‘Disneymania 5’ a worthy effort

By Carolyn Brewer
George Washington High School

“Disneymania 5” is the latest in the Disneymania series, featuring “music stars sing Disney...their way!” All songs are rated on a scale of one to four Mickeys, with one being just OK and four being amazing.

“Part of Your World” (“The Little Mermaid”) ºoº: “Hannah Montana’s” Miley Cyrus is the third singer to perform the song, following Jessica Simpson and Skye Sweetnam. Her version is very fast paced and has a rock sound to it, which comes off as Cyrus hurrying to be done with the song.

“Two Worlds” (“Tarzan”) ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº: Corbin Bleu (“High School Musical,” “Jump In!”) covers this song for the first time in the Disneymania series. Bleu’s version is about the same pace as the actual song, and he has a smooth and excellent singing voice.

“So This is Love” (“Cinderella”) ºoº ºoº ºoº: Another first-time song, this is by The Cheetah Girls. Their version has a faster tempo than the movie’s version, and in the middle of the song, one of the Girls starts singing in Spanish. I like how they pull the song off.

“I Wan’na Be Like You” (“The Jungle Book”) ºoº: The Jonas Brothers really rock out, but I was unmoved by their performance. The refrain was the best part because the verses had a harsh, rough sound that I didn’t like.

“When She Loved Me” (“Toy Story 2”) ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº: Jordan Pruitt does a really outstanding job here. The song is a good one to cry to, and Pruitt’s slow, soulful voice carries the strength and beauty of it.

“Kiss the Girl” (“The Little Mermaid”) ºoº ºoº: Another oft-repeated song, Ashley Tisdale (“High School Musical,” “The Suite Life of Zach & Cody”) covers it here. Tisdale’s version is the most rockin’, but I preferred the soft, sweet sounds of the verses over the refrain where Tisdale has a rougher tone to be heard over the heavy guitar and musical accompaniment.

“The Second Star to the Right” (“Peter Pan”) ºoº: T-Squad fills the beginning and middle of the song with unnecessary commentary such as “We got Mickey” or “We got so-and-so,” marring one of my favorite Disney songs. The song is upbeat, and the singing is pretty good, but I still prefer Jesse McCartney’s version from an earlier volume.

“Cruella De Vil” (“101 Dalmatians”) ºoº ºoº: Hayden Panettiere (“Heroes”) has a good voice, and this version has a better tempo than the last Disneymania effort, but the song didn’t need to quote the movie’s Roger repeatedly nor did it need background singers singing “Cruella” throughout the entire song.

“Colors of the Wind” (“Pocahontas”) ºoº ºoº ºoº: Though it’s been done twice before, “High School Musical’s” Vanessa Hudgens’ version is the only one to start with “You think I’m an ignorant savage...” like Pocahontas does in the movie. When Hudgens sings with the background singers, the sound is really nice.

“Go the Distance” (“Hercules”) ºoº ºoº ºoº ºoº: “High School Musical’s” Lucas Grabeel sings superbly here. His version increases the original’s tempo, making it a catchy tune that compels the listener to bust a move. And after five repeat songs in a row, this first-timer - my favorite song on the CD — is a breath of fresh air.

“Siamese Cat Song” (“Lady and the Tramp”): B5’s version is better than when the Duff Sisters did it, but I still don’t like it. The only good version is the one on the movie soundtrack. I give it zero Mickey’s because I cannot stand this song at all.

“Reflections” (“Mulan”) ºoº ºoº ºoº: Everlife had a tough act to follow on this one. It was first done by Christina Aguilera on the first Disneymania CD, and a remix of Aguilera’s version was also done. Everlife’s version is similar in tempo to the remix , but given a choice, I’d chose Aguilera’s original slower-tempo version.

“Let’s Get Together” (“The Parent Trap”) ºoº: The Go-Gos do this song, and compared to the original, performed by Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands, theirs is more of a dance song. However, I prefer the original.

“True to Your Heart” (“Mulan”) ºoº ºoº ºoº: Keke Palmer’s version of this song has a lot of rhythm, making it a great song to dance to. Plus, Palmer has a good voice, surpassing Raven’s version of the song.

“Find Yourself” (“Cars”) ºoº ºoº: I had never heard this song, performed by Drew Seeley, prior to this CD. It’s well done, but it seems out of place because it is so new. (“Cars” just came out last summer.) If you haven’t heard the “Cars” soundtrack, you may be like me and have no idea where this song is from.

Overall, this latest Disneymania CD is very good. But one thing Disney could do to make future editions better is dig deeper into their musical archives and pull out songs that have yet to be used, like “Why Should I Worry?” from “Oliver & Company” and “I Got No Strings” from “Pinocchio.”