From Wonderland to Neverland: The Evolution of a Song

2002

7min

"Beyond the Laughing Sky" is a deleted song from Disney's 1951 animated film Alice in Wonderland. It was written by composer Sammy Fain and lyricist Bob Hilliard. The song was originally written as Alice's opening song, in which she expresses her desire to see the outside world; Kathryn Beaumont (Alice's voice actress) likened the song to "Over the Rainbow" from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. However, since Beaumont was not as vocally trained as Judy Garland, the songwriters wrote another song, "In a World of My Own", which was easier for Beaumont to sing and which felt more lively for the beginning of the film. The tune of "Beyond the Laughing Sky" was recycled and rewritten as "The Second Star to the Right" for Peter Pan, which was released two years