Director Rob Marshall said the cut was "painful, especially a new Sondheim song which is so thrilling," but that the film worked better without it. The song, which was written for Meryl Streep as the Witch, will be preserved on DVD.

Variety also reports that, unlike the film adaptation of Les Misérables (in which singing was performed live on set), the songs in "Into the Woods" were pre-recorded — with the exception of the Witch's rap.

"Meryl did that live," music producer/supervisor Michael Higham told Variety. "It was one of the most impressive things I've ever seen."

Director Marshall urges audiences to be mindful that "Into the Woods" is true to the medium of film. He said, "You're not aware of when the numbers begin and end… It moves in and out of dialogue, between narrative and songs, seamlessly. It's a different way to go, for sure, and expands what a Disney fairy tale can be."

To read more about the music of "Into the Woods," including actress Anna Kendrick's encounter with Sondheim in the recording studio, click here. Read: Agony! Waiting for the Release of "Into the Woods" (as Told Through GIFs)