BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ~ CELINE DION AND PEABO BRYSON

"Beauty and the Beast" is the leading single from the Academy Award Best Picture nominated animated film Beauty and the Beast film and the first hit single from Céline Dion's eponymous album. It was performed in the movie by Angela Lansbury and sung over the movie's closing credits by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson. The Dion-Bryson single was released on November 16, 1991 in Canada, on December 30, 1991 in the United States and the next year in the rest of the world. The song is a ballad about the love developing between Belle and the Beast. It was written by composer Alan Menken and late lyricist Howard Ashman. It was one of Ashman's last works before he died of AIDS in 1991. This was also the version released on a CD single and is also included on Dion's self-titled album (1992). A music video, directed by Dominic Orlando, was released in January 1992. In 2010 Jordin Sparks recorded her cover version of the theme song "Beauty and the Beast" and filmed an accompanying music video with director Philip Andelman, to support the 2010 DVD/Blu-Ray re-release.