Celine Dion To Perform Original Song For Beauty And The Beast

Walt Disney Pictures have announced today that four-time GRAMMY winning and best-selling recording artist Celine Dion will perform an all-new original song, “How Does A Moment Last Forever,”  for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. This will be the second time Dion has provided music for the tale as old as time, after recording the memorable titular ballad alongside Peabo Bryson for the 1991 animated classic.

The song will also be included on the film’s soundtrack and is written by eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin) and veteran lyricist and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice (The Lion King, Evita), “How Does A Moment Last Forever” is an emotional ballad about holding onto life’s precious moments. Portions of the song are performed throughout the film and interpolated into the underscore before Dion’s full-length version debuts in the film’s custom main-on-end title design.

President of Music for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Production, Mitchell Leib, approached the artist on behalf of the project with the idea of recording one of the three new songs written for the film. “Celine was the unanimous choice of the filmmakers and studio to perform this song,” says Leib, “And everyone involved with the film is thrilled she agreed to be part of this new live-action adaptation.”

Beauty and the Beast features an all-star cast including Emma Watson as Belle, and Dan Stevens as the Beast, with support from Ewan McGregor, Kevin Kline, Emma Thompson, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Sir Ian McKellan, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Stanley Tucci.

Directed by Bill Condon of Dreamgirls fame, the hugely-anticipated picture will open in UK cinemas on 17th March, 2017 in Disney 3D.

The story and characters audiences know and love come to spectacular life in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic “Beauty and the Beast,” a stunning, cinematic event celebrating one of the most beloved tales ever told. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a Beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart of the true Prince within.

The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s father; Josh Gad as Le Fou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Ewan McGregor as Lumière, the candelabra; Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; Audra McDonald as Madame De Garderobe, the wardrobe; Hattie Morahan as the enchantress; and Nathan Mack as Chip, the teacup; with Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

Directed by Bill Condon based on the 1991 animated film, “Beauty and the Beast” is written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and Stephen Chbosky and Bill Condon.