Disney Music

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra teams up with a host of celebrities for Disney Goes Classical, a brand new album evoking the colour, emotion and pure joy of Disney music on a whole new scale, writes Nick Benson.

Anyone who appreciates the iconic film scores of John Williams will be transported when Gustavo leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in this emblematic sampling of Williams’ unforgettable themes, augmented by a selection of film clips.

The Legacy Collection plunders the deepest depths of the Disney sound archive to collect, with unprecedented completeness, the audio histories of 11 classic animated films from each era of the Disney Studios, from Lady and the Tramp and Aristocats to Little Mermaid and the Lion King to Toy Story and Wreck-It Ralph, with one more CD devoted just to Disneyland. Each disc contains the full score of a film from opening to closing credits, unreleased rarities, and bonus material. Then there's the books.

While the Disney name is more commonly known for its animation, theme parks and countless other attributes, it has produced more than its fair share of popular culture anthems for the past century via its movies, animated shorts and TV specials. And though the marriage of music with the other projects is symbiotic, Disney's soundtracks have always been able to stand alone and remain instantly recognizable to anyone who has grown up with exposure to the Disney brand, a testament to the musicians, songwriters and arrangers that quietly stood in the background for decades while making timeless music. So with nearly a half century behind it, Disney's first theme park, Disneyland, was due for an anthology capturing the essence of visiting the park without actually being there. Collected over six discs, there are field recordings, rare radio excerpts, and soundtracks to the major attractions.