Showing posts with label Bill Condon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Condon. Show all posts
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
'Beauty and the Beast' Press Tour Round-Up: London
Monday, February 20, 2017
'Beauty and the Beast' Press Tour Round-Up: Paris
Photos
Ne manquez pas #LaBelleetlaBête dès le 22 mars au cinéma avec @EmmaWatson, @thatdanstevens, @TheRealLukevans et @joshgad ! pic.twitter.com/6OpS1xPT4P— Disney (@DisneyFR) February 19, 2017
Thursday, February 16, 2017
New images of Belle, Beast, Gaston & more
This week's Entertainment Weekly includes a preview of Beauty and the Beast and four new images have already debuted online.
The site also shared a new behind the scenes photo of Emma Watson (Belle) with director Bill Condon and music supervisor Matt Sullivan.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
The site also shared a new behind the scenes photo of Emma Watson (Belle) with director Bill Condon and music supervisor Matt Sullivan.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Director Bill Condon: "...it wasn’t about reinventing like some of these recent movies have been. It was really about exploring and digging deeper..."
In a new interview with Nerdist, Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon discusses the grand scope of the film and formatting it for IMAX screens.
Beauty and the Beast is specially formatted for IMAX to show 26% more image on screen. Advance tickets are now on sale and you can find your local IMAX theater here.
From Nerdist:
“It blew me away.”
Director Bill Condon had just watched the entirety of Beauty and the Beast in IMAX for the first time, and to say he was impressed is an understatement. I spoke with Condon just after he viewed the live action adaptation of the 1991 animated Disney film on the extra big screen, and he said even though he knows the film and material so well, the IMAX version made him look at it in a different light. “It made me feel like I was back on those massive sets that we built. They were so big, and you just get to see more of them–that was an unbelievable thrill,” he said.
It’s a significant contrast. Condon kept the IMAX format in mind while they worked. The team looked at both aspect ratios as they filmed and planned camera moves accordingly, whether it was framing the ballroom dance between Belle and the Beast a certain way or showcasing more of the performers. Condon explained the larger image is especially excellent for their sets, which were practical. “We went completely old school for the whole movie. We maybe went on location for a day, but basically the movie was made at Shepperton [Studios] the way you would have made it in MGM in Hollywood in the 1950s,” he said, “We built this entire village with massive sets and huge stages that we connected. So, for example, you could go from the dining room of the castle and walk all the way through to the entry way, to the front stairs, and into this massive ballroom. It was really something. I think that does emerge clearly in the IMAX format.”
Trailers for the film certainly convey a grand scope, but it goes beyond the size of the sets or sweeping backgrounds. The cast has a certain scale as well. Condon said, “We have this big ensemble of musical performers who play the villagers. But again here, because of the size of the image, you just notice more. You see more people, you see more of a little story that’s happening more in the background. Suddenly it’s right there in your face.”
A couple of scenes jumped out at Condon as being particularly suited for the IMAX format. “The ballroom,” Condon said. “Being able to go in that room and have it always framed by the chandeliers, which are incredibly high in the air, always have them framing the top of the shot just adds more. Our movie is pretty much packed with beauty, but you get to see more of it and the ballroom scene is a great example.”
Many moments from the animated Beauty and the Beast, like the battle on the turrets and the iconic ballroom scene, are featured in the live action version, but this isn’t meant to be a reboot. Condon explained what they were going for: “In general, it wasn’t about reinventing like some of these recent movies have been. It was really about exploring and digging deeper, inevitably, because you’re bringing people into a live action world. My deepest hope is people see the movie and feel that the additional scenes and the additional material is stuff they always wondered about and wished had been there, so they don’t even remember what was in the animated film and what wasn’t. That it all becomes of a piece.”
Click here to read the full interview.
Source: Nerdist
Friday, January 27, 2017
Take a look inside the latest issue of Total Film with a new look at 'Beauty and the Beast'
Take a look inside the latest issue of Total Film Magazine, which includes new interviews with director Bill Condon and the cast, as well as new images from the film and a breakdown of the Beast's design with VFX producer Steve Gaub.
Source: La Bella y la Bestia
Source: La Bella y la Bestia
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Director Bill Condon: "Watson and Stevens dancing to 'Beauty and the Beast.' That really puts you on a high.”
“I hope you feel like when Belle is crying over The Beast and says that she loves him, that you really feel that you’re convinced that these two people are the only ones for each other, that they belong together. That’s why we expanded the backstory and all so that you have something that lets you really believe in that love and feel it and feel that kind of sadness of it.”In a new interview with Grazia, director Bill Condon discusses working with the cast of Beauty and the Beast, the challenges of filming "Be Our Guest," and Disney's reservations about making a live-action musical of their animated classic.
GRAZIA: Beauty and the Beast is one of the most anticipated films of next year. When you first approached Disney with the concept of the film being a musical, the studio was apprehensive. You famously said, “With all due respect, I think you're crazy. You're going to spend all this time making a huge, gorgeous live-action Beauty and the Beast and not do Be Our Guest?” What exactly were their reservations? You have been credited with reviving the film-musical genre after all…
Condon: [Laughs]. I think they had questions over how musical it was going to be. I think that is still a question mark with audiences and things like that. But I think, it was pretty clear. Everyone knows how beloved this movie is but also how beloved the music is. You know, you look at it and there’s not one of those songs that isn’t a classic. There wasn’t any question about skipping over any of them. But what was fun was that in the course of devising an expanded story, we needed some more and I think it’s really great that we have ones that fit in very well with the older ones.
Emma Roberts, Kristen Stewart, there’s a few names were floating around the internet about who was going to be cast as Belle. How did you arrive at Emma Watson?
Yeah, I’ve never heard of those other names! [Laughs] You know what it was? Belle is famously the first modern Disney heroine so here you are 25 years later and who best captures those specific qualities of Belle – her brains, how strong she is, how independent she is, how misunderstood she is – it just felt like Emma Watson, in both her performances and how she lives her life, it felt like a great 21st century version of that. And then, on top of that, to hear how much she loved Beauty And The Beast and that she could sing and dance, well, that’s it, right?
What was Watson like to work with on set?
Emma Watson is incredibly serious I have to say. It reminded me of working with Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls, actually. You know where’s there’s that kind of light that goes on and she makes it look effortless but that’s the result of a lot of training and a lot of hard work. I was always impressed by that and just how dedicated she is and always filled with great ideas. On top of that, she’s also almost emotionally translucent, you know? It was sort of fun to watch shot by shot and take by take just how focused she is.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Director Bill Condon reveals new details about the film's setting, castle staff & more
In a new interview with Fandango, Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon revealed new details about the upcoming film, including the film's setting and a cozy relationship between a pair of enchanted objects.
Source: Fandango
Fandango: What was your initial reaction when you were approached?
Bill Condon: It was just excitement, really, because I just loved the movie so much. There was a sense of making sure you could bring something to it that's new and also live up to in any way what was so great about the original. But again, it's a totally different medium. It has been translated once onto the stage, and this felt like another version of that. By not being animated, it has to change in a basic way and contain human behavior we can recognize.
Fandango: You also used CGI and set it in a practical location.
Condon: From the very beginning, I worked with Sarah Greenwood, the designer, and we decided to set in the time and place it was written, in the South of France in the 1740s. It wasn't in some mystical kingdom far away. It wasn't in a fairy-tale kingdom or anything like that.
Once we had that reality, once we knew that, it informed everything, especially in the design of the household staff objects. We started to look at clocks and candlesticks from the period and imagined faces in them. And we started to imagine how they could be anthropomorphized. The penny would drop on one of them and it was like, “Oh wow, that could work there.” Then suddenly the whole thing would come to life.
Fandango: Are we going to exclaim, “Wow, Emma Watson can really sing!”
Condon: Yes! She sort of had to and wanted to prove she could do it. She had always loved singing, but in those years of doing Harry Potter she hadn't done it. She got her voice back in shape, took lessons and then there it was! This beautiful, sweet, pure sound that she has. It is interesting.
We don't usually think about movie stars being able to sing, and then they do it. Some people's voices just reveal something about themselves and seem like the essence of them. Emma is one of those people, there's a natural connection from the way that she speaks and the way she sings.
Fandango: The other casting also seems so spot-on, like Dan Stevens, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen...
Condon: Yeah, [Dan] has this really big voice, who knew? He is the Beast! And this is the first time Ian [as Cogsworth] has ever sung in a movie. To watch him sing and dance and be funny was amazing. In real life, people know how funny he is, but to let him be so shamelessly out there, it was really fun to watch.
Fandango: There is also a new character added to the household staff, right?
Condon: Yes, the harpsichord played by Stanley Tucci, who is married to the wardrobe, the opera singer. It seemed odd not to have a big musical instrument in there given the context, and he actually became a pretty big part.
Fandango: Can you talk about the three new songs added to the movie?
Condon: We keep all the songs from the original film, but in this translation, we expanded upon how Belle and the Beast become who they are when we meet them. Two of the new songs connect to that new material. “Days in the Sun,” in particular, is sung by Belle and has more to do with the household staff and how they see the future when the curse is lifted. But it's also as a song the Beast's mother sang to him when he was a boy. So it sort of comes full circle.
Finally, there's the song [“For Evermore”] the Beast sings as at a crucial dramatic point at the end of the movie. They always say you should only ever sing when speaking isn't enough. When you can't help but sing. And that's what the song is, a cry of pain. I think that's a really big, 11-o'clock cinematic number.
Fandango: Do you think one of those songs, like “Days in the Sun,” might be an Oscar contender?
Condon: Oh, God knows. It's up to them.
Fandango: How was Alan Menken to work with?
Condon: What really amazed me was, he has revisited something that he hasn't touched in 20 years, but is still in touch with what this story is emotionally. He writes these new songs that fit in so seamlessly into the fabric of the story. If you're a 10 year old and don't know the original movie, I don't think you'd be able to tell the difference.
Fandango: You, too, have an amazing ability to bring musicals to the big screen. What is it about the medium you love so much?
Condon: I think at it's best it has to give the audience the right feels, but man, when you have a story you're engaged in and an emotion that you're feeling that gets expressed in song, I think it just lifts you to a level that is hard for other movies to reach. Your action movies can do it in their own way, with the explosions and dazzle and all that, but there's nothing like someone letting loose in the joy of expressing themselves.
Source: Fandango
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Unused Howard Ashman lyrics to be featured in live-action 'Beauty and the Beast'
When I was a kid, I knew I liked the music in Beauty and the Beast and that simple fact was good enough for me, but as an adult, I can now appreciate the wonder and brilliance of Howard Ashman's lyrics. After Ashman's passing in early 1991, it was lyricist Tim Rice who worked with composer Alan Menken to bring new music to the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast and next year's live-action adaptation. However, with a little bit of pixie dust, which Disney has an excess of, previously unused lyrics from Ashman will also be featured in the live-action film.Entertainment Weekly reports these new lyrics will mostly be featured in "Gaston," and will add "an extra freshness to the movie."
“In ‘Gaston,’ we had a treasure trove of lyrics that Howard had written that we did not put in the movie,” Alan Menken tells EW. “In many cases they were a little bit risqué — not risqué sexually, but risqué in terms of sensibility. We all felt ready to have these lyrics. When Bill found out about those lyrics, he said, ‘Oh my god, can we please look at that, because it would be a wonderful way to add an extra freshness to the movie.’ So, yes, you’re going to hear some unheard Howard Ashman lyrics.”
“The guys at Disney reviewed all the transcripts and recordings and they’ve been able to go back through those hours and hours of recorded footage and listen to lyrics that were written and never used, which are actually gems,” Luke Evans, who plays Gaston in the live-action version and performs the character’s self-titled song, says. “So, for the [audience members] who know the songs immensely well, which I think is most people, you will hear a few new lines, which are really, really special.”Director Bill Condon added that another Ashman lyric will appear later in the film, but kept mum on more details.
“It’s a surprise at the end,” the filmmaker says. “I don’t want to give that away, but it’s a really gorgeous lyric that we found.”
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Bill Condon on "Be Our Guest": "I would guess that is pretty far up there in terms of most intricate and elaborate musical numbers ever shot.”
"Be Our Guest" is one of Beauty and the Beast's shining moments and is sure to once again be a stand out number in the live-action film. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, director Bill Condon described the sequence as "the most intricate thing [he's] ever worked on."
“Well, it’s interesting to do what is going to be our biggest musical number with nobody there, except for some cutaways to Belle. It’s a four-minute number that cost more than Mr. Holmes’ entire budget. We shot it with first and second unit for over a month and it’s taken over a year to put it together — and six months before that to plan it. I would guess that is pretty far up there in terms of most intricate and elaborate musical numbers ever shot.”Anthony Van Laast took on the challenge of creating choreography for the enchanted object.
“We just spent months and months and months and months. Anthony [Van Laast] choreographed it, and we took that into a kind of computer world, and applied it to the characters. It’s going to feel very real. Photo real. It’s the most intricate thing I’ve ever worked on.”
The sequence’s dancing was overseen by Beauty and the Beast choreographer Anthony Van Laast (Mamma Mia!), who admits it hadn’t occurred to him that he would be designing dance-steps for a candelabra, a clock, and a teapot, among other objects, when he took the job. “The biggest challenge has been doing the choreography for the animation, which I hadn’t really thought about when Bill approached me,” he says. “I’d never really thought about [it]. I mean, I’d seen a hundred animation films before but I’d never really thought that some choreographer had put it all together. Of course, a choreographer put it all together! So suddenly there I am with ‘Be Our Guest,’ and I’m thinking, God, this is a huge number to choreograph, using animation. Then we started talking about pre-views, and I had no idea what a pre-view was!”Ewan McGregor, who plays Lumiere in the film, was not as enchanted by the experience of doing motion capture for the sequence.
Sorry, do you mean, pre-viz? “Pre-viz!” he laughs. “See, I can’t even say it! I didn’t know what it was, so I went on a little course to learn about pre-viz, and then we’ve done all of the choreography for ‘Be Our Guest’ using pre-viz, and using motion capture, and me choreographing things on dancers, and then transferring that onto various characters. The teapot is limited in the way that they don’t have any legs. But Lumière is a full mover, so we’re choreographing Lumière, we’re choreographing Plumette. We’ve got these wonderful sort of flying sequences going into Esther Williams patterns.”
“It’s not very graceful doing mo-cap. You’re dressed in a skintight suit with balls stuck all over you and you’ve got to wear a very stupid hat. It’s not your proudest moment. And, of course, everyone wants to come and watch, so there’s like 50 people standing behind the camera. [Laughs] I had to say, ‘Look, I can’t do it, you’ve got to get everyone out!’”After all that, Emma Watson (Belle) says all the hullabaloo was "worth it in the end."
“It was really just very technical, and because it was so technical, really sort of painstaking,” says Watson. “Yeah, it was tricky. But I think it looks spectacular, and it all paid off — so all worth it in the end!”Source: Entertainment Weekly
Wednesday, November 2, 2016
New images of Belle, Beast, Gaston & more
Are you sitting down? No? Well, you might want to before taking a peek at eight new images from Beauty and the Beast. The new images are courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, which will also feature Belle and Beast on the cover of this week's issue.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Emma Watson who really, really, really loved Disney’s 1991 animated classic, Beauty and the Beast. “I can’t even think how many times I watched it as a child,” says the former Harry Potter star. “I knew all the words by heart. I knew all the songs by heart.”
For this week’s cover story, EW visited the film’s U.K. set and spoke with all of the above, as well as director Bill Condon and costume designer Jacqueline Durran, who talked about creating the new version of the iconic yellow dress Belle wears in the original film’s ballroom scene. In addition, we chatted with Ewan McGregor, who voices the enchanted, “Be Our Guest”-performing candelabra Lumière, and Sir Ian McKellen, who plays the clock Cogsworth and was apparently desperate to get his own big production number. “I kept singing what I thought would be a rather good addition to the score,” says the X-Men franchise star. “‘My name is Cogsworth!/ And I’m a clock!/Ticktock!’ But I didn’t get my own song.”
Readers can also find out about the film’s new songs — penned by Alan Menken and Tim Rice — and feast their eyes on an array of exclusive photos featuring all of the aforementioned characters as well as Belle’s father, Maurice (Kevin Kline), Mrs Potts. (Emma Thompson), and Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw).
Beast (Dan Stevens) & Belle (Emma Watson)
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| Emma Watson (Belle) and director Bill Condon |
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| Emma Watson as Belle |
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| Maurice (Kevin Kline) & Belle (Emma Watson) |
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| Le Fou (Josh Gad) & Gaston (Luke Evans) |
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| Luke Evans as Gaston |
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| Emma Waston as Belle |
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| Beast (Dan Stevens) & Belle (Emma Waston) |
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| Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) & Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) |
Thursday, September 1, 2016
WATCH: Five new special features clips from the 'Beauty and the Beast' 25th anniversary release
With the 25th anniversary release of Beauty and the Beast upon us, Disney has released five sneak peeks at the new special features included with the Digital HD and Blu-ray releases. Beauty and the Beast will be available September 6th on Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere and September 20th on Blu-ray & DVD. Find out more about the special features and store exclusive editions here.
Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Sneak Peek
Menken & Friends: 25 Years of Musical Inspiration
Always Belle
#1074: Walt, Fairy Tales & Beauty and the Beast
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Yahoo! Movies, Disney Movies Anywhere, Broadway World
Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Sneak Peek
Director Bill Condon: "I was so excited to hear that Disney was thinking about doing a live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. When something is so perfect, why get near it? The answer is technology has caught up to the ideas that were introduced in that movie."
Menken & Friends: 25 Years of Musical Inspiration
Perhaps no film of its era had a larger impact on animated movies than Beauty did. That film — along with its 1989 predecessor The Little Mermaid — resurrected Disney animation, introduced the “princess movie” to a new generation, and revived the musical as an art form. In fact, if it hadn’t been for Beauty, there might never have been a Frozen or a Hamilton. “So many musicals have tried to chase that formula — the sidekicks, the bad guys,” Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda says. “But Beauty and the Beast did it at its pinnacle. It’s the best it’s ever been done.”
Always Belle
Paige O'Hara: "Other than my voice, I think that I brought a sense of humor, certainly physically. The quirky, funny faces and stuff I would make.
#1074: Walt, Fairy Tales & Beauty and the Beast
And while Nielsen’s image of Belle bandaging the Beast didn’t directly inspire the similar moment in the 1991 movie, Hahn says that both the painting and the sequence in the film speak to what’s so powerful about this particular turning point: “It’s the image of two people at opposite sides of the spectrum finally coming to the singular moment where their lives are going to be changed by each other, and they didn’t see it coming.”
Hahn promises the sequence will be just as memorable in Bill Condon’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, which stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens and will hit theaters on March 17, 2017. “I didn’t talk to Bill about Nielsen’s piece, but the moment in the film is exquisite. Bill crafted something that’s wonderfully caring, romantic and beautiful at the same time,” said Hahn. “It’s the kind of moment that filmmakers dream of, and it inspired Kay Nielsen, us, and now Bill.”
Source: Entertainment Weekly, Yahoo! Movies, Disney Movies Anywhere, Broadway World
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
'Beauty and the Beast' Producer Don Hahn: "Bill crafted something that’s wonderfully caring, romantic and beautiful at the same time"
Disney is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Beauty and the Beast by bringing the animated classic out of the vault once more for a Signature Collection release. The new Blu-ray/ Digital HD release boasts new bonus features, including "#1074: Walt, Fairy Tales and Beauty and the Beast," a new documentary that traces the tales' history with the studio back to the days of Walt Disney himself.
Yahoo! Movies debuted a clip from the new featurette with producer Don Hahn, animator Glen Keane, and more discussing a painting by Kay Nielsen that influenced a turning point in the story of Belle and Beast. Hahn also spoke about how the scene plays out in the live-action film directed by Bill Condon.
Beauty and the Beast will be available September 6th on Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere and September 20th on Blu-ray & DVD. Click here for more information on the release.
Source: Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies debuted a clip from the new featurette with producer Don Hahn, animator Glen Keane, and more discussing a painting by Kay Nielsen that influenced a turning point in the story of Belle and Beast. Hahn also spoke about how the scene plays out in the live-action film directed by Bill Condon.
Hahn promises the sequence will be just as memorable in Bill Condon’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, which stars Emma Watson and Dan Stevens and will hit theaters on March 17, 2017. “I didn’t talk to Bill about Nielsen’s piece, but the moment in the film is exquisite. Bill crafted something that’s wonderfully caring, romantic and beautiful at the same time,” said Hahn. “It’s the kind of moment that filmmakers dream of, and it inspired Kay Nielsen, us, and now Bill.”
Beauty and the Beast will be available September 6th on Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere and September 20th on Blu-ray & DVD. Click here for more information on the release.
Source: Yahoo! Movies
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #11
Trivia Tuesday- Broadway and the Beast
Not only is Beauty and the Beast a landmark film for Disney animation, but also the beginning of the company's 22 years (and counting) presence on Broadway. In 1994, Beauty and the Beast became the first Disney animated feature to be adapted for the stage and was recognized with nine Tony Award nominations and one win for Best Costume Design (Ann Hould-Ward). Beauty and the Beast ran on Broadway for thirteen years and a total of 5,461performances. In the years since Beauty and the Beast's debut, Disney has also found success on stage with other adaptations of Disney Renaissance films, including The Lion King and Aladdin.
Throwback Thursday- Oh Director! My Director!
One year ago...wait! Scratch that! TWO YEARS ago this week, Bill Condon was announced as the director of Beauty and the Beast. The director, known for his work on Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls, and the Twilight Saga, has spoken about Beauty and the Beast over the past year, calling the upcoming live-action film "a very exciting, a very kind of realistic telling of that story."
Check out links to more interviews with Bill Condon below:
Bill Condon: "It’s an important movie to a lot of people."
Bill Condon: "You will believe a beast can waltz."
Luke Evans, Ian McKellen & Bill Condon talk 'Beauty and the Beast'
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #3
Trivia Tuesday- The Beast in Agrabah
Disney films are full of Easter eggs, from Pinocchio at the Snuggly Duckling in Tangled to a Mulan poster in Lilo and Stitch, and if you look close enough, you can even find Beauty and the Beast characters pop up in other movies from time to time. In Aladdin (1992), which was released the year after Beauty and the Beast, you can catch a glimpse of the Beast among the toys the Sultan plays with in the film.
Watchful Wednesday- Chicago- Bill Condon
Based on the 1975 musical of the same name, Chicago (2002) is a rousing movie musical from director Rob Marshall and stars Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah, and Richard Gere. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $300 million worldwide, and became the first musical to win Best Picture since Oliver! in 1968. Chicago took home a total of six Oscars in 2003, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Art Director, Best Film Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. The film was nominated for a total of thirteen Academy Awards, including Bill Condon for Best Adapted Screenplay. Chicago also took home three Golden Globes and three Screen Actors Guild Awards that same year. 
Throwback Thursday- Luke Evans' First Day of Rehearsal
With production set to begin May 19, 2015 on Beauty and the Beast, Luke Evans arrived for his first day of rehearsal in London on April 7, 2015. Over the next few months of production, Evans, who plays Gaston in the film, shared several behind the scenes photos, including a few with co-star Josh Gad (LeFou).
Saturday, March 26, 2016
'Beauty and the Beast' News Round-Up #22
Stay up to date on all the latest Beauty and the Beast movie news by following on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Beauty and the Beast Movie News Posts:
Countdown to Beauty and the Beast #1
Tweets and Photos:
Posted by Beauty and the Beast Movie News on Thursday, March 24, 2016
Extras:
Chip takes a spin on the Mad Tea Party in this week's Disney Doodle: https://t.co/LV0ydXafca pic.twitter.com/A5BloZQIfG— Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) March 21, 2016
Creative team @amymebberson & @GeoffreyGolden are working hard to bring you #DisneyPrincess Comic #2, Coming April! pic.twitter.com/fPUdGnTo45— Joe Books (@JoeBooksCo) March 24, 2016
If you love Belle, find out which of her heartwarming quotes made this list:
Posted by Belle on Friday, March 25, 2016
Feed your imagination with an amazing adventure. #DreamBigPrincess
Posted by Belle on Friday, March 25, 2016
Try and identify Belle from just her silhouette:
Posted by Beauty and the Beast on Friday, March 25, 2016
Thursday, December 31, 2015
'Beauty and the Beast' 2015 News Round-Up
With the end of 2015 upon us, it is time to look back on the most exciting Beauty and the Beast news from the past twelve months. From casting announcements to behind the scenes photos and interviews with the cast, this was an exciting year to be a fan of Disney's beloved tale.
Beauty and the Beast Casting News
After director Bill Condon became attached to the film last summer, it was only a matter of time until the cast would begin to take shape. The first casting announcement came in January when it was revealed Emma Watson would be taking on the role of Belle. Additional casting announcements followed in March and April with Luke Evans, Dan Stevens, Josh Gad, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor and more joining the cast.
Emma Watson cast as Belle in 'Beauty & the Beast'
Luke Evan in talks to play Gaston
Dan Stevens joins 'Beauty and the Beast' in titular role
Tony Award nominee Josh Gad joins 'Beauty and the Beast' as LeFou
Emma Thompson & Kevin Kline join 'Beauty and the Beast'
Audra McDonald joins 'Beauty and the Beast' as Garderobe
Ian McKellen joins 'Beauty and the Beast' as Cogsworth
Gugu Mbatha-Raw joins 'Beauty and the Beast' as Plumette
Stanley Tucci brings a new character to the cast of 'Beauty and the Beast'
Ewan McGregor joins 'Beauty and the Beast' as Lumiere
Beauty and the Beast Release Date Announced
Along with numerous casting announcements, March was also the month Disney revealed the film's March 2017 release date. Disney has seen previous success with releasing live-action fairy tales during the month of March, with Alice in Wonderland grossing over $1 billion worldwide and Cinderella opening at #1 earlier this year with $67.8 million. Beauty and the Beast is set for release on March 17, 2017.
First Photo of the Beauty and the Beast Cast
It's one thing to read a casting announcement, but it is something else entirely to see one of your most anticipated films begin to take shape. That is exactly what happened when Josh Gad (Le Fou) shared the first photo of the cast of Beauty and the Beast. The photo, which has now received over 30,500 likes on Instagram, was taken at the films first table read in London and, along with Gad, includes Emma Watson (Belle), Dan Stevens (Beast), Luke Evans (Gaston), and Kevin Kline (Maurice).
Josh Gad shares first photo of 'Beauty and the Beast' cast
Beauty and the Beast's First Table Read in London
Oh, Ian. You sure know how to make a girl cry. After the giddiness of seeing Josh Gad's first photo of the cast, Ian McKellen went straight for the heart with his account of the film's first table read in London. McKellen, who plays Cogsworth in the film, wrote about reuniting with previous co-stars Hattie Morahan and Luke Evans and a thirty piece choir breathing life into the classic songs of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, but he saved the best for last.
But my favourite moment, because it made me weepy, was when the Beast’s loving arm was placed tentatively on Belle’s shoulder after their pas de deux.Clearly dancing and singing rehearsals had started before today.Ian McKellen shares an extraordinary account of 'Beauty and the Beast's first table read in London
My own are to come. I’m going to have to work hard to equal what has already been achieved. All the long way home, I hummed “Be my Guest”, in which I shall get to sing a line or two. Aren’t I the lucky one?
Production Begins in London
Back in early March as casting announcements were still rolling out, producer Todd Lieberman reveled production would begin on the film in May. In the same interview, Lieberman confirmed they were taking a "classic" approach to the material, as well as bringing in new elements and characters, as evident from Stanley Tucci's new character Cadenza. Cameras began rolling in mid-May and the film continued production into August.
'Beauty and the Beast' to begin production in May
Production begins on 'Beauty and the Beast' in London
Snapchat Photos from the Set of Beauty and the Beast
I had never heard of Snapchat until this past May, but for twelve weeks Disney had me checking the app numerous times a day for the latest look behind the scenes of the film. Most provided only small and seemingly inconsequential sneak peeks of the set, but the bar was raised in the final weeks when fans were treated to two on set videos from Josh Gad and Luke Evans, as well as a few photos of the Beast's castle.
Snapchat was not the only place for behind the scenes photos, as star Luke Evans also shared a few photos from the recording studio.
Snapchat takes fans behind the scenes of 'Beauty and the Beast'
New photo of Luke Evans and Josh Gad recording music for 'Beauty and the Beast'
Interviews with the Cast and Crew of Beauty and the Beast
If the small look behind the scenes with Snapchat was not enough to bring forth giddy fan noises, then the interviews with the cast and crew of Beauty and the Beast were sure to have that effect. Josh Gad began promoting his FX series The Comedians back in April and with that came the first of many interviews discussing the upcoming film. Just like us, Gad seemed to be excited about what director Bill Condon was conjuring and other members of the cast also heaped praise on one another. In another interview, Condon seemed to understand the enormity of the story's importance to the fans, while Ian McKellen was simply "ticked" with playing a clock.
Josh Gad: "I'm excited for people to see what they're dreaming up right now because it is unbelievable."
Bill Condon: "It’s an important movie to a lot of people."
Ewan McGregor: "It was great fun."
Josh Gad: "Emma Watson has an incredible singing voice."
Bill Condon: "You will believe a beast can waltz."
Take a look back at all the 2015 interviews here.
Alan Menken Reveals New Music for Beauty and the Beast
It was revealed early on that the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast would follow in the animated film's musical footsteps, but which songs would make it into the film was never a sure thing. Fans were also curious if songs from the Broadway show would make it into the film and composer Alan Menken answered all our questions and more during an event at the Lincoln Center this past June. During the event, Menken revealed the songs from the animated film all made it into the film, as well as a few new songs written by him and lyricist Tim Rice ("Forever More" and "Days in the Sun"). As exciting as the prospect of new songs was, there was also a bit of disappointment when Menken confirmed no songs from the Broadway show were featured in the film. Many fans had hoped to hear "Home" and "If I Can't Love Her," but Menken likened "Forever More," which will be sung by the Beast, to the latter.
Alan Menken reveals three new songs written for 'Beauty and the Beast'
Alan Menken discusses new music for 'Beauty and the Beast'
Beauty and the Beast Footage Premieres at D23
There was no official announcement that Beauty and the Beast would make an appearance at this year's D23 Expo, but as the weekend drew closer, it was becoming a safe bet that the film would have some kind of presence. Sure enough, footage of Emma Watson as Belle was first seen during the convention's opening montage and a sizzle reel was shown during the live-action panel. D23 attendees remain the only people who have publicly seen footage of the film, including Belle in her yellow ballgown and a tavern scene with Gaston. For those not at D23, a video message of Emma Watson from the set, which also included the film's logo, will have to suffice for now.
First look at 'Beauty and the Beast' debuts at Disney's D23 Expo
'Beauty and the Beast' D23 Expo Round-Up
WATCH: Emma Watson's message from the D23 Expo
The Cast Bids Farewell to Beauty and the Beast
After four months of shooting, production on Beauty and the Beast wrapped in late August. Josh Gad's final day on set took place a few weeks before in July and was commemorated with a new behind the scenes photo of Gad and co-star Luke Evans. Emma Watson and Luke Evans followed in August, with Watson wrapping on the same day she began filming the Harry Potter series fifteen years ago.
Josh Gad wraps filming on 'Beauty and the Beast'
Emma Watson and Luke Evans wrap filming on 'Beauty and the Beast'
Production wraps on 'Beauty and the Beast'
And there you have it! With production complete and the film a little more than a year away, the new year is sure to bring our first official look at the film and at least one trailer. Here's to a great 2015 and an even better 2016!
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Bill Condon on 'Beauty and the Beast' and the "high-wire act" of musicals
Although Mr. Holmes is getting ready for its home video release here in the states on November 10th, director Bill Condon continues to promote the film worldwide. In a new interview, the director talks about working with Ian McKellen on the film after 1998's Gods and Monsters and the draw of the Twilight series. He also discusses Beauty and the Beast, specifically why little, if anything, has been taken from the Broadway production and the secret to movie musicals.
As he moves from tackling Stephenie Meyer's hugely popular franchise to one of Disney's most beloved classics, Condon could certainly learn from that baptism of fire when he courageously decided to shoot Beauty and the Beast as a fully musical movie.Earlier in the interview, Condon also reveals he hopes to have his first cut of Beauty and the Beast completed by the end of the year.
"What's interesting when I was watching Cinderella is that I kept waiting for [the characters] to sing," he says of Disney's recent live-action makeover, "because it was so beautifully mounted. They just all wanted to start [singing]. It's almost like the movie wanted that."
For his own film, Condon is looking to use the entire original score, plus three new songs by Alan Menken. While he hasn't taken much from the Broadway version ("it really didn't seem to help that much on what we're up to"), he has drawn from Jean Cocteau's 1946 version, "which I love".
"I think in movies, the secret is that you can never stop," says Condon of his musicals. "You can never let a song just settle in; it's got to push the story forward. You have to be somewhere different at the end of a song than when you started."
He continues, "When it works - and it's hard to make them work - I feel like it's such a heightened state you can reach. It's really fascinating because it's a high-wire act."
But it's hard to neglect the elephant in Condon's room: he has just returned from a nine-month London shoot for the live-action musical movie Beauty and the Beast, which is based on the 1991 Disney animation and features Emma Watson as Belle and Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens as the Beast. The director hopes to finish the first cut by Christmas.Read the entire interview here.
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