Entertainment

The 'Beauty And The Beast' Soundtrack Is A Classic

by Kayleigh Hughes

The new live-action Beauty and the Beast is pretty much taking the world by storm. The 1991 animated version is one of the most popular and enduring Disney films of all time, the Broadway play was a smash hit for decades, and that suspended rose in the first teaser for the new version, which stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, brought on tingles of excitement and nostalgia for millions around the world. Of course, this tale as old as time is nothing without its music, and the new Beauty and the Beast soundtrack offers just as many awesome contemporary updates as it does grand, beloved classics.

The soundtrack, which has a release date of Mar. 10, is full of delightful musical wonders, with some of your favorite celebrities bringing to life songs both new and old. Watson and Stevens, as well as Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Ewan McGregor as Lumière, Josh Gad as LeFou, Audra MacDonald as Madame de Garderobe, and a whole slew of other awesome actors and performers are all featured on the soundtrack, singing the songs you surely danced around your house in your PJs singing as a kid: "Gaston," "Belle," "Something There," and what is my favorite part of Beauty and the Beast, the fantastic "Be Our Guest." It doesn't get much better than the cast they've assembled to bring that song's energy to life: McGregor, Thompson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Ian McKellen.

And in addition to having new actors sing the classic songs from the animated movie, Beauty and the Beast composer Alan Menken, who wrote the music for the original and the Broadway play, told Entertainment Weekly that he has written three new original songs that are featured on the soundtrack: "Evermore," sung by Josh Groban, "Days in the Sun," and ""How Does a Moment Last Forever." That last one is sung by Celine Dion, who tackled the most important song of all in the original animated version of the film: "Beauty and the Beast."

The new film's soundtrack of course features that iconic song, and to update it for modern times, the filmmakers chose Ariana Grande and John Legend to perform the new version. In advance of the film, Disney released a video for the song, which has Grande dressed as the center of a rose and Legend seated and swaying at a piano. The video and the song itself both have a sort of Mariah Carey ballad feel, so it's still as classic and comforting as the original, but just with a more modern spark.

You'll have to wait for the soundtrack to drop on Friday to hear the entire collection of new music, but for now, you can totally dance around your house to the "Beauty and the Beast" music video, talking to your furniture.