Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers is getting a lot of attention and acclaim for all of its pop culture references and cameos, including Ugly Sonic, but Jar Jar Binks was unfortunately edited out of the final cut. It's hardly rare to have important sequences are cut out of movies, as whole storylines end up on the cutting room floor, but even if they're edited out, their paper trails can still be seen in the film.
Whether it's an edited-out love interest who can still be found, or a main character whose nowhere to be seen but their name keeps cropping up in dialogue, these films failed to erase every instance of their scrapped storylines. But sometimes, cutting out what led up to it can greatly improve a visual gag or turn an out-of-context line of dialogue into an iconic quote.
The Avengers (2012)
In The Avengers, after the Battle of New York is over and it's cutting between interviews of random civilians, The-Soul-Stone points out that the camera lingers on Ashley Johnson's character for a little too long. But there's a reason for it. The Redditor notes, "She was supposed to be Cap's love interest, but was cut out except for a brief appearance during the battle of New York."
It was the right decision to cut out the scene, as it would have tainted the future relationship between him and Peggy. However, as explained by Comicbook.com, a cut scene between them features yet another hilarious Stan Lee cameo in which he nudges Steve to ask for her number.
Knives Out (2019)
Knives Out expertly has audiences solving the mystery alongside the characters, but there are more mysteries and puzzles in the movie than audiences actually know. And one particular mystery exists simply because the scenes explaining it were cut out. Viewers might have wondered why Walt Thrombey uses a cane, and Fleetingflamingoes notes that there was a whole subplot surrounding Walt owing money to some violent people.
The Redditor explains, "they had broken his foot as a threat." Some of the movie's deleted scenes detail this, and it adds to the story, as it explains why Walt is committed to getting Harlan's money, even if it means ruining Marta's life, which seems a little out of character in the final cut of the movie.
Planes, Trains, & Automobiles (1987)
Sonofabutch lists not just one narrative but a ton of sequences that were cut out of Planes, Trains, & Automobiles, but the remnants of what was cut out can still be found in the movie. Towards the end of the film, Del has a black eye that isn't explained, but the Redditor notes, "It's either the refrigerated truck driver punched him in the face and/or because Neal punched him in the face during a deleted scene where they are in jail.
While the film is a lean 90 minutes, it was originally double the length, as the first cut was over three hours long. And it would have answered what happened to Del's eye, why they were talking to a Wisconsin state trooper in Chicago, and if Del's wife's body really was in his case the whole time.
Heat (1995)
United_Long_9925 explains that Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) in Heat had a nasty habit, even though it was never shown on screen. The Redditor explains, "Pacino's character was supposed to have a cocaine problem but it was scrapped. Pacino still acted the part like he was on cocaine." At almost three hours, Heat is long enough, so yet another subplot was unnecessary, but it's clearly implied that Hanna has a cocaine habit based on the way the character acts.
Hanna is always a little sweaty and rattled, not to mention that Pacino plays the character in his signature frenetic and unpredictable way. According to GQ, at a special 20th-anniversary screening of the movie, Pacino told the audience that a cut scene showed Hanna using the drug, then added, "I've always wanted to say it, just so you know where some of the behavior's coming from."
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
This Is Spinal Tap is one of the funniest mockumentaries ever, as it follows a fictional rock band as they record studio albums and tour America. They get up to typical rockstar shenanigans, and while many would be envious, those shenanigans also come with side effects. AreWeCowabunga recalls the scene in the movie where the band members all have herpes outbreaks, but nothing is mentioned of it.
However, according to the Redditor, "There was going to be a subplot where they all caught it from the same groupie." According to Yahoo, the subplot was indeed cut because it took 30 minutes to set up. However, even though it has been almost 40 years since its release, Spinal Tap is getting a legacy sequel, and the mystery could always be brought up in the follow-up movie.
The Goonies (1985)
Duderox explains that in The Goonies there was originally a scene where the gang fights a giant octopus. The Redditor adds, "The octopus was eventually cut, but one of the kids actually mentions it." The full scenes of the giant octopus can be found on YouTube, which take place in the same sequence where they find One-Eyed Willie's ship, and it's hardly surprising that they were cut out of the movie.
The creature looks so clearly fake, and it isn't quite up to the same production quality as the rest of the film. When the kids escape and reunite with their parents, Data excitedly talks about the giant octopus, but it just sounds like children typically exaggerating, and it's one of the best mistakes that made it into the movie.
Super Mario Bros. (1993)
Super Mario Bros. is one of the weirdest movie adaptations of any source material, as it turns the colorful and animated Nintendo game into a weird live-action Total Recall-esq sci-fi movie. However, there's no denying that it's inventive, and one of the most inventive scenes was unfortunately cut out, but there's still evidence in the movie that it exists.
MysticPaintBrush explains a cutscene that sees a technician getting turned into slime in the Devo Chamber. The Redditor notes, "you can still see the slime on the floor and the Devo Chamber seat. The guard even slips and falls on it." As reported by Nintendo Soup, the scene has been restored and it can be found on YouTube, along with studio notes that explain it was cut out because of how graphic it was.
The Room (2003)
TheDudeWithNoName_ points to The Room when it comes to movie instances of a storyline that was cut. The Redditor references one of the most quoted lines of the film, "I got the test results back. I definitely have breast cancer." That's the first and last time the issue is brought up. And The Room is the ultimate "so bad it's good" movie because of how so many scenes in the 2003 movie are just like the one example the user gives, such as Johnny's promotion and the drug dealer.
However, that isn't exactly intentional, and it's doubtful that scenes were cut that further explain what's going on. In fact, the 2016 comedy The Disaster Artist, which is about the making of The Room, hints that there's an abandoned subplot where Tommy was a vampire all along.
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz is full of creativity, and the whole premise of the film sounds like a Hollywood Golden Age studio executive's fever dream. But the film was originally even weirder than the final cut. This Redditor remembers when The Wicked Witch of the West "tells a flying monkey that she sent a 'little insect' to slow down Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, and the Scarecrow."
That's the first and last time audiences hear of it, but it's referring to a deleted scene where the characters dance to "Jitterbug" for five whole minutes, which can again be found on YouTube. According to What Culture, it was simply cut to shorten the movie's runtime.
Magnolia (1999)
Magnolia is a melodramatic epic that has a multistranded narrative and is already filled to the brim with characters, but Lenene247 explains that there was one more character in the movie that didn't make the cut. The Redditor notes, "There was a character called Worm played by Orlando Jones that was completely cut. There are still references to him though."
Magnolia is already 188 minutes long and, if anything, it could have done with some additional cuts too, such as the three-minute sequence that cuts between characters singing Aimee Mann's "Wise Up." However, the Worm's narrative and deleted scenes that appear on the DVD would have given more meaning to the film and tied a lot of it together instead of it feeling so dreamlike.