From the catchy “Friend Like Me” to the infectious “It’s a Small World,” Disney knows how to crank out some terrific tunes, don’t they? They’ve enlisted the talents of the Sherman brothers, Alan Menken, and even the fabulous Elton John to make some of the most recognizable songs for their films.
Anyone can identify the bars of “Circle of Life,” “Be Our Guest,” and “Chim-Chim-Chimney” but what about the misplaced melodies that didn’t make the audition? What about the unused or deleted Disney songs? We’re here today to lend an ear to some of those forgotten tunes that didn’t make it to the soundtrack.
Music In Your Soup (Snow White and the Seven Dwarves)
Because if it’s one thing Snow White needed, it was a musical number about slurping soup. “Music in Your Soup” was an unused number from Walt Disney’s first animated feature. It was recorded, synched, and set to storyboards, but never made it into the final film due to length.
For early Disney, it’s catchy enough, though we’d be lying if we said we didn’t understand why it was cut. A chorus of slurping serves as the rhythm section for this silly song, and the novelty wears off fast. Not the worst, but not exactly what we’d call a hit.
Proud of Your Boy (Aladdin)
Before Aladdin was living with a monkey on the outskirts of Agrabah, he had a mother who was originally featured in the 1992 classic. The song “Proud of Your Boy” was originally dedicated to her. After being cut from the final script, the song went too.
That all being said and done, the song found a new home in the Broadway Musical of the same name, sung by the titular lead. Basically, Aladdin is acknowledging his ways and setting a goal to make a better life somehow. A standard “I want” song, but one worthy of our list.
Human Again (Beauty and the Beast)
Yet another tossed-away tune that found its way to a Broadway show, the song “Human Again” was written for Belle’s enchanted friends to sing after realizing the curse is nearly over. The song also serves as a sort of prep montage as the objects get the castle ready for that iconic dinner scene.
Cut for time, but still an upbeat and joyful tune, the song came back into the stage adaptation. It was also reanimated for the special edition release of the original film. “Human Again” is an underrated classic, but has a new audience thanks to its repurposing.
Be Prepared Reprised (The Lion King)
Everyone’s familiar with Scar’s signature showstopper, it’s up there with “Hellfire” and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” for best villain songs. But the version we got in the final film was not the original product. The song went through at least three different iterations before the version we know today.
The version that was tossed away was part reprisal, part seriously scary seduction attempt, and all-around chilling. After trying to make a move on Nala, forcing her into exile, Scar calls in his laughing hyena minions and takes over Pride Rock. This version was cut due to the more adult subject matter, and we can understand why.
Warthog Rhapsody (The Lion King)
While we’re in the Pridelands, let’s pay a visit to our favorite Disney Duo, Timon and Pumbaa. Before the masterpiece that was “Hakuna Matata”, we almost had a big, Broadway-esque number called “Warthog Rhapsody.” Sound’s like a winner, right?
Before we got the catchy tune we all know and love, the song “Warthog Rhapsody” was an anthem to the care-free life Timon and Pumbaa indulged in, mostly focusing on the larger of the pair. It was a jazzy number worthy of the stage version, but when paired against “Hakuna Matata” it was no contest which was the better track.
Humiliate The Boy (Aladdin)
Some songs are cut because a better one was written, some are cut because they’re too long or don’t carry the plot, and then some just don’t work. “Humiliate the Boy” is one of the third kind. Not only does it not fit the rest of the film, it’s just plain out of left field.
Sung as Jafar’s villain song after he steals the lamp, he commands the Genie to strip Aladdin of all his magically gifted trinkets. This includes his hair falling out, his clothes turning to rags, and all his treasures turning to flies and fleas with a vaudeville accompaniment. Weird doesn’t even scratch the surface.
Beyond The Laughing Sky (Alice In Wonderland)
Before she was in a world of her own, Alice opened up her film with a song called “Beyond the Laughing Sky.” An appropriate title for an Alice in Wonderland song, but deemed by the filmmakers to be too slow. Despite being cut from one film, the song found a home in another famous animated feature shortly after.
The title song from Peter Pan, “Second Star to the Right” used the same melody. As you’ll see in the rest of our list, it wasn’t the only song to be refurbished and repurposed. Disney would later do this again in The Jungle Book and Mary Poppins.
Land Of Sand (Mary Poppins)
Mary Poppins had a handful of songs that were either replaced or repurposed, but one overlooked little number actually became quite famous later on. The song “Land of Sand” was replaced by “Stay Awake” and has a familiar hypnotic tune. So hypnotic in fact, it was used for a certain serpent in The Jungle Book.
Just like “Beyond the Laughing Sky,” “Land of Sand” was rewritten as “Trust in Me” for Kaa. The lyrics might be different, but the tune is the same. If you think that’s eerie, have a look at our next entry.
The Chimpan-Zoo (Mary Poppins)
Our next entry was not just a song, but an entire sequence that was cut. In a sequence where Mary, Michale, and Jane visit Uncle Albert, Mary warns the children of the Chimpan-Zoo, a zoo ran by anthropomorphic animals with humans on display.
Replaced by Uncle Albert’s “I Love to Laugh,” the song was discarded, but the world of anthropomorphic animals was picked back up for Mary Poppins Returns. Now we have “Royal Doulton Music Hall” and “A Cover is Not The Book” thanks to “The Chimpan-Zoo.”
I’m Odd (Alice In Wonderland)
We end this list with a return to Wonderland as we look at a deleted Cheshire Cat song. It’s catchy and quite frankly a missed opportunity. Before he was dreamily crooning the strange “Twas Brillig,” the Cheshire Cat was meant to sing the catchy and curious tune, “I’m Odd.”
In order to have some tie-in to Caroll’s Jabberwock creature, the filmmakers decided to cut the song in favor of a reference to the famous poem. For those interested, there is a version on YouTube sung by Jim Cummings that gives us a taste of what would have been a much more fitting song for the character.
Next: The Lion King: Ranking Every Song From The Disney Musical
