JUKEBOX: “Belle” by Paige O’Hara

Belle admiring the dandelions as she sings the reprise to "Belle"

Hi everybody, or maybe today I should say, “Bonjour!” It’s Kimberly here for my fourteenth post for the genre “Children’s Music.”

Exposition. The key to all good stories lies in how the story is set up. The exposition has a lot riding on it. It has to establish the setting, the main characters, and essentially provide the basis for the conflict that will drive the entire story. Disney’s 1991 movie Beauty and the Beast reveals its exposition in two ways. The first way is through the use of a mosaic, which is a play on the classic “open-storybook” beginning. In true Disney fashion, the second method that the filmmakers use is of course a song. That song is the song I’m reviewing today and it’s named after one of the main characters, “Belle.”

Like I talked about in my review of “I Won’t Say I’m In Love,” many of the classic Disney songs owe its melody to Alan Menken. What I didn’t mention is that the brilliance of some of those Disney songs is also indebted to the lyrics written by Howard Ashman. Unfortunately, Howard Ashman passed away in 1991 due to AIDS months before Disney officially released Beauty and the Beast in theaters. However, Mr. Ashman will live on though the magic of the lyrics he wrote. His lyrics are so catchy and recognizable that I bet you could recognize them without even hearing the tunes they go to.

Just for a little fun, I’m going to type 3 lyrics below and the answers will be at the end of this post. (I’ll bet you’ll be singing the lyrics in your head J.)

1.) “I wanna be where the people are/I wanna see wanna see them dancing”

2.) “Tale as old as time/True as it can be/Barely even friends/Then somebody bends/Unexpectedly”

3.) “Mr. Aladdin, Sir, what will your pleasure be?/Let me take your order, jot it down/ You ain’t never… ”

“Belle” coupled with its lyrics and music, intertwined with dialogue from the cast, perfectly sets up the setting, main characters, and conflict in Beauty and the Beast. First, it emphasizes the movie as taking place in a little village in France with the abundance of the word, “Bonjour!” Second it introduces the main characters like Gaston who causes trouble throughout the movie. Mainly, it helps describe the main character that it’s named after. For instance, the villagers describe Belle as beautiful but strange through lyrics such as, “But behind that fair façade/I’m afraid she’s rather odd.” Overall, I’m going to give “Belle” 4 ½ records because even though it’s not as memorable as “Beauty and the Beast” its lyrics and easy-flowing melody are almost perfect in the context of the movie.

Thank you for checking out my review of “Belle.” Until next time, “Au revoir!” J

Below is a video for “Belle.”