From the poignant Zootopia, to the technical wizardry of Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book, Disney's future looks brighter than ever. However, we cannot ignore the Disney films that set this high standard in the first place. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast, and the original cast and crew of the 1991 animated film reassembled to shed some light onto the production process. Out of all the stories told, arguably the most fascinating revelation came when Angela Lansbury revealed that she almost didn't record the film's titular track because she was the victim of a bomb threat. Yes, you actually read that correctly.
According to a new report from Vanity Fair, it seems that Angela Lansbury almost missed her opportunity to record the title track for Beauty and the Beast for some pretty terrifying reasons. As it turns out: while she was traveling to New York to record the song, her plane was forced to make an emergency landing following a bomb threat. With the plane grounded on the tarmac for hours, she just barely managed to make it to the recording studio and finish the song. The rest, as they say, is history.
As some of you may already know, Angela Lansbury wasted no time getting down to business once she actually found herself in the recording studio. Despite the intricacies and complexities of the song, Lansbury managed to record "Beauty and the Beast" in a single take. While we're incredibly excited to see what Emma Thompson does with the role of Mrs. Potts in Bill Condon's upcoming live-action version of the Disney classic, she's clearly got big shoes to fill now that we know that fact about Lansbury's performance.
By the way, just in case you're wondering: Angela Lansbury is a complete and utter badass. She opened up regarding the incident, and gave a response that will instantly tell you that she has always had ice water running through her veins. She specifically said:
We made it just in time, and I think it was the excitement and the sense of doing it now that helped me sing the song.
Even a bomb threat can't rattle her. Of course, while it's one thing to talk about an iconic performance like that, to listen to it is another experience entirely. Check out the following video and listen to Angela Lansbury's legendary recording of "Beauty and the Beast" for yourself:
If you ever need solid proof of the fact that Angela Lansbury is a silver screen legend, then look no further than this story. CinemaBlend will bring you all of the latest and greatest Disney news as more information becomes available. The upcoming live-action version of Beauty and the Beast will hit theaters on March 17, 2017.
