Excitement continues to build for Disney's latest live-action reimagining, Beauty and the Beast, as more teaser clips and behind-the-scenes footage is released for the film. Earlier this week, we saw a new clip from Gaston's (Luke Evans) musical number, as well as two new TV spots that aired the week before. The aggressive marketing campaign is certainly working, too, as the Beauty and the Beast trailers have broken records for the number of views achieved, and there is absolutely no doubt that when it hits our screens in a few weeks, it will be a box office smash.
Disney continues to release more teasers this week, with a new behind-the-scenes video featuring the cast, director, and creative team as they talk about the journey from animation to live-action - and treat us to a few totally new shots!
The video, posted on the Disney UK YouTube channel today, is just under two minutes long, and features interviews with Emma Watson (Belle), Dan Stevens (Beast), Josh Gad (LeFou), Ewan McGregor (Lumiere), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Plumette), Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), Luke Evans (Gaston), composer Alan Menken and director Bill Condon. The video begins with a look at the original animation as the cast talks about how much they loved the original, before going on to show us behind-the-scenes images of the musicians recording, the village where Belle lives, the cast together in costume, and some new clips from the final film.
Much of the featurette looks at not only how phenomenal the original movie was, but what the drive was to re-create such a "perfect" film. The cast and director talk about the excitement of adding depth and updating the original for a whole new generation, before Evans, Watson, and Gad wrap up with this:
Evans: It will remind you of all the beauty of the original...
Watson: But also expand on it, and give it more detail and more depth.
Gad: This version of Beauty and the Beast will define a whole new generation in a wonderful way.
The featurette is absolutely charming, and does a wonderful job of explaining how this re-working of the original animated classic will add to the legacy of the original. It's always wonderful to see a cast with such an emotional connection to their film, and Watson's words about the unbelievable craftsmanship of the film is especially high praise (as, obviously, she grew up with the stunning visual effects of the Harry Potter franchise). Even more exciting than hearing the cast talk about the film is seeing some of the new footage, even if only for a few moments. The video features a few new shots of Plumette, as well as several behind-the-scenes looks at the castle staff in their human forms. We also see a beautiful shot of Belle and Beast together in the snow, and some of the reimagined "Be Our Guest" number.
Of course, some may fear that Disney is overdoing it with the marketing a little bit, with so many new clips and videos being released in the run-up to the film. We already know the basic plot and characters, so a huge part of the draw for audiences is the visual magic of seeing an animated classic brought to life. Seeing so much of the gorgeous costuming, sets and scenes ahead of time may leave too little to be revealed in March. However, given that what we have seen has been so tantalizingly beautiful, we feel that there is probably still plenty of magic waiting to be discovered.
Next: Beauty and the Beast Clip: Nobody’s As Good As Gaston
Source: Disney UK
