Last week, the teaser trailer was released for Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1991 animated classic "Beauty and the Beast" (March 17, 2017). Disney’s previous live-action adaptations, including "The Jungle Book," "Cinderella," "Maleficent, and "Alice in Wonderland" were great successes, and if the teaser trailer and cast are any indication, "Beauty and the Beast" will follow suit. However, it will differ from the rest in one significant way: like the original film, it will be a musical.
That’s right. All your favorite songs from the cartoon—including “Belle,” “Be Our Guest,” and “Tale As Old As Time”—are going to be brought to life on the big screen!
Filmmakers have confirmed that they are keeping the songs from the cartoon, but they will not be including any songs from the Broadway adaptation. Instead, however, there will be several brand new songs! Disney composer Alan Menken, who also composed the original film, announced that, so far, there are three brand new songs written just for the movie.
The first of these is called “Forever More,” a song from the Beast’s perspective about his realization that he loves Belle and his simultaneous realization that he has to let her go. Though there is a similar song in the Broadway adaptation called “If I Can’t Love Her,” Menken says this moment occurs much later in the film than in the play, and instead of thinking he can’t love Belle, the new song shows he now realizes that he does love her.
The second new song is called “Days in the Sun,” which is described as a lullaby sung by all the cursed, household-item residents of the palace. In this song, we learn more about these beloved characters’ lives before the curse.
The third new song, however, remains a mystery, as Menken chose not to reveal any details about it, but we can expect it, and the other songs, to be just as beautiful as the originals, as we’ve got not only the original composer, but also a promising and talented cast.
Starring as the bookish dreamer, Belle, is Harry Potter’s Emma Watson. Although she has never had a singing role in a film before, we can expect great things from her because she already earned the best kind of approval she could get—that of Paige O’Hara, the original Belle:
“If I were producing the film, I would have cast her. She’s absolutely perfect for the role. She’s got the outward beauty, but she’s also got an inward beauty about her, and an old soul. Through mutual people we’ve sent messages, and I just basically was wishing her all the best and to have a wonderful time.” – Paige O’Hara to Buzzfeed
Not only that, but Susan Egan, who played Belle in the Original Broadway Cast, has also expressed her approval of Watson as Belle.
Playing the role of the Beast will be Dan Stevens, who played Matthew Crawley on
"Downton Abbey" and stars in the film "The Guest."
Also joining the cast are Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad (Olaf from "Frozen") as Le Fou, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Sir Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, and Stanley Tucci as a new character, a piano named Cadenza. Also, Emma Thompson ("Saving Mr. Banks" and Harry Potter) will star as Mrs. Potts.
Although this movie has a lot to live up to in its animated original, the facts suggest this new movie will not disappoint. With the original composer plus "The Lion King" composer Tim Rice, an amazing and talented cast, and the promise of the songs we love plus brand new ones, we can expect this "tale as old as time" to be just as timeless and magical as it always has been.
