PAIGE O'HARA and ROBBY BENSON
on 'BEAUTY AND THE BEAST'

Interview by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor for RadioFree.com
October 2, 2010

Arguably the greatest animated film of all time, Disney's timeless masterwork Beauty and the Beast has rightfully proven to be an enduring and significant chapter in the history of cinema. Released in 1991 to critical acclaim, the self-described "tale as old as time," along with The Little Mermaid, ushered in a new golden era for the studio, and became the first animated feature to ever be nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. The impressive feat would not be duplicated until 2009, when the Academy expanded its field of nominees in the prestigious category from five to ten and included the Disney/Pixar favorite Up.

Now, nearly 20 years after its original theatrical run, Beauty and the Beast follows in the footsteps of Snow White to become the second Disney classic to join the studio's Diamond Collection line--special edition Blu-ray/DVD sets loaded with hours of immersive, behind-the-scenes bonus content. To commemorate the film's Blu-ray debut, a sing-a-long screening of the fairy tale musical was held at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre, with a very special performance by Alan Menken, in which the award-winning composer performed an amazing and spirited medley of songs from the Disney Renaissance period, including some of the most beloved and memorable cuts from The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hercules, and, of course, Beauty and the Beast.

While covering the event, we had the opportunity to speak to Paige O'Hara and Robby Benson--the talent whose voices brought Belle and the Beast to life in both speech and song--before they took the stage to introduce the film with some playful banter. Though time restraints limited what we could ask them, both were extremely gracious, and in this exclusive interview, the voiceover duo talk about the impact Beauty and the Beast has had over the last two decades.

Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition is now available on Blu-ray/DVD.

RadioFree.com: Now that we've had the luxury of nearly 20 years of perspective, what are some of your thoughts on how Beauty and the Beast has been able to achieve a special place in cinematic history?

PAIGE: Well, I'm very honored to be a part of it. And I just feel like when you look at this film, it's timeless--from the story, obviously, and the message of the story, but also, the music of Ashman and Menken was almost borderline classical Broadway, Rodgers and Hammerstein style. And I think that long after we've passed away, this movie will still be entertaining new generations of children.

ROBBY: Yeah, I couldn't agree more.



How have Belle and the Beast impacted your own careers and lives?

ROBBY: That's a difficult question, just because of the life that I've always lived. My wife and I, we're adventurers, and my career is not really what's important to us. But I will say that this movie has had an incredible impact on children in a remarkably good way. And having had kids, that means so much to me. And as a teacher, that means so much to me.

And Paige? Being the voice of one of the most beloved Disney princesses?

PAIGE: It's a dream come true for me. I was a Disney freak my whole life, and loved Snow White, loved Cinderella. I also was a Disney freak in terms of being an artist as well, because I've always painted. And now I'm painting for Disney Fine Art, which is really fun. So "Belle's painting Belle," which is great. [laughs] But just having the chance to be Belle in this and not just be another New York actor (which I was very proud of being) enables me to do so much more, with having Belle behind me, to be able to do my children's charity work and make it just more universal.

Thank you both for your time, and congratulations on having had such a great impact on the lives of fans everywhere...

PAIGE: Oh, thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

ROBBY: Thanks, that's really cool.