When Disney began making live-action remakes, fans collectively rolled their eyes at the lack of originality from the acclaimed movie studio. However, something remarkable happened as they started to come out: They were actually pretty good. That’s why when they announced a new version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in 2014, many approached it with cautious optimism. Although, when it was revealed that incredible stars such as Emma Watson, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, and Luke Evans were joining the cast, that cautiousness turned into excitement. Now we finally have our first real look at the upcoming film.
Earlier this week, Walt Disney Studios released the first official trailer for Bill Condon’s adaptation of the Mouse House’ acclaimed classic from 1991. Starting with a very familiar orchestration, we are reintroduced to such beloved characters as Belle, The Beast, Gaston, Maurice, Lumiere, Cogsworth, and more. And though this may be a tale as old as time, the filmmakers have certainly spruced it up with elaborate scenes and state of the art CGI for an all-new generation to fall in love with the songs and the story that so many of us grew up with. Check out the trailer below, followed by the synopsis of the movie:
Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within.
Based on the studio’s treatment of ‘Cinderella’, ‘Pete’s Dragon’, and ‘The Jungle Book’, I think that it’s safe to assume that this film will be incredibly faithful to the cartoon version. However, it has been said that ‘Beauty and the Beast’ will include songs that were not featured original film. Does that mean that we may get some songs from the Broadway show like ‘Human Again’ or ‘If I Can’t Love Her’? Composer and Disney Legend Alan Menken has said previously that there will be new songs incorporated into the story, so we’ll just have to wait and see if they’re completely new or just songs new to those fans who have only ever seen the animated 90s classic. Either way, there’s already plenty to be excited about in this trailer, so it’s very possible that Disney has made it work once again.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ starring Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Audra McDonald, and Stanley Tucci casts its spell on March 17, 2017.
Despite being a “professional writer”, Ben likes run-on sentences far too much. For more of his attempts at being funny and the occasional insightful thought, follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
