Desert Moon

"My mother taught me that song."

Literally just this morning I was wondering why they didn't use Proud of Your Boy's melody there. Now I know as Disney VEVO officially released the deleted song Desert Moon this afternoon.

Taking the melody introduced when Aladdin and Jasmine discuss the song their mothers taught them, this gorgeous new duet sung by Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott would have come as Aladdin crossed the desert with Jafar whilst Jasmine waited to meet him in the courtyard, as the moon rises above the minaret.

Whilst the song doesn't necessarily drive the story forwards (perhaps the reason it was ultimately cut?), it is a beautiful moment between the two characters and I love how the melody was seeded into the score during that first meeting between the two. I've said it before, but Alan Menken is a genius and I love his score for this movie. And I love Pasek and Paul's lyrics here. They have a real lullaby quality which is fitting for a song Aladdin and Jasmine learnt from their mothers as children.

I'm just glad that Disney have officially released this (it is available to purchase and download from all the usual places) and that the full scene will be available on next month's Blu-Ray release of the film. I can't wait to see how it looks.