy (The Animator)".
It’s a wonderful Music Video and the greatest cover on the song ever.
RATING 5/5
"ZIP A DEE DO DAH" SUNG BY RIC OCAESEK
"Zip A Dee Doh Dah" is another one of Disney's catchiest and timeless songs that's not just one of Disney's best songs but also won the Oscar for "Best Song".
Ric Ocasek from the band "The Cars" sings a cover on this timeless song. Is it as amazing as Billy Joel's cover on "When you wish upon a Star" or is it a failed attempt?
Ric Ocasek turns this timeless melody into a modern rock tune and does it work? It actually does, it doesn't just sound like a modern rock version of the song, it also brings the same magical, relaxing feeling as the original. Ric Ocasek singing is great; the back up vocals is nice; and the guitar riff is cool. The only problem I have with the cover is the background sounds. Some of it has its "Wonderful Day" feel but most of them have a very surreal feel. If you watch the video those sounds match the atmosphere of the video but if you listen to it without the video it feels out of place.
The video is basically just Ric Ocasek singing and walking into scenes from Disney films (Mostly scenes from "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Pastoral Symphony" from "Fantasia"). The special effects just like Billy Joel's music video are outstanding. I really feel like Ric Ocasek's walking around in these scenes singing to the characters he sees. It not just that one of effect, they also uses many different kinds of special such as putting his face on various animated characters; duplicating himself; throwing in added props, and they all work.
It's a very surreal video but everything works. The special effects are great; the cover of the song is rockin; it’s seriously just as amazing as Billy Joel's music video.
RATING 5/5
"WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?" RAPPED BY LL COOL J
Disney's "The Three Little Pigs" cartoon. A cute cartoon with cute characters; a scary but comedic villain; a story that never gets old; and a song that's as catchy as "Zip A Dee Do Dah".
LL Cool J raps out the story with this memorable tune. Remember when I talked about artists ruining Disney songs with covers, this is one of them. I like LL Cool J but this cover on the song and retelling of the story has to be one of the worst versions ever.
His rapping is so fast that it's hard to understand the story; in fact, he never even finishes the story. The back up vocals for the lyric "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?" sounded cool at first but then got so annoying that I wanted to shout "STOP YOU'RE DESTROYING A GREAT SON!". The beat started out nice but then got completely out of tune. The music video felt so rushed and fast paced that it's nothing but break dancing; neon lights; and sexy singing girls, as LL Cool J is posing in every shot. There’s nothing in it that feels as Disney-ish as the last two videos. The only part of the video I liked was the transition to it. It's night time, then the sun comes up in New York City (From "Oliver and Company") and we go to a low part of the city and everything’s in black and white to show how low this part of the city is and the music video itself.
What can I say; it’s a worst cover on a cute song and is a very boring video, that lacks the Disney magic.
RATING 1/5
"I'VE GOT NO STRINGS" SUNG BY THE GIPSY KINGS
"I've got no strings" is Pinocchio's trade mark song that can only be sung by the puppet himself Pinocchio.
A Spanish band called "The Gipsy Kings" decided it was time to push Pinocchio out of the way and make the song there's. Do they succeed?
The song is sung in Spanish but it's still very catchy. The rhythm is great; the guitar playing brings it's Spanish feel; and it is sung in nice harmony. The video is just full of animation of Spanish people dancing as the band plays. While it started out nice, it then became so boring that I wanted to stop the video thinking that "I have seen enough".
It’s an interesting video and a good cover; but it all gets boring fast. Pinocchio it still is and always will be your song.
RATING 2/5
"THE BARE NECESSITIES" SUNG BY HARRY CONNICK JR
"The Bare Necessities" the catchiest song to come out of "The Jungle Book" on top of "I Wanna Be Like You".
Modern day swing singer Harry Connick Jr. decides to do a cover on the song. Will this be a good Disney cover like Joel and Ocasek or will it fail like LL Cool J's and The Gipsy Kings?
Harry Connick Jr. makes this song his own but still keeps it true to the original. He mostly uses the same lyrics and the same tune, but puts more swing and jazz into it than the original. This is the best cover of the song I have ever heard and is actually catchier than the original. As a kid I sang "The Bare Necessities" in the tune of Connick Jrs. version than the Baloo and Mowgli version; and you know what, I still do. I mean his singing brings back the swing of the old days; the horns playing in this song are unforgettable; and it gets better every time I hear it.
The music video however, I don't see the connection to the song. It starts out with a party in his mansion but then the Repo Company comes in and takes everything away including his guests. What does this have to do with the song? The only special effects they use in this video are floating bubbles but the effects for them are so cheap that it looks out of place. Harry Connick Jr. throughout the video also looks like he's just posing for the camera instead of singing; in fact, he actually does pose for a brief second towards the end of the video.
The cover is swingin' but the video’s dumb, but with that said, I still found it fun to watch.
RATING 3/5
"THE SIAMESE CAT SONG" SUNG BY BOBBY MCFERRIN
"The Siamese cat song" is the villain song in "Lady and the Tramp". A catchy song even if the design for the cats does look like an Asian stereotype.
Bobby Mcferrin, the guy who told us to "Don't Worry, Be Happy" does a cover on this villain song but sadly fails.
When I hear the song, odd and surreal images are going through my head and the last thing that I think about while hearing it is cats. In fact, the music video is nothing but surreal images and not a single cat is shown. What really give me the creeps about the video are the two separate hands conducting the song, they look really creepy. The special effects for the surreal images are good but to be honest they're really boring.
This is sadly a Music Video that just depends on special effects, than the song that the artist is singing, and really everything about this video is boring. The cover is boring and the visuals are boring.
RATING 1/5
"KISS THE GIRL" SUNG BY SOUL 2 SOUL
"Kiss the girl", a very romantic song and is beautifully written and composed.
Soul 2 Soul did a cover on this song. I hope it still has it's romantic feel.
Soul 2 Soul took away the romance from the song and popped it up. Like most pop covers on Disney songs, they stink and never work. To my surprise this cover actually worked. It's not good, I mean it's missing the romance but it's not bad. The music’s catchy; the harmony's ok; and the singing's nice.
The music video takes place on a small Island and under the sea showing under water scenes from Disney films. The montage of those clips are good especially when you see it through a "View Master", however the scenes when they're in a scene from a Disney film looks like they're in front of a green screen than being actually in the scene. Also the background vocalists coming out of water look just as cheap as the bubbles in Harry Connick Jrs. music video. The lead singer just like most artists in this video looks like she's posing for her looks and beauty. The only part of the video I thought was kind of cool aside from the montages is seeing the musician on the Island change instruments.
While not a good video, it’s not bad either; it’s ok, leaving me with mixed feelings. There’s no romance but the song is still catchy; the effects are cheap, but they’re not horrible either.
RATING 3/5
"A DREAM IS A WISH" SUNG BY MICHAEL BOLTON
"A Dream is a wish" is the most powerful song in "Cinderella" that has a very true meaning.
Michael Bolton ends the video by singing a cover on this beautiful song. Will he put as much heart as Cinderella did?
I'm not crazy about Michael Bolton even though I like his voice, but this is a song I get emotional towards when ever I hear it. His singing in this song is so powerful that it really makes the message stand out. The song also has an orchestra to bring its romantic feel. The music video is nothing spectacular; it's just basically seeing him recording his song in the studio in front of the orchestra while romantic clips from Disney films are playing. There are scenes when’s he's standing in front of a background in a Disney film, but you can tell he's in front of a screen. The montage of clips from Disney films are edited together so nicely that it's just touching. There's also a bit of dancing in the video. When they show clips of the Disney Prince and Princess dancing together, you see a live young couple dressed up dancing together. The choreography is nice and the background design is pretty.
Michael Bolton did a powerful job covering the song and the video is very romantic, as well as bringing that Disney spirit.
RATING 5/5
THE ENDING OF THE VIDEO
The flying song sheet goes back into the vault; the magic ends ;and the room where the vault has been turned into a garden ending with a jazzy instrumental of "When You Wish Upon A Star". What a wonderful ending.
RATING 5/5
CONCLUSION
Some of the videos do fail and some of them work.
The videos that completely bombed
"WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD WOLF?" RAPPED BY LL COOL J
"THE SIAMESE CAT SONG" SUNG BY BOBBY MCFERRIN
The videos that did a great cover on the song, but didn't have a good video representing the song.
"I'VE GOT NO STRINGS" SUNG BY THE GIPSY KINGS
"THE BARE NECESSITIES" SUNG BY HARRY CONNICK JR
"KISS THE GIRL" SUNG BY SOUL 2 SOUL
The best videos that did great on both sides of the coin
"WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR" SUNG BY BILLY JOEL
"ZIP A DEE DOH DAH" SUNG BY RIC OCAESEK
"A DREAM IS A WISH" SUNG BY MICHAEL BOLTON
It's defiantly better then that B.S. Disney Mania series and I wish they would release it on DVD someday.
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