Beauty and the Beast (song)

"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'seponymous 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.

Versions
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.[1]

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 ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_Tough_to_be_a_Bug! 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

Reception
"Beauty and the Beast" was very successful on the charts around the world, becoming Dion's first international hit. The single reached number 9 in the U.S. (number 8 on the Hot 100 Singles Sales and number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay) and hit top 10 in Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. It was certified gold in the U.S. for selling over 500,000 copies, and platinum in Japan (100,000 copies sold). Thanks to its success, the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack was certified 3x platinum in the U.S., for selling over 3,000,000 copies.

Awards
"Beauty and the Beast" won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1992, marking Menken and Ashman's (posthumously) second win after the 1989 award for "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. A couple of months before, it had also won the 1992 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song. It also went on winning two Grammy Awards in 1993, for the Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and the Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The song was also nominated for two other important Grammys: Record of the Year and the Song of the Year. In Canada, "Beauty and the Beast" won a Juno Award for the Single of the Year.