Ahead of the special's Sunday premiere, songwriter Beau Black shares 10 highlights from his 10 years working with Disney Junior, including the new Halloween song.
'Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats' Disney
Just in time for Spooky Season, Disney’s latest stop-motion special Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats is floating to a screen near you.
In the new special — which premieres Sunday on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney XD and hits streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu — Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Daisy go trick-or-treating at a spooky mansion only to be greeted by the wicked Witch Hazel, who turns the five friends into real-life versions of their Halloween costumes.
Trick or Treats includes new songs from Daytime Emmy-nominated songwriter Beau Black, who is celebrating 10 years making music with Disney Junior. On Friday, Walt Disney Records will release an EP that includes Black’s three original songs from the special: “Fright Night,” “Alone on Halloween” and “Friends Like You Make Halloween.”
Below, Billboard has an exclusive first look and listen of “Alone on Halloween,” performed by Witch Hazel (Misty Lee), while Minnie the spider, Goofy the ghost and the other transformed friends scramble to dodge more magic spells. “Alone” is one of 10 song highlights that Black shared with Billboard as he celebrates a decade of making music with Disney Junior, which has included Mickey Mouse Funhouse, Miles From Tomorrowland, the Lion King spin-off series The Lion Guard and Firebuds, among many others.
Check out Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats starting Sunday, and find Black’s 10 musical highlights for 10 years below, wrapping with “Alone on Halloween.”
“Way Out” - Miles From Tomorrowland
This was the first theme song I ever wrote for Disney. It was such an exciting time for me when it came out. I still think it is a solid theme song, and I still to this day get people writing me about it.
“Kion’s Lament” - The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
This song was one of those songs that started one way, then developed into something special. Originally Kion sings the verse and pre-chorus of the song, and is then interrupted by Mufasa. We never intended to have a chorus and have it continue after Mufasa’s speech, but after watching the segment, it felt like a missed opportunity to not have the song continue. Once we added that chorus, the whole song became epic and made for a fantastic segment of the film.
“As You Move Forward” - The Lion Guard
I love this song and was honored to have two Broadway powerhouses, Christopher Jackson and Heather Headley, singing on it. This song earned me my second Emmy nomination as well. It’s got that funky R&B vibe that I love.
“Wish Upon a Christmas” - Mickey & Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas
I’ve written quite a lot of Christmas songs, but this one is my favorite. It’s such a lovely segment of the film where Mickey and the gang are reunited just in time to celebrate Christmas. The melody came to me effortlessly, and it just worked so well for that moment. David Goldsmith wrote fantastic lyrics for it as well.
“We’ll Just Dance” - Mickey and the Roadster Racers
Who doesn’t love a disco tune? This one is special to me because I wrote it with my wife, Alex Cartana. She is also singing the lead vocal. We had a blast recording it.
“Bow Be Mine” - Mickey and the Roadster Racers
I had to choose this one — not just because it’s a fun song, but because it gives me fond memories of the late, great Russi Taylor (voice of Minnie Mouse). She was one of my favorite people to work with, and I remember her having such a fun time recording this song. I think about her all the time and miss her dearly.
“Stretch Break” - Mickey Mouse Funhouse
This is one of those songs that after I wrote it, I couldn’t get it out of my head. It just rolled around in my brain over and over again. So I knew it was a smash for the show. I also love to watch my 2-year-old daughter get up and dance whenever it comes on.
“Bounce Back” - Firebuds
This is one of the first songs I wrote for “Firebuds.” I was really excited when it got approved, as I had never heard anything like it in a kids show before. So it established that Craig Gerber (Creator/EP of “Firebuds”) and I could push the envelope on what kind of tunes we can present for the show.
“Take the Blue Sky Highway” - Firebuds
This song gives me 70s vibes, and I love it! This was particularly fun to record because it’s a duet with “Weird Al” Yankovic and Lisa Loeb. I’ve been a fan of both of them for such a long time, so it was a bit surreal to have them singing a song I wrote.
“Alone on Halloween” - Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats
Who doesn’t love a classic villain song? I love writing and recording songs like this, and especially love when humor is involved. My co-writer David Goldsmith wrote some brilliant lyrics, and it was amazingly performed by Misty Lee (voice of Witch Hazel). This segment of the film is hysterical to watch.
