Walt Disney Records has begun rolling out their newly created line of collectible CDs entitled Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection. Starting first with Disney’s The Lion King, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, 15 new CD sets of classic Disney film and theme park music have been announced to be released through 2015 with hopefully more to be announced in the future.
Each album will feature brand new hand-painted artwork from Walt Disney Animation Studios development artist Lorelay Bove along with additional concept art from the Disney Animation Research Library and other archival sources at Disney. The illustrations, inspired by the original films and theme park attractions, “will celebrate Disney’s rich heritage and create a unified look for the entire collection.” The Lion King collection comes with a hardbound cover, a 20 page booklet, and two CDs along with additional online content accessed through one of the CDs, so I think it can be safe to assume that the other CD sets in the collection will follow suit.
Release Schedule
The 2014 release schedule for Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection is as follows:
• The Lion King, now available (the new CD set was released June 24, 2014, the 20th anniversary of the film’s release date; more details about this set are listed below)
• Mary Poppins, August 26, 2014 (50th anniversary)
• Sleeping Beauty, October 7, 2014 (55th anniversary)
• The Little Mermaid, November 17, 2014 (25th anniversary
The 2015 release schedule for Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection follows:
• Fantasia, January 3, 2015 (75th anniversary)
• Pinocchio, February 3, 2015 (75th anniversary as well)
• Toy Story, March 17, 2015 (20th anniversary)
• Disneyland, April 7, 2015 (60th anniversary)
• Lady and the Tramp, May 12, 2015 (60th anniversary)
• Pocahontas, June 23, 2015 (20th anniversary)
• The Aristocats, August 14, 2015 (45th anniversary)
• Cinderella, August 14, 2015 (65th anniversary)
The Lion King Set
The first release in the series is The Lion King, a two-disc set featuring the original motion picture soundtrack (in the order of the film), 30 minutes of previously unreleased score, plus liner notes by Don Hahn, the film’s producer, and Hans Zimmer, Oscar-winning music composer. Track list is as follows:
Disc One
1. “Circle of Life/Nants’ Ingonyama” Performed by Carmen Twillie, African Vocals Performed by Lebo
2. “Didn’t Your Mother Tell You Not to Play With Your Food” Score
3. “We Are All Connected” Score
4. “Hyenas in the Pride Land” Score
5. “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” Performed by Jason Weaver with Rowan Atkinson and Laura Williams
6. “Elephant Graveyard” Score
7. “I Was Just Trying to Be Brave” Score
8. “Be Prepared” Performed by Jeremy Irons with Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and Jim Cummings
9. “Simba, It’s to Die For” Score
10. “Stampede” Score
11. “Mufasa Dies” Score
12. “If You Ever Come Back We’ll Kill You” Score
13. “Bowling for Buzzards” Score
14. “Hakuna Matata” Performed by Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella with Jason Weaver and Joseph Williams
15. “We Gotta Bone to Pick With You” Score
16. “Kings of the Past” Score
17. “Nala, Is It Really You?” Score
18. “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” Performed by Joseph Williams and Sally Dworsky with Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella and Kristle Edwards
19. “Remember Who You Are” Score
20. “This Is My Home” Score
21. “The Rightful King” Score
Disc Two
1. “The Morning Report” Performed by James Earl Jones, Jeff Bennett and Evan Saucedo
2. “Warthog Rhapsody” Performed by Nathan Lane and Ernie Sabella
3. “We Are All Connected” Score Demo
4. “I Was Just Trying to Be Brave” Score Demo
5. “Stampede” Score Demo
6. “Mufasa Dies” Score Demo
7. “This Is My Home” Score Demo
8. “The Rightful King” Score Demo
9. “Circle of Life” Instrumental Demo
10. “Circle of Life” Performed by Elton John
11. “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” Performed by Elton John
12. “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” (End Title) Performed by Elton John
Special online content is accessed through Disc Two as well.
What’s Next
Artist Lorelay Bove has given a behind the scenes look on Twitter of the development of the art for the upcoming Mary Poppins set, which is scheduled to be released on August 26th, 2014. The CD set is available for pre-order now.
Are They Worth It?
After spending some time with The Lion King set, I can definitely say that yes, these new Legacy Collection CD sets are going to be something special and will be a worthy addition to your music and animation libraries. The beautiful art by Lorelay Bove along with the fantastic concept art in the CD booklet are worth the price of admission alone. I also really enjoyed listening again to the film’s outstanding score, not to mention the great Elton John/Tim Rice tunes which are as great today as they were in 1994.
Learn More
Walt Disney Records has set up a new “Disney Music Emporium” website where you can learn more about the Legacy Collection. D23 is also selling the complete CD set to D23 members (D23 membership and login required). Make sure to check out Disney Records on Facebook and Twitter, too.
Source: Disney Insider, D23.com
Animation Fascination 