Due to the iconic status of the original (the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture) and the all-star cast (led by Emma Watson and Dan Stevens), this version of Beauty and the Beast has arrived in a blaze of publicity. In this blog post, I will provide a set of 28 articles about the live-action remake, which range from interviews with the cast and crew to discussions of the original movie's legacy and the some of the controversies surrounding this retelling.
The Legacy of the Original
Inevitably, the publicity surrounding the remake has led to increased focus on the original animated version from 1991. These articles provide information on how it was made and how it became one of Disney's best-loved films. They demonstrate that the remake is under a lot of pressure to live up to the high standards set by the original Beauty and the Beast...
Beauty and the Beast: Angela Lansbury On Film's Legacy, Live-Action Reboot - Whilst many people are incredibly excited about the prospect of a live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, others have argued that the enduring popularity of the original makes a new version unnecessary. Among those who have expressed the latter view is Angela Lansbury, the iconic actress who voiced talking teapot Mrs. Potts in the original film. In an interview last year to mark the 25th anniversary of the animated version, she claimed that "I don’t quite know why they’re doing it. I can’t understand what they’re going to do with it that will be better than what we’ve already done". Lansbury also talks about what it was like to be involved in the 1991 film, and its popularity amongst children. Her comments highlight how hard it will be for the remake to emulate the quality of the "extraordinary and special" original.
Beauty and the Beast: The Tales Behind the Tunes - The live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast will feature all six of the songs from the original, including "Belle", "Be Our Guest" and the Oscar-winning title song. In this article, Alan Menken, who composed these songs, provides some information on how they were made, with some interesting tales about how he sent the wrong demo of "Beauty and the Beast" to Angela Lansbury, and how lyricist Howard Ashman was reluctant to hand over a version of "Belle" to Disney execs in the belief that they would not accept a "seven-minute opening number".
How One Gay Man's Battle With AIDS Shaped Disney's‘Beauty and the Beast’ - In an interview with the LGBTQ+ magazine Attitude, Bill Condon, the openly gay director of the live-action remake, discusses how Howard Ashman's battle with HIV/AIDS (he died of the disease in March 1991) shaped the original film and its portrayal of the Beast . He also mentions how the macho villain Gaston was based on people who Ashman referred to as "trade" (i.e. masculine and primarily straight males secretly involved in relationships with gay man). If there is one person who did more than anyone else to bring Beauty and the Beast to life, it is Howard Ashman, so it's great to see him get recognised for his contributions to Disney history.
How One Gay Man's Battle With AIDS Shaped Disney's‘Beauty and the Beast’ - In an interview with the LGBTQ+ magazine Attitude, Bill Condon, the openly gay director of the live-action remake, discusses how Howard Ashman's battle with HIV/AIDS (he died of the disease in March 1991) shaped the original film and its portrayal of the Beast . He also mentions how the macho villain Gaston was based on people who Ashman referred to as "trade" (i.e. masculine and primarily straight males secretly involved in relationships with gay man). If there is one person who did more than anyone else to bring Beauty and the Beast to life, it is Howard Ashman, so it's great to see him get recognised for his contributions to Disney history.
How We Made Beauty and the Beast - In this article from The Guardian, Linda Woolverton, who wrote the screenplay for the original Beauty and the Beast, and Alan Menken discuss their experiences working on the original.Woolverton explains how she tried to make Belle a strong feminist role model, in spite of resistance from some Disney execs, whilst Menken provides some fascinating anecdotes about working with the legendary Howard Ashman.
Original Belle Gives Thumbs-Up to Emma Watson in 'Beauty and the Beast' - Although Angela Lansbury has been sceptical about the live-action remake, Paige O'Hara, who voiced Belle in the original movie, has been more enthusiastic. In September last year, O'Hara took part in a USA Today interview with Robby Benson (who voiced the Beast) and Richard White (who voiced Gaston), where she endorsed the casting of Emma Watson as Belle. In addition, she stated that "there's always going to be room in history for both of these versions".
This Beauty and the Beast Art Show Is, Well, Beautiful - The Californian art gallery Gallery Nucleus has a history of providing Disney-themed exhibitions. To coincide with the release of Beauty and the Beast, they are putting on an exhibition consisting of 40 artworks themed around the the movie, which runs until the start of April. Some of these pieces are shown in this Gizmodo article, and they are very impressive, capturing the magic and wonder of the story which inspired them.
The Stars
One of the major selling points of the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast is the all-star cast, including Emma Watson (the Harry Potter series), Dan Stevens (Downton Abbey), Luke Evans (Fast and Furious 7), Josh Gad (Frozen), Ewan McGregor (Moulin Rouge!), Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks) and Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda). These actors, in particular the lead trio of Watson, Stevens and Evans, have provided plenty of interviews to promote the film and get their fans to see it...
Beauty and the Beast: 5 Juicy Behind-the-Scenes Secrets from the Cast - In a talk with Vanity Fair to coincide with the movie's premiere, the four main stars of Beauty and the Beast (Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans and Josh Gad) provide some interesting secrets from behind the scenes. Emma Watson and Josh Gad discuss the movie's timely messages about being yourself and not judging a book by its cover, whilst Stevens talks about wearing stilts to play the Beast, and Evans reveals how he prepared for his role as Gaston.
Beauty and the Beast: Emma Watson Addresses Questions Over Beast Relationship - Famous for playing the brainy Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films, Emma Watson, who plays Belle, is probably the person who has featured the most in the remake's publicity campaign. Here, she responds to the common claim that Belle suffers from "Stockholm Syndrome" when she falls in love with the Beast. "Watson argues that, in this version, Belle "keeps that freedom of thought" throughout, and her relationship with the Beast is based on the gradual realisation that they "bring out the best" in each other. She regards Belle's relationship with the Beast, which is more realistic than the traditional Disney romance, as one of the movie's major selling points.
'Citizen Kane' Inspired Dan Stevens for 'Beauty and the Beast' - The Beast is played by Dan Stevens, star of the hit TV shows Downton Abbey and Legion. In this Times of India article, he points out that the film will show more of the Beast's life before he got cursed, and talks about watching a wide range of movies, including Wreck-It Ralph and Citizen Kane, in order to get inspiration for his role.
Emma Watson On Why Beauty And The Beast’s Belle ‘breaks the mould’ of Disney princesses - Here is another article featuring Emma Watson, as she explains why Belle is not your typical Disney princess. She points out that Belle was the first Disney princess created by a woman (Linda Woolverton), and highlights her desire to challenge the status quo and seek out something greater.
Emma Watson Reveals the Deeper Message in 'Beauty and the Beast' - Like Hermione Granger, one of Belle's defining traits is her love of reading. According to Emma Watson, this will be an integral aspect of the live-action remake, as Belle's "passion for books" is one of the most important things that she has in common with the Beast. She notes that books "have the ability to change your life and your outlook", and points out that up to 80 million girls around the world are prohibited from going to school based on their gender. Watson is a very passionate advocate of women's rights (she recently distributing free copies of feminist books on the London Underground), and she hopes that Beauty and the Beast will inspire further interest in the issue of Women's Education, thus encouraging demands for greater equality.
How Dan Stevens Went From Disney Prince to Comic Book Legend - Five years after he quit Downton Abbey, Dan Stevens has returned to prominence with his roles in Beauty and the Beast and the superhero TV show Legion. Although this article from Backstage predominantly focuses on Legion, Stevens discusses working with Emma Watson, and talks about some of the special effects used to bring the Beast to life.
Luke Evans On Becoming Gaston For 'Beauty And The Beast' - The third lead in Beauty and the Beast is the Welsh actor Luke Evans, who plays the movie's egocentric and self-aggrandizing villain, Gaston. In this interview with Harper's Bazaar, Evans talks about what it was like playing Gaston, his experiences working with Josh Gad, (who plays Gaston's sidekick LeFou), and the risk of being typecast as overly macho antagonists.
Luke Evans Explains the Backstory for His Gaston in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ - One of the things which will mark this version of Beauty and the Beast out from the original is the increased focus on backstory, with flashbacks depicting Belle's childhood and explaining why the Beast was cursed. Even Gaston is getting a backstory, with Luke Evans explaining that his celebrity status within Belle's village is based on his past as a war hero. He also points out that what makes Gaston such an unnerving villain is his realistic nature, as he is "an arrogant, narcissistic, bigoted, chauvinistic, self-absorbed man" willing to resort to violence when he doesn't get his way. (Does this remind you of anyone?)
Luke Evans On Becoming Gaston For 'Beauty And The Beast' - The third lead in Beauty and the Beast is the Welsh actor Luke Evans, who plays the movie's egocentric and self-aggrandizing villain, Gaston. In this interview with Harper's Bazaar, Evans talks about what it was like playing Gaston, his experiences working with Josh Gad, (who plays Gaston's sidekick LeFou), and the risk of being typecast as overly macho antagonists.
Luke Evans Explains the Backstory for His Gaston in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ - One of the things which will mark this version of Beauty and the Beast out from the original is the increased focus on backstory, with flashbacks depicting Belle's childhood and explaining why the Beast was cursed. Even Gaston is getting a backstory, with Luke Evans explaining that his celebrity status within Belle's village is based on his past as a war hero. He also points out that what makes Gaston such an unnerving villain is his realistic nature, as he is "an arrogant, narcissistic, bigoted, chauvinistic, self-absorbed man" willing to resort to violence when he doesn't get his way. (Does this remind you of anyone?)
Stanley Tucci: Beauty And The Beast Challenges Views on Race as Well as Gender - Aside from the three leads, the supporting cast of Beauty and the Beast have plenty to say about the film as well. The Oscar-nominated actor Stanley Tucci plays Maestro Cadenza, a character specially created for this remake. He praises the fact that there are two interracial couples in the Beast's staff (Cadenza and Madame Garderobe, and Lumiere and Plumette), and expresses his hope that this will normalise interracial relationships, which are still relatively rare in the USA.
Behind the Scenes
For all the media focus on the actors, the people working behind the scenes are arguably even more important. They range from reasonably well-known figures such as director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) and composer Alan Menken (Aladdin), to various set designers and special effects experts who gave the live-action remake its distinctive look.
Alan Menken and the Musical Legacy of Beauty and the Beast - Here is another interview of Alan Menken, this one provided by Den of Geek. In it, Menken reveals that he updated the score in order to the add a greater "sense of reality" to the live-action remake, conveying the feel of the movie's setting (France in the mid-18th century). He also looks at the differences between the live-action remake and the stage version of Beauty and the Beast (which ran on Broadway for 13 years) and mentions that almost all the cast members (with the exception of the two leads- Emma Watson and Dan Stevens) have experience performing in musicals.
‘Beauty and the Beast’: Disney’s $300 Million Gamble - In this article, The New York Times provide a look at the risks involved in remaking Beauty and the Beast in live-action. They examine some of the changes made by the new version, including a controversial new look for Mrs. Potts, and the innovations used in an attempt to update a story which many fans know "chapter and verse".
Bill Condon on Beauty and the Beast, His Musical Influences, and Lindsay Lohan’s Plan for The Little Mermaid - This article from Vulture features Beauty and the Beast's director, Bill Condon, talking about how he transferred the tale into live action, the influence of Jean Cocteau's 1946 film La Belle et La Bete, and the "overblown" controversy surrounding LeFou's "gay moment". He also gets to give his opinion on Lindsay Lohan's request that he should direct a live-action remake of Disney's The Little Mermaid in which she gets to play Ariel.
Exclusive: Celine Dion Opens Up About Singing New Song for 'Beauty and the Beast' 26 Years After the Original - In 1991, the iconic diva Celine Dion participated in the original Beauty and the Beast, singing a version of the eponymous song over the end credits. In the live-action remake, she will return to sing a new song called "How Does A Moment Last Forever?". Talking to Entertainment Tonight, she reveals how much she loved the original movie, and why she chose to sign up for the latest version.
How Long Has The Prince Been Cursed In The New Beauty And The Beast? Dan Stevens And Bill Condon Weigh In - The live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is about 40 minutes longer than the animated version, which gives the film extra time to explore the issues which the original didn't have the time to examine. A couple of notable question left by the animated version are: how old the Beast was when he was cursed, and how long has he been in his current monstrous form? Dan Stevens and Bill Condon attempt to provide CinemaBlend with the answers, but their comments are pretty vague, with Condon claiming that the amount of time the Beast was bewitched is something which should be left for the fans to speculate.
Making the Magic of Beauty and the Beast Real - In this promotional article published in The Daily Telegraph, we get a sense of how much effort went into making this version of Beauty and the Beast look as epic as possible. 27 massive physical sets were constructed at Shepperton Studios, and director Bill Condon and cinematographer Tobias Schliessler used the latest technology in order to highlight how incredible these locations are. There is also information on how advanced motion-capture was used in order to bring the Beast to life, with Dan Stevens having to shoot scenes twice in order to capture his body movement and facial expressions in as much detail as possible.
For all the media focus on the actors, the people working behind the scenes are arguably even more important. They range from reasonably well-known figures such as director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) and composer Alan Menken (Aladdin), to various set designers and special effects experts who gave the live-action remake its distinctive look.
Alan Menken and the Musical Legacy of Beauty and the Beast - Here is another interview of Alan Menken, this one provided by Den of Geek. In it, Menken reveals that he updated the score in order to the add a greater "sense of reality" to the live-action remake, conveying the feel of the movie's setting (France in the mid-18th century). He also looks at the differences between the live-action remake and the stage version of Beauty and the Beast (which ran on Broadway for 13 years) and mentions that almost all the cast members (with the exception of the two leads- Emma Watson and Dan Stevens) have experience performing in musicals.
‘Beauty and the Beast’: Disney’s $300 Million Gamble - In this article, The New York Times provide a look at the risks involved in remaking Beauty and the Beast in live-action. They examine some of the changes made by the new version, including a controversial new look for Mrs. Potts, and the innovations used in an attempt to update a story which many fans know "chapter and verse".
Bill Condon on Beauty and the Beast, His Musical Influences, and Lindsay Lohan’s Plan for The Little Mermaid - This article from Vulture features Beauty and the Beast's director, Bill Condon, talking about how he transferred the tale into live action, the influence of Jean Cocteau's 1946 film La Belle et La Bete, and the "overblown" controversy surrounding LeFou's "gay moment". He also gets to give his opinion on Lindsay Lohan's request that he should direct a live-action remake of Disney's The Little Mermaid in which she gets to play Ariel.
Exclusive: Celine Dion Opens Up About Singing New Song for 'Beauty and the Beast' 26 Years After the Original - In 1991, the iconic diva Celine Dion participated in the original Beauty and the Beast, singing a version of the eponymous song over the end credits. In the live-action remake, she will return to sing a new song called "How Does A Moment Last Forever?". Talking to Entertainment Tonight, she reveals how much she loved the original movie, and why she chose to sign up for the latest version.
How Long Has The Prince Been Cursed In The New Beauty And The Beast? Dan Stevens And Bill Condon Weigh In - The live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is about 40 minutes longer than the animated version, which gives the film extra time to explore the issues which the original didn't have the time to examine. A couple of notable question left by the animated version are: how old the Beast was when he was cursed, and how long has he been in his current monstrous form? Dan Stevens and Bill Condon attempt to provide CinemaBlend with the answers, but their comments are pretty vague, with Condon claiming that the amount of time the Beast was bewitched is something which should be left for the fans to speculate.
Making the Magic of Beauty and the Beast Real - In this promotional article published in The Daily Telegraph, we get a sense of how much effort went into making this version of Beauty and the Beast look as epic as possible. 27 massive physical sets were constructed at Shepperton Studios, and director Bill Condon and cinematographer Tobias Schliessler used the latest technology in order to highlight how incredible these locations are. There is also information on how advanced motion-capture was used in order to bring the Beast to life, with Dan Stevens having to shoot scenes twice in order to capture his body movement and facial expressions in as much detail as possible.
Pittsburgh Native Chbosky Puts His Spin On 'Beauty and the Beast' - Stephen Chobsky, who previously wrote the screenplay for (and directed) Emma Watson's 2012 movie The Perks of Being a Wallflower, co-wrote the screenplay for the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast with Evan Spiliotopoulos. In this interview with Pittsburgh news website Trib Live, he explains that "I just wanted to write a fairytale for my daughter". He also explains how he tried to update Linda Woolverton's script for the animated film by adding "new characters and relationships", and discusses the creation of a new song for the movie called "For Evermore", written by the iconic lyricist Sir Tim Rice.
See the Concept Art that Brought the Beautiful Scenery of Beauty and the Beast to Life - A lot of effort went into creating the locations featured in the live-action remake, in order to give them a distinct and epic feel. Here, OhMyDisney show off some of the spectacular concept art used to bring a number important settings to life, including Belle's home and the Beast's library...
Take A Look Inside the Creation of the Ballroom for Beauty and the Beast - One of the central locations in the live-action remake is the Beast's ballroom. OhMyDisney have provided a number of snapshots which show just how spectacular this location is, even when it falls into a state of disrepair after the Beast gets cursed...
Controversies
For all the excitement surrounding Beauty and the Beast, there have been a couple of controversies surrounding the project. Most notably, Bill Condon stated that LeFou would have the first ever "exclusively gay moment" in a Disney film, leading to a depressing homophobic backlash. Another notable incident involved a lesson plan which attacked the original film's portrayal of Belle. Both were blown way out of proportion, but highlight the fact that Beauty and the Beast's giant fan-base includes some very vocal and reactionary viewers.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast Remake Shouldn't Have A Tokenistic Gay Romance – the Main Characters Should Be Gay - Not all the criticism of the decision to make LeFou gay has been homophobic in nature. In fact, many commentators have expressed disappointment that "Disney's first gay character" is merely a "slimy, sycophantic villain's sidekick". This editorial in The Independent argues that, in honour of Howard Ashman's battle with HIV/AIDS, Beauty and the Beast should go much further in representing the LGBTQ+ community, with a gay Beast and a male Beauty. Although there are some flaws with this argument (for example, there is a reference to the animated version of Beauty and the Beast as "the original Beauty and the Beast story", which ignores the fact that the first published version of the tale came roughly 250 years earlier), it is certainly true that LGBTQ+ narratives should be allowed greater prominence after centuries of being excluded from mainstream society. In addition, given that it is traditionally regarded as a hetrosexual love story, it would be interesting to see a version of Beauty and the Beast centered around a gay couple.
Does Disney’s ‘Beauty And The Beast’ Glamorize Domestic Violence? - In November, around the time that the first full trailer for the live-action remake was released, there was some controversy in the UK press about a lesson plan written by a teacher which suggested that the film condoned domestic abuse, due to the Beast's initial harsh treatment of Belle. Here, Hollywood.Com point out the reasons why this claim is incorrect (For starters, the villainous Gaston is a much more extreme example of a domestic abuser than the ultimately kindhearted Beast), but their article concludes by sensibly stating "it’s just a Disney movie, and everyone is really reading too much into it."
Everyone Is Making the Same Joke About the Backlash to the Gay Character in "Beauty and the Beast" - Although LeFou's "gay moment" is apparently completely innocuous, it has led to some cinemas refusing to show the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, and the film receiving a 16+ (adults only) rating in Russia. Many commentators on Twitter have made fun of this overreaction, and this article from Seventeen collects a number of tweets, including one from the YouTube personality Tyler Oakley, which argue that it's ridiculous to get worked up about a "blink and you'll miss it" moment involving a side character whilst overlooking the fact that Beauty and the Beast is a film "about a girl who falls in love with a buffalo". The allegations that Beauty and the Beast promotes bestiality are ludicrous for a number of reasons, but then so are the claims that LeFou's subplot represents a form of "gay propaganda"...
For all the excitement surrounding Beauty and the Beast, there have been a couple of controversies surrounding the project. Most notably, Bill Condon stated that LeFou would have the first ever "exclusively gay moment" in a Disney film, leading to a depressing homophobic backlash. Another notable incident involved a lesson plan which attacked the original film's portrayal of Belle. Both were blown way out of proportion, but highlight the fact that Beauty and the Beast's giant fan-base includes some very vocal and reactionary viewers.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast Remake Shouldn't Have A Tokenistic Gay Romance – the Main Characters Should Be Gay - Not all the criticism of the decision to make LeFou gay has been homophobic in nature. In fact, many commentators have expressed disappointment that "Disney's first gay character" is merely a "slimy, sycophantic villain's sidekick". This editorial in The Independent argues that, in honour of Howard Ashman's battle with HIV/AIDS, Beauty and the Beast should go much further in representing the LGBTQ+ community, with a gay Beast and a male Beauty. Although there are some flaws with this argument (for example, there is a reference to the animated version of Beauty and the Beast as "the original Beauty and the Beast story", which ignores the fact that the first published version of the tale came roughly 250 years earlier), it is certainly true that LGBTQ+ narratives should be allowed greater prominence after centuries of being excluded from mainstream society. In addition, given that it is traditionally regarded as a hetrosexual love story, it would be interesting to see a version of Beauty and the Beast centered around a gay couple.
Does Disney’s ‘Beauty And The Beast’ Glamorize Domestic Violence? - In November, around the time that the first full trailer for the live-action remake was released, there was some controversy in the UK press about a lesson plan written by a teacher which suggested that the film condoned domestic abuse, due to the Beast's initial harsh treatment of Belle. Here, Hollywood.Com point out the reasons why this claim is incorrect (For starters, the villainous Gaston is a much more extreme example of a domestic abuser than the ultimately kindhearted Beast), but their article concludes by sensibly stating "it’s just a Disney movie, and everyone is really reading too much into it."
Everyone Is Making the Same Joke About the Backlash to the Gay Character in "Beauty and the Beast" - Although LeFou's "gay moment" is apparently completely innocuous, it has led to some cinemas refusing to show the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, and the film receiving a 16+ (adults only) rating in Russia. Many commentators on Twitter have made fun of this overreaction, and this article from Seventeen collects a number of tweets, including one from the YouTube personality Tyler Oakley, which argue that it's ridiculous to get worked up about a "blink and you'll miss it" moment involving a side character whilst overlooking the fact that Beauty and the Beast is a film "about a girl who falls in love with a buffalo". The allegations that Beauty and the Beast promotes bestiality are ludicrous for a number of reasons, but then so are the claims that LeFou's subplot represents a form of "gay propaganda"...
Pupils Taught Disney Fairy Tales Promote Sexism and Domestic Violence in Online Lesson Plan - In contrast to Hollywood.com, some British commentators were less polite about the allegations that Beauty and the Beast was excusing domestic abuse. One Conservative politician called the lesson plan making this allegation "politically correct claptrap" and accused it of "brainwashing" children, whilst the head of the right-wing pressure group Campaign for Real Education described it as "an ignorant, insidious and covert attack on family values and on the ancient wisdom of fairy tales." Claims that criticism of Disney movies represents a threat to society are pretty extreme, but they highlight the way in which films like Beauty and the Beast have become the definition of wholesome, family-friendly entertainment.
Summary
All the articles above highlight the fact that it will be incredibly difficult for the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast to become as iconic as the original movie, and it will be very hard to expand the story whilst pleasing a fanbase who can become incredibly hostile to trivial changes and criticisms. However, the interviews and articles about the making of the new version also demonstrate that the people involved in bringing this version to life have put an immense amount of effort into ensuring that this retelling will be worth seeing. Even if it cannot match the original, the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast will probably still be a spectacular and entertaining movie which all the family can enjoy.
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