Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the upcoming soundtrack album to the 2017 film Beauty and the Beast, a live-action remake of Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name, itself an adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's fairy tale. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson. In the film, Belle is taken prisoner by a fearsome Beast in his enchanted castle and learns to look beyond his appearance while evading a narcissistic hunter who seeks to take Belle for himself.
Condon originally planned on not only drawing inspiration from the original film, but he also planned to include most, if not all, of the songs composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman from the Broadway musical, with the intention of making the film as a "straight-forward, live-action, large-budget movie musical". Menken returned to score the film's music, which features songs from the original film by him and Ashman, plus new material written by Menken and Tim Rice. Menken said the film will not include songs that were written for the Broadway musical and instead, created four new songs. On January 19, 2017, it was confirmed by both Disney and Celine Dion, singer of the original title track, that she will perform one of the new original songs, "How Does a Moment Last Forever", to play over the end titles. The film will also feature a new version of "Beauty and the Beast" by Ariana Grande and John Legend.
When released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast marked a turning point for Walt Disney Pictures by appealing to millions of fans with its Oscar-winning musical score by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken. And, in Bill Condon's opinion, that original score was the key reason he agreed to direct a live-action version of the movie, opening March 17 2017. "That score had more to reveal", he says, "You look at the songs and there's not a clunker in the group. In fact, Frank Rich described it as the best Broadway musical of 1991. The animated version was already darker and more modern than the previous Disney fairytales. Take that vision, put it into a new medium, make it a radical reinvention, something not just for the stage because it's not just being literal, now other elements come into play. It's not just having real actors do it".
Condon initially prepared on only drawing inspiration from the original film, but he also planned to include most of the Menken/Ashman songs from the Broadway musical, with the intention of making the film as a "straight-forward, live-action, large-budget movie musical".[36] Menken returned to score the film's music, which will feature songs from the original film by him and Howard Ashman, plus new material written by Menken and Tim Rice.[37] Menken said the film will not include songs that were written for the Broadway musical and instead, created four new songs.
On January 19, 2017, it was confirmed by both Disney and Celine Dion - singer of the original 1991 Beauty and the Beast duet song, with singer Peabo Bryson - that Dion would be performing one of the new original songs "How Does a Moment Last Forever" to play over the end titles. Also, Josh Groban being announced to be performing the song "Evermore" on January 26, 2017.
The 2017 film features a remake of the 1991 original song Beauty and the Beast recorded as a duet by Ariana Grande and John Legend. Grande and Legend's updated version of the Beauty and the Beast title song is faithful to the original, Grammy-winning duet, performed by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson for the 1991 Disney classic. The new 2017 updated version of the classic Disney theme song showcases the vocal ranges of Grande and Legend.
Emma Thompson — aka Mrs. Potts — sings a 2017 theatrical version of Beauty and the Beast, which was performed by Angela Lansbury in the original 1991 animated film release.
On March 5 2017, Disney debuted the music video for Ariana Grande and John Legend's interpretation of the new Beauty and the Beast song on Disney's Freeform (TV channel), and it's since attained over 2 million Vevo views. The music video gives us a taste of the opulence and fantasy of the fairy tale world itself. The music video features Grande and Legend, dressed in lavish formal attire, as they harmonize against the backdrop of the Beast's massive castle. The music video opens with Grande, bedecked in a dramatic red gown, gazing at herself in a mirror while perched atop the balcony of the castle, as back-up dancers, dressed as rose petals, form together and swirl away in a creative homage to the movie's obsession with the flower. Legend performs at the piano inside the castle's ballroom. Grande later sings alongside Legend. Also featured are cameos by a waltzing Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, and the delightful Chip, as well as scenes from the film, including with the anthropomorphic dinnerware.