"Beauty and the Beast" is the leading single from the
Academy Award Best Picture nominated animated film Beauty and the Beast film and the first hit single from Céline Dion's eponymous album. It was performed in the movie by Angela Lansbury and sung over the movie's closing
credits by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson. The Dion-Bryson single was released on November 16, 1991 in Canada, on December 30, 1991 in the United States and the next year in the rest of the world.
The song is a ballad about the love developing between Belle and the Beast. It was written by composer Alan Menken and late lyricist Howard Ashman. It was one of Ashman's last works before he died of AIDS in 1991.
During the film, "Beauty and the Beast" is performed by Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts, and is heard whilst Belle and the Beast dance in the castle
ballroom. Another version is performed by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson at the end of the film. This was also the version released on a CD single and is also included on Dion's
self-titled album (1992). A music video, directed by Dominic Orlando, was released in January 1992.
Lansbury, Dion and Bryson all performed the song live on stage during the 64th Academy
Awards. Dion and Bryson performed it also at the Grammy Awards in 1993.
In 1998, a version of the song, called "Beauty and the Bees", was made for the 3D movie
It's Tough to be a Bug!'s queue at Disney's Animal Kingdom and Disney's California Adventure. A short arrangement of "Beauty and the Beast" can be heard in Kingdom
Hearts II video game. The song was included later on Céline Dion's greatest hits albums All the Way… A Decade of Song (1999) and My Love: Essential Collection (2008).
In 2002, the song was covered by the group Jump5 and placed on the CD, DisneyMania.
In 2005, Julie Andrews selected the song for her album Julie Andrews Selects Her Favorite Disney Songs.
A brief minor version can be heard in the score of Enchanted, which, not coincidentally, was also composed by Alan Menken.
On the 2009 CD Disney's Dream Pop: Tribute to Tokyo, the song is covered by the group Bright.
In 2010 Jordin Sparks recorded her cover version of the theme song "Beauty and the Beast" and filmed an accompanying music video with director Philip Andelman. To support
the 2010 DVD/Blu-Ray re-release of the Disney animated favorite movie
Beauty and the Beast Love
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