Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Angela Lansbury: Mrs. Potts

Photos 

Quotes 

• Beast : Oh, it's no use. She's so beautiful, and I'm-- Well, look at me!

  Mrs. Potts : Oh, must help her to see past all that.

  Beast : I don't know how.

  Mrs. Potts : Well, you can start by making yourself more presentable. Straighten up. Try to act like a gentleman.

  [Beast stands up straighter] 

  Lumiere : Ah, yes. When she comes in, give her a dashing, debonair smile. Come, come. Show me the smile.

  [Beast gives a big, forced smile] 

  Mrs. Potts : But don't frighten the poor girl.

• Beast : [pounds on Belle's door yelling]  I thought I told you to come down to dinner!

  Belle : I'm not hungry.

  Beast : [yelling to Belle]  You'll come out or I'll-I'll-I'll break down the door!

  Lumiere : Master, I could be wrong, but that might not be the best way to win the girl's affections.

  Cogsworth : Please, attempt to be a gentlemen.

  Beast : But she's being so difficult.

  Mrs. Potts : Gently, gently.

  Beast : [calmly, dejected]  Will you come down to dinner?

  Belle : No!

  Beast : [points at door]  Hmm?

  Cogsworth : Suave, genteel.

  Beast : [suavely]  It would give me great pleasure...

  [tries to hold in his anger] 

  Beast : ...if you would join me for dinner.

  Cogsworth : [clears throat and mutters]  And we say please.

  Beast : [dejected]  Please.

  Belle : No, thank you.

  Beast : [yells]  You can't stay in there forever!

  Belle : Yes, I can.

  Beast : [yells]  Fine! Then go ahead and starve!

  [he turns to the objects] 

  Beast : If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all!

  [storms down through the hallway and slams the door behind him] 

  Mrs. Potts : Oh, dear. That didn't go very well at all, did it?

• [giving Beast advice on how to impress Belle] 

  Lumiere : Impress her with your rapier wit.

  Mrs. Potts : But be gentle.

  Lumiere : Shower her with compliments.

  Mrs. Potts : But be sincere.

  Lumiere : And above all.

  Lumiere , Mrs. Potts : You must control your temper!

• Cogsworth : [singing]  You know, perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before.

  Chip : What?

  Mrs. Potts : [singing]  There may be something there that wasn't there before.

  Chip : *What's* there, Mama?

  Mrs. Potts : Shh. I'll tell you when you're older.

  [kisses Chip] 

• Lumiere : Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test / Tie your napkin round your waist, cheri, and let us provide the rest / Soup du jour? Hors d'oeuvres? Why, we only live to serve / Try the gray stuff, it's delicious! Don't believe me? Ask the dishes! / They can sing, they can dance, after all, Miss, this is France / And a dinner here is never second best / Come on, unfold our menu, / Take a glance and then you / will be our guest / Oui, our guest, Be our guest!

  Lumiere : [Chorus joins in]  Beef ragoune, cheese soufflé, pie and pudding en flambé / We'll prepare and serve with flair, a culinary cabaret / You're alone and you're scared, but the banquet's all prepared / No one's gloomy or complaining, while the flatware's entertaining / We tell jokes, I do tricks, with my fellow candlesticks / And it's all in perfect taste, that you can bet! / Come on and fill your glass / You've won your own free pass / To be our guest / If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest! Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!

  Lumiere : Life is so unnerving, for a servant who's not serving / He's not whole, without a soul, to wait upon! Ah, those good old days when we were useful... suddenly those good old days are gone / Ten years we've been rusting, needing so much more than dusting / Needing exercise, a chance to use our skill! / Most days, we just lay around the castle / Flabby fat and lazy, then you walked in and oops-a-daisy!

  Mrs. Potts : It's a guest! It's a guest! Sakes alive and I'll be blessed! / Wine's been poured, and thank the Lord I've had the napkins freshly pressed / With dessert, she'll want tea, and my dear, that's fine with me / While the cups do their soft-shoeing I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing / I'll get warm, piping hot... Heaven's sakes, is that a spot? / Clean it up! We want the company impressed! / We've got a lot to do! / Is it one lump or two? / For our guest! She's our guest!

  Chorus : Be our guest! Be our guest! Our command is your request! / It's been ten years since we had anybody here, and we're obsessed! / With your meal, with your ease, yes indeed, we aim to please / While the candlelight's still glowing, let us help you, we'll keep going...

  Lumiere , Mrs. Potts , Chorus : Course by course! One by one! / Till you shout "Enough! I'm done!" / And we send you off to sleep as you digest! / Tonight, you'll prop your feet up / But for now let's eat up / Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Please be our guest!

• Chip : Mama, there's a girl in the castle!

  Mrs. Potts : Now Chip, I'll not have you making up such wild stories.

  Chip : Really, Mama, I saw her!

  Mrs. Potts : Not another word, into the tub.

  Chip : [Mrs. Potts lifts Chip into the tub]  But. What?

  Featherduster : A girl! I saw a girl in the castle!

  Featherduster : [Chip emerges from the water in the tub] 

  Chip : See? I told ya.

• Mrs. Potts : Pardon me, Master.

  Beast : Leave me in peace.

  Mrs. Potts : But sir, the castle is under attack!

  Villagers : [singing outside and trying to knock the door down]  Kill the Beast! Kill the Beast!

  Lumiere : [All the objects are trying to hold the door closed]  This isn't working.

  Featherduster : Oh Lumiere. We must do something.

  Lumiere : Wait, I know!

  Villagers : [Still singing outside]  Kill the Beast! Kill the Beast!

  Mrs. Potts : What should we do, Master?

  Beast : It doesn't matter now. Just let them come.

• Cogsworth : I knew it, I knew it was foolish to get our hopes up.

  Lumiere : Maybe it would have been better if she'd never come at all.

  [the footstool runs to the window and starts barking] 

  Lumiere : Could it be?

  Mrs. Potts : Is it she?

  [they look outside and see Gaston leading the mob to the castle doors] 

  Lumiere : Sacre bleu! Invaders!

  Cogsworth : Encroachers!

  Mrs. Potts : And they have the mirror!

  Cogsworth : Warn the master - if it's a fight they want, we'll be ready for them! Who's with me?

  [the doors close, he realizes he is alone] 

  Cogsworth : Aah!

• Mrs. Potts : Barely even friends, then somebody bends, unexpectedly.

• Cogsworth , Mrs. Potts : [singing]  When we're human again/ Only human again/ When the world once more starts making sense...

  Cogsworth : I'll unwind for a change!

  Lumiere : Really? That'd be strange!

  Cogsworth : Can I help it if I'm t-t-tense? In a shack by the sea, I'll sit back sipping tea, let my early retirement commence! Far from fools made of wax, I'll get down to brass tacks...

  [Lumiere rat-tails him] 

  Cogsworth : And RELAX!

  Chorus : When I'm human again!

• Mrs. Potts : [singing]  Tale as old as time / True as it can be / Barely even friends / Then somebody bends / Unexpectedly / Just a little change / Small to say the least / Both a little scared / Neither one prepared / Beauty and the Beast / Ever just the same / Ever a surprise / Ever as before / Ever just as sure / As the sun will rise / Tale as old as time / Tune as old as song / Bitter-sweet and strange / Finding you can change / Learning you were wrong / Certain as the sun / Rising in the east / Tale as old as time / Song as old as rhyme / Beauty and the Beast / Tale as old as time / Song as old as rhyme/ Beauty and the Beast

  [spoken] 

  Mrs. Potts : Off to the cupboard with you now, Chip. It's past your bedtime.

  [kisses Chip] 

  Mrs. Potts : Good night, love.

• Stove : I worked and I slave all day long, and for what? A culinary masterpiece gone to waste!

  Mrs. Potts : Oh, stop your grousing. It's been a long night for all of us.

• [Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth hops close to the Prince and Belle one by one, they were swirled around and turned into humans] 

  Prince Adam : Lumiere! Cogsworth! Mrs. Potts! Look at us!

  Chip : [riding on Sultan the footstool]  Mama! Mama!

  [he swirled around and turned into a boy] 

  Mrs. Potts : Oh my goodness!

  Lumiere : It is a miracle!