Angela Lansbury Recording Mrs. Potts’ “Be Our Guest” From ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in Disney+’s ‘Howard’ Is Your Must Watch Clip of the Day

You don’t need to actually see Angela Lansbury in the recording booth to feel just how magical and endearing her performance as Mrs. Potts is in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Such was the magic of Angela Lansbury, who passed away at the age of 96. She could make anything delightful, and that definitely included voicing a talking, singing, and dancing teapot trapped in a beast’s gloomy castle.

But if you’ve already seen Beauty and the Beast a million times, you might want to direct your attention to another piece of Disney history after rewatching it in honor of the late Lansbury. You need to stream the Disney+ original documentary Howard. Specifically, you need to fast forward to 1:17:00 (and make a note to go back and watch the whole doc because it’s fantastic) and then watch Lansbury step into the recording booth and knock out a dynamite take of the iconic “Be Our Guest.” This performance on June 8, 1990 captures everything magical about this moment in the movie, and there’s not a dancing candelabra or clock or feather duster to be seen.

The way Lansbury puts on a giddy smile, jubilantly clutches her hands together, the sudden lift in her stance — she’s giving it all the energy and charm of a fully-trained Broadway professional (which, y’know, it’s Angela Lansbury). While the doc cuts in and out of the recording, the entire moment can actually be seen on YouTube. It’s a testament to the power of Lansbury’s instrument: her voice. She sings and the entirety of Beauty and the Beast rushes into your head. You’re actually watching a 65-year-old TV sleuth and film legend belting out a tune next to Jerry Orbach, but it feels like you’re watching a technicolor whirlwind full of fantasy.

Even before she steps into the recording booth, there’s a delightful little moment where Angela Lansbury drops her tea expertise on everyone within earshot. “You wanna know anything about tea, I could tell ya,” she says with bluster and bravado. Angela Lansbury: a delight even when she isn’t performing.

The entire documentary, which tells the life story of Beauty and the Beast lyricist Howard Ashman, is definitely worth your time after you rewatch Beauty and the Beast. Because when Angela Lansbury’s on screen, be it as a singing teapot or just as herself making small talk, it feels like magic is suddenly very, very real.

Watch the unedited clip below, and Howard on Disney+: