| Sing Me a Story with Belle | |
|---|---|
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| Also known as | Disney's Sing Me a Story with Belle |
| Developed by | Buena Vista Television |
| Written by |
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| Directed by | Steve Purcell |
| Presented by | Lynsey McLeod |
| Starring |
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| Voices of |
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| Opening theme | "Sing Me a Story" by Lynsey McLeod |
| Ending theme | "Sing Me a Story" (Instrumental) |
| Composer | Andy Belling |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Patrick Davidson |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production companies | Patrick Davidson Productions Buena Vista Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 8, 1995 (1995-09-08) – March 1, 1997 (1997-03-01) |
| Related | |
| Shining Time Station Noddy | |
Disney's Sing Me a Story with Belle is an American live-action/animated television series created by Patrick Davidson and Melissa Gould. The series features Belle from Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast, who now owns and manages the bookshop in the village. She is usually greeted by children who would like to hear a story. Belle interacts with the children and narrates vintage Disney animated shorts while doing activities around the bookstore. The series premiered on September 8, 1995, on Disney Channel.
According to Ken Weiner, vice president at Buena Vista Television, using vintage Disney animated shorts allows the show to present a higher quality of animation than would normally be feasible in an educational show that would meet the Federal Communications Commission's E/I standards.[1]
By early 1995, it was said that the show would present two short films per episode (with updated music and voices), which Belle and the children would sometimes interrupt for discussion purposes or to "test cognitive abilities".[1]
Belle (Lynsey McLeod) lives in France and owns her own book and music shop after marrying her Prince. Helping her at the bookstore are Lewis and Carroll, two magical bookworms, Harmony the Cat and Big Book, a large talking book on a book stand. The bookstore is visited by local children to whom Belle will sing songs and tell stories, usually with a moral relating to something that's happened that day. The show's format bears resemblance to Adventures in Wonderland in nature with some valuable lessons borrowed from Sesame Street like never giving up and working together.
Clips from vintage Disney cartoons would often be used to illustrate the stories, including:
| Episode | Title | Summary | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everybody Needs a Friend | Belle and Brioche the Baker show everyone especially Big Book that everybody needs a friend. Disney Stories: Pluto's Fledgling (1948), Little Hiawatha (1937) | |
| 2 | Feeling Like an Outcast | Belle explains that everybody and thing is different as she finds an old and dusty book and Julie has new glasses. Disney Stories: Ferdinand the Bull (1938), Elmer Elephant (1936) | |
| 3 | Folk Heroes | Belle sings the story of the biggest folk hero who towers them all. Disney Stories: Paul Bunyan (1958) |
1995 |
| 4 | Everyone's Special | Tiny Hampton feels inferior. Disney Stories: Goliath II (1960) | |
| 5 | Stick to It (Don't Give Up) | Inez the village mail carrier is not sure that she can stick to her job and Jennifer is not sure that she can stick to playing the trumpet. Disney Stories: Mail Dog (1947), The Brave Engineer (1950) | |
| 6 | Taking Responsibility | Carroll takes full responsibility after accidentally knocking Belle's Bach bust off the shelf. Disney Stories: Little Toot (1948), In Dutch (1946) | |
| 7 | Working Together | The kids help Belle clean up the bookshop except Kirsten. Disney Stories: Morris the Midget Moose (1950), Babes in the Woods (1932) | |
| 8 | Overcoming Fear | Belle tells everybody that they should face their fears like a thunderstorm. Disney Stories: Lambert the Sheepish Lion (1952), Brave Little Tailor (1938) | |
| 9 | Problem Solving: Ingenuity | Belle is trying fix a broken cello shown at the end belonging to Willie the Giant. Disney Stories: Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947) | |
| 10 | Valuing What's Worthy | Axle the auto mechanic arrives at the bookshop as everyone is having a garage sale. Disney Stories: Susie the Little Blue Coupe (1952), The Little House (1952) | |
| 11 | Reap What You Sow | Shawn and Harmony won't help with some chili that everybody is making. Disney Stories: The Wise Little Hen (1934), Three Little Pigs (1933) | |
| 12 | Best Friends | Lewis and Carroll have a big fight. Disney Stories: Goofy and Wilbur (1939), The Pelican and the Snipe (1944) | |
| 13 | Taking the Easy Way Out | Putting a bike together is easy if you don't take shortcuts. Disney Stories: The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934), The Big Bad Wolf (1934) | |
| 14 | Steady Effort | Chris is about to give up on learning a musical piece on the piano that he will be playing at the village fair because it is too hard and Brioche reminds Belle that she has to bake 200 chocolate chip cookies for the village fair and is not sure that she can do it. Disney Stories: The Tortoise and the Hare (1935), Pedro (1943) | |
| 15 | Sibling Rivalry | Big Book isn't talking to his brother as he was the one who lost Big Book's favourite bookmark. Disney Stories: Pluto's Kid Brother (1946) | |
| 16 | Feeling Left Out (Loneliness) | Harmony wants to join the Witty Kitty Club. Disney Stories: Ugly Duckling (1939), The Cold-Blooded Penguin (1945) | |
| 17 | Wonderful World of Music | Belle's Uncle Zack arrives at the book and music shop on the day of his concert just as Shawn is trying to pick a musical instrument to play. Disney Stories: Music Land (1935) | |
| 18 | Creativity and Inspiration | Maurice is stumped on an invention. Disney Stories: Goofy's Glider (1940), Mickey's Trailer (1938) | |
| 19 | Temptation | Carroll finds Madame Soufflé's birthday cake very tempting. Disney Stories: Moth and the Flame (1938), Pinocchio (1940) | |
| 20 | Sleepover | Belle invites everybody for a slumber party at the bookshop. Disney Stories: Lonesome Ghosts (1937), Wynken, Blynken and Nod (1938) |
1996 |
| 21 | Talent Show | Belle and her friend Pierre help Justin find his special talent. Disney Stories: Mickey's Amateurs (1937), Mickey's Circus (1936) | |
| 22 | What's Inside Counts | Gaston has invited everybody to his Gaston Day party, which is why nobody has come to the kids' magic show. Disney Stories: Mickey's Rival (1936), The Cookie Carnival (1935) | |
| 23 | Be Yourself | Julie is being Belle instead of being herself. Disney Stories: The Flying Mouse (1934), Society Dog Show (1939) | |
| 24 | Friends in Books | Harmony is writing a book to put on one of Belle's shelves but there is no room.
Disney Stories: Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) |
1997 |
| 25 | Make a Difference | Belle explains to the kids that people in the world can make a difference. Disney Stories: The Legend of Johnny Appleseed (1948) |
1997 |
| 26 | Do Something | Belle thinks that she should get in the game. Disney Stories: Goofy Gymnastics (1949), How to Play Baseball (1942), How to Play Golf (1944), How to Play Football (1944), Wonder Dog (1950) |
1997 |
This series premiered in First-run syndication in select markets as a sneak preview on September 8, 1995. In August 1996, two videos featuring two episodes each were released as part of the Disney Princess Collection: Chapters of Enchantment and Beauty and the World of Music. In August 1999, two episodes from the first season were released with an episode of an abandoned Beauty and the Beast animated series on the direct-to-video film Belle's Tales of Friendship.
Two episodes were also featured separately as an extra in both the 2011 re-release of Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, and Belle's Magical World.
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