Summary

• The 'I Want' song is an essential part of classic animated musicals, expressing the lead character's motivation and desires.
• Disney movies have popularized the 'I Want' song trope, and their films have a collection of catchy and meaningful examples.
• Each 'I Want' song mentioned in the article is unique and showcases the character's frustrations, dreams, and longing for something more.

An essential piece of the classic animated musical formula is the 'I Want' song. Simply put, this is a tune that spells out the lead character's motivation, needs and desires, so that you know in no uncertain terms what the end goal of the story is. Love? Acceptance? Cash?

Whatever it may be, it's an efficient, reliable and usually catchy way of getting some exposition across. Given that Disney basically codified this trope in the '90s with its Renaissance films, it's no surprise its movies have an ample arsenal of great 'I Want' songs. Here's a look at some toe-tapping examples.

Updated November 19, 2023 by Bobby Mills: 2023 has been the centennial celebration for Disney, and it's culminating with the release of Wish, which aims to act as an origin story for many of the tropes we've come to love in other classics from the studio. As you'd therefore expect, it has an 'I Want' song, and a pretty marvelous one, at that, so it deserves a detailed spot on our list. Keep dreaming, readers!

11 Reflection - Mulan 𝔍 ♐

"Who Is That Girl I See, Staring Straight Back At Me?"

Mulan isn't happy with her lot in life. A gentle and intelligent spirit, she'd rather spend her time playing checkers and tending to her ailing father than being tied down by marriage. Unfortunately, her village's tradition demands that she slap on some makeup and attend the matchmaker, which ends in disaster (and a good helping of scalding tea down her dress).

It's here that we get 'Reflection,' a brief but truly lovely ballad expressing her frustrations. Lea Salonga, Jasmine's prior singing voice, sings for Mulan – and it's hypnotic as she crescendos in a minor key. There's some haunting imagery with cracked mirrors too, symbolising how much Mulan feels trapped.

10 🅺 This W꧟ish - Wish

"I'm Past Dipping My Toes In, But I'm Not Past Diving In."

In the island kingdom of Rosas, people come from far and wide to settle because of the wishing system set up by its leader, King Magnifico. When each resident turns 18, they take part in a ceremony where they give up their heart's desire to Magnifico, who in turn grants one a month. It's like the most cosmic lottery ever conceived, but when plucky Asha interviews for the position of the king's apprentice, she discovers a terrible truth.

Magnifico is being incredibly selective about the wishes he grants, only opting for the ones that directly benefit his regime – and on top of that, he's erasing the peoples' memories of the wishes when they are made, keeping them compliant and dependent on him. Now Asha has to convince a populace rendered totally sedate of the king's true nature, and she turns to the heavens for support in 'This Wish.'

Ariana DeBose, who honed her singing craft in such films as West Side Story, makes this a total belter. Her vocals drip with trepidation as she warbles skyward, begging for interstellar assistance. It's the ever-popular "why won't anyone listen to me?!" anthem for a new generation, and is unique in that it's less about what Asha herself wants and more about desiring more freedom of thought for the people. A 'We Want' song, if you will.

9 Belle - Beauty And The Beast🌳

"Here She Comes, That Girl Is Strange But Special."

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken were (and still are, in Menken's case) an absolute force to be reckoned with in the House of Mouse. This duo produced some of the most iconic Disney songs ever written, and their work on Beauty and the Beast is especially exemplary. The film opens with 'Belle,' which is essentially an extended, albeit very polite, diss track about how our heroine doesn't fit in. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:She's book-smart and reserved in a town that's quite the opposite.

Then, in a genius twist, we get Belle's 'I Want' song, which is 'Belle' reprised from her own perspective. Suddenly, she's the sympathetic one. She doesn't want to marry the burly Gaston, nor remain in her provincial life; she's after "adventure in the great, wide, somewhere." Nice and specific there, Belle.

8 How Far I'll Go - Moana

"And It Seems Like It's Calling Out For Me, So Come Find Me."

Moana is unique among the Disney princess lineup, in that she's actually already attained that which many other heroines yearn for. She's got a complete family unit, the highest status possible in her village, an idyllic tropical home, and the respect of her peers. Her 'I Want' song, then, deals instead with her frustration at being unable to be satisfied with this.

"What is wrong with me?!" she belts out, looking out over the ocean, which has mesmerised and beckoned her for years. Actress Auli'i Cravalho sells Moana's inner conflict, and Lin-Manuel Miranda's lyrics are deliciously intricate.

7 Into the Unknown - Frozen 2 💎

"I've Had My Adventure, I Don't Need Something New."

Elsa's song in the follow-up to Frozen is actually very similar to Moana's. Like her Polynesian cousin, she's now the queen of her entire nation, has reconciled with her friends and family, and basically wants for nothing. Still, something deep inside of her just isn't content – and the fact she's being kept up at night by a distant siren call probably isn't helping.

Frozen 2 is an uneven film narratively, but Idina Menzel's vocals are anything but. She begins the song quietly, telling the voice to push off, then things build and build to an ecstatic climax, where she bursts outside and harmonises with it. Topped off with some sumptuous visuals, you've got a banger that doesn't quite match Let It Go, but is great in its own right.

6 ꦬ 🐼 Almost There - The Princess And The Frog

"Trials And Tribulations, I've Had My Share."

If Elsa and Moana represent higher society, Tiana is as far from that as it's possible to get. She's a young black woman in 1920s New Orleans, and the contrast between her humble home and her friend Charlotte's elegant mansion is striking. She's had to deal with poverty and prejudice in the face of her dream: to be a large-scale business owner. Specifically, she'd like to run a lavish restaurant in her father's honour.

The opportunity appears to fall into her lap when Charlotte pays her big bucks to cater at an important gala she's holding, and we get 'Almost There,' where she explains to her mother how the place will look. Randy Newman's requisite jazz instruments give this one some real punch. The animation shifts into a stunning sketchbook style, and it's impossible to overstate Anika Rose's vocal chops.

5 🐽 Waiting On A Miracle - Encanto 𝔍

"Can't Keep Down The Unspoken, Invisible Pain."

Young Mirabel Madrigal is the only member of her family to not receive a magical gift imbued upon her other relatives by a miracle born of her grandmother's grief. Surrounded by the exceptional, it's very easy to feel un-ceptional – and despite Mirabel's attempts to make herself useful, everyone else just seems to treat her like a nuisance.

While all other songs in the film are upbeat and rapid, Mirabel's solo number 'Waiting On A Miracle' is purposefully written in 'waltz time,' or 3/4, to highlight how out of step she feels with her family. Stephanie Beatriz, who was in labor at the time of recording, delivers some raw and heartwrenching vocals. It's the point in the film where everything begins to click emotionally, making Encanto a modern classic.

4 I Just Can't Wait To Be King - The Lion King

"It's Gonna Be King Simba's Finest Fling."

While most 'I Want' songs tend to be slow, emotional ballads, 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King' takes the complete opposite approach. It's fun, bouncy, and resistance to it is futile. In the song, lion cub Simba spells out exactly how he'll run the kingdom when he assumes control one day, and it's every bit as immature and spontaneous as you'd expect.

Nobody saying "do this" or "be there" seems to be his main policies, as are "being free to run around all day" and "doing everything my way." When you think about it, the song's quite dark; a perfectly valid alternate title is 'I Just Can't Wait for My Dad to Die.' Simba had better be careful with what he wishes for.

3 I Can Go The Distance - Hercules🦹 🐈

"I Know Every Mile Will Be Worth My While."

Mythological inaccuracies notwithstanding, Hercules is an excellent movie. It's also one of those rare cases where every single song on the soundtrack is an all-timer — there are zero duds. And one of the finest in the lineup is Herc's 'I Can Go The Distance.' Having just had the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:bombshell dropped on him that he's adopted, he decides to ꧟set off in search of his identity, and we get the first half of the song: timid, but hopeful.

It's only after the scene in the middle of the number, where Zeus reveals he's Herc's father and that the lad must earn his godhood, that things truly kick in. Herc finds his resolve and, soaring 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:across the sky on Pegasus; he 🦩reprises the first half, only now in rapturous, confident glory. Goosebumps, every time.

2 Out There - The Hunchback Of Notre Dame 🌃

"Just One Day And Then I'll Be Content With My Share."

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is one of the biggest unsung Disney masterpieces, easily near the top end of the Renaissance collection. It's dark, thematically sophisticated, expertly animated and voiced... and of course, its soundtrack is high-tier. Quasimodo's 'Out There,' in particular, is sublime.

Tom Hulce, of Amadeus fame, lends a charming shakiness to Quasi's vocals — a quivering quality that really sells his anxiety, borne of his deformed appearance and lifelong isolation. Especially if you subscribe to the theory that his irritating gargoyle friends are all in his head. As he acrobatically swings across the cathedral and the orchestra swells, you're firmly in the safe hands of Alan Menken once again.