From the ever-recurring love ballads, to songs about murderous intent, Disney boasts a wide range of great and terrible songs. While it is no secret that films and musicals generally create additional songs and melodies that are never put to use, it might intrigue some Disney fans to know just how many songs have never seen the light of day: the following is a list of ten Disney songs that didn’t make the cut.
Most people will recognize the melody to this song as the same melody in Peter Pan’s, “The Second Star to the Right”. However, the melody for which Peter Pan is so well-known was never originally intended for that movie at all. The tune was initially used for “Beyond the Laughing Sky”, a song meant to be featured in Alice in Wonderland. In fact, Alice in Wonderland has enough cut songs to make a list by itself. “Beyond the Laughing Sky” was eventually replaced by, “A World of My Own”, and the melody was carried over to Peter Pan. Interestingly, Kathryn Beaumont voiced Alice and Wendy respectively and yet her version of this song never quite made it to the big screen.
Like Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin has its fair share of cut songs. I couldn’t discover why this particular song was cut. It’s possible that the film already had enough energetic numbers. It’s also possible that the song deserved to be cut. Either way, a recording of this and other cut numbers can be found on The Music Behind the Magic box-set, which was released in 1994. This song was originally intended to be sung by Duchess (Eva Gabor), and included a repeat of another unused song called “Pourquoi”,which was originally sung by Madame Bonfamille. “She Never Felt Alone”, unlike “Pourquoi”, is sung from a cat perspective – and whether or not this makes Madame a crazy cat-lady or Duchess a crazy people-cat, I can’t say. The song can be heard on the 2008 special edition DVD of Aristocats. While fans of the Broadway musical version of this landmark Disney film might recognize this number, “Human Again” was ultimately cut from the original theatrical release of the film. Though it had already been recorded, eventually it was decided that this number got in the way of the continuity of the film, so it was replaced with “Something There”. In 2001, this number was given an animation, and included in the special edition of the DVD. This song was written during the early development stage of Aladdin, when the title character was still supposed to have a mother. However, in true matricidal Disney tradition, Aladdin’s mother was written out of the movie, rendering this song unnecessary. A demo version of this song can be heard on the 2004 special edition soundtrack, as well as on The Music Behind the Magic box set.
This number was meant to take place at the ball. Thematically, it’s very similar to “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful” from the Rodger and Hammerstein musical of the same name – but in the case of the Disney version, the song is only told from Cinderella’s point of view. It’s unclear why this song was ultimately scrapped, though it could be that the film already boasted a few slow numbers, so one more would be excessive. A demo recording of this song can be found on the special edition of the DVD. This decidedly corny ballad (well, corny by Disney’s standards) was meant to be sung by Megara instead of “I Won’t Say I’m in Love”. Although a recording was made of “I Can’t Believe My Heart”, it was eventually decided that the song didn’t suit Megara’s established character and so it was replaced with the more lively number we’re familiar with today. You can find this song on Susan Egan’s CD, “Coffee House”. This number, which was originally meant to be the opening song for the Jungle Book, was cut from the film when it was decided that its tone was too dark. Although suits the mood of the original book by Rudyard Kipling, the happier Disney film just couldn’t mesh with such a heavy melody. In fact, Terry Gilkyson wrote six songs that never made it into the film, of which only two were recorded. This particular song can be found on The Jungle Book soundtrack. Keen ears might recognize this number from the credits of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. But did you know that it was originally intended to be sung by Esmerelda in place of “God Help the Outcasts”? According to the behind-the-scenes interview with Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, “Someday” was written as an energetic alternative to “God Help the Outcasts”. Ultimately, it was decided that “God Help the Outcasts” fit the tone of the scene more effectively, and “Someday” was relegated to the credits. You can find a recording of Heidi Mollenahuer singing the demo of “Someday” on the special edition of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Do you remember the con-artist fox named Honest John in Disney’s Pinnochio? The one that was obviously dishonest? Well, he originally had a character song, which was ultimately cut from the final release. As you might expect, the song’s lyrics are about just how untrustworthy Honest John is. It’s a shame this number wasn’t included – it probably would have given our wooden hero a bit more of a clue.
