Welcome to Disney Notes and the music of Disney. This time around, we look at You’ve Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story.

Toy-Story
©Disney

For those of us who lived through the lean years of Disney movie production, the significance and meaning of this song cannot be overstated. Like so many great Disney songs, the symbolism of its words moves well beyond the film and provides an appropriate accompaniment to the events of the day for Disney.

The roller-coaster ride between John Lasseter and the Disney Company is well documented and far beyond the scope of this post. However, the end result of the ongoing drama between John and Steve Jobs (owner of Pixar), Michael Eisner, and Jeffrey Ketzenberg (Disney film chairman) was a groundbreaking film completely animated by computer. The word groundbreaking, in fact, is an understatement since the technological and cinematic effects of this film are still being felt nearly two decades later.

The resulting partnership between Disney and Pixar became a gold mine for both companies and the beginning of a delightful string of fabulous full-length animated films. Thus, the meaning of the words, “You’ve got a friend in me” cannot be relegated to the film alone. Indeed, the fact that the tension between the two companies was ironed out and the creativity was allowed to flourish resulted in a win-win for companies and moviegoers worldwide.

The song itself became a theme song of sorts for the entire Toy Story film series. It was written and recorded by Randy Newman and was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award – both for Best Original Song. Ironically, the song was second in the final Oscar balloting to another great Disney song, Colors of the Wind (from Pocahontas) earned all the honors that year, including a Grammy. The song spoke of another important relationship – that of humans and nature.

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Karl Beaudry
Karl Beaudry became a Disney fanatic when he found himself standing underneath a monorail track waiting for his parents to buy Walt Disney World ticket books in December of 1971. The anticipation of experiencing the Magic Kingdom combined with the fantasy of seeing transportation and architecture unlike anything he has ever seen was enough to cause a Disney obsession that continues to this day. Multiple hundreds of visits and many annual passes later, Karl still feels the same thrill when arriving at the main gate of any Disney park. As an adult, however, his enthusiasm has extended beyond the parks and into the resorts and on-property activities that many people have never experienced. He and his wife find adventure by checking out things they’ve not seen before – another restaurant, boat ride, resort, or show is always there waiting for them to enjoy. In addition, Karl has spent the past several years studying the history of all things Disney. He has always been fascinated with the stories of the great people involved with the legacy of Disney productions and projects. He is the author of "Disney Destinies: How Determination, Passion, and Patience Can Take Anyone Anywhere." (He has another book scheduled to be released soon.) When he isn’t writing about Disney, he spends a lot of his time with church activities and planning vacations for future Disney fanatics. His hope is that he can encourage Disney park visitors to go beyond the parks and into the undiscovered country that is Disney.