Never looked at it that way, but your probaply right. I remember learning Be Our Guest was originally written for Maurice. Thank God they came to their senses. Maurice, though a great supporting character, is just that... a supporting character, the song works perfect for Belle.Ben wrote:Yes, there is little difference between "fun showstoppers" Under The Sea and Be Our Guest.
BUT, Under The Sea (while being a great song - I'm not actually knocking it) simply repeats what we know (how great and fun everything is "beneath the ocean" - there's that reference again!) and doesn't actually add anything new. We know Ariel doesn't want to be down there, despite Sebastion's musical ravings.
Be Our Guest, on the other hand, actually does serve s plot purpose. On finding she is stuck in this castle, Belle feels sad and alone. The talking furniture know that, if she likes it and stays, she could end up saving them all. So the emphasis here is on welcoming Belle to the castles, helping her fit in and feeling like she can make new friends here.
If Be Our Guest had stayed where it was, and had been sung to Maurice, then yes, it would be nothing more than a "welcome" song. But they moved it to somewhere that, while still mainly the film's big number, actually does forward the plot, since Belle's character moves from being depressed at the whole Beast/castle thing to being inquisitive about her new surrounds and having made new aquaintances.
I think, to be honest, that moving the song to this point WAS a lesson learned from Under The Sea.
Your right to say there's no real character development going on in Under the Sea. Maybe for Sebastian, to show just how much he has to put with regarding Ariel ("somebody's got to nail that girls fins t the floor") but that was really after the song. Still the movie would not be the same without it
nah just kidding
Let me remind you: one of the lines was "Why was I a fool for cutting gym?" (??????) OH BROTHER. 
Go the Distance is WAY too much like "Out There" from Hunchback (which was already too much like Just Around the River Bend, Part of Your World, etc....) I thought the idea was nice, especially since Hercules IS one of the few post-Katzenberg Diz flicks that left a real impression on me, unlike the others, which were pleasant but like I said...nothing special. 
) They really served no purpose in the film as they were not real characters with personalities. If you're going to have a narrator, he should either be directly involved in the story (like Jiminy Cricket) or an off-screen voice that helps tell the story but doesn't impose on it. Having the chorus there was just a distraction and an unsuccessful attempt to update Greek comedy/tradgedies. 