The songwriting team of Alan Menken (music) and Stephen Schwartz (lyrics) received Oscar nominations this year for three of their songs from Disney’s Enchanted: “Happy Working Song,” “So Close,” and “That’s How You Know.” Their compositions account for a majority of the songs nominated for “Original Song.” Of the three, I think the first best captures the film’s subtle parody of Disney animated film conventions. Here’s a taste:
Come my little friends
As we all sing a happy little working song
Merry little voices clear and strong
Come and roll your sleeves up
So that we can pitch in
Cleaning crud up in the kitchen
As we sing alongAnd you’ll trill a cheery tune in the tub
As we scrub a stubborn mildew stain
Lug a hairball from the shower drain
To the gay refrain
Of a happy working songWe’ll keep singing without fail
Otherwise we’d spoil it
Hosing down the garbage pail
And scrubbing up the toilet.
For those who haven’t seen the movie, picture a modern-day Disney princess cleaning an apartment with the help of city critters (pigeons, rats, etc.) instead of cute and furry forest denizens. There’s a video here.
UPDATE: Despite three nominations, Enchanted failed to win the Oscar for best song. The winner? The song “Falling Slowly,” from the film Once.