The soundtrack features original songs from the film written by the songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and performed by the ensemble cast members: Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Sunita Mani, Tracy Morgan and Patrick Page.

[1][2] Spirited nearly featured 13 original songs written by the Academy Award-winning songwriter duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and co-written by Sukari Jones, Mark Sonnenblick, and Khiyon Hursey.

At the Sound & Screen conference hosted by Deadline Hollywood, the executive music producer Ian Eisendrath stated that he was involved in the recording of vocals and orchestra, mixing and editing the camera work, where the actor actually sings those songs.

[4] Octavia Spencer, who had not sung for previous films, felt that the process was "extremely difficult", adding "The wonderful thing is we had a great music supervisor Ian Eisendrath who taught me not only how to get away from the nerves of singing but use it in the language that I was accustomed to, which is monologues.

"[10] Despite giving a mixed review, Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy felt that Pasek and Paul "know their way around an instant earworm, and the likes of 'Good Afternoon' and 'That Christmas Morning Feelin'' are joyful.

"[11] Maya Philips of The New York Times dismisses the musical's "pat lyrics" and "forgettable melodies" but continues, "There’s Chloé Arnold’s showstopping choreography at least, a dazzling combination of tap, hip-hop and jazz performed by a massive ensemble of background singers and dancers."

Philips concludes that "the combination of this fine-tuned spectacle with the ineffectual vocals of the main duo—and distractingly uncanny visuals and special effects—transforms 'Spirited' into a disjointed movie musical with all the superficial trappings of a Broadway flop.