Where you can hear The Sherman Brothers’ music in Magic Kingdom and Disneyland – DePaoli on DeParks
With the recent news of Disney Legend Richard Sherman’s passing at the age of 95, I can’t help but reminisce about the fond memories I have attached to The Sherman Brothers and their music. Although both brothers have now passed on, their music will live forever. And you don’t need to work hard to hear their delightful tunes when spending a day at Magic Kingdom or Disneyland Park.
If you’re not familiar, The Sherman Brothers include Richard and Robert Sherman who were Walt Disney’s go-to guys when he needed a new song for one of his projects. The amount of now classic tunes they wrote for The Walt Disney Company is beyond impressive. They were both named Disney Legends in 1990. If you’d like to learn more about these Disney Legends, I highly recommend the documentary “The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story” on Disney+.
Let’s start with some shared attractions at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. One of the most famous (or infamous depending on who you’re asking) earworm tunes ever to be written is “It’s a Small World” from the attraction of the same name.
When the concept of the famous boat ride traveling around the world was originally conceived, it featured national anthems of the various countries throughout. This resulted in a cacophony of noise. The Sherman Brothers saved the day with one tune that could communally represent each of the nations in the ride. When you stop and really listen to the lyrics, you can hear what Richard Sherman meant when he described it as “a prayer for peace.”
When Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room was being developed, the question, “What exactly is it?”, came up. The assignment of answering that question went to The Sherman Brothers in the writing of the attractions famous theme song. With the Shermans Brothers’ lyrics, they tell us it’s a place where, “All the birds sing words and the flowers croon.” The Sherman Brothers music and lyrics set the stage allowing us, the audience, to accept it and learn what we’re in for.
The Sherman Brothers also wrote music for Disney projects beyond the parks including tunes for the beloved bear Winnie the Pooh. In The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride on both coasts, you can hear The Sherman Brothers’ songs “Winnie the Pooh”, “The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down”, “Heffalumps and Woozles” and more. You can also hear some of the Winnie the Pooh tunes when visiting The Thotful Spot to meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger at Magic Kingdom.
My favorite Sherman Brothers song is “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” from Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. This classic attraction can be found nowadays in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom. But you can hear the tune as part of the background music loop at both Magic Kingdom and Disneyland’s Tomorrowland, along with “The Best Time of Your Life”. “The Best Time of Your Life” was also written by The Sherman Brothers and was a temporary replacement for “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” in Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. Both are great tunes, but I’m glad the original returned quite a while ago.
One of The Sherman Brothers’ most famous projects is the music from “Mary Poppins”, which earned them two Academy Awards for best score and best song, “Chim Chim Cher-ee”. The Oscar-winning song can be heard as part of the music rotation on Prince Charming Carrousel at Magic Kingdom. This attraction also features Walt Disney’s favorite song, also from “Mary Poppins”, “Feed the Birds”. Over at Disneyland, King Arthur Carrousel also features “Chim Chim Cher-ee” along with “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and “Winnie the Pooh”.
The Pearly Band is a live performance group at Disneyland Park who come directly from the film “Mary Poppins”. They’re often seen performing songs from the film throughout the day. And it’s not uncommon for Mary and Bert to join them. Speaking of live performances, it’s certainly not unprecedented for The Dapper Dans to serenade a passerby with some Sherman Brothers music.
You might not know it, but you begin your park visit listening to Sherman Brothers’ music on Main Street U.S.A. Part of that music loop includes Sherman Brothers’ songs “Fortuosity” from the film “The Happiest Millionaire”, and “Flitterin’” from “Summer Magic”. While strolling down Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland, be sure and take a moment to visit The Sherman Brothers’ dedication window. This highest honor was dedicated to the brothers in 2010 when they were both still with us.
Beyond the castle parks, you can hear “One Little Spark” at EPCOT in Journey Into Imagination with Figment, and “The Wonderful World of Color” television theme song in Disney California Adventure’s nighttime spectacular, World of Color.
The Sherman Brothers music made a major impact on the success of various Disney projects, from films to the parks. Their music often brings an immediate smile to one’s face, and they certainly created a legacy that will live on forever.
Do you have a favorite Sherman Brothers song? Are there any other places in the parks where you love to hear a Sherman Brothers tune? Leave a comment and let me know.
Jeff DePaoli is an event producer and voiceover artist living in Los Angeles. He can be heard as the voice of Disney Trivia on Alexa as well as the host of “Dizney Coast to Coast” podcast, where he and his special guests share honest opinions on all things Disney. Get your FREE gifts of “America’s Hidden Mickeys,” “On the Rohde Again,” “Theme Park Comfort Kit” and more at DizneyCoastToCoast.com. DePaoli’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent Attractions Magazine.
Lovely article. 6 years ago we saw “A Spoonful of Sherman “ at our local theatre which celebrated the brothers, their father & Robert’s son who were all composers. It was a great night out.
Thank you for reading 🙂