Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #12

Trivia Tuesday- An Enchanted Meeting
Disney's Enchanted is riddled with references and cameos from the house of mouse and Beauty and the Beast shows up in a rather dramatic fashion. Paige O'Hara, the original voice of Belle, has a cameo as a soap opera actress named Angela (named after Angela Lansbury). The scene also features music from the animated film. 

 From Oh My Disney:

Whilst flipping through channels on his “magic mirror,” Edward stumbles upon references to Robin Hood, Dumbo, Fun and Fancy Free, and the Spanish dub of Mickey and the Beanstalk. The most elaborate reference is the soap opera he watches for a moment with Nathaniel— the female soap star “Angela” (so named for Angela Lansbury, who voiced Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast) is played by Paige O'Hara, the voice of Belle. “Angela” is arguing with a man named “Jerry” (Jerry Orbach voiced Lumiere) because she’s having an affair with a man named “Ogden” (David Ogden Stiers voiced Cogsworth). This soap opera scene is scored with music from Beauty and the Beast. We’ll give you a minute to recover from this.

Check out more Disney references in Enchanted here.

Watchful Wednesday- Stardust with Ian McKellen

Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, Stardust (2007) is a fantasy adventure starring Charlie Cox as Tristan Thorn, a young man who sets in search of a fallen star (Claire Danes) to win the affections of his beloved Victoria (Sienna Miller). The film also stars Henry Cavill, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, and Ian McKellen as the Narrator.

Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #8

Magical Monday- Gaston's Tavern at the Magic Kingdom

When the New Fantasyland expansion opened in December 2012, a large portion of the area was dedicated to Beauty and the Beast with Enchanted Tales with Belle, Be Our Guest restaurant, and Gaston's Tavern. Guests walking up to the tavern are first greeted by a fountain, which is a tribute to Gaston and gift to the village people (from Gaston himself). The restaurant itself, which serves quick-service snacks, lived up to the song and uses antlers in all its decorating, including a grand chandelier and the frame of Gaston's portrait. Gaston's Tavern also features a signature drink called LeFou's Brew (YUMMY!) that comes in one of two souvenir cups (you can never have too many!).

Check out the official Disney menu and a walk through of the tavern below.


Watchful Wednesday- Tamara Drewe (Luke Evans)

Based on the comic by Posy Simmonds, Tamara Drewe is a modern re-telling of Thomas Hardy's classic novel, Far from the Madding Crowd starring Gemma Arterton as the titular character. Directed by Academy Award nominee Stephen Frears (The Queen), the film also stars Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Tamsin Greig, and Roger Allam.

Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #7

Trivia Tuesday- AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs

In 2004, the American Film Institute (AFI) revealed its list of the top 100 songs in American cinema with "Beauty and the Beast" appearing at no. 62 on the list. Five other Disney songs, including "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" from Mary Poppins, are also featured on the list. One additional song from Beauty and the Beast, "Be Our Guest," was among the four hundred nominees considered for the top 100 spots.

Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #6

Trivia Tuesday- The (almost) voice of Belle

 

It is almost impossible to imagine Belle without Paige O'Hara's voice, but if production had gone another way, it may have been a little difficult to tell the difference between the peculiar book worm and another splashy Disney princess. Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, was actually once considered for the role of Belle. In Disney's Art of Animation, author Bob Thomas notes that while some preferred Benson, lyricist Howard Ashman saw Ariel as "the all-American girl kind of voice, where as Paige had the vocal quality of a classic fairy tale."

Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #5

Trivia Tuesday-Original Version of "Be Our Guest"

♫Yes, you're cold. Yes, you're wet, but we'll help you to forget. 

You won't know outside it's storming when the silverware's performing.♫

 

It is not uncommon for stories to go through many changes during the animation process and Disney's Beauty and the Beast is no exception. One significant change was the placement of the song "Be Our Guest," which originally appeared earlier in the film and was actually sung to Belle's father Maurice. After a screening of the film during production, Bruce Woodside, a member of the film's story team, suggested the song should be sung to Belle since she was the film's protagonist. The group agreed and lyricist Howard Ashman rewrote parts of the song while storyboards were altered to include Belle. Performed by Jerry Orbach (Lumiere) and Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts) in the film, "Be Our Guest" was one of three songs from Beauty and the Beast nominated for an Academy Award in 1992 (the film's title song took home the Oscar that year).

Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #4

Magical Monday- Enchanted Tales with Belle at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

"Take me back to the day Belle and Beast fell in love!" If you are a fan of Beauty and the Beast, then New Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom park is probably at the top of your Disney wish list. From the Be Our Guest restaurant to Gaston's Tavern, the area of Belle's Village is an immersive experience for any Disney guest. Also located in the village is Enchanted Tales with Belle, where guests can visit Maurice's cottage and travel through a magic mirror to the Beast's castle. The interactive show, which officially opened on December 6, 2012, allows kids and adults to take part in a retelling of Belle and Beast's story narrated by Lumiere and complete with an appearance by Belle herself.

Although the attraction itself is entertaining, you will not begrudge some of the wait time, if only to have the chance to explore Maurice's cottage. Here you can see several nods to the animated classic, as well as some charming new touches to Belle's story. One of my favorites is the painting of Belle and her mother hanging in the living room. I also love the wood carving of Belle and Beast tucked away on a high shelf in Maurice's workshop, which is actually a small scale model for the large music box in the Rose Gallery room of the Be Our Guest restaurant.

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).

Good morning London. Sun is shining, it's like a Disney movie. Oh! #gaston #firstdayrehearsals

A photo posted by thereallukevans (@thereallukevans) on Apr 7, 2015 at 1:14am PDT

Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #2

Trivia Tuesday- AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals

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 film and 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

Countdown to 'Beauty and the Beast' #1

With Beauty and the Beast less than a year away from release, the blog will be celebrating each week leading up to the film's release. Although each day of the week will have a designated type of post, not all will be included on a weekly basis. Below you will find a list and description of the blog's weekly countdown posts.

Countdown to Beauty and the Beast:
Magical Mondays- Find out where you can find Beauty and the Beast at the Walt Disney World Resort
Trivia Tuesdays- Beauty and the Beast trivia, from animation to the stage and back to the big screen
Watchful Wednesdays- Movie recommendations featuring the cast and crew of Beauty and the Beast
Throwback Thursdays- Take a look back at the history of Beauty and the Beast and the best news from the past year
Weekend Round-Up- What's new in Beauty and the Beast news