WARNING: Spoilers for Walt Disney and DreamWorks animated films

I love film music. There is something so soothing and paradoxically energizing about listening to the beautiful score of a great movie. I love analyzing what instruments are used in the music, hearing the different vocal parts of the choruses. I feel like I'm part of the music-making. I'm thrumming my fingers on the drums. I'm sliding my bow across the violin. I'm lifting my voice along with the choir. There are so many beautiful soundtracks that grace the film industry, but I want to share my top 10 favorite soundtracks from animated films. Animated movies have among the most amazing soundtracks ever - especially Walt Disney films. I, for one, love jamming out to the vibrant and heart-felt Disney songs that have filled my whole life. Here are ten of my favorite animated film soundtracks - maybe some of your favorites are on this list too.

10. "Brave" (Score by Patrick Doyle)

Brave is definitely one of my favorite Pixar-Disney movies, not only for the plot and characters but also for the music. Patrick Doyle did a wonderful job incorporating Scottish themes into the music to tell Merida's story. He used instruments such as bagpipes, fiddle, Celtic harps, flutes, and the bodhrán (an Irish frame drum). While the movie is not a musical - Merida is the only official Disney Princess to not sing in her film - there are a few songs that are very beautifully expressed. The only song sung by a character in the film is by Queen Elinor (voiced by Emma Thompson) - "A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal (Noble Maiden Fair)" - a sweet lullaby is sung to comfort young Merida. Julie Fowlis sang "Touch the Sky" to express Merida's free-spirited nature and "Into the Open Air," to reflect her relationship with Elinor.

9. "Mulan" (Score by Jerry Goldsmith; Songs by Matthew Wilder and David Zippel)

The intense story of Mulan joining the Chinese army as a man and saving China from the Huns is significantly enhanced with the music. Jerry Goldsmith scores the background music, using oriental elements to create a mix of classical and Chinese sounds in the music. One of my favorite background pieces from Mulan is "Short Hair," played during the scene where Mulan cuts her hair and changes into her father's armor (look it up on YouTube, it's intense). There is an elegance and richness in the music that reflects Mulan's growing dignity as she finds her identity as the hero of China. And Goldsmith was nominated for an Academy Award for Mulan's score - well-deserved recognition of great music. Of course, the songs of the movie are very popular - especially the melodic "Reflection" sung by Lea Salonga of Mulan's desperation to discover herself and the intense "I'll Make a Man Out of You" (one of my favorite Disney songs). Matthew Wilder and David Zippel wrote masterful songs that eloquently portray Mulan's strength of character, creating one of the best Disney characters (in my opinion).

8. "Aladdin" (Score by Alan Menken; Songs by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice)

Alan Menken is the creator of several popular Disney scores, Aladdin being one of them. What I love about Aladdin's music is that there is an infusion of Arabic and Western sounds to create a melodic masterpiece. The use of the orchestras swelling into a passionate melody of the theme music ("A Whole New World") really brings the essence of the film into light - Aladdin's love for the beautiful Princess Jasmine. The music used to signal Jafar's reign is appropriately dark and sinister. Menken also wrote the music for the famous songs of the film, along with Howard Ashman and Tim Rice (who took over the lyrics after Ashman's death). "A Whole New World", sung by Lea Salonga and Brad Kane, is among the most famous Disney songs; it tells of Jasmine's excitement at seeing the world beyond the palace walls and of her and Aladdin's feelings for each other. Of course Robin William's renditions of "A Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali" as the Genie (arguably one of the most popular and memorable characters of Disney history, thanks to Williams' genius behind the microphone) are creatively spunky and humorous and are also incredibly fun to jam out to, if I may add. Both the score and the song "A Whole New World" won Academy Awards (among other nominations), and "A Whole New World" is the only Disney song to win the Grammy Award for Song of the Year so far.

7. "The Little Mermaid"(Score by Alan Menken; Songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman)

The Little Mermaid is another of Menken's popular musical creations; the score is definitely more classical than Aladdin's, creating the imagery of a beautiful and majestic underwater kingdom. The "Main Titles", played at the introduction of the film, definitely brings this image to my mind. Alan Menken has a mastery of bringing the cultural and imaginative themes of the film into the music. And the songs are to be treasured too. I've always loved singing "Part of Your World" ever since I was a kid and for some reason, my mother loves singing "Under the Sea" with me. Probably because it's such a catchy song and just SO fun to sing. And "Poor Unfortunate Souls" is one of the most chilling songs sung by a Disney villain. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman are able to bring the characters' personalities through the songs and sway the audience's emotions through captivating melodies and catchy lyrics. Like Aladdin, The Little Mermaid won two Academy Awards for the score and for the original song "Under the Sea".

6. "Pocahontas" (Score by Alan Menken; Songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz)

Alan Menken is clearly rocking my list. I could never leave Pocahontas out. The scoring is absolutely remarkable, with the sounds of Native American melodies and English sea shanties infused into the music. Having sung in a choir, I love the background choral voices used especially in "Farewell" (again, look up on YouTube). The songs are classic as well, especially the Academy-Award winning "Colors of the Wind" which is essentially the heart and soul of the film. Stephen Schwartz did a lot of research on the setting of the film - 17th century Jamestown, Virginia and was influenced by Native American music while writing the lyrics. The songs add magic to Pocahontas' story; even though the Disney version is as far as could possibly be from the true story (John Smith was much, much older than Pocahontas and they did not have a romantic relationship of any sort), the film is quite a classic especially for the music songs that enrich what was a fantasized story by itself. Menken and Schwartz took home two Academy Awards for best score and best song.

5. "Tarzan" (Score by Mark Mancina; Songs by Phil Collins)

The heart of Tarzan's music comes from Phil Collins' amazing talent. I think he's the reason Tarzan is an awesome Disney movie (although the characters were interesting and the plot was engaging). Mark Mancina composed the instrumental score for the film and he worked very closely with Phil Collins to apply the music appropriately to the movie. One of my favorite instrumental pieces is "A Wondrous Place" - it is such a soothing piece. The richest and most wonderful element of the film is in the song "You'll Be in My Heart." The song reflects the mother gorilla Kala's determination to love and protect the human baby Tarzan, but it can honestly be applied to almost every relationship. It is my favorite Disney song, to be honest, and one of my favorite songs I have ever performed. Like Brave, Tarzan is not a musical. Phil Collins recorded the songs himself; the only two songs that had characters singing were "You'll Be in My Heart" (partly sung by Glenn Close, who played Kala. Collins sang most of it) and "Trashin' the Camp" (sung by Rosie O'Donnell, the voice of Terk). Phil Collins won an Oscar for "You'll Be in My Heart" - the Academy definitely got that one right.

4. "The Prince of Egypt"(Score by Hans Zimmer, Songs by Stephen Schwartz)

Finally an animated film not from Disney. The Prince of Egypt is from DreamWorks and I believe it is one of the best-animated movies out there. This movie's songs shaped my childhood as clearly as any Disney film did - if not more so. The score - amazing. Hans Zimmer is a superb composer. The use of Israeli and Egyptian sounds in the music made the story so much more alive. Ofra Haza, an Israeli singer, provided the background singing for a couple of the instrumental pieces, as well as the singing voice of Moses' mother. I think "The Burning Bush" is one of the more powerful instrumental pieces on the soundtrack; in this scene, Moses meets God in the burning bush, who commands him to tell the Pharaoh of Egypt to free the Israelites. The songs were written by Stephen Schwartz (who also did Pocahontas) and were soulful, uplifting, and beautiful. "When You Believe" (the essence of the movie) is without a doubt absolutely my favorite. The film version was incredibly meaningful with Michelle Pfeiffer's and Sally Dworsky's beautiful vocals enchanting my ears, and the swelling of the chorus was so powerful and majestic that I can feel the chills just thinking about it. The score and "When You Believe" were each nominated for an Oscar, the latter of which very fittingly won.

3. "Beauty and the Beast" (Score by Alan Menken; Songs by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman)

If you thought Alan Menken wouldn't make another appearance on this list, you thought wrong. Beauty and the Beast is my favorite of Menken's musical soundtracks. The classical/opera-style music brings to mind the images of a beautiful gothic castle surrounded by a beautiful forest - all cursed by a prince's rotten heart. Menken brings out the beauty of Belle's and the Beast's romance and the intensity of the Beast's rage. The songs are wonderful - especially the title song, the romantic ballad "Beauty and the Beast" sung by Angela Lansbury as the Beast and Belle dance for the first time in the beautiful golden ballroom. Apparently, Lansbury nailed the song in one take, reducing everyone in the studio to tears. "Be Our Guest" is another popular song - definitely fun to sing and dance along with! And I've always though that "The Mob Song" perfectly displayed how a mob mentality can be very dangerous, especially when weak-minded people are overpowered and controlled. Howard Ashman died before the film was released and at the end of the film credits is a tribute: "To our friend, Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice, and a beast his soul. We will be forever grateful. Howard Ashman: 1950–1991." A beautiful and sad tribute to a talented lyricist. Beauty and the Beast won two Academy Awards for best score and best song "Beauty and the Beast" out of six nominations.

2. "How to Train Your Dragon" and "How to Train Your Dragon 2" (Score by John Powell)

Here are two more DreamWorks films! Less popular than Shrek or Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon and its sequel are among my favorite animated movies ever. Mostly because of the music, which is absolutely gorgeous. John Powell composed the score and used bombastic brass with loud percussion and soothing strings to create the effect of living in the Viking world. He also used Scottish and Irish tones with instruments like the penny whistle and the bagpipes. My favorites from the How to Train Your Dragon score are "Forbidden Friendship" when the dragon Toothless bonds with Hiccup and "Test Drive" when Hiccup flies on Toothless for the first time (look them up on YouTube, you won't regret it). The sequel's score uses ethnic instruments such as the Celtic harp and bagpipes and was recorded with 120 musicians and a 100-voice choir. My favorite is "Stoick's Ship", played while Hiccup watches his father's burial ship sail away from him. There is so much emotion behind the piece as the choir's voices swell into the Celtic melody Stoick sang for his wife. I am not one to get sentimental over death scenes, but what moved me about this scene was how the music accentuated Hiccup's grief. How to Train Your Dragon was nominated for an Academy Award for best score; while I believe it should have won, at least it had the recognition of being a great score.

And finally....

1. "The Lion King" (Score by Hans Zimmer, Songs by Elton John and Tim Rice)

My all-time favorite score ever, which belongs to one of the most critically acclaimed Disney films of all history. Hans Zimmer does a spectacular job incorporating African music and choir into the score with the help of Lebo M (who sang the chanting at the beginning of "Circle of Life"). The music during Mufasa's death is absolutely heart-wrenching combined with little Simba's tears (one of the saddest on-screen deaths of film history). Two of my personal favorites are the tracks played during Simba's encounter with the ghost-Mufasa and during the very end when Simba becomes king. And the songs - basically the reason this movie was amazing. First of all, listen to "Circle of Life" through some high-quality speakers and you'll feel like you're the one being lifted up by Rafiki over Pride Rock. And "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" is my #1 jam. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is among the best Disney love songs ever and "Hakuna Matata" just captures my heart and soul (my friend and I awkwardly started singing this song during history class freshman year of high school and we performed it in public two years later as a throwback to our awkward freshman lives). With Elton John behind the songs, it's not much of a surprise that they were so good. The Lion King won two Academy Awards for the score and for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight".

Again, this is my personal favorites list - not the official list of top 10 best-animated film soundtracks ever. If you've never heard some of these soundtracks, I recommend that you check them out! Especially if you are a musician like me...for all music and movie lovers, these film scores are fantastic.