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(out of )After an analysis on the lyrics of this film and Aladdin, I have realised that Howard Ashman was not a fitting man for writing lyrics to romantic pieces. The only song that his wacky lyrics were disallowed to appear in was the title song, 'Beauty and the Beast', and there he failed. Aladdin had the advantage of two distinct lyricists, Ashman and Tim Rice, and it was a perfect combination of two types of approaches. It was thanks to Rice that we had the romantic 'A Whole New World', and the usual ingenious contributions of Ashman in 'Friend Like Me' and 'Prince Ali'.
Alan Menken is an extremely adept composer. His score has a certain playful attitude. Sometimes he takes us on a romantic melody, then, only halfway through he interrupts with a louder and livelier tune.
The 'Be Our Guest' sequence was not as visually stunning as that of 'Under the Sea' in The Little Mermaid or 'Prince Ali' in Aladdin. The final palace/ballroom scene could have been more elaborate. It really is a low point compared to the ballroom sequence shot while Lansbury/Mrs. Potts was singing 'Beauty and the Beast'.
Welcome any questions, comments, and criticisms to [email protected]
� 1998 Michael Chen
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