Beauty and the Beast (Disney song) author Jerry Griswold believes that the song's opening line "tale as old as time" alludes to the fact that Belle's story is an ancient, timeless one "deliberately situated within the context of other traditional tales;" hers is simply "the newest incarnation" of it. "The Translation of the Songs in Disney's "Beauty and the Beast": an example of Manipulation" author Lucía Loureiro Porto agrees that although the song "does not tell any story, it is made of phrases that imply that love is as old a feeling as mankind." According to Perry Seibert of AllMovie, "Beauty and the Beast" is "as
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast The Beast is returned to his handsome human form, explaining to the astonished Beauty about a curse on his family's lineage and how it could only be broken by someone loving him despite his appearance. He shows Beauty her reflection, revealing how she has blossomed into a true beauty. Beauty is reunited with her family, and she and the Beast start their new lives together. A review in The Guardian said "It's great to have this lovely retelling published in Britain at last." Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast Beauty: A Retelling of the Story