“Candle in the Water” is an original torch song composed by Al Kasha & Joel Hirtshofer for Walt Disney’s 1977 animated film, Pete’s Dragon. It is one of the first animated films to feature live-action elements (other than the usual Mickey Mouse ears and tails) and it features the debut of the disney character, Pete. The song is about a dragon who’s about to take a bath after eating a whole lake full of maggots, and thus he has a hard time moving his head. As a result, his whole body becomes tied up in the water, unable to move. This causes him to spout gooey foam from the mouth area and eventually wash away his entire body, making his death appear to be that of a fish who’s been cooked over a fire.
This song became one of the most recognizable of the many songs from the hit disney phenomenon of the same title. Although it didn’t reach the heights of popularity that it did during the height of Disney’s creative era, “Candle in the Water” still managed to remain one of the more popular songs from that film for years to come. If only because of its timeless quality and the fact that the animation in question didn’t seem to gain a major breakthrough until much later on in the decade.
Finally, in 2021, the Disney Channel brought back “Candle in the Water”, this time with a feature film adaptation. Here, a whole new cast of characters (mostly voice actors from the film itself) took over the lyrics and became the lead role in the musical, taking the songwriting duties onto the shoulders of Tim Burton. However, despite the great deal of hype surrounding the film, Candle in the Water did not receive an Academy Award for Best Original Score. Instead, the film was nominated for the movie’s choreography and John Krasinski’s music.