The heartbreaking truth behind Disney’s Beauty and the Beast - the tale of Howard Ashman, the man who gave Beast his soul

Twenty-five years ago Disney's Beauty and the Beast premiered at the New York Film Festival.

The film was unfinished, but the audience didn’t seem to care instead letting it whisk them off to a reality where princes transform into beasts, and love can break the strongest of spells.

Disney had cast its magic spell again.

The movie was met with rapturous applause that wouldn’t have been out of place on Broadway or at a concert.

We all know the rest of the story. Beauty and the Beast went on to win the world over, as well as win awards.

But that wasn’t the whole story - behind-the-scenes there was a heartbreaking tale unravelling.

Howard Ashman is the man behind the music

While we were all caught up in the soft storytelling and magical music, the lyricist who gave birth to it all had died eight months before it’s release.

Howard Ashman, who was lyricist for the Little Mermaid, executive producer on Beauty and the Beast, and posthumous contributor to Aladdin, would never get to see the success of his masterpiece.

He was far from forgotten, and his passing was marked with a the now famous poignant dedication in the credits: "To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul we will be forever grateful."

There’s a bittersweet sadness to the genius of Ashman, and what greater time to reflect on his role than the 25th anniversary of what is arguably his greatest work?

How the film was nearly shelved

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