In addition to the new Beauty and the Beastcharacter posters, Disney also released a set of motion posters highlighting the enchanting cast of the live-action film.
Disney debuted twelve new character posters this afternoon, including the Prince (Dan Stevens) in his royal celebration costume. Check out all the latest Beauty and the Beast posters here.
One of the newly released images from Beauty and the Beast gave us our first look at Kevin Kline as Maurice, as well as a bit of insight into Belle's relationship with her father.
Emma Watson spoke with Entertainment Weekly about expanding Belle's backstory and why she has so much time to read.
“In the animated movie, it’s her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle,” says Watson. “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, we created a backstory for her, 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. So, yeah, we made Belle an inventor.”
According to set decorator Katie Spencer, Maurice, who is troubled by the loss of Belle's mother, spends his time crafting music boxes for his daughter in addition to being an inventor.
“Kevin Kline as Maurice, is making all these music boxes that have to tell the story of Belle not traveling,” says the film’s set decorator, Katie Spencer. “She’s overprotected in a way, by her father, because she’s lost her mother. So, we’ve made all these music boxes that represent different countries of the world, so she can see what she’s missing.”
Check out all the latest images here and be sure to pick up Entertainment Weekly for even more from the set of Beauty and the Beast.
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).
Disney has been relatively stingy with what they have released from the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. Besides the teaser trailer and a few behind the scenes photos, fans seen very little of the film...until now.
The upcoming 25th anniversary Blu-ray/ Digital HD release of the animated classic is not available until next month, but some lucky fans had early access to the new special features, including a sneak peek of the live-action film, through iTunes. According to a thread on Blu-ray.com, the featurette runs 1:23 and showcases "mostly a table read with the cast, B-roll of the sets and a few costume sketches with Bill Condon narrating."
Photos have also surfaced from the sneak peek, including our first look at Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad as Le Fou in the Tavern. There are also images of Dan Stevens as the Prince, Luke Evans and company rehearsing "Gaston," as well as costume sketches, concept art of the enchanted objects, and more.
The 25th anniversary edition of Beauty and the Beast will be available September 6th on Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere and September 20th on Blu-ray. Find out more about the upcoming release here.
B-roll footage of Luke Evans (Gaston) and Josh Gad (Le Fou) filming "Gaston."
Concept art of Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and Cogsworth (Ian McKellen)
Dan Stevens as the Prince (Beast)
Concept art of Belle (Emma Watson)
Concept art of Gaston (Luke Evans)
Concept art of Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson)
Luke Evans (Gaston) and company during the London table read.
Concept art of the enchanted objects (Mrs. Potts, Chip, Garderobe, Cadenza) in the background.
From left to right: Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), Hattie Morahan (Agathe), Kevin Kline (Maurice), and Dan Stevens (Beast).
In 2006, the American Film Institute (AFI) revealed its list of the 25 best musicals in American cinema. Ranked at number twenty-two, Beauty and the Beast is the only animated filmand one of only two Disney films to be featured on the list (Mary Poppins holds the sixth spot on the list). Check out the full list here
Fans of Beauty and the Beast were treated to a few casting announcements over the past week and now there is even more cause for excitement. Josh Gad, who plays LeFou in the live-action adaptation, shared the first cast photo today on Instagram. The photo, which was taken at the London table read*, also features Emma Watson (Belle), Kevin Kline (Maurice), Luke Evans (Gaston), and Dan Stevens (Beast). Beauty and the Beast is set to begin production next month at Shepperton Studios in London and set for release on March 17, 2017.
In addition to news of Beauty and the Beast's 2017 release date, Disney also announced two additional members of the cast this afternoon. Oscar winners Emma Thompson (Sense & Sensibility, Saving Mr. Banks) and Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) join the cast as Mrs. Potts and Belle's father, Maurice.
Beauty and the Beast alumnus Alan Menken will return to score the film, which will feature songs from the 1991 animated classic, as well as new songs written by Menken and Tim Rice. Production is set to begin this May at Shepperton Studios in London.
