Countdown the Top 25 Musical Scores to Current WDW Attractions!

[MousDad]

#1 – The Haunted Mansion, 95.522
Magic Kingdom, Composed by: Buddy Baker

#2 – Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, 94.750
Epcot, Composed by: Gavin Greenaway

#3 – Pirates of the Caribbean, 92.587
Magic Kingdom, Composed by: George Bruns

#4 – It’s a Small World, 92.533
Magic Kingdom, Arranged and orchestrated by: Buddy Baker

#5 – The American Adventure, 91.913
Epcot, Composed by: Buddy Baker

#6 – Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress, 90.793
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Richard and Robert Sherman

#7 – Soarin’, 90.457
Epcot, Composed by: Jerry Goldsmith

#8 – Spectromagic, 90.348
Magic Kingdom, Composed by: John Debney and Steve Skorija

#9 – Splash Mountain, 89.772
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: John Debney

#10 – Fantasmic!, 88.207
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed by: Bruce Healey

#11 – Wishes, 87.565
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Gregory Smith

#12 – Journey into Imagination with Figment, 87.065
Epcot, Composed by: Richard and Robert Sherman

#13 – Spaceship Earth, 86.250
Epcot, Composed by: Bruce Broughton

#14 – Space Mountain, 84.859
Magic Kingdom, Composed by: unknown

#15 – Impressions de France, 84.455
Epcot, Composed, compiled and arranged by: Buddy Baker

#16 – Finding Nemo – The Musical, 84.065
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Composed by: Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez

#17 – Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, 82.818
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

#18 – Peter Pan’s Flight, 82.659
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Richard and Robert Sherman

#19 – Star Tours, 82.435
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

#20 – Mickey’s Philharmagic, 81.826
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Gregory Prechel

#21 – Festival of the Lion King, 81.783
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Arranged by: Dan Stamper and Gordon Goodwin

#22 – Ellen’s Energy Adventure, 81.068
Epcot, Composed by: Bruce Broughton

#23 – Voyage of the Little Mermaid, 79.670
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Arranged by: unknown

#24 – The Hall of Presidents, 79.464
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Joel McNeely

#25 – Country Bear Jamboree, 78.967
Magic Kingdom, Composed by: Buddy Baker

Honorable Mention (#26-#30)

Fountain of Nations, 78.940
Epcot, Composed and arranged by: various (Debney, Horner, Yanni, McNeely, Tesh)

O Canada!, 78.602
Epcot, Composed and arranged by: Bruce Broughton

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, 77.262
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Arranged by: unknown

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, 77.130
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

The Great Movie Ride, 76.902
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: George Wilkins

 

[MousDad]

Welcome to the next countdown!

The countdown of the Top 25 WDW Attraction Songs of All Time was an interesting view of how the park songs from WDW rank when scored objectively according to specific criteria. You can view the results of the original song countdown here: http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showthread.php?t=464514

We are now extending a similar ranking system to the great musical scores of WDW. Since this is a much more massive body of work, this will be done in multiple parts.

In this thread, you will see revealed:

“The Top 25 Walt Disney World Musical Scores, Part 1: Musical Scores to Current Walt Disney World Attractions.”

Over the past few weeks, a list of 60 musical scores from current WDW attractions has been assembled, reviewed and scored by a panel, which consists of 25 wdwmagic members. The results have been compiled together and the 60 musical scores ranked according to their numerical scores. Over the next few days, the top 25 will be revealed in this thread.

To be eligible for these rankings, each entry must have been:

1. An original, or partially original musical score. Each musical score must have some original compositional element, such as original composition, an arrangement of a preexisting composition, a compilation of preexisting compositions, or any combination of the above. Scores that incorporate an original song(s) (with lyrics) were eligible, but were ranked on the compositional portion only (the song itself will not be judged, per se). Scores that contain preexisting works were judged on the arrangement and/or compilation only, not on the preexisting works themselves.

2. A musical score incorporated in a current Walt Disney World Attraction. Attractions were judged on their current/most recent version only. For this contest’s purposes, the composition judged was the complete musical score, or complete musical portion of a larger soundtrack, used for any ride, parade, nighttime show, or other show/attraction with a fixed venue, from start to finish of the actual attraction proper. Scores for attractions that vary (a different musical track plays on any given ride) were judged as a single collection. Music from a pre-show, load, unload, or post-show, that is closely associated with the attraction/story, was eligible.

General queue or area background music for an attraction, however, was not eligible. Musical scores that are delivered in the parks by live entertainment groups, but are not associated directly with an actual attraction or show, were not eligible. (The show must consist of additional production/attraction elements besides a musical performance.) Any general background, area or entrance music was not eligible. Musical scores from extinct attractions were not eligible for this contest.

The 60 musical scores were judged on each of the 4 following categories:

1. Composition: How well does the score stand on its own compositionally, in relation to the quality of the musical composition and/or arrangement?

2. Memorability: How does the music appeal in catchiness, hum-ability, and immediate and lasting impression on the audience?

3. Originality: How creative and original is the work, both in relation to the musical work itself (such as instrumentation, arrangement, timbre, etc.) and in relation to how the work is incorporated into elements of the attraction?

4. Spirit: How well does it support, embody, if not drive the spirit and theme of the attraction with which it is associated? Does it further embody the Disney spirit and/or loftier, positive ideals and emotions?

A total of 100 points was possible in each category for each song. The 4 scores for each song were averaged to give each song a composite score of 1-100. The composite scores from all the panelists were averaged to determine the final score and rankings.

The numerical scale that was used is as follows:

90-100 = Legendary
80-89 = Exceptional
70-79 = Very Good
60-69 = Good
50-59 = Average
40-49 = Mediocre
20-39 = Weak
0-19 = Poor

I would like to give sincere thanks to the following wdwmagic members who generously agreed to participate in this project, and seriously gave this a lot of time and thought. The illustrious panelists were:

Buried 20KLeague, Captain Hank, ComputerMagic, Disneyfan1981, DisneyMusician2, dxwwf3, EPCOT Explorer, EPCOTPluto, EpcotServo, hpyhnt 1000, imaginer boy, jakeman, Jasonflz, jmaxwell007, krankenstein, maggiegrace1, marni1971, Philharmagician, SirGoofy, SirNim, TubaGeek, WDWFigment, yankspy and yeti.

Disclaimers: This is not meant to be a definitive ranking, but rather a representative “experiment” of how musical works would be ranked objectively by a group of people according to certain criteria. Also, all composer credits are to the best of my research, but may not be entirely complete.

Enjoy the countdown, everybody! There are sure to be some surprises. Feel free to comment on the music, agree, disagree, and share your thoughts along the way. Here we go again …

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Ah, it's back!:sohappy:


An honor to always be a part of this....Can't wait to see what cones out on top! I found I graded MUCH harder this time around.

 

[MousDad]

#16 – Finding Nemo – The Musical, 84.065
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Composed by: Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez

#17 – Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, 82.818
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

#18 – Peter Pan’s Flight, 82.659
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Richard and Robert Sherman

#19 – Star Tours, 82.435
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

#20 – Mickey’s Philharmagic, 81.826
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Gregory Prechel

#21 – Festival of the Lion King, 81.783
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Arranged by: Dan Stamper and Gordon Goodwin

#22 – Ellen’s Energy Adventure, 81.068
Epcot, Composed by: Bruce Broughton

#23 – Voyage of the Little Mermaid, 79.670
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Arranged by: unknown

#24 – The Hall of Presidents, 79.464
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Joel McNeely

#25 – Country Bear Jamboree, 78.967
Magic Kingdom, Composed by: Buddy Baker


Honorable Mention (#26-#30)


Fountain of Nations, 78.940
Epcot, Composed and arranged by: various (Debney, Horner, Yanni, McNeely, Tesh)

O Canada!, 78.602
Epcot, Composed and arranged by: Bruce Broughton

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, 77.262
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Arranged by: unknown

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, 77.130
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

The Great Movie Ride, 76.902
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: George Wilkins

[next post: #11-15, 9/27/09]

 

[WDWFigment]

Ah, it's back!:sohappy:


An honor to always be a part of this....Can't wait to see what cones out on top! I found I graded MUCH harder this time around.

I found my rankings were somewhat polarized. I had a lot of scores in the 90-100 and also a lot of scores in the 40-60 range.

Can't wait to see what everyone else thought.

 

[krankenstein]

Sp happy to see this one go up!

I wish Ellen's Energy Adventure was a bit higher.

 

[DisneyNut2007]

Correction: George Bruns composed the CBJ's score, not Buddy Baker.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

#16 – Finding Nemo – The Musical, 84.065
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Composed by: Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez

#17 – Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, 82.818
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

#18 – Peter Pan’s Flight, 82.659
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Richard and Robert Sherman

#19 – Star Tours, 82.435
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

#20 – Mickey’s Philharmagic, 81.826
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Gregory Prechel

#21 – Festival of the Lion King, 81.783
Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Arranged by: Dan Stamper and Gordon Goodwin

#22 – Ellen’s Energy Adventure, 81.068
Epcot, Composed by: Bruce Broughton

#23 – Voyage of the Little Mermaid, 79.670
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Arranged by: unknown

#24 – The Hall of Presidents, 79.464
Magic Kingdom, Composed and arranged by: Joel McNeely

#25 – Country Bear Jamboree, 78.967
Magic Kingdom, Composed by: Buddy Baker

Honorable Mention (#26-#30)

Fountain of Nations, 78.940
Epcot, Composed and arranged by: various (Debney, Horner, Yanni, McNeely, Tesh)

O Canada!, 78.602
Epcot, Composed and arranged by: Bruce Broughton

Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, 77.262
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Arranged by: unknown

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, 77.130
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: Richard Bellis

The Great Movie Ride, 76.902
Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Composed and arranged by: George Wilkins


[next post: #11-15, 9/27/2009]

Looks about right, so far. Would have liked to see UoE, higher, though....

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

Sp happy to see this one go up!

I wish Ellen's Energy Adventure was a bit higher.

Same. :lol:


I was happy to see that CBJ made it though.

I found my rankings were somewhat polarized. I had a lot of scores in the 90-100 and also a lot of scores in the 40-60 range.

Can't wait to see what everyone else thought.

Yeah, either I liked it, or I didn't.


I did put something in the 20-30's though.:lookaroun

 

[Captain Hank]

I'm surprised Hall of Presidents didn't make it higher--the new score is impressive.

Thanks again for letting me be a part of this! :wave:

 

[WDWFigment]

I'm surprised Hall of Presidents didn't make it higher--the new score is impressive.

Thanks again for letting me be a part of this! :wave:

I am more surprised that Fountain of Nations didn't fare better. I don't think I ranked Hall of Presidents or Universe of Energy too well. While they have good scores, the 'memorability' factor isn't there for me.

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I'm surprised Hall of Presidents didn't make it higher--the new score is impressive.

Thanks again for letting me be a part of this! :wave:

I need to download it...I honestly don't remember it.

I am more surprised that Fountain of Nations didn't fare better. I don't think I ranked Hall of Presidents or Universe of Energy too well. While they have good scores, the 'memorability' factor isn't there for me.

UoE stick in my head ALL the time.:lol:

 

[maggiegrace1]

I had fun doing this....Thanks for asking me..
I also had 90's 100's or 40-50's..but I think one or two was really low.

Looking forward to seeing how everything ranks..

 

[dxwwf3]

At least O' Canada placed on an honorable mention

 

[krankenstein]

UoE stick in my head ALL the time.:lol:

That and HISA are always in my head. :lol:

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

That and HISA are always in my head. :lol:

:lol: Never had HISTA in there.

Yesterday was the SSE theme. Seriously...ALL DAY.:brick::lol:

 

[SirGoofy]

Glad to see CBJ made it in there.

I'm kinda surprised IJESS didn't.

 

[krankenstein]

I'm kinda surprised IJESS didn't.

I dinged that (and most of the stage shows) b/c it doesn't have original music. Most of it is recycled from the different films they are associated with.

 

[SirGoofy]

I dinged that (and most of the stage shows) b/c it doesn't have original music. Most of it is recycled from the different films they are associated with.

By that logic all the Disney song attractions shouldn't be in it.:shrug:

 

[krankenstein]

By that logic all the Disney song attractions shouldn't be in it.:shrug:

Yep, pretty much dinged all of them too. :shrug: :lol: