Ever since we learned that Emma Watson would be stepping into that iconic yellow ball gown to take on the much-loved role of Belle, we’ve been counting down the days until the release of the new, live-action version of Beauty and the Beast.
Before it arrives in cinemas in early 2017, here’s everything you should know about Disney’s remake of the tale as old as time. Be our guest…
Emma Watson as Belle
We couldn’t think of a better actress to take on the role of Belle than Emma Watson. 'I can’t even think how many times I watched it as a child,' the actress has revealed. 'I knew all the words by heart. I knew all the songs by heart.'
And for proof that her early practise paid off, watch the latest clip released by Disney, in which Emma takes on the famous opening song, 'Belle.'
We can't wait to see more...
What about the costumes, you ask? From concept art released by Disney, we can see that Emma’s outfits will stick quite closely to those worn by the original animated character – though both Belle’s blue and white ensemble and her iconic ball gown have been given some subtle tweaks. Belle’s every day outfit is now decidedly less dainty. Gone is the wicker basket, replaced with a more prosaic collection of tea towels worn at the waist, while the cartoon character's pointed ballet flats have been swapped for a sturdy pair of boots.
When it came to re-imagining the yellow dress worn by Belle during the film’s climatic dance scene, ‘it was important that [it] was light and that it had a lot of movement,’ costume designer Jacqueline Durran revealed to Entertainment Weekly. ‘In Emma’s reinterpretation, Belle is an active princess. She did not want a dress that was corseted or that would impede her in any way.’
‘I really embraced working on the dress, making sure that it was utterly whimsical and magical,’ Emma added. ‘The scene that I wear that dress in, and I have the dance in, it really tells the story of Beast and Belle falling in love.’
The final Beauty and the Beast trailer
After our interest was piqued when a teaser clip debuted online in May this year, the first full length Beauty and the Beast trailer arrived in November – and was every bit as magical as we’d hoped. So magical, indeed that it broke records to become the most watched promo to date in the 24 hours since its release. Generating a massive 127.6 million views over just one day, it beat the 114 million views racked up by the first Fifty Shades Darker trailer which premiered in September.
Now, around six weeks before the film makes its theatrical debut, we've been treated with one final trailer, which gives us our most in-depth look at Belle as a character.
'You're so ahead of your time. This is a small village, and small-minded as well,' Belle's father Maurice (as played by Kevin Kline) is heard telling his daughter, while we see Belle teaching a younger girl to read. Emma Watson has previously revealed that she was keen for her character to have a better, more rounded backstory than the average princess, and this trailer implies that Disney have made good on that promise.
The longest yet, the two and a half minute trailer also affords us a glance at Luke Evans' preening Gaston, and the Beast's household objects. We're also treated to Ariana Grande and John Legend's Beauty and the Beast duet, which you can now listen to in full on Spotify or on Youtube{
The first live action trailer, meanwhile, harked back to that of the original 1991 animated movie. In fact, shot for shot, the two are almost identical, opening with a dramatic vista of the Beast’s castle before giving us a closer look at the characters we know and love. There are also hints at big, ‘Be Our Guest’-style dance numbers and the iconic rose makes an appearance, too.
The Soundtrack
'Beauty and the Beast' the song made famous by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson for the 1990's animated version of the film, will this time round be sung by Ariana Grande and John Legend. But fear not, the Canadian songstress will be lending her dulcet tones to the soundtrack, with new single 'How Does A Moment Last Forever'.
Beauty and the Beast: the film poster
Disney are certainly going out of their way to keep our interest piqued ahead of Beauty and the Beast's release. The latest teaser dropped by the studio is a brand new poster, which reveals the Beast's household servants in their human form.
So, rather than seeing Ewan McGregor's Lumiere and Ian McKellan's Cogsworth as a candlestick and a clock respectively, we get a glimpse of them in their be-wigged, 18th century glory. Also featured are Stanley Tucci are Cadenza, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette and a cheery Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts.
Earlier this year, Emma Watson took to Twitter to unveil the first theatrical poster for her latest project. ‘So happy I get to show all of you the new teaser poster for Beauty and the Beast! You are the very first people to see this. I hope you like it,’ she wrote, signing off with ‘Love, Emma.’
Like many of the sneak previews we've been afforded of the new film, the poster is in the style of the 1991 original, leading us to guess that the new Beauty and the Beast will be heavy with nostalgia for those of us who loved the original 'tale as old as time.'
Will the live action version be a musical, too?
Worry not – every single song from the 1991 original will be featured in the live action version, while original composer Alan Menken has teamed up with Tim Rice (who, along with Elton John, worked on the music for The Lion King) to create two new tracks. The film will see Emma making her musical debut: according to Entertainment Weekly, the actress did several months of training to prepare, explaining that ‘it was nerve-wracking, but now I’m in a place where I feel happy with what I’ve been able to do.’
Now, Disney has released a short clip of Emma singing 'Something There', the song that charts the change in Belle's feelings towards the Beast, which you can hear below.
Emma Watson as Belle
We couldn’t think of a better actress to take on the role of Belle than Emma Watson. 'I can’t even think how many times I watched it as a child,' the actress has revealed. 'I knew all the words by heart. I knew all the songs by heart.'
What about the costumes, you ask? From concept art released by Disney, we can see that Emma’s outfits will stick quite closely to those worn by the original animated character – though both Belle’s blue and white ensemble and her iconic ball gown have been given some subtle tweaks. Belle’s every day outfit is now decidedly less dainty. Gone is the wicker basket, replaced with a more prosaic collection of tea towels worn at the waist, while the cartoon character's pointed ballet flats have been swapped for a sturdy pair of boots.
When it came to re-imagining the yellow dress worn by Belle during the film’s climatic dance scene, ‘it was important that [it] was light and that it had a lot of movement,’ costume designer Jacqueline Durran revealed to Entertainment Weekly. ‘In Emma’s reinterpretation, Belle is an active princess. She did not want a dress that was corseted or that would impede her in any way.’
‘I really embraced working on the dress, making sure that it was utterly whimsical and magical,’ Emma added. ‘The scene that I wear that dress in, and I have the dance in, it really tells the story of Beast and Belle falling in love.’
Dan Stevens as the Beast
Dan Stevens has slightly fallen off our radar since Matthew Crawley met a decidedly un-festive end in the Downton Christmas special a few years back. Now, he’s bringing Disney’s least likely love interest to life as the Beast to Emma’s Belle. Given that the Beast spends most of his screen time as, you know, a beastly looking creature, it took plenty of CGI wizardry to bring his character to life – and plenty of effort on Dan’s part. The actor had to act all of his scenes twice: first, he’d act out his body movements while wearing huge stilts, then later he would record the same scenes while wearing ultraviolet make-up to capture his facial expressions.
Now we've got our first glimpse of Dan Stevens' beast in human form, as The Prince. He's wearing a fittingly 18th century powder blue suit with brocade details, accessorised with a sygnet ring and blonde curls. In a recent interview, Emma Watson disclosed that the beast will be funnier in the new live-action remake, with a dry sense of humour.
Luke Evans as Gaston
Now, for the villain of the piece: Luke Evans, who starred opposite Emily Blunt and Justin Theroux in The Girl On The Train earlier this year, will take the character of Gaston, who, you might remember from one of Disney’s most bizarre musical interludes, ‘eats six dozen eggs’ a day to become ‘roughly the size of a barge.’
Discussing his upcoming role with Cinemablend, the actor revealed that ‘there’s definitely a theatricality that I can bring to this role that I don’t usually get to do […] He starts as a kind of lovable rogue – says all these self-absorbed egocentric phrases and has his crazy sidekick. And then once he starts to realise he’s not going to get his own way, the façade starts to crack, and a monster appears.’
Who else has joined the cast of Beauty and the Beast?
As you’d expect, Disney have managed to gather an impressive array of talents to make up the cast for Beauty and the Beast. Ian McKellan takes the role of Cogsworth, while Ewan McGregor and Emma Thompson will provide the voices for Lumiere and Mrs Potts respectively. Joining them are Josh Gad as LeFou, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette and Kevin Kline as Belle’s father, Maurice.
Will this be a more feminist take on the classic fairytale?
While things are – slowly - improving for their heroines (see recent hit Moana for a case in point), Disney’s fairy tales don’t exactly have a strong history when it comes to smashing the Bechdel test. Given her high profile advocacy of gender equality and work on the UN’s #HeForShe campaign, it’s no surprise that Emma Watson was keen to make her mark on Belle by equipping her with a proper backstory, which includes a proper job.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Emma explained that ‘in the animated movie, it’s her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle [in this film].’
'I was like, "Well, there was never very much information or detail at the beginning of the story as to why Belle didn't fit in, other than she liked books. Also what is she doing with her time?"'
So, Emma and the team at Disney decided to turn things around, sketching out a history for Belle 'which was that she had invented a kind of washing machine, so that, instead of doing laundry, she could sit and use that time to read instead.' A forward-thinking take on a Disney princess? We'd expect nothing less from Emma Watson.
Beauty and the Beast: the film poster
Earlier this year, Emma Watson took to Twitter to unveil the theatrical poster for her latest project. ‘So happy I get to show all of you the new teaser poster for Beauty and the Beast! You are the very first people to see this. I hope you like it,’ she wrote, signing off with ‘Love, Emma.’
Like many of the sneak previews we've been afforded of the new film, the poster is in the style of the 1991 original, leading us to guess that the new Beauty and the Beast will be heavy with nostalgia for those of us who loved the original 'tale as old as time.'
When is Beauty and the Beast released?
It’ll be dancing into cinemas on March 17 2017, so set your calendar reminders now.
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