Everyone has a favorite Disney song. Disney movies are filled with them. There are so many out there with catchy tunes and clever lyrics.
But there is also a giant list of Disney songs that were never used in the films. As the Disney creators develop each film, the characters, plot and storylines are often altered, which also affects the songs that are originally written for the films. Some of the melodies from cut songs were later used as different songs, for example, the melody of Alice in Wonderland's cut song "Beyond the Laughing Sky" was used as that of Peter Pan's "The Second Star to the Right."Some are cut due to time constraints, others because of the deletion of a character, and some never even make it to the animation stage, but that does not mean these cut songs aren't amazing.
So what are some of these cut songs? Here's a list of the top ten.
10) “I Can't Believe My Heart” – Hercules
This song is similar to Megara's “I Won't Say I'm in Love” which actually occurs in the movie. While this one is pretty great, the slow ballad doesn't really fit Meg's personality. The replacement song works better for the film.
9) “To Be King” – Lion King
This song was originally planned to give to Mufasa, but again, didn't quite fit his character. Disney ultimately decided that instead of Mufasa teaching Simba about the way of life around Pride Rock, Zazu would the right character to do so. “I Just Can't Wait to be King” worked out better in the film, no matter how catchy this song.
8) “Keep 'Em Guessing” – Mulan
This song was meant to introduce Mushu's character, but was deleted when the creators decided that Eddie Murphy gave the character plenty of personality without the song. The film's non-musical introduction isn't quite as entertaining as this song would have been, but may be a bit more dramatic.
7) “You Can Count on Me” – Aladdin
This is the first Disney song written after lyricist Howard Ashman passed away, before Tim Rice was hired as their main lyricist. Aladdin tells Abu all of his dreams and plans for the future. Ultimately, the song has the same message as “One Jump Ahead (Reprise)” and was cut.
6) “In the Middle of the River” – Pocahontas
A song about nature and about love, this deleted song comes up to a solution for Pocahontas and John Smith when they need a place to be alone together. Pocahontas remembers her mother saying “whenever there's anger and hatred on both sides of the river, you can always find a place of peace in the middle of the river.” Because it is similar to the song “If I Never Knew You” which plays during the end credits, the song was cut from the film.
5) “Music in Your Soup” – Snow White
Originally planned to fit after the washing scene and the song “Bluddle-Uddle-Um-Dum,” this song is sung by the dwarfs as they eat soup. The dwarfs spill soup everywhere and slurp their food noisily, until Snow White teaches them how to eat like proper gentlemen. A funny scene, in which Dopey even swallow his spoon by accident, it's a shame this song was cut. After cutting this song from the original film, it was considered for use in the sequel Snow White Returns, but the follow-up film never happened.
4) “Never Smile at a Crocodile” – Peter Pan
Although this song doesn't appear in the film, its instrumental version does. This is the theme music whenever Tick-Tock the Crocodile appears in the film. The lyrics suggest that you must always be nice and courteous to a crocodile, but never smile or be too nice if you don't want to lose a limb.
3) “Human Again” – Beauty and the Beast
Okay, so maybe you have heard of this song...it is a part of the Beauty and the Beast musical. However, in the original film, it was also planned to appear during the scene where Belle and the Beast read Shakespeare. Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Lumiere and all the other enchanted objects join in to sing and clean in preparation for the Ballroom scene. They know that Belle and the Beast are falling in love and the curse will soon be broken. Although not nearly as brilliant as the song that replaced it, “Something There,” this song is also nice.
2) “One Dance” – The Little Mermaid
This song was intended to be sung by Ariel, but was eventually replaced by “Part of Your World.” Although the replacement was in fact better, this song also presents a great message (as well as some foreshadowing). Ariel sings that she would “change who I am, change the sea for the sand just to stand with you.” She would do anything just for that one dance with Prince Eric, but the creators decide that they would rather have Ariel sing about the entire human world than just one dance.
1)“Proud of Your Boy” – Aladdin
In this song, Aladdin is apologizing to his mother, and he wants her to be proud of him. This is the last song written by Howard Ashman before he passed away in 1991. Unfortunately, this song was cut due to time constraints and the decision to cut out Aladdin's mother from the film. It is a song that represented Ashman's relationship with his mother, as well as any son and daughter that wants to make their parents proud.