WATCH: New on set interviews with the cast and crew of 'Beauty and the Beast'

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

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

'Beauty and the Beast' Interview Round-Up #2

Stay up to date on all the latest Beauty and the Beast movie news by following on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

January 22nd - January 28th

Dan Stevens Talks FX 'Legion' Role, Reacts To New 'Beauty And The Beast' Poster

Beauty And The Beast villain Luke Evans 'ready to be hated'

Click here to watch Sky News' interview with Luke Evans.

Why Ewan McGregor Had to Rerecord His Beauty and the Beast Song

"I hadn't been in a recording studio for a long time, and I was in a recording studio in London when we recorded the song for the first time. There was an enormous amount of pressure, I thought," he recalled. "I had only just arrived, I was jet lagged from LA. I got off a plane one day and the next day I was in a recording studio. It's very nerve-wracking recording, because you're in a quiet room and through the glass there's people who are looking at you, and they speak to each other and you can't hear them. In this instance there were 50 people in there, and I was standing jet lagged alone trying to sing in a French accent this big number. Every time I stopped they would go, 'OK, hang on,' [and talk amongst themselves]. I became terribly scared they were going, 'What the f--k are we going to do with him?'

"We did it, it was fine, and then I asked Bill, I said, 'Look, when we're working on the dialogue next time, can I have another shot at it?'" McGregor continued. "So we went just privately, me and him and a few people in New York, and we recorded it a second time."

"I was in very good hands with Bill Condon, the director. I didn't think very much about it -- I just did it," McGregor said. "Partly that was interesting because I had to do a French accent, and I've been married to a French woman for 22 years, and my house is full of French every day. My kids all speak French to their mother, and I found it very difficult to do. I rather arrogantly thought I'd just be able to do this French accent without very much work, and when I tried to do it, I didn't do it very well. Also Disney wanted the full French sound, they didn't want the 'r' sound, so when you put an 'r' in a French accent it turns Spanish or Mexican, so that was an issue. I came back to it afterwards and rerecorded the whole thing again with Bill Condon in a studio, so we had two shots of it and we improved it. By that time, I'd got a handle on my French accent."

Read the full article from IGN here.

Ewan McGregor On Trainspotting and Being a Candlestick

Sir Ian McKellen promises fans of the original Beauty and the Beast film will be "enraptured" all over again

"I've seen it, and [fans of the 1991 film] will be enraptured all over again."

Read the entire article from Digital Spy here.

Beauty and the Beast Star on How Closely the Remake Will Match the Animated Film


Audra McDonald
GarderobeConversations with Audra McDonald
*Beauty and the Beast discussion begins at the 51:25 mark*

Emma Watson: "In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring."

The latest issue of Total Film magazine features an exclusive look at Beauty and the Beast and an interview with the film's stars and director Bill Condon. During the interview, Emma Watson discusses why she turned down the role of Cinderella in the 2014 live-action film and Belle's "empowering defiance."

I didn't know they were going to make Beauty and the Beast at the time I turned down Cinderella, but when they offered me Belle, I just felt the character resonated with me so much more than Cinderella did. 

She remains curious, compassionate and open-minded. And that's the kind of woman I would want to embody as a role model, given the choice. There's this kind of outsider quality that Belle had, and the fact she had this really empowering defiance of what was expected of her. In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring. She manages to keep her integrity and have a completely independent point of view. She's not easily swayed by other people's perspective—not swayed by fear-mongering or scapegoating. 

The latest issue of Total Film is on newsstands now and you can view the full article here from Emma Watson Updates.

Source: Total Film, Emma Watson Updates, E! News

'Beauty and the Beast' Interview Round-Up #1

Stay up to date on all the latest Beauty and the Beast movie news by following on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

January 15th - January 21st

Emma Watson On Her Connection To Belle And The Unconventional Love Story Of Beauty and the Beast

“I loved how she had this relationship with Beast where they were just toe to toe and that to me just seemed like such a dynamic and interesting kind of relationship that I’d never seen before in a fairy tale,” Watson said of Belle and the Beast’s story.

“It was so funny and so romantic but in a way that for me didn't feel contrived in the same way that I think other fairy tales are, in the sense that Beast and Belle really dislike each other in the beginning." 

Read more from Contact Music here.

Emma Watson: "In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring."

"She remains curious, compassionate and open-minded. And that's the kind of woman I would want to embody as a role model, given the choice. There's this kind of outsider quality that Belle had, and the fact she had this really empowering defiance of what was expected of her. In a strange way, she challenges the status quo of the place she lives in, and I found that really inspiring. She manages to keep her integrity and have a completely independent point of view. She's not easily swayed by other people's perspective—not swayed by fear-mongering or scapegoating."

Read more from Total Film here.

Dan Stevens: "We've Brought Something Fresh The Story Of Beauty And The Beast"

“One of the great things about the animated film is the blend of romance and classic fairytale telling as well as a bit of humour and fun and that’s something we’ve really tried to maintain in this, the romantic side as well as the silliness,” Stevens explained.

“I hope that we will do justice to the love that people have for the animated film and people feel like we’ve taken it on, moved it on a bit, brought something fresh to it, brought I few new songs to it.”

“Something that Bill (Condon, director) and I were really keen to bring out was the sense of this petulant, spoiled child and the sense of sort of entitlement that led to his downfall,” Stevens said.

“It was interesting to introduce that element and see that through and thread it though the Beast’s story and see him cursed not just for having refused a rose, but for all his other traits that he could be damned for,” he added.

Read more from Contact Music here.

Dan Stevens on the Physical Challenges of Playing the Beast

"Physically, the Beast is the most challenging role I've taken on," Stevens told IGN at the 2017 winter TV Critics Association press tour, where he was promoting Legion. "The condition I had to have my body in to puppeteer that suit on stilts was like nothing else I've ever experienced, seriously. The kind of engagement -- and actually a lot of dance involved in that role, albeit on stilts; it was a very, very intense dance training process -- has gotten me more physically engaged with all of my performances in everything else since."

Read more from IGN here.

"We Like Each Other": How Luke Evans Found a New Friend in Josh Gad

'I've not done much comedy in my career, not for the want of trying, and this was my chance to do it', he explained. 'I hadn't thought so much about how the interaction would work with Le Fou and then I met Josh and then I realised that whatever I had in mind that was going to be funny was only going to be emphasised and made better by having the likes of Josh in the scene with me.'

Read more from Contact Music here.

Dan Stevens on the Beast's VFX: “It’s never been used for a romantic lead before.”

Beauty and the Beast is one of the most anticipated films of 2017 and USA Today has a new look at one of the story's most iconic scenes.

Dan Stevens (Beast) also spoke with USA Today about the film's VFX process and taking on the role of the Beast.

The latest incarnation of the “tale as old as time” pairs Emma Watson as the fair Belle and Dan Stevens as the furry and intimidating yet ultimately lovable Beast, created through a two-step CGI process. First Stevens did his motion-capture work “in a giant muscle suit on stilts in a Lycra onesie,” he says, and would do the facial performance separately. “It’s never been used for a romantic lead before.” As for the acting, he enjoyed the thoughts Watson brought to the project of Belle and the Beast being a yin and yang of different energies, like two halves of a whole. “Getting to play this big, quite silly character at times who’s incredibly misanthropic, but at the same time having this incredibly bright woman opposite me firing these ideas around, fascinated me,” Stevens says. “That story has existed on millions of bookshelves and being part of that bedtime-story moment can be really magical.”

Source: USA Today

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.

Angela Lansbury discusses the legacy of 'Beauty and the Beast'

In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Angela Lansbury, the original voice of Mrs. Potts, discusses the legacy of Beauty and the Beast and her thoughts on the upcoming live-action film.

Have you been thinking at all about the legacy of this film, now that it’s been 25 years?

I think we all had a sense that we were involved with a kind of earth-shaking product that was going to be fairly extraordinary and special. I think we all sensed the way it was so lovingly put together by Roy Disney, who was Walt Disney’s brother, and this was his really great contribution to the Disney World. He took such trouble and care with it. It was his baby, and I was so glad it worked. It had all the elements of the original works. And this is the finest that Disney ever made, I think. So I’m very proud to be part of it.

Beauty and the Beast was so memorable for so many children, many of whom are grown-ups now. This was their movie.

Exactly. It is, it was, and it will remain so. Because they don’t make them like that anymore. Ever since Toy Story, I think was the first time when they used a different process, and they were no longer drawing each movement of each character individually, as they did then. They don’t do that anymore. So it’s a very rich, extraordinary piece of work in every respect, from that point of view. It’s a treasure. A legendary treasure as far as cartoon work is concerned.

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.

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

WATCH: Facebook Live Chat with director Bill Condon & the stars of 'Beauty and the Beast'

Source: Beauty and the Beast on Facebook

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

Ewan McGregor discuses his French accent woes

It's not easy being green, or in Ewan McGregor's case, it's not easy being a suave French candelabra. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, McGregor, who plays Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast, spoke about his return to movie musicals and the difficulties he faced taking on the character's signature French accent.

“I’ve got four girls. My eldest is in her twenties now, of course, but still I’ve got a little one, who’s 5, and when an opportunity like this comes along, to be in a film they will watch, then it’s nice. It’s nice to get the opportunity to sing again in a film. It’s been a long time since I got the chance to do a big number, like I had the opportunity [to do] in Moulin Rouge. And I get this great number, ‘Be Our Guest,’ which Lumière sings.”

 

“When they were shooting, they wanted to have all of our voices to act with, so Emma and Darren had characters to work with — that being our voices,” says the actor. “So, we went to London, we did some very quick accent-coaching [laughs], which in my case didn’t work out terribly well. My French didn’t really sound very French to begin with — it sounded a bit Spanish or something. And then some time later, I went over to New York, where Bill Condon [the film’s director] was doing all his post-production and I recorded the whole part again. I’d done a bit more work on the accent, so it sounded more French and I got rerecord the song. So, I got to do my whole performance again, which was a really nice opportunity. You don’t often get offered that. But I got a chance to have another crack at all of it!”

Check out the full Beauty and the Beast first look article from Entertainment Weekly here.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

New interviews with Ewan McGregor, Josh Gad & more

Ewan McGregor (Lumiere)

The Hollywood Reporter: Ewan McGregor Recalls Embarrassing First Meeting With George Lucas, Talks Directorial Debut

QUESTION: I’m a sophomore film major here t LMU. And I was wondering how do you approach a character like Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast? That was originated in an animated feature.

MCGREGOR: You just approach every character like it’s a brand new thing, it’s a new clean slate. The fact that it’s been done before is neither here nor there really or me. I mean I think if they wanted to just that character again, that’s not true because he sort of did create that character. I don’t know the answer to your question. [LAUGHTER] I just approach it like I would everything else. I mean I didn’t spend time watching the original animation and trying to make my Lumiere like that. I mean I must have seen it in the past. And I got a very strong sense of who he was from the script. And I assume that the script was this version of this film we were making, not the animation. And so I sort of made him like that. But the nice thing about Lumiere and in this case was that I got to do it several times. He is animated in most of the film and then at the end, when we’re released from the curse, it’s me. And that meant I was allowed to record all of the dialogue just fresh. And then I was able to do it again. The challenge was the French accent because they wanted a sound. They didn’t want me to do the French R sound. And when you take the R sound out of French accent, and you just replace it with an R, it sounds Mexican. [LAUGHTER] So I had to try...

GALLOWAY: Did you speak French?

MCGREGOR: My wife’s French. I mean I speak a bit of French but I’ve lived amongst French, you know, most of my adult life. But I found that a bit of a challenge. So anyway, we went back and we re-recorded it all again and I’m happy to say it sounds a bit more French though.

Josh Gad (Le Fou)

Luke Evans (Gaston)

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Plumette)

Source: Live with Kelly, HeyUGuys, MTV, Entertainment Tonight, The Hollywood Reporter

Luke Evans: "At certain points, the loyalty to the original 25-year-old animation is staggering"

CBS News: Luke Evans wants more musicals, fewer superhero movies

You also have “Beauty and the Beast” next year, in which you play Gaston. How intimidating was it, going out for that part?

Amazing. Quite a responsibility, I have to say. But loads of prep. I rehearsed for quite a few weeks because it’s quite choreographed and took plenty of time to get into the character. I mean, my hair is longer than Emma Watson’s in it, I think. And also because I’m a singer, I finally got to do it. I finally got to sing on screen in such a brilliant role, so it’s gonna be great.

Do you often have people saying, “Oh, I didn’t know you could sing”?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Less and less because I seem to sing in every interview I do. But you know, people do ask.

Aside from “Beauty and the Beast,” are there other musical roles you’d want to do?

I hadn’t thought about it. I would definitely do another one, it was so much fun. Really, really fun. But they don’t come up all the time, and it needs to be the right one. Gaston was obviously a no-brainer for me, so it worked out. But yeah I’d love to do another one, I wouldn’t say no.

Cinemablend: Will Gaston Be Grounded And Real In Beauty And The Beast? Here’s What Luke Evans Says

There's definitely a theatricality that I can bring to this role that I don't usually get to do. There's a slight heightened reality to the film. It's Disney and we're re-creating a much loved Disney story. He's larger than life in every respect. No, it's definitely really fun to play, and I did get to do more theatricality.

It was really fun to play this character, because it's such a great arc, such a great like arc. 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 realize he's not going to get his own way, the facade starts to crack, and there's a monster appears, and he ends up being quite the villain.

Collider: Luke Evans on ‘The Girl on the Train’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, and Dracula’s Future

'Beauty and the Beast' 25th Anniversary Round-Up (Part One)

Beauty and the Beast made its debut at the New York Film Festival on September 29, 1991 with a work-in-progress version of the film, which was met with a ten minute standing ovation as the film reached its happy ending. Beauty and the Beast made it theatrical debut a few months later on November 22, 1991 and over the last twenty-five years, Disney's animated classic broke box-office records, received a historic "Best Picture" Academy Award nomination, inspired a Broadway musical, nestled into a corner of the Magic Kingdom, and will soon make its way back to the big screen as a live-action film.

Disney has celebrated Beauty and the Beast's 25th anniversary over the past several months with screenings around the country, a D23 Fanniversary, complete with new interviews, and a new Blu-ray release with all new content. There was a lot to take in and now you have two convenient stops to find all the latest anniversary information.

The blog's 25th Anniversary Round-Up is divided into two posts. Part One includes: Beauty and the Beast Movie News Posts, video interviews, and other interviews with the original voice cast.

Part Two, which you can see here, includes behind the scenes videos, graphics, and more. Be sure to check back for updates.

Beauty and the Beast Movie News Posts:
'Beauty and the Beast' 25th Anniversary Screening Round-Up

Producer Don Hahn: "Angela Lansbury was the person. She had to do it."

Paige O'Hara to Emma Watson: "I just said to have a great time."

WATCH: Cast & crew discuss 'Beauty and the Beast' at 25th anniversary screening

Paige O'Hara reveals what she is most excited to see in the live-action film

'Beauty and the Beast' 25th anniversary Blu-Ray coming this September

'Beauty and the Beast' returns to the El Capitan Theatre in September

'Beauty and the Beast' Comic-Con 2016 Round-Up

Alan Menken: “The cast is just a dream cast, it’s ridiculous."

WATCH: Five new special features clips from the 'Beauty and the Beast' 25th anniversary release

D23 celebrates 'Beauty and the Beast' Fanniversary


Interviews (Video):

New interviews with Gugu Mbatha-Raw & Luke Evans

Gugu Mbatha-Raw: "I hope that it will be magical and romanic and everything that you remember from the original..."


Luke Evans: "I use antlers in all of my decorating!"

Luke Evans: "I'm especially good at expectorating!"


Luke Evans: "I've seen like three cuts of it now..."


Luke Evans: "I think anyone who loved the original is going to be blown away..."


Luke Evans: "I had a lot of fun shooting Beauty and the Beast."

Luke Evans favorite acting roles are Bard, Vlad and Gaston! Challenges of playing Scott in #TheGirlOnTheTrain #FacebookQA part 4 pic.twitter.com/Ye5fMaPqd3

— LukeEvans_News (@LukeEvans_News) September 21, 2016

Source: Hey U Guys, Chris Van Vliet, @LukeEvans_News, Today

'Beauty and the Beast' returns to the Lincoln Center for 25th anniversary

On September 29, 1991, just a few months before Beauty and the Beast's November theatrical release, a work-in-progress version of the film was screened at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall during the New York Film Festival. The film, which featured storyboard art and pencil tests, as well as completed animation, received a ten minute standing ovation during the event. Alice Tully Hall once again celebrated Disney's animated classic with a special 25th anniversary screening complete with an appearance from the original cast. Those in attendance were also treated to a performance of "Beauty and the Beast" from Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts) and composer Alan Menken. Check out interviews, photos & more from the screening below.

WATCH: 'Beauty and the Beast' 25th anniversary Q&A with Paige O'Hara

It's hard to believe Beauty and the Beast is celebrating its 25th anniversary, but it is wonderful to see Paige O'Hara, the original voice of Belle, still talk about the film and character with so much enthusiasm. O'Hara recently sat down with Yahoo! Movies for a live chat to discuss the landmark animated film. During the chat, O'Hara discusses her audition process for the iconic role, recording with Robby Benson (Beast), her favorite song, and when she knew the film was going to be a "classic."

When asked about the live-action Beauty and the Beast and Emma Watson as Belle (jump to 14:30), O'Hara had nothing but high praise ("She is perfect casting!"), adding that producer Don Hahn has spoken highly about the film to her.

Source: Yahoo! Movies

Alan Menken: “The cast is just a dream cast, it’s ridiculous."

With the 25th anniversary release of Beauty and the Beast on the horizon, not only are we learning more about the animated classic, but fans are also finally getting a more in depth look at the live-action film. Composer Alan Menken, who will also score the live-action film, recently sat down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss the film's "dream cast."

Emma Watson as Belle:

“She’s really good! I can’t picture anyone else, honestly. She’s Belle for me now entirely."

Dan Stevens as Beast:

“Of course, he spends a lot of the movie with a lot of fur covering him but he’s great.”

 Luke Evans as Gaston:

“Fantastic – what a revelation.”

Menken also discussed working on Beauty and the Beast for a third time following the 1991 animated film and 1994 Broadway production and collaborating with director Bill Condon this time around.

“It’s exciting. For me because I’m writing the new songs and scoring the new movie, it’s a lot of work,” he laughed. “It’s interesting and it’s challenging to come back to the same source material three times. And in this case I’m really taking my lead – I am bearer of the flame to a degree, but I want to be as good a team member with Bill Condon as I can be. So I’m really taking my lead from him as a director, and he’s doing a great job.”

Entertainment Weekly recently debuted an exclusive clip from the special feature "Menken & Friends: 25 Years of Musical Inspiration," which is included on the 25th anniversary Digital HD and Blu-ray release. Menken is joined by fellow composers Stephen Schwartz, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez, and Lin-Manuel Miranda to discuss the lasting impact of the music of Beauty and the Beast.

“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.”

Source: Entertainment Weekly