Upon the release of Beauty and the Beast in 1991, the movie made history with its soundtrack, which became the first animated film soundtrack to receive an Album of the Year Grammy nomination. Its title track, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, won the Academy Award for Best Song, and Grammys for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, and Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance, for the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ single; as performed as a duet by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.

In the film, the song is performed as a solo number by Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury), but as with many single releases from movies, the song is given more of a pop sound, and the duet between Dion and Bryson worked well, and peaked at number nine on the Billboard 100. Though it’s fair to say that most prefer the film version of the song, Dion is still well remembered for her version, and many were disappointed to learn that she will not be performing the titular track for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. 

That honor falls to Ariana Grande and John Legend, but Disney has now announced that Dion will be returning to the Disney fold to perform a brand new song for the live-action Beauty and the Beast, instead. Alan Menken, who co-wrote the songs for Beauty and the Beast in 1991 with the late Howard Ashman, has composed new songs for the movie, with lyrics by Tim Rice (Lion King), and it is one of these tracks, titled ‘How Does a Moment Last Forever’ that Dion will perform.

Described as “an emotional ballad about holding onto life’s precious moments,” Dion’s number will have sections performed in the movie and worked into the background score, before the full version makes its debut over the end credits. The news will be pleasing to Dion’s fans as well as fans of the original Beauty and the Beast, many of whom are keen to see the live-action movie honor its predecessor. The addition of Dion to the soundtrack seems like a great way to do this, and the singer herself spoke of the honor with the short statement, seen below (followed by the official Beauty and the Beast soundtrack artwork):

“Being a part of the original ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was such a magical experience in my life, and I’m truly honored to be a part of this film again.”

Obviously, we know nothing about this new Beauty and the Beast song, but just the title alone makes the number sound like a big, emotive ballad, very much suited to Dion’s style. With Menken having written the original score, no doubt this new song (plus others also written by him) will compliment the movie and his music, perfectly. The film’s soundtrack isn’t due to be released until March 10th (a week before the movie itself hits theaters), but it’s a safe bet that many will be eager to get their hands on it as soon as possible.

The cast lineup for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast is stellar, with Emma Watson playing Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston; Kevin Kline as Maurice; Josh Gad as LeFou; Ewan McGregor as Lumière; Ian McKellen as Cogsworth; and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, among others. The movie is directed by Oscar-winner Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) and will hopefully deliver all of the magic that Disney’s original animated version did and more.

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

  • Beauty and the Beast Release Date: 2017-03-17