This week, the world is a little less shining, shimmering, splendid.

Without him, we’d never know just how far Moana would go, or talked about Bruno.

By their own admission, Disney’s “Animation Renaissance was powered by music.”

And Peabo Bryson was the conduit.

In 1993, Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” held a 14-week-long death grip on the Billboard Hot 100’s #1 spot.

“A Whole New World” did more than break that streak. It made music and animation history as Disney’s first and ONLY Billboard #1 until 2022’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.”

Among their thousands of earworms, only three Disney originals have ever won a Pop Grammy.

Two of those bear Peabo Bryson’s name. (The third, Sir Elton John’s.)

30+ years later, Disney’s recruited dozens of award-winning, mainstream singers like Demi Lovato, Idina Menzel, Christina Aguilera, Miley Cyrus, Carrie Underwood, and many, many more for their biggest hits.

Not one has met the standard that Peabo Bryson set twice.

Of course, we can’t talk about “A Whole New World” without giving Peabo’s partner, the talented Ms. Regina Belle, her flowers as well.

An R&B hitmaker herself, when Regina paired with Peabo on three separate songs, all were critical successes for them both.

Compared to his first Grammy-winning Disney duet with Celine Dion on “Beauty and the Beast,” the vocal harmonies, warmth, and chemistry that Peabo and Regina shared in this third duet is downright captivating.

Instead of “Beauty’s” cold, dark auditorium stage, “A Whole New World” set its stars into an admittedly Temu version of “Aladdin’s” Agrabah. (It was the 90s. Don’t hate.)

Even 90s Disney execs likely foresaw the issues with a Black man too closely mimicking “The Beast.” But in their first animated film featuring a Brown-skinned romance, Peabo and Regina’s vocals tapped into a sincerity that clearly still resonates worldwide today.

Almost enough to forget they had our brother in a Genie Blue suit, collared dress shirt, and loafers in the desert.

Can’t win ’em all, I guess.

Thanks for all the magic, Mr. Bryson.

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