The point of songs in musicals is to move the plot along. They are pivotal story elements. But these songs have a way of borrowing themselves into people's hearts. From little kids who listen to Disney soundtracks on repeat, to adults who still know every word, Disney songs have become a huge part of many people's lives.
With Disney remaking so many of their classic cartoons into live-action movies, there are many criticisms. It is impossible to re-imagine the shows that made up people's childhood and make everybody happy. The songs redacted from the new movies cause quite a stir with fans.
To be completely fair to the remake of The Lion King, the words "be prepared" are in the movie. However, instead of singing like in the cartoon, Scar gives a monologue-like speech to his hyena army.
At the very end of his speech, he sings the last line of the iconic song. However, it can hardly be called a song. The point of this artistic choice was to make Scar more mysterious and intimidating as a character. But all it managed to accomplish was outrage from fans who loved the more sarcastic, more dramatic version of Scar from the animation.
Pete and Elliot sing this song (also called, "I Love You, Too") after Pete runs away from his abusive family in the cartoon. The primary job of the song is to explain the friendship these characters have.
The live-action remake forgoes this song to give the movie a more serious feel regarding Elliot the dragon. The cartoon has Elliot as a bumbling, but well meaning, friend meant to give Pete a family. The remade movie makes Elliot a protector, above all else. "I Love You, Too" gets lost to the more serious tone of the live-action re-telling of Pete's and Elliots friendship.
"We're Your Friends" is, admittedly, not very important to the plot. Ultimately, the song is just another example of the harshness of The Jungle Book. However, it has become a somewhat iconic song in the movie.
The vultures, a parody of The Beatles, sing a barber-shop quartet style song that is surprisingly upbeat for the surrounding environment. It is an incredibly catchy song that, while not essential to the story, is a fun part of the cartoon that adds to the mystical setting of the story. And a Beatles parody is always a treat.
The live-action Alice in Wonderland was a much darker take on the Lewis Carroll classic. While the cartoon was scary to a lot of young children, the remake was almost nightmarish in its portrayal of the characters, plot, and Wonderland itself.
One of the ways this change was accomplished was to take out the songs that made the cartoon so much more lighthearted. The goal of making the movie darker was a success, but it still was a shame that the fun, and slightly unnerving, rambunctiousness of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare were not in the song form of "Happy Unbirthday."
There are very few songs that are as recognizable as "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan. Many Disney's Top Hits lists have this song ranked on them, accurately showing how much Disney fans truly love it.
While it's catchy and upbeat, it's those qualities that prevent the song from belonging in the new movie. The new movie is a much more mature, not leaving much room for the training montage and empowering song that Mulan is partially known for. The space it filled is instead replaced by the action filled battles between Mulan and her new nemesis.
A staple of the classic princess movie is the charming ballad that is sung while the two lead characters have a heartfelt moment together. In the 1950's animation Cinderella, this song is "So This Is Love."
In the live action remake, traditional ballroom dance music is played, notably missing the classic lyrics associated with the rich voice of the original Cinderella. Not using this song takes away from the nostalgia of the new movie and breaks the spell of magic that the original ballroom scene held.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh has an adorable theme song, introducing all of the characters and their home. So, why, in a show about these same characters and this same world, would you not add the main song of the franchise?
Keeping "Hundred Acre Woods" in the Christopher Robin score would have added elements to the movie. It would have created a physical sense of nostalgia to couple with the revisiting of characters that were integral parts of many people's childhoods. Not including the song seems like a wasted opportunity on the part of the producers.
If the point of songs in musicals is to advance the plot, then the point of "Reflection" is to give Mulan motivation. It is critical for Mulan's character that she doesn't understand who she is.
The song shows that Mulan wants to embrace her femininity and culture, and be true to herself, but does not know how to unite the two versions of herself. This song is the way Mulan conveys the personal war she is facing. Leaving "Reflection" out of the new movie, and the song's central message, makes Mulan's internal struggles seem uninspired and takes away from the humanity of her character.
