"...Ashman and Menken wrote the songs and music for Beauty and the Beast(1991) and, by all accounts, they managed to surpass the success they enjoyed with The Little Mermaid.
"The movie broke the box office records set by Mermaid and the songs written by the duo were inundated by awards, including Oscars for Best Song and Best Original Score, and plaudits, such as this one from Newsweek magazine: 'The most delicious musical score of 1991 is Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's Beauty and the Beast. If the growing armada of titanically troubled Broadway muscials had half its charm and affectionate cleverness, the ships wouldn't be foundering.'
"Before Ashman and then Menken became involved in the film in 1989, Beauty and the Beast was a serious drama with little music and no humor. According to producer Don Hahn, Ashman was the person who convinced the creative team to steer the film in another direction.
"'He came up with the idea of turning the enchanted objects into living creatures with unique personalities,' said Hahn. "That was a big breakthrough. He was also the driving creative force in terms of musicalizing the script.'
"With Ashman and Menken aboard, production on Beauty and the Beast began in late 1989.
"'One of the first things Howard and I did when we began working on this project was to sit down and toss around some musical ideas,' said Menken. 'He usually had a basic idea of the style of song he wanted to write and sometimes even a title or some completed lyrics.Then he would ask what the music might sound like if we were going to write a certain kind of song and I would sit at the piano and let fly. Howard had the ability to find what he liked and then write to it. We had a kind of shorthand between us and we each shared a background of loving musicals and growing up with many of the same influences.'
"The two wrote six songs for the film, including the Academy Award-nominated 'Be Our Guest' and the Academy Award-winning 'Beauty and the Beast.' (A third song, 'Belle,' was also nominated, making Beauty and the Beast the first motion picture ever to have three songs from the same film nominated for an Academy Award. The film was also the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture.
"'Be Our Guest' was originally intended to be sung to Belle's father Maurice. 'The song had already been recorded an the sequence partially animated when we decided that it would be more meaningful if it were directed towards Belle,' said Gary Trousdale, one of the film's directors. 'After all, she is one of the two main characters and the story revolves around her coming to the castle. We had to bring all the vocal talents back into the studio to change all references to gender that appeared in the original recording.'
"According to Menken, simplicity is the key to the song 'Beauty and the Beast.' 'We wanted it to be gentler and smaller, as opposed to some ballads that are large and heroic in scope. The song was written with Angela Lansbury in mind and we kept imagining her voice and what a find actor she is, as well as a singer.'
"Menken also admitted he and Ashman had an ulterior motive. 'In all our projects, we had never achieved the liftable ballad,' he told Newsweek. 'We were determined to have it.'
"They got it. In addition to Lansbury's rendition in the movie, a pop version of the song was recorded by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson (it's heard over the closing credits and, yes, it became a hit, reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard magazine Hot 100 chart)."
Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the team who wrote the songs and musical score for Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Sadly, Howard Ashman died in 1991, due to complications resulting from AIDS. At the end of the closing credits, this dedication can be seen: