So, you’re going to Disneyland? Of course you’ve got your GTG book to dive into but what to listen to as you travel to The Happiest Place on Earth? I’ve got you covered! Starting with Walt’s Opening Day Dedication Speech and ending with Fantasmic shows exit music, each song on this “Going To Disneyland Road Trip Playlist” takes you on a musical tour of Disneyland’s 9 lands.
LINER NOTES: Songs marked with an * are inspired by the attraction but not actually heard on them! And not all versions included are the exact ones you’ll hear when you’re in Disneyland. If you’re listening with youngsters, FYI, song 12 has some “spicy” language. 🤓🌶️
Main Street USA
1) Disneyland began with Walt Disney’s Dedication Speech in 1955—and this snippet from that speech gets this playlist started
2) Disneyland Railroad This “All Aboard From Main Street Station” announcement was recorded by Disney Legend Jack Wagner, the official park announcer from 1970 to 1993
3) Main Street Opera House—“Battle Hymn of the Republic” as heard in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
4) Main Street Vehicles—“Maple Leaf Rag” is one of the old-fashioned tunes you’ll hear as you travel up and down Main Street
Fantasyland
5) Alice in Wonderland—“Alice in Wonderland” Main Title from the 1951 animated movie
6) Casey Jr. Circus Train—“Casey Jr. Medley” from the Dumbo soundtrack
7) Dumbo the Flying Elephant—“When I See an Elephant Fly”* is originally from the Dumbo movie but the ride’s music comes from an antique organ off to the side
8) It’s a Small World—“It’s a Small World” created by the iconic song writing duo the Sherman Brothers for the ride
9) King Arthur Carrousel—“Let me Call You Sweetheart”* is the carousel style music but at the ride you’ll hear carousel versions of Disney songs
10) Mad Tea Party—“The Unbirthday Song” from the tea party scene with the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland
11) Matterhorn Bobsleds—“Swiss Polka”* is a traditional style polka like you’d hear in Switzerland by the real Matterhorn mountain
12) Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride—“Highway to Hell”* by AC/DC is most definitely not heard in the ride but I couldn’t find any good versions of “The Merrily Song” from Toady’s movie
13) Peter Pan’s Flight—“You Can Fly” from the 1953 animated Peter Pan movie
14) Pinocchio’s Daring Journey—“When You Wish Upon a Star” from the 1940 animated Pinocchio movie
15) Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough—“Once Upon a Dream”* from the 1959 animated Sleeping Beauty movie
16) Snow White’s Enchanted Wish—“Heigh-Ho” from the 1937 animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs movie
17) Storybook Land Canal Boats—“A Whole New World” from Aladdin is heard as your canal boat drifts through the tunnel and past the Genie’s golden lamp
Mickey’s Toontown
19) Mickey & Minnie’s Runway Railway—“Nothing Can Stop Us Now” created by Christopher and Elyse Willis for the ride
20) Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin—“Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin” from the ride inspired by the 1988 animated and live-action Who Framed Roger Rabbit movie
Tomorrowland
21) Astro Orbitor—“Rocket Man”* in honor of this rides rocket trip into the skies of Disneyland
22) Autopia—“Nation on Wheels (from PeopleMover)”* in hopes maybe the PeopleMover will return as Autopia’s neighbor someday
23) Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters—“Starman”* by Davide Bowie was used in promos for the 2022 animated Lightyear movie
24) Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage—“Beyond the Sea” as heard in the 2003 animated Finding Nemo movie
25) Space Mountain—“Space Mountain” created by Michael Giacchino for the ride
26) Star Tours—“Star Wars”* created by John Williams for the 1977 live-action Star Wars movie
27) Tomorrowland Theater—“Another Part of Me” from the Captain EO show that used to play in the theater
Adventureland
29) Enchanted Tiki Room—“The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room” created by the Sherman Brothers for this attraction
30) Indiana Jones Adventure—“Raiders of the Lost Ark”* created by John Williams for the 1981 live-action movie of the same name
31) Jungle Cruise—“Moonglow” is one of the old tunes you might hear while waiting in line
Frontierland
32) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad—“El Paso”* is like one of the classic western songs you might hear waiting in line
33) Mark Twain Riverboat—“Lazy River”* by Louis Armstrong who performed this song aboard the Mark Twain Riverboat in the 1960s
34) Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island—“Pirates of the Caribbean”* from the 2003 live-action Pirates of the Caribbean movie
35) Sailing Ship Columbia—“The Wellermen Sea Shanty”* is like one of the songs you’ll hear while aboard
New Orleans Square
Bayou Country
39) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh—“Winnie the Pooh” by the Sherman Brothers
40) Tiana’s Bayou Adventure—“Dig a Little Deeper” from the 2009 animated The Princess and the Frog movie
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
42) Rise of the Resistance—“March of the Resistance”* also created by Williams for the same movie
WRAP-UP
43) Train from Tomorrowland to exit at Main Street USA—“Grand Canyon Suite III” created between 1929 and 1931 by Ferde Grofé
44) Fantasmic! exit music created by Bruce Healey
Whew, what a musical journey we’ve been on. Which song is your favorite? As for me, there’s no contest. It’s the theme for Space Mountain by Michael Giacchino! This genius guy has composed lots of music for Disney and Pixar but don’t miss THIS which he made for The Batman movie. WOW! Not related to Disneyland but…WOW!
POST BY SHANNON W. LASKEY • May 6, 2025 • SEND QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK VIA EMAIL
Vintage photo of Disneyland’s entrance from the collection of Official GTG Photographer Dave DeCaro of Davelandweb.
