Be Our Guest facts for kids

"Be Our Guest" is a very popular song from Walt Disney Pictures' animated movie Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991. The lyrics were written by Howard Ashman, and the music was composed by Alan Menken.

In the movie, the song is performed by Lumière, a charming candlestick (voiced by Jerry Orbach), and Mrs. Potts, a kind teapot (voiced by Angela Lansbury). It's a big, exciting musical scene where the castle's enchanted objects put on a spectacular show to welcome Belle.

The song is famous for being catchy and fun. Critics and fans love it, calling it one of Disney's best and most iconic songs. "Be Our Guest" was even nominated for awards like the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song, though it lost to the movie's title song.

Creating the Song

How Beauty and the Beast Became a Musical

When Beauty and the Beast was first being made, it wasn't planned to be a musical at all. But Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was in charge of the studio, decided to change it. He wanted the movie to be like a Broadway show, similar to Disney's earlier hit, The Little Mermaid. This change meant the film had to be completely restarted.

After The Little Mermaid was a huge success, Katzenberg asked the same songwriters, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, to create music for Beauty and the Beast. At first, Ashman wasn't sure about joining the project, but he eventually agreed.

The Song's Original Idea

The main tune for "Be Our Guest" was first created by Alan Menken as a simple, temporary idea. He didn't think he would use it for the final song. But when he sang it to Howard Ashman, they both realized it was perfect and couldn't come up with anything better! Ashman then wrote the lyrics to fit this tune.

Originally, "Be Our Guest" was meant to be sung by Lumière to Belle's father, Maurice, when he first arrived at the Beast's castle. However, the filmmakers decided it would be more meaningful if the song was for Belle instead. This was because Belle is one of the main characters, and the story is about her journey at the castle. Because of this change, the song had to be rewritten, and the entire scene had to be animated again. The voice actors, including Jerry Orbach, had to come back to the studio to record new lines that fit the change from Maurice to Belle.

What the Song Sounds Like

"Be Our Guest" is inspired by Broadway musicals. It's a very energetic and lively song. It starts slowly and then gets bigger and more exciting, building up to a grand finish.

The song is full of fun and humor. It starts with a spoken invitation in French, "Ma chere Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight." Then Lumière sings, "Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test." He also talks about how much he misses being human and serving people, singing, "Life is so unnerving/For a servant who's not serving."

Awards and Popularity

"Be Our Guest" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1992, along with two other songs from Beauty and the Beast: "Beauty and the Beast" and "Belle". Beauty and the Beast was the first movie ever to have three songs nominated for this award! Even though "Be Our Guest" was a strong contender, it lost to the movie's title song, "Beauty and the Beast."

Many people consider "Be Our Guest" to be one of Disney's most memorable and beloved songs. It's often called a "classic" and one of the best "showstoppers" in movie history. It has appeared on many lists of the "best Disney songs" from places like IGN and M magazine. The American Film Institute even nominated it for their "100 Years…100 Songs" ranking.

"Be Our Guest" in Other Works

Broadway Musical

"Be Our Guest" is also a huge part of the Broadway musical version of Beauty and the Beast, which ran for many years. In the musical, it's a spectacular dance number with glowing saucers, performers with spinning plates, and giant bottles spraying sparkles. There are also dancing cutlery, plates, and even a dancing doormat! Later, when the show moved to a different theater, they added confetti and streamer cannons that explode at the end of the song.

Live-Action Movie

The song is also featured in the 2017 live-action movie of Beauty and the Beast. In this version, Ewan McGregor sings as Lumière, with help from Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Ian McKellen. The song is very similar to the original, but Lumière sings "Too long we've been rusting" instead of "Ten years" in one part. The phrase "Be Our Guest" was also used as a slogan to promote the 2017 film.

Other Appearances

• In 2017, English TV stars Ant & Dec performed a special version of the song for their show Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway at Walt Disney World.
• The song made a brief appearance in Jon Favreau's 2019 CGI remake of Disney's The Lion King. In that movie, Billy Eichner as Timon the meerkat sings the opening lines of "Be Our Guest" to distract the hyenas.