When You Wish Upon a Star facts for kids

"When You Wish Upon a Star" is a famous song. Leigh Harline and Ned Washington wrote it. It was made for Walt Disney's 1940 movie Pinocchio.

The first version was sung by Cliff Edwards. He was the voice of Jiminy Cricket in the movie. You hear the song at the start of the film. It also plays in the very last scene. This song has become a symbol for The Walt Disney Company. It is often used in the Disney logos before movies.

Cliff Edwards and a chorus released the song. It came out on Victor Records and EMI labels. Edwards also recorded another version in 1940. This was for an American Decca Records album. The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1940. It was the first Disney song to ever win an Oscar.

Why This Song is Special

A Classic Film Song

The Library of Congress chose this song for the National Recording Registry in 2009. This means it is very important. It is important for culture, history, or beauty. The American Film Institute listed it as one of the "100 Greatest Songs in Film History". It was ranked seventh, which is very high.

It is the highest-ranked Disney animated film song on that list. Other Disney songs on the list include "Someday My Prince Will Come" and "Beauty and the Beast". "Hakuna Matata" is also on the list.

Popularity and Covers

The song became very popular in 1940. It reached the top five on Billboard's Record Buying Guide. Many artists have recorded it since then. Glenn Miller's version was number one for five weeks.

More recently, Beyoncé sang a cover of the song. This was for "The Disney Family Singalong". Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys said his song "Surfer Girl" was inspired by it.

A Christmas Tradition

In some countries, this song is a Christmas song. These countries include Japan, Sweden, and Norway. It often reminds people of the Star of Bethlehem. The Swedish version is called "Ser du stjärnan i det blå". This means "Do you see the star in the blue".

In Scandinavia, the song plays every Christmas Eve. It is part of the Disney TV show From All of Us to All of You. Watching this show is a family tradition there.

Disney's Symbol Song

"When You Wish Upon a Star" is a big symbol for The Walt Disney Company. It is like Mickey Mouse. In the 1950s and 1960s, Walt Disney used it. It was in the opening of his TV show.

Since the 1980s, it has been used with the Walt Disney Pictures logo. You see this logo before many Disney movies. The ships of the Disney Cruise Line also use the song's melody. They use the first seven notes as their horn signals. Many shows at Disney theme parks use the song too. This includes firework shows and parades.

A Jazz Favorite

This song has also become a jazz standard. This means jazz musicians often play it. Many famous jazz artists have performed it. These include Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck Quartet, and Keith Jarrett Trio. Other artists like Linda Ronstadt and Rod Stewart have also sung it.