"Belle" | |
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Song by Paige O'Hara and Richard White | |
from the album Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
Released | October 29, 1991 |
Genre | Operetta |
Length | 5:09 |
Label | Walt Disney |
Composer(s) | Alan Menken |
Lyricist(s) | Howard Ashman |
Producer(s) |
|
"Belle" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Recorded by American actors Paige O'Hara and Richard White, "Belle" is a mid-tempo classical music-inspired song that borrows elements from Broadway and musical theatre. It was the first song Ashman and Menken wrote for Beauty and the Beast, which they feared Disney would reject due to its length and complexity, but the film's producers ultimately liked the song.
The film's first song and opening number, "Belle" appears during Beauty and the Beast as a bustling operetta-style musical number that introduces audiences to the film's heroine, Belle (O'Hara), and her arrogant suitor, Gaston (White). In addition to describing Belle's goals and aspirations, the song uses lyrics interspersed with spoken dialogue to reveal how the townsfolk feel about her and Gaston, positioning the former as an outcast due to her beauty and love of reading, and the latter as a hero despite his arrogance. Belle reprises the song later in the film after rejecting a marriage proposal from Gaston, declaring her deep longing for adventure.
"Belle" has received widespread acclaim from film and music critics, who praised its effectiveness as an opening number and likened it to songs from the musical films West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965). "Belle" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992, but lost to the film's title song . "Belle" was similarly featured in the stage adaptation of the film, originally performed by actress Susan Egan on Broadway. Actors Emma Watson and Luke Evans performed the song in the 2017 live-action remake of the film.
In an effort to replicate the unprecedented success of The Little Mermaid (1989), [1] Disney decided to adapt the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" into a feature-length animated film. [2] Although originally developed as an animated film without songs under the direction of Richard Purdum, [3] Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg was unsatisfied with the dark, somber direction of the film at the time, [4] and ultimately ordered that it be re-written into a "Broadway-style musical with a strong heroine", similar to The Little Mermaid. [5] Disney then hired The Little Mermaid's songwriters, lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken, to write original songs for the revised film. [6] [7] The songwriting duo wrote "Belle". [8]
According to Menken, songs such as "Belle" developed naturally due to the fact that Beauty and the Beast was written in the style of a traditional Broadway musical. [9] Actress and singer Paige O'Hara, [10] who voices Belle, said the songwriters wanted to eschew the pop songs of The Little Mermaid in favor of a more Jerome Kern and Rodgers and Hammerstein-inspired score for Beauty and the Beast. [11] The film's songs were heavily inspired by French, classical, and traditional Broadway music. [12] Additionally, Menken described "Belle" and the other Beauty and the Beast songs as "tangents from 18th-century France", [13] with Ashman suggesting that the film's opening be transformed into "a full-fledged operetta". [14] "Belle" was the first song they wrote for the film, [15] which Menken described as far more ambitious than Disney had asked them for. [16] Hoping to craft a song that would depict Belle in a safe, protected environment, [17] Ashman and Menken drew inspiration from a storytelling technique traditionally heard in operettas, [18] using the opening song to establish the tone of the rest of the film. [19] Written in a style Menken described as "very distant from contemporary pop", [13] the songwriters were influenced by classical music, [20] Mozart, and the stage musical She Loves Me (1963). [21] Menken said the song occupies several roles in the film, simultaneously serving as an opening song, entertaining production number, and showing audiences the character they should be rooting for, and emphasized the importance of it happening early in the film to establish that the film is a musical. [22]
Ashman and Menken were initially skeptical about "Belle"'s success upon completing the song, fearing it would end their Disney careers should the studio not like their creation. [13] Estimating the completed song to be seven minutes long, [23] the songwriters doubted the filmmakers would appreciate their very theatrical approach to animation. [24] Actor Richard White agreed that, at the time, "No show of any kind starts with a seven-minute opening number that's all exposition". [19] Ashman was particularly wary, [25] avoiding submitting the song to Disney for several days. [6] [23] Menken claims Ashman's AIDS diagnosis contributed to the lyricist's emotional vulnerability during this time. [26] The cassette tape the songwriters eventually sent to the producers also contained the demo for the reprise and "Be Our Guest". [27] [28] Much to their surprise, "Belle" was ultimately very well received by the creative team, [29] [30] becoming one of the film's few songs to remain largely unchanged during production. [24] Ashman determined where characters would speak or sing during the song, similar to a choreographer choreographing a dance routine. [31] Story supervisor Roger Allers requested more back-and-forth among the townspeople towards the end of the song, prompting Ashman and Menken to suggest several phrases and actions the characters could sing about. [31] Menken played an electric piano while Ashman wrote dialogue. [31] Their demo recording of "Belle" was included on the compilation album The Legacy Collection: Beauty and the Beast (2018). [32] [33] O'Hara called the song one of her favorites from the film because it establishes who Belle is as a character. [34]
"Belle" is the first song in Beauty and the Beast. [35] [36] Described by the film's producer Don Hahn as a "Gilbert & Sullivan operetta style" song, "Belle" reveals a significant amount of information within a relatively short period of time. [24] Casey Covel of Geeks Under Grace said the song "manages to convey at least twenty page’s worth of plot and character development within the confines of only five minutes". [37] Taking place shortly after the prologue, "Belle" helps progress the film to the present-day, [38] walking through the town to return a library book. [39] According to Menken, the song relays "the story of Belle going to the town and everyone’s reaction to her and getting to see Gaston and knowing he is infatuated with her – but more infatuated with himself". [17] As Beauty and the Beast's opening number, [40] [41] "Belle" is a "pivotal moment...in the narrative", [42] playing a significant role by introducing both the film's heroine and villain, Belle and Gaston, [35] as well as where both characters are in their lives, [43] establishing Belle as an outsider. [44] The song also introduces the same townsfolk who would eventually hunt the Beast later in the film due to fearing the unknown. [44]
Belle has grown frustrated with her predictable village life and longs for an adventure similar to the ones she reads about in her books, [45] while Gaston is a narcissistic hunter determined to marry her because he believes they are the two best-looking inhabitants. [39] The sequence begins with Belle returning a library book about "a beanstalk and an ogre", [46] in exchange for one she has already read several times. [47] During the scene, Belle attempts to share the plot of her most recent novel with some villagers such as the Baker, only to be brushed off. [48] In roughly five minutes, the song explains both Belle and Gaston's roles in Beauty and the Beast to the audience, offering insight into Belle's desire for "something more". [49] Belle has grown bored of the feeling that every day seems to be the same to her. Ironically, Belle is unaware of the adventure she is about to embark on, [50] or how her dreams would manifest. [51] The song also voices the opinions of the townsfolk and "sets up the overall theme and foreshadows what makes the town so oppressive to [Belle]". [52] While the villagers praise Belle for her beauty, they view her as "odd" because of her love of books, [53] with their opinions of her ranging from open attraction to critical bewilderment. [47] However, they idolize Gaston's looks and masculinity. [54] Commonly referred to as the film's "I Want" song, [55] [56] [57] "Belle" offers its protagonist an opportunity to convey her yearnings, [10] specifically wanting more than the provincial life she has been living. [57]
Belle reprises the song in a more defiant manner later in the film after rejecting Gaston's marriage proposal, [49] which according to Dirk Libbey of CinemaBlend "captures all of Belle's dreams" in a manner the original version does not. [43] The character explicitly wishes for "adventure in the great, wide somewhere", [58] expressing her boredom with her current circumstances. [59] O'Hara described it as the moment her character "wants to break loose out of this little town and explore the world—not looking for a man—just explore the world". [60] Critics compared the scene to The Sound of Music (1965), [6] [61] [62] which O'Hara confirmed they borrowed inspiration from. [60] Nate Millado of Backstage cited inspiration from the musical Oklahoma! (1943) in the way the song " propels the plot and peeks into characters". [63]
Ashman wrote the song's lyrics while Menken composed its music. [61] According to its official sheet music from Walt Disney Music Publishing, "Belle" is a Broadway and musical theatre-inspired song, performed at a "pastorally" tempo of 80 beats per minute in the key of D major. [64] Vocally, the arrangement includes several high notes. [65] Combined, O'Hara and White's vocal ranges span approximately two octaves, from A3 to G5. [64] Additionally, actors Jesse Corti, Alec Murphy, Mary Kay Bergman, and Kath Soucie's voices are also featured on the track. [64] [66] In total, "Belle" lasts five minutes and nine seconds in duration. [67] [68] The song's verse, chorus, and musical break structure allows for the interjection of monologue and dialogue. [47] According to Irving Tan of Sputnikmusic , the track is an "idyllic, orchestra-driven" operetta. [69] [70] Menken described it as "19th-century operetta style", [13] and Filmtracks.com called it "snare-tapping". [71]
The track begins slowly with Belle's solo describing a typical morning in her village before several distinct townspeople join her singing "bonjour". [72] [73] Afterwards, "Belle" adopts a faster speed, becoming a "rhythmically driven tune" that several patrons perform at various moments throughout the song, [72] including the Baker's line "Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up". [74] Eventually, the song introduces a counter melody performed by Belle, who lovingly recounts a book she is reading about a young woman and a handsome prince, followed by Gaston singing a faster melody with the Bimbettes, who fawn over him. [72] As the song crescendos, Belle belts her desire for greater ambitions "There must be more than this provincial life", [50] [75] countered with Gaston's "Just watch, I’m going to make Belle my wife", highlighting their opposing dreams and goals. [38] According to author Alexandra Heatwole, Belle's line is representative of the Disney Renaissance heroines' overarching desire to break away from the confines of social milieus, noting that Ariel and Jasmine expressed similar longings in their songs. [76] Finally, in a Broadway-style climax, the song concludes with virtually every villager singing together. [72]
Lyrically, its verses are interspersed with dialogue from various characters, [53] which was unusual for an animated film at the time. [36] The protagonist discusses how she feels left out and unseen by her peers, [77] who describe her as their "most peculiar mademoiselle" due to her love of reading. [78] It includes the lyrics "Here's where she meets Prince Charming/But she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three!" [44] Billboard found the vocal and lyrical layering to be reminiscent of songs from the musical Les Misérables. [79] Katrine Ames of Newsweek likened its "sly and quick-cutting dialogue" to the work of composer Stephen Sondheim. [80] Tyler B. Searle of Collider identified its overall theme as "how society treats those it deems different, which has helped it remain topical thirty years later". [39] Thematically, Jonathan Romney of Sight and Sound found it similar to "Maria" from The Sound of Music. [81]
"Wandering through her village while reading a book, Belle becomes the focus of a spectacular opening number that captures the essence of this film's appeal. Bit by bit, the population trickles out to greet Belle and gossip about her, while she herself bemoans the small-mindedness of the place. This rousing number reaches such a flurry of musical counterpoint that it recalls sources as unlikely as West Side Story , while the direction builds energetically from quiet beginnings to a formidable finale." |
— The New York Times film critic Janet Maslin's detailed analysis of the song and its corresponding scene. [82] |
When an unfinished version of Beauty and the Beast was screened at the New York Film Festival in March 1991, "Belle" was the only sequence to have been completely animated. [83] "Belle" has received widespread acclaim. [84] [85] Filmtracks.com hailed the song as "among the most satisfying and clever cast pieces in history", calling its nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song deserved. [71] Filmtracks.com also praised the reprise, drawing similarities to the title song from The Sound of Music. [71] Bob Hoose of Plugged In called it "masterful". [86] James Berardinelli of ReelViews described "Belle" as "the animated equivalent of Broadway show-stoppers, with all the energy and audacity of something choreographed by Busby Berkeley". [87] Pete Vonder Haar of the Houston Press liked both the song and its reprise, admitting to the inevitability of having to experience an "unexpected swell of emotion" when both songs are heard. [88]
Several critics praised the song's quality as an opening number for the film. [89] [90] Jennie Punter of The Globe and Mail hailed "Belle" as "one of the most delightful openings of any movie musical". [91] In a review for The New York Times , journalist Janet Maslin called "Belle" "a spectacular opening number that captures the essence of this film's appeal", comparing it to the musical selections from the film West Side Story (1961). [82] Highlighting the song as one of the film's most notable, Sandie Angulo Chen of Moviefone described "Belle" as "infectious". [92] TV Guide positively compared "Belle" to some of the songs featured in the musicals Fiddler on the Roof and She Loves Me . [90] Writing for Sight and Sound , Jonathan Romney praised the animation and direction of the sequence, which he likened to the work of comic actor Buster Keaton. [81] In 2017, Bustle writer Kayleigh Hughes said lyrics such as "There must be more than this provincial life" have "stood the test of time". [74] Caitlin Devlin of Ticketmaster called "Belle "the best opening number of any Disney musical", [93] while Flynn Kaufman of Screen Rant called it "wonderful". [94] Gregory Ellwood of HitFix wrote, "you can't argue the cinematic joy in numbers such as the opening 'Belle'." [95]
Alongside "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast", "Belle" was one of the three Beauty and the Beast songs that received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992. [96] [97] Beauty and the Beast became the first film to receive three Oscar nominations for Best Original Song. [98] "Belle" ultimately lost to the film's title and theme song. [99]
O'Hara performed "Belle" live for the first time at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992, [100] [101] where the song had been nominated for Best Original Song. Disney executives Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg insisted that "Belle" be performed by its original artists, despite producers of the telecast requesting pop stars. [102] O'Hara also insisted on singing live, despite being offered the choice to lip-synch. [103] The actress disliked the blue checked costume she wore for the performance, which she described as "too frilly" for Belle's personal style. [104] In August 2011, O'Hara performed an abridged version of "Belle" live at the Disney Legends awards ceremony, at which she was an honoree. [105] The performance was a Beauty and the Beast medley, in which O'Hara combined "Belle" with "Beauty and the Beast" and "Be Our Guest". [106] In January 2020, O'Hara sang a few lines from "Belle" at the premiere of a Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along at Epcot. [107]
Actress Michelle Nicastro covered "Belle" for her movie-themed album Toonful (1993). [108] The song appears in the stage adaptation of the film, which premiered on Broadway in 1994. [109] David Richards of The New York Times called it "reminiscent of Lerner and Loewe". [109] Actress and singer Susan Egan originated the role of Belle in the production, and recorded the song for the show's original cast album with actor Burke Moses as Gaston. [110]
In the 2017 live-action adaptation of the film, "Belle" is performed by actors Emma Watson and Luke Evans. [111] [112] Among some changes made to the scene's dialogue, [113] Belle does not have a conversation with the Baker, [46] but her love of books is maintained. [113] Director Bill Condon confirmed the scene's staging was inspired by the film Love Me Tonight (1932), which opens with a musical number about Paris waking up. [62] Writing for Variety , Owen Gleiberman found the staging of this version to be lacking the "slapstick spryness" of the animation despite its faithfulness to the original material and Watson's performance, saying, "the number feels like something out of one of those overly bustling big-screen musicals from the late ’60s that helped to bury the studio system". [114] According to Kaitlin Reilly of Refinery29, some fans complained that the baker's line about baguettes had been removed from the remake. [48] The author attributed the revision to the scene being paced differently than the animated film. [48] In 2023, Watson's version of the song was certified Gold by the RIAA. [115]
"Belle" is considered to be one of the most famous songs from Beauty and the Beast. [48] CinemaBlend ranked "Belle" and its reprise the third and fifth best songs from the film, respectively. [43] The same publication named it the seventh best Disney Princess song. [77] Consequence ranked "Belle" the 12th best Disney song, hailing it as "One of the great opening numbers in all of musical theatre" and arguably the score's catchiest song. [116] The Ringer ranked Belle 23rd. [117] Billboard ranked it the 42nd best song in the Disney universe, calling it "tough to beat" among opening numbers. [38] The same publication ranked it the 13th best song from the Disney Renaissance, [79] while Syfy ranked it 28th, [44] and Den of Geek placed it 5th. [61] "Belle" has also been ranked among Disney's best "I Want" songs by publications such as MTV News. [53] [118] Vulture ranked the reprise Disney's third-best "I Want" song. [6] Collider ranked it the eighth-best opening song from a musical film. [73]
"Belle" is heavily parodied in the animated musical film South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) through its opening number, "Mountain Town". [119] [120] Filmtracks.com described the parody as "a delightful introductory piece". [121] Amy Keating Rogers, a writer working on the animated television series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic , mentioned she was influenced by the song as she wrote "Pinkie the Party Planner", the first musical number that appears in the musical-intensive episode "Pinkie Pride". [122]
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [123] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the 1756 fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, in turn an abridged version of the 1740 story by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. The film also incorporates ideas from the 1946 French film directed by Jean Cocteau. The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton.
Howard Elliott Ashman was an American playwright, lyricist and stage director. He is most widely known for his work on feature films for Walt Disney Animation Studios, for which Ashman wrote the lyrics and Alan Menken composed the music. Ashman has been credited as being a main driving force behind the Disney Renaissance. His work included songs for Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. Tim Rice took over to write the rest of the songs for the latter film after Ashman's death in 1991.
Alan Irwin Menken is an American composer and conductor, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Skydance Animation. Menken's music for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) has each won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Newsies (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), Tangled (2010), and Disenchanted (2022), among others. His accolades include winning eight Academy Awards — becoming the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman, a Tony Award, eleven Grammy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Daytime Emmy Award. Menken is one of twenty-one people to have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.
Paige O'Hara is an American actress, singer, and painter. O'Hara began her career as a Broadway actress in 1975 when she portrayed Della in The Gift of the Magi. In 1991, she made her motion picture debut in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, in which she voiced the film's heroine, Belle. Following the critical and commercial success of Beauty and the Beast, O'Hara reprised her role as Belle in the film's three direct-to-video follow-ups, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Belle's Magical World (1998), Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999), and for cameo appearances in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Once Upon a Studio (2023).
Beauty and the Beast is a Disney stage musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Beauty and the Beast – which in turn had been based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" by French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont – Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an unkind prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert into his true human form, the Beast must learn to love a bright, beautiful young lady who he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle and earn her love in return before it is too late.
"Beauty and the Beast" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for the Disney animated feature film Beauty and the Beast (1991). The film's theme song, the Broadway-inspired ballad was first recorded by British-American actress Angela Lansbury in her role as the voice of the character Mrs. Potts, and essentially describes the relationship between its two main characters Belle and the Beast, specifically how the couple has learned to accept their differences and in turn change each other for the better. Additionally, the song's lyrics imply that the feeling of love is as timeless and ageless as a "tale as old as time". Lansbury's rendition is heard during the famous ballroom sequence between Belle and the Beast, while a shortened chorale version plays in the closing scenes of the film, and the song's motif features frequently in other pieces of Menken's film score. Lansbury was initially hesitant to record "Beauty and the Beast" because she felt that it was not suitable for her aging singing voice, but ultimately completed the song in one take.
Belle is a fictional character in Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Voiced by actress and singer Paige O'Hara, Belle is the book-loving daughter of an inventor, who yearns for adventure. When her father, Maurice, is imprisoned by a cold-hearted beast in an enchanted castle, Belle offers her own freedom in exchange for his, and gradually befriends the Beast despite his outward appearance.
"Be Our Guest" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Recorded by American actor Jerry Orbach, English actress Angela Lansbury, and the additional voice acting choir of the 1991 animated film. "Be Our Guest" is a large-scale Broadway-inspired musical number that takes place during the first half of Beauty and the Beast, performed by the castle's staff of enchanted objects in an elaborate attempt to welcome Belle. Menken initially intended for the melody of "Be Our Guest" to be temporary but was ultimately unable to compose a satisfying one with which to replace it. The song had originally been intended for Belle's father Maurice. However, "Be Our Guest" had to be entirely re-written as the story evolved in order to return its focus to Belle.
Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the official soundtrack album to the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. Originally released on October 22, 1991 by Walt Disney Records, the album's first half – tracks 2 to 9 – generally contains the film's musical numbers, all of which were written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, while its latter half – tracks 10 to 14 – features its musical score, composed solely by Menken. While the majority of the album's content remains within the musical theatre genre, its songs have also been influenced by French, classical, pop and Broadway music. Credited to Various Artists, Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features performances by the film's main cast – Paige O'Hara, Richard White, Jesse Corti, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, Robby Benson and David Ogden Stiers – in order of appearance. Additionally, the album features recording artists Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, who perform a pop rendition of the film's theme song of the same name, which simultaneously serves as the soundtrack's only single.
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Beauty and the Beast is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional merchandise. The success of the original 1991 American animated feature, Beauty and the Beast, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, led to three direct-to-video follow-up films, a live-action spin-off television series, a Disney World stage show, a Disney World restaurant, a trackless dark ride, several video games, merchandise, and the 10th longest-running musical in Broadway history, which was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning for Best Costume Design. In March 2017, Disney released a live-action remake of the film.
"Gaston" is a song from the 1991 Disney animated film Beauty and the Beast. A short reprise is performed later in the musical. It is sung by Jesse Corti and Richard White in their voice roles of LeFou and Gaston, respectively.
"Something There" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Walt Disney Pictures animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Sung by the majority of the film's main cast, the song was recorded by American actors Paige O'Hara as Belle and Robby Benson as the Beast via voice over, featuring actors Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury and David Ogden Stiers as Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth, respectively. The only song performed by the Beast, "Something There" is heard midway through Beauty and the Beast during a scene in which Belle and the Beast finally begin to acknowledge their feelings for each other.
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Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures with Mandeville Films, it is a live-action/animated remake of Disney's 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast, itself an adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's version of the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast". Starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the titular characters, the film features a supporting ensemble and choir cast including Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson.
"How Does a Moment Last Forever" is a song written by lyricist Tim Rice and composer Alan Menken for the Disney live action film Beauty and the Beast (2017), a remake of the animated musical of the same name. This Broadway-inspired ballad is performed in the movie by American actor Kevin Kline in his role as Maurice. It describes the relationship between his character and that of his wife, Belle's deceased mother. Later in the film, Belle performs the song as she discovers the truth about her mother's fate. "How Does a Moment Last Forever" was also recorded by Canadian pop singer Celine Dion, whose version was also included on the film's soundtrack, released on March 10, 2017. Her version plays over the ending credits of the film.
"Evermore" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice for the musical fantasy film Beauty and the Beast (2017), a live-action remake of Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name. Originally recorded for the film by English actor Dan Stevens, who performs the song in his starring role as the eponymous Beast, "Evermore" was first released as a single by American singer Josh Groban on March 3, 2017. Stevens' version became available on March 10, 2017 when the film's soundtrack was released online, while Groban's cover is played during the film's closing credits.
Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration is a musical television special created for ABC, based on Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast. It was produced by Jon M. Chu and directed by Hamish Hamilton. It serves as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the animated film’s historic Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It aired on ABC on December 15, 2022, before streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration received generally positive reviews from critics.
Beauty and the Beast is the cast album performed by the original Broadway cast members from the 1994 Disney stage musical Beauty and the Beast, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. It is adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' 1991 animated musical film of the same name, which in turn had been based on the classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. The cast album was released on CD and cassette formats, and further re-issued on digital formats in 1999.
numerous other songs including "Belle," "Gaston" and "Be Our Guest" garnered wide acclaim.