Movies - TV
With Beauty And The Beast, Angela Lansbury Gave Disney Its Most Beautiful Theme Song
By MIKE SHUTT
One of the dearly departed Dame Angela Lansbury’s most memorable roles was the kindly Mrs. Potts in Disney's 1991 masterpiece "Beauty and the Beast." The soundtrack for the film is timeless and thanks to the incomparable Lansbury, Disney was gifted one of its most beautiful theme songs.
Composers Howard Ashman and Alan Menken wrote the titular song specifically for Lansbury, but surprisingly, the actress was quite hesitant about performing it. She was in her mid-60s at the time, and though the melody is hummed by all, the song asked a lot of her.
In the "Ever a Surprise: A Portrait of Howard Ashman" featurette, Lansbury said, "I thought, 'Oh, my goodness. I don't know quite whether I can pull this one off. Although I loved the idea [...] You've got to feel that they're with you, they believe in what you're going to give them, and that what you're going to give them is what they're looking for. [...] Howard certainly gave me that feeling. He trusted me."