Top 10 Deleted Disney Songs

We’ve all heard the stories about how popular musical numbers were close to being deleted from a Disney movie. “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and “Part of Your World” are a perfect example. But what about those really good Disney songs that never should have ended up on the cutting room floor? Let’s take a look at the top ten deleted Disney songs that were lost but, thankfully, not forgotten.

10. Frozen – More Than Just the Spare

All good Disney films have the ‘I Want’ song. In The Princess and the Frog, it was “Almost There,” and, in Hercules, it was “Go the Distance.” But, in Frozen, it was Anna’s deleted song. Here she sings about how she wants to be more than just the little sister and how someday she’ll find her “own thing.” Had it been in the movie maybe Anna could’ve been just as popular as Elsa and not feel like “the spare.” Who knows?

9. Alice in Wonderland – I’m Odd

I’m surprised they didn’t keep this song in the movie since the Cheshire Cat is a very popular character. And, since he is voiced by Sterling Holloway, it sounds like a crazy Winnie the Pooh singing a song about how odd he is, and it really works.

8. Cinderella – Dancing on a Cloud

If you want to kick back and listen to some old easy listening tunes then this one is for you. This was the song originally intended for the romantic meeting between Cinderella and the Prince, but was later replaced by “So This is Love.” It’s such a shame this song never made it in because it sounds like a true Disney classic and would be perfect for anyone’s wedding song.

7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Someday

A variation can be heard on the end credits of the movie but there is a deleted version that gives me goosebumps. This song would’ve been in replacement of “God Help the Outcasts.” Both of which have a very similar melancholy yet hopeful tone, and I can’t chose which one I prefer. They’re both too good. Which do you think is better?

6. Beauty and the Beast – Human Again

This is the song where all the enchanted objects sing about what they will do when they’re human once more. My favorite has to be the wardrobe Madame Bouche’s lyrics, “I’ll wear lipstick and rouge/and I won’t be so huge.” It was fully restored and added to the movie in the 2002 Special Edition release, and can also be heard in the stage musical. It’s big and bold and the animation to go with it is excellent. There’s the addition of a cat that had been turned into a pillow, and a little romantic scene with Belle and Beast. A definite recommend.

5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Music in Your Soup

This one always fascinated me as kid. I remember seeing this deleted music sequence on the end of a special VHS edition and I was mesmerized by the drawings. It was the beginning of my understanding of ‘animation.’ But, more than that, even as a child I was amazed the song was not in the movie. The lyrics were sharp and the tune was cheery. Imagine the Dwarfs’ “Washing Song” but this time about how to eat soup.

4. Peter Pan – Never Smile at a Crocodile

Isn’t it strange how we all know this song and yet it was never heard in the movie? You can hear it in the score when the big bad croc arrives along with his “tick-tock.” The song can be heard on the soundtrack sung by 50s comic actor Henry Calvin. So if you want to impress your friends by knowing the lyrics beyond “Never smile at a crocodile” then it’s definitely worth checking out. You’ll find, had it been in the movie, it would’ve fit perfectly and maybe even be a bigger hit than it already is.

3. Tangled – When Will My Life Begin? (Reprise 1)

After the catchy “When Will My Life Begin?,” a reprise can heard on the soundtrack that isn’t in the movie. The tone is a little sadder as Rapunzel tries to convince herself that it’s better to stay in the tower. It’s very short but definitely worth a listen if you’re a Tangled fan. I do wish this little gem had been in the movie because lines like “I’ve got my mother’s love/I couldn’t ask for more” says more about why she feels she has to stay.

2. Aladdin – Proud of Your Boy

I fell in love with this song the second I heard it and there have been times I’ve pressed the “repeat” button. Before the script changed, Aladdin originally had a mother and, in this song, he expresses how he’ll make her proud one day. There are so many bitter-sweet lines that strike an emotional cord with lyrics like “I’ve wasted time/I’ve wasted me.” This is the type of song that can resonate with us all. Luckily, this song was later added to the Broadway production as Aladdin swears he’ll never steal again after his mother passes away.

1. Pocahontas – If I Never Knew You

I’m not talking about the Shanice and Secada’s pop version heard during film’s end credits. That one you can avoid. I’m talking about the original track that was put back in the movie for the 2005 10^th anniversary edition. Surprisingly, Mel Gibson’s singing voice is really impressive and it’s the only time he’s ever sung for a movie. It’s the perfect example of how to sing “I love you” without being allowed to use those three words. There’s also the added fear of what may lie ahead for them that gives the song both an uplifting and melancholy touch. An excellent feat for Stephen Schwartz and Alan Menken’s first collaboration for Disney. There’s also a reprise of the song that adds to the tear-jerking ending. Sadly, it was deleted to a poor test screening when kids started to lose interest. But Pocahontas has always struck me as a more mature Disney movie anyway. I am very grateful that these two audio tracks finally became available on The Legacy Collection soundtrack to the film in 2015.

If you’re like me and you know every word to every Disney song, now is the chance to explore the deleted ones. There are so many to chose from. And the best part is that most of them are sung by the original voice artists. Which ones would you keep in the movie? Has there been a Disney song you don’t like that you wish had been deleted?

What’s your favorite deleted Disney song? Which ones would you have kept in the movie?

Edited by: Kajsa Rain Forden