Based on the Walt Disney Pictures animated musical classic from 1991, the forthcoming live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast is chugging along quite nicely as it makes its way towards theatrical release early next year. Starring Emma Watson (Harry Potter) as the plucky heroine Belle and Dan Stevens (The Guest) as her unlikely romantic suitor the Beast, the new movie directed by Bill Condon (Mr. Holmes) should manage to provide fans of the original feature film a new version of the classic tale of romantic fantasy.

Featuring a whole host of familiar tunes and three new songs written by returning Oscar winning composer Alan Menken, the new movie looks to be a thrilling reinvention of a lot of what made the original Beauty and the Beast of 1991 a late-twentieth century masterpiece. On that note, a new theatrical poster for Condon's latest feature has just been released online, and it bears more than a few striking similarities that fans of the outstanding property will undoubtedly be overjoyed to recognize.

Featuring Belle and the Beast front and center against an alluring blue background in the midst of an already iconic dance sequence, the latest poster for Beauty and the Beast owes fairly blatant ties to the original theatrical poster for the animated classic of 1991. Recalling such facets of the preceding Disney motion picture's past is definitely a winning step to take in terms of marketing the new movie towards outstanding fans of the property - and just looks fantastic to boot. Check out the new poster below:

Seeing Beauty and the Beast come to life in the form of a live-action motion picture starring the likes of Watson and Stevens is nothing short of thrilling for fans, and with any luck viewers otherwise disengaged with the movie ahead of its release may warm to it based on its ties to the history of the original animated musical, which it hopes to expand upon for contemporary audiences. Watson should be a more than sympathetic Belle, and Stevens' brooding good looks should make him into a thoroughly enigmatic suitor as the Beast.

Condon certainly is no stranger to directing big budget feature film properties, though with Beauty and the Beast he will be in a fairly challenging position when it comes to pleasing the movie's built-in fan base. Everything looks to be coming together nicely based on what's been released thus far, so here's to hoping for the very best from the new live-action Disney musical production.

Source: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures