We’re a little more than a month away now from Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast. It’s a tale as old as time, after all, and what harm comes from telling it again? Fans can rest assured knowing that there are more than a few elements from the classic 1992 animated film that’ll appear in this new version, and that includes the iconic title song, which is redone by John Legend and Ariana Grande. How does it compare to the original, though? Well, you can judge for yourself by checking it out above.
Alan Menken returned to compose the live-action remake, which is directed by Bill Condon, and while he wrote a few new songs for Disney’s upcoming release, this updated version of the title track plays like a fine karaoke version. I mean, it’s not necessarily bad, but it certainly lacks the magic of the original. Honestly, I’m worried we might be saying the same thing about the upcoming film, too, but we shall soon see. Legend and Grande have the pipes to belt out the song, to be sure, but it just doesn’t hold the same charm and feels weirdly hollow. It’s fine listening if someone were to put it on, but it’s definitely not a classic.
No matter, it’s not like 2017’s Beauty and the Beast lives or dies based on this track. It’s merely a small component in the grand scheme of things. For all we know, it could just be an end credits jingle, or maybe something that will be played during the classic dance sequence but not performed again. Again, the answers we seek shall be found in a few weeks’ time when Beauty and the Beast swings into theaters on March 17.
