Deep Dive Disney: Wes's Top 10 Disney Cartoon Theme Songs

Welcome back to Deep Dive Disney Everyone. Today is the first of several planned music themed articles. We’ll get to counting down theatrical musical numbers in due time, but today, I’ve decided to show Disney animated television show theme songs some love. And why not, many of us, no matter what era we grew up in, probably grew up with some great cartoons and some of them were probably made by Disney. So, for this list, we’ll be counting down what I consider to be the Top Ten Disney Cartoon Theme Songs. Theme songs are a very important part of any show. They’re meant to entice you into watching the show and if they aren’t memorable, then the show may not be either. First, a couple rules. First, no songs that originated from Disney movies, so songs like Hakuna Matata and Arabian Nights are out. Second, This will be the only music-themed list that will count purely instrumental numbers, so songs without lyrics are fair game. And finally, as always with these countdowns and ranking lists, this is my opinion and I acknowledge that your list will likely look significantly different. With that in mind, let’s get on with the countdown.

10. Gravity Falls

I love Gravity Falls. The show is absolutely hilarious and sets up a really cool mystery for the viewers to solve over time. It’s been described in the past as Adventure Time meets The X-Files and that’s not entirely inaccurate. As for the theme, it’s the perfect opening theme song for a show like this. It’s appropriately foreboding for a show full of creepy supernatural stuff. However, that whistle that prevails throughout also puts one in mind of a camping song, which is also fitting given that this show’s two seasons take place over the course of an entire Summer in a cabin in the woods. It’s fun to bob your head along to it as the song brings you back to the more innocent days of Summers of youth, though hopefully with less zombies, unicorns and triangular eldritch nightmares. But anyway, let's move on to another show from the more modern era of Disney cartoons

9. Star vs. The Forces of Evil

This song pretty much tells you what you’re in for right from the jump. I mean, when you’re watching a show that starts out being about a magical princess from an alternate dimension fighting monsters with a magic wand that shoots colorful narwhals and ends up being about the systematic dismantling of an antiquated class system, “Gonna Get a Little Weird” seems very appropriate. This show was honestly a blast to watch and not for the reasons I was expecting it to be. The song itself is a blast to listen to and sets the mood right away. It shows that while it may occasionally deal with some serious topics, the show’s first priority is to have fun and be entertaining. Star vs. The Forces of Evil may have a princess in it, but if you want an even better show that features an official Disney Princess, our next entry has you covered.

8. Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure

I talked about this show briefly in our Tangled article, but I barely scratched the surface of how great the show is. I meant it when I said I thought it was better than Avatar: The Last Airbender and I love how it takes a relatively simple story like Tangled and expands upon it in exciting and unexpected ways. It also boasts the return of the cast of the original movie and as such, Mandy Moore is back to sing the theme. Mandy Moore is an amazing singer and this song just has so much power to it. It’s a declaration by Rapunzel herself that her adventures aren’t over yet. It’s epic, its adventurous, and the show that comes after delivers on those promises, with a beautiful singing voice guiding it through, we’ll get there I swear, with the wind in her hair. But anyway, it’s been nice talking about shows from the more modern era, but I think it’s high time we actually discussed a show from my own childhood.

7. TaleSpin

Don’t misunderstand me, TaleSpin was, and still is, awesome, but I will never understand how someone watched Disney’s The Jungle Book and said “You know what would make this better? Airplanes!” To be fair, it turned out were absolutely right, but I can’t even figure out what leap in logic caused one to find that conclusion. Well, however it happened, we ended up with TaleSpin, and that’s a good thing in my book. The show was a ton of fun and came with a great theme song. Every time I heard this one growing up, I couldn’t help but sing along. I think it had something to do with the whole “Oh-ee-yeah” stuff at the beginning. Like our last entry, it’s a song that promises fun and adventure, and again like our last entry, the show delivers on its promises. Plus, it’s catchy as all get out. Give it a listen and I’ll bet you a hundred bucks you won’t be able to get it out of your head for at least a week. Speaking of earworms, let’s talk about a show adapted from a Disney classic that feels more in keeping with the original film.

6. Lilo & Stitch: The Series

We’ve discussed this show on Deep Dive Disney in the past. In fact, we’ve even done a full article on one episode. Like I said then, I was not really in the target age group for this show when it came out, but it just happens to be what was on when I got home from high school and occasionally I found myself flipping between it and reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation. As for the song, talk about a catchy tune. I spent years unconsciously singing this in the shower because I could never get it out of my head, but if you have to have something stuck in your head, this isn’t a bad option. Personally, I love this song. The relaxed tone combined with the decidedly Hawaiian arrangement put you in the right mindset for a show where the lovable duo of Lilo and Stitch hunt down Dr. Jumba’s other experiments and find a place where they’re unique abilities can be put to use in positive ways. Great stuff! But in any case, let’s go back in time to the show that kicked off the Disney Afternoon.

5. Adventures of the Gummi Bears

I have a confession to make. I have never actually seen a single episode of Adventures of The Gummi Bears. I was aware that it existed, sure, but I was only a year old when the show ended its run so it just kind of passed me by. Still, I appreciate the show as a fun sword and sorcery adventure that apparently inspired a young Greg Weisman to make what would one day become Gargoyles, but I’m getting ahead of myself. This song is made of pure epic. I don’t know who this singer is, but damn, he is just giving one hundred and ten percent in every note. The song music just keeps getting more and more grandiose until it comes to a head in that unforgettable chorus and by the time it gets there, you’re already singing along at the top of your lungs and have goosebumps from pure excitement. Seriously, this song gets me hyped for something called “Adventures of the Gummi Bears.” That shouldn’t even be possible, but then again, I guess that’s just the power of a great theme song. Maybe one day I will check out the show, but regardless of how much I may or may not enjoy it, I’ll always have that awesome theme song. But moving on, let’s discuss a show I know to be great with a theme song to match.

4. Kim Possible

So here’s the sitch. We’ve discussed Kim Possible quite a bit here on Deep Dive Disney, haven’t we? And why not, it’s arguably one of the greatest shows that Disney Channel ever produced. The humor is smart, the heroes are likable, the villains are totally hilarious, and the show is creative and fun. And what would a great show like that be without a kickass theme song to start things off. The songs tells us everything we need to know about our title character. She’s your basic average girl, she’s here to save the world, there’s nothing she can’t do, and of course, if we need to reach her, we need only call or beep her. And of course, it does all this with an energetic pop number that gets you hyped for some girl power, kickass spy action and Shego taking the piss out of Drakken. I cannot get enough of this song, and I don’t think the rest of the fandom can either. Fun fact, if you hit the skip intro button while watching Kim Possible on Disney+, it instead just skips to the middle as if to say, “Why would you want to skip this awesomeness?” Kim Possible is a great action hero with a great theme song, but me, I prefer my crime fighters a little more… dangerous.

3. Darkwing Duck

He is the Terror, That Flaps in the Night. He is the Jailer that Throws Away the Key. He is, DARKWING DUCK, and his theme song is awesome! Anyone who knows me knows that Darkwing Duck is my jam. I grew up with the show and have been a Darkwing Duck fanatic for thirty years and counting. There’s just something endlessly endearing about the purple clad caped crusader who believes in justice, yes, but is mostly about inflating his own already bloated ego. Back in my D&D days, I based my character on Darkwing Duck and played him as such. Darkwing Duck was one of the truly great cartoons of the 90’s, and it’s theme song was an absolute blast. A fun jazzy number that I probably drove my parents crazy with as a five-year-old. Give it a listen. If you’re not hooked from the start, you sure as hell will be once you hear the great Jim Cummings deliver that immortal line “Let’s Get Dangerous.” Bonus points for the instrumental arrangement for the closing credits. That saxophone can get it! At this point you’re probably asking: Where is it? It’s on every other list like this, we all know it’s coming so get on with it. Well, ask you shall receive.

2. Ducktales

You hear that? That my friends is the sound of inevitability. Of course we have to talk about Ducktales. I don’t think a list of cartoon theme songs, Disney or overwise, is complete without a discussion of Ducktales. For the record, even though I’m using the classic theme for the video, I consider this a tie between the original theme song and the one from the 2017 reboot. They’re slightly different, but they’re ultimately just variations on the same great song. How can one not love either incarnation of Ducktales. Both are just the epitome of adventure and excitement. In fact, as voted on twitter by you my loyal readers, sometime in the coming year, we’ll be kicking off a full retrospective of the 2017 Ducktales reboot. Honestly, I’m not sure if there’s anything I can say about this song that hasn’t already been said. As the Nostalgia Critic once said of this song, “It Willl Never Leave!” Frankly, I don’t think I want it to. I love having this song in my life, with or without the show that comes with it. It’s nice knowing that even at my lowest moments, I can always play this song and it’s guaranteed to put a smile on my face. And I’m sure that I’m not the only one who can say that. What else can you say but, Woohoo! Any other list, Ducktales would be number one with a bullet, but this is my list. What song could possibly top the iconic Ducktales. What show has a theme of such gravitas that-oh who the fuck am I kidding. You all know who I am, you all know what I like, and you all know EXACTLY what number one is.

1. Gargoyles

One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness. It was a world of fear. It was the age, of Gargoyles. Stone by day, warriors by night, we were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect, frozen in stone by a magic spell for a thousand years. Now here in Manhattan, the spell is broken, and we live again! We are defenders of the night. We are Gargoyles!

If you’re wondering, that was all from memory. I checked, not a word out of place. That’s how much of an impact this intro and Keith David’s iconic narration has. Do I seriously even need to tell you guys how great Gargoyles is or how much I love it? I spent an entire summer doing a full retrospective on the series, a retrospective that’s part of the reason I even started Deep Dive Disney. Hell, it’s probably the reason most of the more modern shows on this list even exist. It’s one of the greatest television shows ever made. Period. One thing that I did not praise nearly enough during the retrospective was the music. Composer Carl Johnson gives every scene power and gravitas with his masterful orchestrations, but by far, the greatest piece of music for the show is its theme song. Epic doesn’t even begin to cover it. This song makes you feel alive. Every time I hear it, I just want to spring up and let loose a mighty roar like a Gargoyle awakening from its stone sleep. Couple that with Keith David’s legendary narration and it makes for one unforgettable introduction to an even more unforgettable show. It is for that reason that not once, during my entire Gargoyles retrospective, did I skip the theme song. Keep in mind, Gargoyles has sixty-five episodes and I would watch each episode twice for the article, so that’s a grand total of one hundred and thirty episodes without skipping the theme song. It never got old, it only got more awesome. As much as I stand by every song in this countdown, no other song on this list can make that claim. That is why Gargoyles is, and always will be, number one.

And that wraps things up for this countdown. I hope you all enjoyed. I want to hear from you guys. Let me know if I left one of your favorite Disney cartoon theme songs off the list. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter and subscribe to my Patreon. Speaking of, next up is another Patreon exclusive article on the Twisted Tales series. This time, it's a reimagining of one of my all time favorites, Disney's Hercules.