<P> During the course of production, many changes were made to the structure of the film, necessitating the replacement and re-purposing of songs . After screening a mostly animated version of the "Be Our Guest" sequence, story artist Bruce Woodside suggested that the objects should be singing the song to Belle rather than her father . Wise and Trousdale agreed, and the sequence and song were retooled to replace Maurice with Belle . The film's title song went through a noted bit of uncertainty during production . Originally conceived as a rock - oriented song, it was changed to a slow, romantic ballad . Howard Ashman and Alan Menken asked Angela Lansbury to perform the song, but she did not think her voice was suited for the melody . When she voiced her doubts, Menken and Ashman asked her for at least one take and told her to perform the song as she saw fit . Lansbury reportedly reduced everyone in the studio to tears with her rendition, nailing the song in the one take asked of her . This version went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song . "Human Again" was dropped from the film before animation began, as its lyrics caused story problems about the timeline over which the story takes place . This required Ashman and Menken to write a new song in its place . "Something There," in which Belle and Beast sing (via voiceover) of their growing fondness for each other, was composed late in production and inserted into the script in place of "Human Again ." </P> <P> Menken would later revise "Human Again" for inclusion in the 1994 Broadway stage version of Beauty and the Beast, and another revised version of the song was added to the film itself in a new sequence created for the film's Special Edition re-release in 2002 . Ashman died of AIDS - related complications at the age of 40 on March 14, 1991, eight months before the film's release . He never saw the finished film, though he did get to see it in its unfinished format . Ashman's work on Aladdin was completed by another lyricist, Tim Rice . Before Ashman's death, members of the film's production team visited him after the film's well - received first screening, with Don Hahn commenting that "the film would be a great success . Who'd have thought it?", to which Ashman replied with "I would ." A tribute to the lyricist was included at the end of the credits crawl: "To our friend, Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice, and a beast his soul . We will be forever grateful . Howard Ashman: 1950--1991 ." A pop version of the "Beauty and the Beast" theme, performed by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson over the end credits, was released as a commercial single from the film's soundtrack, supported with a music video . The Dion / Bryson version of "Beauty and the Beast" became an international pop hit and performed considerably well on charts around the world . The song became Dion's second single to land within the top - 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine . The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart . In Canada, "Beauty and the Beast" peaked at number two . Outside of North America, the song peaked within the top ten in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, while peaking within the top twenty in Australia, Netherlands, and Ireland . The song sold over a million copies worldwide . This version of the song was also nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the Grammys, and it won the Grammy for Dion and Bryson for Best Pop Duo / Group Vocal Performance . </P> <P> In a first - time accomplishment for The Walt Disney Company, an unfinished version of Beauty and the Beast was shown at the New York Film Festival on September 29, 1991 . The film was deemed a "work in progress" because roughly only 70% of the animation had been completed; storyboards and pencil tests were used in replacement of the remaining 30% . Additionally, certain segments of the film that had already been finished were reverted to previous stages of completion . At the end of the screening, Beauty and the Beast received a ten - minute - long standing ovation from the film festival audience . The completed film was also screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival . The finished film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on November 13, 1991, beginning a limited release before expanding wide on November 22 . </P> <P> The film was restored and remastered for its New Year's Day, 2002 re-release in IMAX theatres in a special - edition edit, including a new musical sequence . For this version of the film, much of the animation was cleaned up, a new sequence set to the deleted song "Human Again" was inserted into the film's second act, and a new digital master from the original CAPS production files was used to make the high - resolution IMAX film negative . </P>

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