My kids were having trouble falling asleep at night because they’re not as tired lately. They have tons of free play but spend a good portion of the day indoors because it’s summer here right now and the sun is very strong. So they had energy to spare and since there was no need for them to wake up early (school started at 1pm but they’re on vacation now), bedtime was getting later and later! On a whim, I started playing Disney soundtracks on Spotify, and it has transformed bedtime. Olive usually passes out by the second song and Charlie, who has anxiety, sings along to the songs instead of laying in bed, tossing, turning, worrying, and fighting sleep; it really helps him fall asleep. Listening to Disney songs has become our nightly bedtime ritual after reading books. These are the songs that are on repeat!

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Moana – Of course, this currently tops the list, and I don’t mind because the soundtrack is awesome! Other than How Far I Will Go which is an instant classic, other songs to check out include You’re Welcome (sung by The Rock), Shiny (sung by Jermaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords), An Innocent Warrior, and Charlie’s favorite, We Know the Way (sung by Lin Manuel Miranda).

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Tangled – I’m impressed with Mandy Moore’s vocals as well as Zachary Levi’s (of Chuck fame) on this soundtrack. Tracks to check out include I See the Light, When Will My Life Begin, I’ve Got a Dream and Mother Knows Best.

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Hercules – An underrated Disney movie, it also has super fun soundtrack by Disney master composer Alan Menken. Tracks to check out include Go the Distance (sung by Michael Bolton), Zero to Hero, A Star is Born, I Won’t Say I’m in Love, One Last Hope (Danny Devito) and I Can’t Believe My Heart.

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Brave – These mellow Celtic-inspired songs that are largely instrumental are actually great for bedtime! Tracks to check out include Into the Open Air, Touch the Sky, Learn Me Right, and In Her Heart.

Some of our other favorite tracks:

Bare Necessities from Jungle Book

The Rainbow Connection from The Muppet Movie

You’ve Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story. You have to listen to this adorable version by a 4 year old as well if you haven’t!

You’ll Be in My Heart from Tarzan

I won’t mention The Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid since most of you are probably familiar with them and they have so many awesome songs. The Lion King has always been my favorite Disney movie, but I do adore the soundtracks for Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. It’s hard to pick a favorite! We’re also all tired of Frozen, and while I do think it has a great soundtrack, it’s not up there with my favorites.

Soundtracks I can’t wait to introduce them to include A Nightmare Before Christmas and Fantasia 2000 (which I saw twice in the movie theater!). I still need to watch Mulan, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and some older movies like The Aristocats and Lady and the Tramp which are all supposed to have great soundtracks.

What are your favorite Disney movie songs or soundtracks? (Other than Lion King, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid?)