Since its debut in 1991, Beauty and the Beast has been recognized as one of the all-time great animated features and one of the best movies Disney has ever made. The incredible music of Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman went a long way towards making the film an unforgettable experience. Ashman passed away several months before Beauty and the Beast hit theaters, but his work on the film further cemented his status as a legend. Ashman is the subject of Howard, a new documentary by director Don Hahn (watch the trailer here at Nerdist). In this advance clip from the movie, Hahn shares footage of the Beauty and the Beast cast recording one of the film’s signature tunes: “Be Our Guest.”
Via Entertainment Weekly, the footage features film and Broadway stars Angela Lansbury and the late Jerry Orbach in the recording booth as musicians accompany their performance of “Be Our Guest.” Lansbury provided the voice of Mrs. Potts while Orbach portrayed Lumiere, the musically inclined candelabra. The clip also features the two performers receiving notes from Ashman and Menken while offering a few suggestions of their own.
According to Beauty and the Beast co-director Kirk Wise, the entire soundtrack was recorded as if it was a Broadway cast album. That’s one of the reasons the film’s music has withstood the test of time, and led to both a Beauty and the Beast Broadway show and a live-action remake.
Howard is set to make its premiere later this month at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.
What do you think about this classic Disney musical clip? Sing us a song in the comment section below!
Images: Disney
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