Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along at Epcot (With a Tour of the Palais du Cinema)
The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is held daily in the France Pavilion of Epcot’s World Showcase. It is a cartoon presentation where guests can sing along to classic songs from Disney’s animated film Beauty and the Beast.
Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is inside the Palais du Cinema Theater toward the center of the pavilion. This is also where you can see Impressions de France in the evening. The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along runs daily from 10:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on a half-hour schedule. It lasts 15 minutes.
While you wait for the next show, you are welcome to browse the exhibit in the theater’s lobby, ‘Tale as Old as Time: French Storytelling On Stage and Screen.’ Below, we’ll preview the exhibit and examine the film.
Tale as Old as Time: French Storytelling on Stage and Screen
If you are a fan of Disney’s live-action films, the theater, or opera, you’ll want to take a few moments to see the exhibit in the theater’s lobby. You do not have to watch the film to step inside and tour the various galleries.
Each gallery features a significant piece of French literature transformed by modern media, such as film, opera, plays, ballet, and musicals.
First, we see artwork and pieces from the musical version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Next, we have an exhibit with pieces from The Three Musketeers and the live-action Cinderella.
Here is a photo of the display.
Cinderella’s peasant dress is part of the exhibit. All of the pieces from Disney are on loan from the Walt Disney Archives.
You can also see Cinderella’s glass slipper.
Next, we see a gallery featuring the famous opera La Boheme. If you enjoy fun facts, the display below discusses how this opera was adapted into one of the most popular musicals of all time, Rent.
Here are the pieces on display.
Three more displays sit across the room. One pays tribute to The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history.
Here are a few of the pieces.
This exhibit features the phantom’s mask and hat.
Next, we have a gallery featuring Beauty and the Beast.
This gallery features several unique props, including a few pieces played by voice actors in the live-action movie. Those pieces include Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts with Chip.
Belle’s red dress and cape are also part of the gallery.
The last of the exhibits features Sleeping Beauty with pieces from Maleficent.
This gallery includes Maleficent’s costume, staff, and headwrap.
The gallery in the Palais du Cinema features some incredible costumes that most movie fans will enjoy seeing. It’s not every day you get to see an actor’s actual costume from a film, such as Maleficent’s staff and headwrap, shown in the photo below.
Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along at Epcot
After you finish touring the gallery, you might enjoy seeing the Sing-Along. Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about the sing-along, and I generally enjoy this sort of thing.
Here are a few quick references
| Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along | Epcot Attractions |
|---|---|
Location: | France Pavilion |
Height Requirement: | None |
Type: | Theater Cartoon |
Duration: | 15 minutes |
Early Theme Park Entry: | No |
Extended Evening Hours: | No |
Our Traffic Signal: | Green (Only if Interested) |
Good For: | Anyone |
Scare Factor: | None |
Must-Do List: | No |
Special Mention: | Held during limited hours each day. |
Additional Info: Guests may remain in wheelchairs or ECVS while experiencing this attraction. Assistive listening, audio description, and handheld captioning are available. Details for those with mobility issues (e.g., wheelchair, ECVs) are available on Disney.com.
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Sing-Along Experience
Since this Sing-Along debuted, we revisited it to provide an updated overview. As you probably guessed, I didn’t care for it so much the first time. So, I thought I would give the attraction another chance to see if maybe I was just in a bad mood on that initial visit. When you enter the Palais du Cinéma, you’ll choose a row and find a seat.
When everyone is seated, a cast member from the pavilion welcomes you and provides an overview. Then, the story begins. The Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is narrated by Angela Lansbury.
Early on, the narrator relays that this Beauty and the Beast story is not the same as we remember it. She goes on to share how none of this would have happened without the efforts of Lefou.
On our initial visit, I presumed this was probably a cute film that would interest children. It starts off with Belle’s mundane life in the village.
A few minutes into the film, I noticed part of the audience was into the sing-along. A good many others were scrolling their phones, which seems to be the norm these days. However, it is notable that many appeared to enjoy the film and were interested in singing along.
As the story goes, Belle goes in search of her lost father, Maurice, and ends up in the beast’s castle. Somehow, Lefou finds out, shows up, and prepares her dinner.
The Beast is nowhere to be seen. However, we can all enjoy singing along to the tune of Be Our Guest.
Meanwhile, Lefou has to rush back to Gaston’s side to keep him distracted. He is angry about his failed marriage proposal to Belle.
The story’s hero then travels back to the castle for another “enchanting twist.” He releases a few love birds from a cage while Belle and the Beast play in the snow.
Next, it’s time for the classic tune, Tale as Old as Time, which seems ridiculous at this point.
After that, Gaston storms the castle, and the Beast, with the help of Lefou, defeats him. As Beauty and the Beast’s love story unfolds, the Beast nearly dies. But Belle breaks the curse, and the Beast transforms.
The story ends with the ballroom scene and a nod to Lefou, now an angel looking down from above. Other angels are looking on questionably. By this point, a few members of the audience were still singing. However, I overheard the guest behind me state, “Well, this was not what I expected.” That’s how I would sum up the entire attraction.
The Resorts Gal Spin on the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
We give this experience the green light if you’re interested. But, personally, I don’t care for the attraction. On my first visit, I wrote the following:
Unfortunately, I left thinking if I had a daughter, I wouldn’t care for her to see it. Most people probably wouldn’t bat an eye at the cartoon in today’s modern times. However, I am a bit old-fashioned and believe that children should be allowed to be children. I think most would agree that a cartoon sing-along is intended primarily for children to enjoy, no matter how much we adults love and belong at Disney.
My major issue with the film happens toward the end of the cartoon. It appears that not only did Belle get ready for the ball, but she also swung by the plastic surgeon’s office and got a botox injection along with a bit of a chest enhancement. Probably, most people wouldn’t notice it. But these are precisely the things that little watchful eyes pick up on while adults are oblivious. The problem is that these kinds of things keep making their way into our children’s lives unnoticed.
Additionally, the storyline is absolutely terrible. Lefou comes out clean as roses (and then some), playing the hero of the story.
Of course, you might visit the show and sing a few songs and never notice any of those things. It’s just my takeaway. With that said, if you have the opportunity, Impressions de France runs nightly from 6:00 p.m. until park closing. While it is an older film, I think most would agree it’s still as excellent as the day it debuted. Other film attractions at Epcot include:
Resorts Gal Traffic Signals
Green Light
We give an attraction the green light if we consider it a must-do, regardless of the posted wait. We also give the green light for attractions we deem suitable to experience anytime. For example, some attractions have high capacities. Therefore, the lines continuously move and you shouldn’t have a long wait unless the attraction experiences downtime.
Red Light
We recommend checking the posted wait times for red light attractions. Then, make a quick judgment call on whether to wait, skip it, or return later. We also red light some attractions that we feel might not be suitable based on our experience.
For more on planning a visit to Epcot, you might enjoy:
- Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360
- Awesome Planet at Epcot
- Reflections of China in Circle-Vision 360
- Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
Or you might also enjoy browsing our list of Walt Disney World Resorts. There, you’ll find reviews of all the different hotels near Epcot and the Skyliner Resorts, including these:
- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century Resort
- Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
In the Comments
If you see Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, please let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
