Alan Menken reveals he's collaborating on two new songs with Tim Rice for Beauty and the Beast--as well as their titles.
NewsBeauty and the Beast might be the jewel in Disney’s animated crown, but that doesn’t mean it won’t get at least a little polishing before its live-action film debut in 2017.
Indeed, the latest on the Disney live-action remake assembly line is getting extra love, including being a musical much like the original 1991 film. Additionally, the Emma Watson and Dan Stevens starring version of this tale as old as time will include new songs not in the original Beauty and the Beast.
While chatting with Stitch Kingdom, composer Menken spoke candidly about why there are no original songs from the popular Beauty and the Beast Broadway musical in the film, as well as why he and lyricist Tim Rice are returning to the piano to craft some new ballads.
When explaining the absence of the Broadway original Beast solo, “If I Can’t Love Her,” Menken said, “The Beast’s moment in the film is a much later moment—it would not be ‘if I can’t love her;’ it’d be ‘I love her, but damn it, I’m letting her go.’ So that lyric really wouldn’t work with that music.”
As a result, Menken wrote a new solo number for the Beast entitled “Forevermore,” which is about the Beast finally knowing what love is…presumably after he has to give Belle up due to her personal familial crisis if the original ’91 film is anything to by.
Menken also revealed to the site that he and Rice are collaborating on a song called “Days in the Sun,” which will be a lullaby all the enchanted objects in Beast’s castle sing at night as they remember their humane past before being cursed into their current shapes.
Beauty and the Beast stars Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad as Le Fou, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts. It opens March 17, 2017.
The picture is directed by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls), and will most definitely include the Alan Menken and Howard Ashman original songs.
Special tip of the hat to ComingSoon for bringing this news to our attention.
