When people talk about Disney songs, many often think of the songs princesses sing to express their inner desires. This song category was officially termed “I Want Song” during the Disney Renaissance era, with Ariel from The Little Mermaid being the first to establish this tradition.
What is " I Want Song" ?
An “I Want Song” is a song performed by the main character early in a musical or musical film (especially in Disney movies) to express the character’s desires, dreams, or goals.
Overall, key characteristics of an “I Want Song” include:
- Usually appears within the first 15 minutes of the story
- Shows what the character wants or is seeking in life
- Establishes the character’s motivations that will drive the story forward
- Often becomes popular and memorable even outside the context of the story
- During the Disney Renaissance era, these songs typically highlighted the conflict between the character and their environment or social norms
This type of song is considered an essential storytelling element in musicals, helping audiences understand characters more deeply and see the direction the story will take.
Beyond helping revitalize Disney animation, “I Want Songs” have more complex and multidimensional structures compared to the desire-expressing songs from the classic princess era (Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora). Songs from that earlier period weren’t given specific categorical names like “I Want Song.” For easier understanding, I’ll call these early songs “Wish Songs” (though we should understand this is just a term I’m creating to simplify our discussion, not an official film industry term).
These early “Wish Songs” typically had simpler structures and themes compared to the more developed “I Want Songs” of the Renaissance era. While they expressed desires, they didn’t establish character motivations or story direction with the same depth and complexity that later became a hallmark of Disney musical storytelling.
Differences between Wish Songs (Early Era) and I Want Songs (Renaissance Era)
Conflict with Environment
- Wish Song: Characters accept and adapt to their environment, with no conflict with society or surrounding rules
- I Want Song: Characters express conflict with their environment, challenge social rules, and desire to change their current status
Story Progression
- Wish Song: Does not significantly drive the plot, merely expresses the character’s feelings
- I Want Song: Serves as an important starting point in the story and affects character development throughout
Expression
- Wish Song: Emphasizes waiting for fate or wishing for dreams to come true
- I Want Song: Expresses the desire to take action to reach goals and readiness to face obstacles
Character Dimensions
- Wish Song: Characters have simple desires, often related to love or waiting for a prince
- I Want Song: Characters have complex thoughts with goals beyond romance, such as self-discovery or challenging traditions
Song Development
- Wish Song: Features simple song structures focusing on sweetness and dreams
- I Want Song: Shows development in both content and music, reflecting internal conflicts and challenges that characters must face
Let’s give you an example to make it more visual.
Snow White (1937) features two important songs:
“I’m Wishing” – Snow White sings this at the wishing well, sharing her secret hope that she’ll find true love. This song represents her passive approach to life-changing events, simply wishing for love to find her rather than actively seeking it.
“Someday My Prince Will Come” – In this dreamy ballad, Snow White expresses her joyful anticipation of someday reuniting with her prince and going to his castle. The song embodies hopeful waiting, perfectly capturing the “Wish Song” characteristics of the early Disney era.
Both songs demonstrate the classic “Wish Song” elements – focusing on waiting for destiny or someone else to change her circumstances, rather than showing determination to change things herself. The simplicity and sweetness of these songs reflect Snow White’s character as someone who accepts her situation and dreams of a better future without actively pursuing it.
Cinderella (1950) has three main songs:
“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” – This song reflects Cinderella’s belief in dreams despite her difficult circumstances. The lyrics “No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true” emphasize faith in dreams eventually coming true rather than taking action to make them happen.
“Sing Sweet Nightingale” – Sung while doing household chores, this shows her finding beauty and escape through music during her mundane duties.
“So This is Love” – Performed during her dance with the Prince, expressing joy at experiencing love for the first time.
These songs embody the “Wish Song” characteristics – Cinderella hopes and dreams but waits for external forces (the Fairy Godmother) to transform her life. Her songs focus on endurance and belief rather than challenging her circumstances or actively pursuing change, in contrast to the more determined protagonists of Disney’s Renaissance era.
Aurora (1959) features two signature songs:
“I Wonder” – Aurora sings to her forest animal friends about her dreams and imagining the love she hopes to find. The lyrics “I wonder, I wonder if my heart keeps singing, will my song go winging to someone who’ll find me” show her passive approach – hoping her feelings will somehow reach someone rather than actively searching.
“Once Upon a Dream” – Sung when she meets the Prince, reflecting how her dream has become reality. The line “But if I know you, I know what you’ll do, you’ll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream” emphasizes fate and predestination in their love story.
These songs exemplify classic “Wish Song” elements – Aurora doesn’t challenge her circumstances or actively pursue her desires. Instead, she dreams and waits for love to find her, with the songs focusing on romantic yearning rather than personal agency. The melodies are sweet and simple, lacking the complexity and character development found in later Disney Renaissance “I Want Songs.”
Looking back at the songs of early Disney princesses, we can see they all shared similar dreams – waiting for love and a perfect life, without showing conflict with their environment or a desire to change their own lives. But when the Disney Renaissance began in 1989, Disney created a significant change through the character of Ariel, the little mermaid who not only dreamed of love but dared to challenge the rules of the underwater world to pursue the life she desired. This marked the true beginning of the transition from “Wish Songs” to “I Want Songs.”
This evolution reflected changing cultural values and storytelling approaches, with characters becoming more complex and proactive in pursuing their goals. Rather than simply waiting for fate to transform their lives, Disney protagonists began taking active roles in their own stories, facing conflicts and making difficult choices to achieve their dreams.
This transition wasn’t just about storytelling – it helped revitalize Disney animation by creating more relatable and dynamic characters that resonated with modern audiences, setting the stage for the studio’s renewed success.
Ariel (1989) marks the birth of the first true “I Want Song” with “Part of Your World.” This song clearly reflects her desires and conflicts – a mermaid who dreams of living in the human world. It expresses her yearning to transform her life and cross over into a new world.
Unlike the princesses before her, Ariel directly challenges her environment and questions her place in it. Her song goes beyond merely waiting for love or dreaming of a prince – she wants a complete change of identity and existence. The lyrics explore her fascination with human artifacts and her feeling of not belonging in her underwater home, showing a deeper character complexity.
“Part of Your World” established the template for the modern Disney protagonist – one with specific desires who actively pursues them despite obstacles. This marked a significant evolution in Disney’s storytelling, moving from passive dreamers to characters with agency and determination, helping usher in the Renaissance era of Disney animation.
Belle (1991) with her song “Belle” boldly declares in the middle of the village, “There must be more than this provincial life!” This reflects her desire for change and highlights how different she is from others in her village.
The song establishes Belle as an outsider who loves books and dreams of adventure, contrasting sharply with the provincial mindset of her neighbors. Unlike the early princesses who accepted their circumstances, Belle openly expresses dissatisfaction with her environment and yearns for something greater.
“Belle” perfectly exemplifies the “I Want Song” format by establishing the character’s motivations and conflicts early in the story. The complex musical structure shifts between Belle’s introspective moments and the villagers’ gossip about her, creating a rich narrative that both develops her character and shows her relationship with society.
This song helped cement the new Disney princess archetype – intelligent, independent, and willing to challenge social expectations – further advancing the evolution that began with Ariel.
Mulan (1998) with “Reflection” powerfully portrays inner conflict and discomfort through its emotional exploration of identity. The song captures Mulan’s struggle between societal expectations and her true self as she looks at her image.
This “I Want Song” delves deeper than earlier princess songs by addressing complex themes of identity, family honor, and gender expectations. Unlike the early Disney princesses who simply wished for love, Mulan questions her place in society and struggles with fulfilling familial duties while being true to herself.
“Reflection” represents another evolution in Disney’s “I Want Songs” – moving beyond wanting external change (like Ariel wanting legs) to exploring internal conflict and personal identity. The song doesn’t just establish what Mulan wants, but questions who she truly is.
This emotional depth and complexity exemplifies how far Disney’s character development had advanced during the Renaissance period, creating protagonists with relatable struggles that resonated with audiences beyond traditional fairy tale themes.
In modern times, the “I Want Song” continues to evolve:
- Rapunzel (2010) with “When Will My Life Begin?” expresses her desire to leave her tower and discover the outside world
- Moana (2016) with “How Far I’ll Go” portrays the conflict between duty and dreams
- Mirabel (2021) with “Waiting on a Miracle” and Isabella’s “What Else Can I Do?” from Encanto promote self-acceptance
(There are many more examples, but these provide a concise overview to avoid being too lengthy.)
These contemporary “I Want Songs” maintain the tradition while addressing modern themes and values. They retain the core elements – establishing character motivation and conflict early in the story – while exploring increasingly nuanced emotional terrain.
The evolution from simple “Wish Songs” of the classic era to the complex “I Want Songs” of today reflects Disney’s growth in storytelling sophistication and their adaptation to changing cultural values and audience expectations.
The success of I Want Song
The “I Want Song” not only adds human dimensions to characters but has significantly changed how female characters are presented in animation. From being portrayed as characters waiting for fate, they’ve evolved into individuals who challenge social norms, express their opinions, and take action to achieve their dreams. This transformation reflects society’s growing acceptance of strong, independent women.
The success of the “I Want Song” comes from its ability to connect with audiences through universal feelings – whether it’s discomfort with social constraints, the desire to discover oneself, or the courage to dream bigger. These songs reflect experiences that viewers of all genders and ages can relate to and understand, making Disney characters more than just fairytale princesses but inspirations for audiences to pursue their own dreams.
This influence has led other studios like DreamWorks and Sony Animation to develop more complex, relatable characters in their animations, making this song type an essential component of animated musicals to this day.
Reminder!!! The term “Wish Song” used in this post is simply a categorizing term created for easier understanding, not an official term used in Disney film analysis. Therefore, it cannot be used for serious reference purposes!
