Be Our Guest
Encyclopedia
"Be Our Guest" is a 1991 Academy Award-nominated song from the animated film, Beauty and the Beast
. The music was written by Alan Menken
and lyrics by Howard Ashman
. The song was sung by Jerry Orbach
, Angela Lansbury
, and other singers in the background chorus. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
. The title song to the film was also nominated in the same category and won.
) in a hospitable attempt to make Belle feel welcome on her first night in the castle. The entire song takes place in the dining room, as various servants provide Belle with several dishes prepared by the castle staff, and Lumiere's colleagues accompany him in the act of singing and dancing.
A verse of the song is performed by Mrs. Potts (Lansbury
) as she kindly offers Belle some tea with dessert, accompanied by her many children in the form of teacups.
The song was originally to be sung to Maurice when he first gets to the castle, but it was moved to a later time because the writers decided that it was too early in the film for this song. The new position allowed the servants to extend their hospitality to the girl who might break the spell on the Beast and the castle.
It is also worth noting that the chorus of the song bears a strong resemblance to a theme from the first movement of the Third Symphony
of Gustav Mahler
.
The lyrics are slightly different in the Disney movie and in the Broadway
show.
It was spoofed in The Simpsons
with the song "See My Vest" sung by Mr. Burns
, and was also spoofed on Animaniacs
with the song "We are Pests" performed by Yakko and Wakko Warner in the short "Cutie and the Beast".
Alvin and the Chipmunks
and The Chipettes
covered the song for their 1995 Disney-themed album When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk
.
It was also the first song on the tenth volume of Disney Sing Along Songs
.
It is also heard throughout the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
and the Disney Wonder
and Disney Magic
. A variation of the song was also featured in several 1993 Disney World
commercials.
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series and the third film of the Disney Renaissance period...
. The music was written by Alan Menken
Alan Menken
Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards...
and lyrics by Howard Ashman
Howard Ashman
Howard Elliott Ashman was an American playwright and lyricist. Ashman first studied at Boston University and Goddard College and then went on to achieve his master's degree from Indiana University in 1974...
. The song was sung by Jerry Orbach
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
, Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
, and other singers in the background chorus. The song was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
. The title song to the film was also nominated in the same category and won.
Film
The song is performed primarily by Lumiere (OrbachJerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
) in a hospitable attempt to make Belle feel welcome on her first night in the castle. The entire song takes place in the dining room, as various servants provide Belle with several dishes prepared by the castle staff, and Lumiere's colleagues accompany him in the act of singing and dancing.
A verse of the song is performed by Mrs. Potts (Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
) as she kindly offers Belle some tea with dessert, accompanied by her many children in the form of teacups.
The song was originally to be sung to Maurice when he first gets to the castle, but it was moved to a later time because the writers decided that it was too early in the film for this song. The new position allowed the servants to extend their hospitality to the girl who might break the spell on the Beast and the castle.
It is also worth noting that the chorus of the song bears a strong resemblance to a theme from the first movement of the Third Symphony
Symphony No. 3 (Mahler)
The Symphony No. 3 by Gustav Mahler was written between 1893 and 1896. It is his longest piece and is the longest symphony in the standard repertoire, with a typical performance lasting around ninety to one hundred minutes.- Structure :...
of Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
.
The lyrics are slightly different in the Disney movie and in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
show.
It was spoofed in The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
with the song "See My Vest" sung by Mr. Burns
Montgomery Burns
Charles Montgomery "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons, who is voiced by Harry Shearer and previously Christopher Collins. Burns is the evil owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and is Homer...
, and was also spoofed on Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
with the song "We are Pests" performed by Yakko and Wakko Warner in the short "Cutie and the Beast".
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
and The Chipettes
The Chipettes
The Chipettes are a fictional group of anthropomorphic chipmunk singers first appearing on the cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks in 1983. In this and related materials, the Chipettes served as female featured characters in their own right, starring in numerous episodes...
covered the song for their 1995 Disney-themed album When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk
When You Wish Upon A Chipmunk
When You Wish Upon a Chipmunk is a 1995 music album by Alvin and the Chipmunks, released by Sony Wonder, and contains 10 tracks.The album features the Chipmunks singing songs from Disney's full-length animated feature films. The Walt Disney Company neither sponsored nor endorsed the album...
.
It was also the first song on the tenth volume of Disney Sing Along Songs
Disney Sing Along Songs
Disney Sing Along Songs is a series of videos, laserdiscs and DVDs with musical moments from various Disney films, TV shows and attractions. Lyrics for the songs are displayed on-screen with the Mickey Mouse icon as a "bouncing ball" Disney Sing Along Songs is a series of videos, laserdiscs and...
.
It is also heard throughout the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts is the segment of The Walt Disney Company that conceives, builds, and manages the company's theme parks and holiday resorts, as well as a variety of additional family-oriented leisure enterprises...
and the Disney Wonder
Disney Wonder
Disney Wonder is the second cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line; it was launched in 1999. It is nearly identical in construction to its sister ship, Disney Magic. Both ships have 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,400 passengers in 875 staterooms, and have a crew of approximately 950. ...
and Disney Magic
Disney Magic
The Disney Magic is a cruise ship operated by the Disney Cruise Line, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. Its sister, the Disney Wonder, was launched in 1999....
. A variation of the song was also featured in several 1993 Disney World
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
commercials.