How Does a Moment Last Forever

"How Does a Moment Last Forever" is a song written by lyricist Tim Rice and composer Alan Menken for the live‑action Disney film Beauty and the Beast (2017), a remake of the 1991 animated musical. The ballad is performed in the film by American actor Kevin Kline in his role as Maurice, reflecting his character's memories of his late wife, the mother of Belle. Later in the story, Belle (Emma Watson) reprises the song when she learns the truth about her mother's past. A separate version was recorded by Canadian singer Celine Dion for the film's soundtrack, released on March 10, 2017; her rendition plays over the end credits.

In the original animated film, Maurice does not sing.^[1] The remake expands on the histories of both Belle and the Beast. Belle's backstory provides additional context for her character and her connection to the Beast.^[2] Director Bill Condon explained that adding these elements helped audiences understand the characters' motivations: "They're both outsiders, but how did Belle wind up being so different from everybody else in a town where nobody understands her, and how did the Beast become the person who earned that curse? That's the stuff we started to fill in."^[2]

"How Does a Moment Last Forever" is a ballad whose lyrics explore themes of nostalgia. Menken described it as a reflection on holding on to meaningful moments.^[1] Within the film, it appears twice: first sung by Maurice as he remembers his wife, and later by Belle as she uncovers her mother's fate. Dion was approached to record a pop version of the song; although initially hesitant, she accepted due to the significance that "Beauty and the Beast" had in her career. Because she was unable to promote the track, Disney released "Evermore" as the primary single instead. Dion's version nonetheless achieved modest international impact alongside the film's box‑office success. Critical reception was generally positive, though some reviewers considered the song less memorable compared to other soundtrack recordings in Dion's catalogue.

Director Bill Condon initially planned to incorporate songs from the Broadway adaptation of Beauty and the Beast into the live‑action remake. Disney instead chose to have composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice create new material for the film. Menken, who wrote the original score for Beauty and the Beast, reunited with Rice, his collaborator on the 1994 stage musical, to compose three new songs for the remake.^[3] One of these, "How Does a Moment Last Forever", was originally titled "Our Song Lives On".^[1]

Rice once again took on the role previously held by Howard Ashman, the lyricist for the animated film, who died in 1991 from complications related to HIV.^[4] The remake marked Menken and Rice's first collaboration in more than 20 years; their previous joint project had been the stage musical. Menken explained that the musical's songs would not have adapted effectively to a cinematic format due to structural differences between theatre and film.^[5]

One of at least nine major changes made specifically for the live‑action adaptation,^[6] "How Does a Moment Last Forever" was introduced to expand Belle's backstory. Her search for the truth about her mother provides a narrative parallel to the Beast, who also lost his mother during childhood.^[2] In the film, the song is first performed by Maurice (Kline) shortly after the opening number "Belle". When Belle (Watson) returns to their home in the village, she quietly observes her father working on a music box.^[1] Maurice sings "How Does a Moment Last Forever" while reflecting on his late wife and their life in Paris. When he notices Belle watching, he quickly finishes the music box—designed to resemble himself and his wife—and avoids answering her questions about her mother. Bustle writer Olivia Truffaut-Wong noted that "it's obvious that he's still holding on to her".^[2] This rendition appears on the soundtrack under the title "Music Box".

Later, the Beast (Dan Stevens) allows Belle to use his enchanted book, enabling them to travel to any place she chooses. Belle selects the Paris home where she lived as an infant. There, while singing "How Does a Moment Last Forever", she and the Beast discover a plague mask, leading Belle to learn that her mother died of the plague. A flashback reveals that Belle's mother insisted Maurice leave her behind to save their child, a decision he made with great sorrow. The moment deepens Belle's character and strengthens her connection with the Beast. According to Truffaut-Wong, Belle shares "an extremely intimate moment with him and turns to him for safety and comfort after, asking him to take her back home".^[2] This version is titled "Montmartre" on the soundtrack, named after the Parisian neighbourhood of the same name. Elements of the song also appear throughout the film's underscore.^[7]

The song received generally positive critical reception upon release. Broadway World described it as "an emotional ballad about holding onto life's precious moments".^[7] SunStar interpreted the song as a sorrowful reflection of Maurice's feelings for his late wife.^[8] Hello magazine called it both "reflective and upbeat" and suggested it was worthy of an Academy Award for Best Original Song nomination.^[9] Us Weekly praised Dion's "powerhouse vocals" and her delivery of the song's "spirited riffs and flawless octave changes".^[10] Hollywood Life described the song as "stunning" and predicted it would move audiences to tears,^[11] while NDTV Movies viewed it as "a subtle nod to the baggage that this production brings with it".^[12]

Rolling Stone offered a mixed response, noting that although the song does not reach the "cinematic peaks" of "My Heart Will Go On", Dion performs it with emotional weight and a restrained ending.^[13] In a more critical view, Metro compared the song unfavourably to "Beauty and the Beast",^[14] while Mashable argued that the "wistful" tune "fails to make much of an impression" despite its three iterations in the film.^[15]

Celine Dion had previously recorded the pop version of "Beauty and the Beast" with R&B artist Peabo Bryson, a release that helped establish her career in the English-speaking world. Menken invited her to participate in the live-action adaptation by recording a new rendition of "How Does a Moment Last Forever", which plays over the end credits.^[16] Her version includes a "swelling mix of piano, accordion, and orchestral strings",^[13] and was recorded to a pre-existing music track that Menken had prepared during the scoring sessions.^[17]

Dion initially hesitated to record the song following the death of her husband and manager René Angélil, who had played a key role in securing the 1991 duet. She later explained: "The first 'Beauty and the Beast' decision was made with my husband. Now I'm making decisions on my own. It's a little bit harder. I couldn't say yes right away, because I felt like I was kind of cheating in a way".^[18] She ultimately accepted, noting the importance of Beauty and the Beast in her early career: "I was at the beginning of my career, it put me on the map, it put me where I am today".^[9] Dion's vocal was produced by Humberto Gatica.

On November 17, 2017, "How Does a Moment Last Forever" won a Hollywood Music in Media Award in the category Best Original Song in a Sci-Fi, Fantasy or Horror Film.^[19] It was also nominated for Best Original Song in an Animated Film.^[19]

Disney released Dion's version on its official YouTube channel on March 8, 2017,^[9] nine days before the film's premiere. Although not released as an official single due to Dion's unavailability for promotion,^[17] the song charted in several territories following the film's commercial success. It reached number one for two weeks in Dion's home province of Quebec,^[20] number nine on the US Billboard Kid Digital Song Sales chart,^[21] number 80 in Scotland,^[22] number 94 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart,^[23] and number 125 in France^[24] (as well as number 124 on the French Digital Singles chart).^[25] It also reached high position in South Korea, peaking at number six on the International Download chart.^[26]

The music video for Dion's version was released on April 25, 2017, and consists solely of footage from the film accompanied by the song.^[27]