The Composer Hall of Fame


Music is the emotional heartbeat of any animated production. We sing the songs, we hum the tunes, and our experience of the movie or TV show is enhanced and sometimes even made by the music that accompanies it. Songs can decorate and move the plot, and the so-called "background music" enables us to feel the scenes in our hearts.

Listed below are some of the composers, both of music and lyrics, that we fans listen to and whose CDs we buy, the ones that visitors to this site deem worthy to be in a Hall of Fame.

(Note: For some movies or shows, several composers provided music and/or lyrics, but I didn't list the individual songs. So if you see the same movie/show more than once in this list, that's why.)

Have a message you'd like to leave for any composers that might surf their way here? Great! See the bottom of the page for a way to leave your messages, and there are messages left by others just above that. If you are a composer who's found your way to me, read these. You'll see how much you are loved and appreciated.

Don't see the composer you love best on the list? Then go to the bottom of the page to see how to nominate him or her.


Masamichi Amano ~ Giant Robo

Howard Ashman ~ lyrics, Oliver and Company, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin

Blind Target ~Songs, Gundam Wing

Bruce Broughton ~ supervising composer, Tiny Toons

Robert Buckley ~ Beast Wars: Transformers, Reboot

Brad Carow ~ Spongebob Squarepants

Kristopher Carter ~ Batman Beyond, Justice League

Alf Clausen ~ The Simpsons

Phil Collins ~ music and lyrics, Tarzan

Hoyt Curtin ~ music, Jonny Quest, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Yogi Bear, Top Cat, The Smurfs, Quick Draw McGraw, and many more

Vince DiCola ~ Transformers the Movie

Danny Elfman ~ music and lyrics, The Nightmare Before Christmas; music, Beetlejuice, Face Like a Frog, The Simpsons Theme

Christopher Franke ~ Tenchi Muyo in Love

Jerry Goldsmith ~ music, Mulan, The Secret of NIMH

Paul Gordon ~ Digimon the Movie

Harry Gregson-Williams ~ music, Antz, Chicken Run

Kuniaki Haishima ~ Spriggan, Gasaraki

Mike Harding ~ music, Danger Mouse, Duckula

Udi Harpaz ~ Digimon the Movie

Hiroki Hayashi ~ El Hazard

Megumi Hayashibara ~ Slayers, Saber Marionette J, Lost Universe, and lots more

Joe Hisaishi ~ Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa, and Laputa: Castle in the Sky

Toshiyuki Honda ~ Metropolis

James Horner ~ Balto, The Land Before Time, An American Tail

James Newton Howard ~ music, Dinosaur, Atlantis

Tsuneo Imahori~ music, Trigun

Elton John ~ music, The Lion King (songs)

Yuki Kajiura ~ Noir

Yoko Kanno ~ music and lyrics, Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne

Kenji Kawai ~ Ghost in the Shell, Ranma 1/2, Blue Seed

Koizumi Kouhei ~ Songs, Gundam Wing

Peggy Lee ~ music and lyrics, Lady and the Tramp

Shuki Levy~Music for The Mysterious of Gold

John Loeffler-music, Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cubix:Robots For Everyone, Tama and Friends

Mark Mancina ~ music, Tarzan

Henry Mancini ~ music, The Great Mouse Detective

Kevin Manthei ~ music, Invader Zim (Kevin Manthei Music Productions)

Alan Menken ~ music, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules

Yasunori Mitsuda ~ music, Chrono series, Xenogears/Xenosaga

Mark Motherbaugh-music, Rugrats, The Wild Thornberries, Rocket Power and lots more

Seikou Nagaoka ~ Tenchi Muyo and Tenchi Universe

Randy Newman ~ music and lyrics, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life, James and the Giant Peach

Koh Ohtani ~ Gundam Wing, Outlaw Star

The Pillows ~ FLCL/Furi Kuri

John Powell ~ music and lyrics, The Road to El Dorado; music, Antz, Chicken Run

Graeme Revell ~ music, Titan A.E.

Tim Rice ~ lyrics, Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast (the musical)

Leonard Rosenman ~ music, The Lord of the Rings

Haim Saban ~ music, The Mysterious City of Gold

Shiro Sagisu ~ music, Neon Genesis Evangelion

Steven Schwartz ~ lyrics, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Sherman Brothers ~ music, Winnie the Pooh, The Tigger Movie, The Jungle Book, and more

Michael Silversher ~ The Gummi Bears theme, Tale Spin Theme

Christopher L. Stone ~ TaleSpin and many others

Richard Stone ~ supervising composer, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Histeria

Kohei Tanaka ~ Gundam 08th MS Team

Iwai "Anarchy Takupon" Takayuki~ Darkstalkers, Darkstalkers III, Street Fighter Alpha III

Two-Mix ~ Gundam Wing (songs)

Seki Tomokazu~ Songs, Gundam Wing

Nobuo Uematsu ~ Oh my goddess!

Kouji Wada ~ Digimon (songs)

Shirley Walker ~ music, Batman and Superman animated series/movies, Spawn

Mark Watters ~ music, Aladdin and the King of Thieves

Mai Yamane & SEATBELTS~ Songs, Gundam Wing

Weird Al Yankovich ~ Transformers the Movie, Pokemon the Movie 2000

Frank Zappa ~ Duckman

Hans Zimmer ~ music, The Lion King, Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado

David Zippel ~ lyrics, Mulan, Hercules


Messages from appreciative fans ~

The music often goes too unnoticed though it's one of the most important things in a movie/TV series. When you're watching an action-filled scene, you don't even stop think about the music, but if you'd turn off the sound in the middle of the scene, it'd seem half as impressive. I'm glad there are so many talented and diverse composers out there to help the story along and inspire me with their creations. ~ JessKat

Thank you for giving us some of the most beautiful music ever. There are splashy production numbers, fight music, and most of all beautiful memorable songs that we still sing with. I know it must take awhile for you to find the perfect note and the perfect lyrics, but just let it be known its always appreciated. ~ Auburn Red

Soundtracks are my very favorite music. Not only are they the emotional heart of any film, but they are wonderful works of art as well. I can't even begin to thank the composers who have given me a lifetime of pleasure and emotional highs and thrills. You're amazing, underappreciated, and immortal. ~ Kat


Composers' websites ~

Brad Carow ~ The Quintessence Big Band


Don't see your favorites in the Hall of Fame yet? Nominate them by sending me an email to animatedlust@gmail.com with "Composers Hall of Fame" in the subject line. Be sure to include what they wrote (at least a sample), or it won't count! (For composers with a lot of credits, put one or two samples and then something like "and lots more" or whatever.) (Please turn off your cap lock key. All caps makes more work for me, so I often just delete those contributions.)


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