Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540435
6 gozotoday | FRIDAY • 17 OCTOBER 2025 CULTURE Disney's 'Beauty And The Beast' HOW about a fairy-tale written to enchant children and grown- ups with the aim of teaching a moral message? This is "Beau- ty and The Beast", a fairy tale written by the French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published anon- ymously in 1740. It's the fairy- tale that inspired Walt Disney to turn it into a full-length ani- mated feature film following the success of "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs" in 1937. Howev- er Walt Disney's two attempts to realize this wish during the 1940s and 1950s failed. But, af- ter Walt's death, his company, inspired by the success of "The Little Mermaid" (1989), pro- posed that a full-length animat- ed feature film of "Beauty and The Beast" would be arranged as a musical with original songs by the same "Little Mermaid" songwriting team, lyricist How- ard Ashman and composer Alan Menken. Released into cinemas in 1991, the film received wide- spread acclaim for its story, characters, music, and anima- tion. "Beauty and The Beast" was the first animated film to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture. It was also the first such film to receive a nomination for six Academy Awards, although it only ended up receiving awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song ("Beauty and the Beast"). In 1994, "Beauty and the Beast" became the first Dis- ney film adapted into a Broad- way musical, and which won a Tony Award. The show had a run for 13 years. This musical became truly an international sensation that has been pro- duced in 37 countries world- wide. Based on the award-win- ning animated feature film, the stage version includes all the wonderful songs written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by the same Alan Menken and Tim Rice. The classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town in France, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed into his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his les- son soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. Now, with the collaboration of the Gozo Heritage Directo- rate, after obtaining the neces- sary rights from London, Dis- ney's "Beauty and The Beast" is being produced live on stage at the Don Bosco Oratory Thea- tre in Gozo. Disney's "Beauty and The Beast" is a 2 hour and 30 min- utes show of enchanting music, songs and dance, which togeth- er with new amazing costumes will recount the emotional sto- ry of the Beastly Prince who has to fall in love with Belle in order to undo the curse, re- storing him and his servants to their human forms. Amongst the most popular songs of the musical expect to hear "Me",