Sing Me a Story with Belle

Sing Me a Story with Belle is an American live-action series created by Patrick Davidson and Melissa Gould. The series features Belle from Beauty and the Beast, who works at her own bookstore in France. She is usually greeted by children who would like to hear a story. Belle interacts with the children and narrates classic Disney stories while doing activities around the bookstore. The series premiered on December 11, 1999 on Disney Channel.

Development
According to Ken Weiner, vice president at Buena Vista Television, using classic animated shorts allows the show to present a higher quality of animation than would normally be feasible in an educational show that who get U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval.

By early 1999, it was said that the show would present two short films per episode (with updated music), which Belle and the children would sometimes interrupt for discussion purposes or to "test cognitive abilities".

Plot
Belle (portrayed by Lynsey McLeod) lives in the country of France and owns her own music and bookshop. Helping her at the bookstore are Lewis and Carol (their names being a joke on author Lewis Carroll), two magical bookworms. Also at the bookstore is Harmony the Cat. The bookstore is visited by local children to whom Belle will tell (and sing) stories, usually with a moral that fit a situation happening in the shop or with the children.

Often classic Disney short films, such as "Pecos Bill" and "The Brave Little Tailor" are used to illustrate the stories.

Opening sequence
Belle walks down the quiet countryside of France and greets the citizens of the town while singing "Sing Me a Story." She later enters her bookshop and the song ends.

Lyrics
Man One: Sing me... Man Two: ...a story Woman: Sing me... Man Three: a rhyme Belle: sing all about what happened, Once upon a time When i sing a story When i sing a rhyme It is though I heard it For the very first time

I love to hear a story Told the way we do Because when i sing a story Everything seems all brand new

Big Book: So sing me a story Lewis & Carol: Sing me a rhyme Harmony: Sing me all about what happened (purrs) Once upon a time

Belle: when i sing a story or you sing a rhyme It is though I've heard it For the very first time

Cast

 * Lynsey McLeod - Belle
 * Jeff Conover - Harmony the Cat (voice)
 * Jim Cummings - Big Book, Lewis the Book Worm (voice)
 * Christine Cavanaugh - Carol the Book Worm (voice)
 * Mary Kay Bergman - Fifi, Hansel & Gretel, Elf, Witch
 * Tim Goodwin - Brioche
 * Jacob Chase - Jacob
 * Kirsten Storms - Kirsten
 * Shawn Pyfrom - Shawn
 * Hampton Dixon - 'Little" Hampton
 * Jennefer Jesse - Jennefer
 * Natalie Trott - Natalie
 * Julie Vanlue - Julie
 * Kerry Anne Bradford
 * Chris Robles
 * Kristian Truelsen - Musician

Syndication
The show premiered on Disney Channel on July 26, 1999. The show continued to play on Disney Channel in the early mornings as part of Playhouse Disney, in 2000. It was later taken off the channel for upcoming shows. It continued playing in the United Kingdom version of Disney Channel until 2004. It has not been on the air since. Two videos featuring two episodes on each were released as part of the Disney Princess Collection: Chapters of Enchantment and The World of Music. In 1999, two episodes from the first season were released with an episode of an abandoned Beauty and the Beast  cartoon series and were released direct-to-video as Belle's Tales of Friendship. The 2011 DVD releases of Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World each had an episode of this show as a bonus feature.