Human Again (song)
"Human Again" | |
---|---|
Song by Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury and Jo Anne Worley | |
from the album Beauty and the Beast | |
Language | English |
Genre | Show tune |
Length | 4:53 |
Label | Walt Disney |
Composer(s) | Alan Menken |
Lyricist(s) | Howard Ashman |
Producer(s) |
|
"Human Again" is a song originally written for and later restored to the 1991
The song is an upbeat
Production
The song was originally written for the 1991 film, but was cut due to pacing issues and its length.[1] It was included in the 1994 Broadway musical, and was brought back for the 2002 DVD release of the film.
Don Hahn explained: "Kirk and Gary and I were sitting around talking about the
Kirk Wise (who directed the original film) also directed the reanimated sequence, with co-director of Beauty and the Beast Gary Trousdale. Wise explained, "we had many of the same animators, same background painters, same artists that worked on the sequence".[3]
Composition
Show Biz Training describes the song as a "beautiful waltz".[4] It is composed in the key of G Major in 3/4 time.[5]
Removal
"Human Again" is considered by the Disney executives as somewhat of a controversial song within Beauty and the Beast. DigitalMediaFX said "there's a reason that the "Human Again" song was not included in the original Beauty and the Beast until 2002—it didn't quite fit", and cites Disney's own statement, "the song posed story problems which was difficult to solve in a timely manner. Because it was originally conceived as an 11-minute musical number, Disney had no other choice but to ultimately replace the song with the shorter and more direct 'Something There'".[2] Show Biz Training explains the song was cut "in spite of the writers' and film makers' strong desire to keep it in the film". They eventually chose service to the story over self-indulgence and reluctantly cut the number.[4]
Kirk Wise explained the motivation behind the song's removal from the film and reinstatement in the stage version thus: "Back when it was originally written and storyboarded it was initially 11 minutes long, which is a pretty heavy milieu for an animated feature that already had a lot of songs. Length was one problem and the structure of the song was also a problem at the time because it indicated the passage of time, months of time, leaves falling. That presented a couple story problems for us because we kept asking, 'Well what? Is
Reception
DigitalMediaFX said "The first half of the song (including the intro to it) seem a bit weak, yet it got better as the song continued. Then, three-fourths the way through the song there is a scene where Belle is teaching Beast to read. This single sequence, albeit short, deepened the story and the relationship issue. It is definitely an excellent addition to the movie. I also must admit that it was quite interesting to have something "new" to see. But at the same time, "Human Again" almost makes it feel like there is "one too many" songs in this classic, particularly coming so soon after "Something There." I think the movie would have been perfect if the "learning to read" scene had been added without the song".[2] A review of Beauty and the Beast 3D by Collider noted the exclusion of the number, deeming it a smart move due to not being a "bad song", but being "nowhere near as good as the rest of the number and it slows down the pacing".[6]
While "Human Again" is not featured in the live-action film, a variation of it can be seen in "Days in the Sun", performed after the Beast rescues Belle from the wolves, preceding the number "Something There". The song is sung first by a child representing the then-human Prince during his youth, on his mother's deathbed; then by Lumiére, Plumette, Mrs. Potts, & Madame Garderobe; then by Belle, before being sung by everyone. The song is all about reliving everyone's "days in the sun" (representing their former lives: the enchanted curse for the Beast (as well as his mother being alive) and the castle staff, and freedom for Belle), and hoping for a "new day".
References
- ISBN 9781450087476.
- ^ a b c "Reviews of Disney's Beauty and the Beast".
- ^ a b "Interview with Beauty & the Beast Director".
- ^ ISBN 9780814427279.
- ^ Alan, Menken; Howard, Ashman (2007-05-28). "Human Again". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D Review". Collider. 12 January 2012.