The upcoming Beauty and the Beast prequel series on Disney+ finally has a title, and it’s a reference to one of the songs in the original film. This new series takes place before the events of the Disney movie and focuses on the story of the film’s notorious villain, Gaston. Notably, this prequel series is a spinoff of the 2017 live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, not the animated original.
The series will feature actors from the 2017 movie reprising their roles, including Luke Evans as Gaston and Josh Gad as his comedic sidekick LeFou. Evans and Gad have stated they wanted to create this series to further explore the unique dynamic between Gaston and LeFou in the 2017 film, which was unlike anything audiences had seen from the characters before. Disney+ quickly jumped on the idea, and details about the production have slowly been coming out over the past few months.
In a recent interview with Variety, the show’s composer and Disney musical legend Alan Menken revealed the title of the show, perhaps accidentally. The interview was in regards to Menken’s recent achievement in getting an EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) for his work. At the end of the interview, Menken talks about his upcoming projects, mentioning the Gaston series by name: “I’m excited about the projects I’m doing. I’m working on ‘Disenchanted’ and a new ‘Beauty and the Beast’ prequel, ‘The Little Town.’”
So, there we have it Disney fans: the Beauty and the Beast prequel is going to be titled Little Town. It’s a subtle but meaningful tribute to the opening number of Beauty and the Beast, where Belle sings, “Little town, it’s a quiet village, every day like the one before.” It also marks a return to Disney tradition that will likely be a trend for the show. Menken has said himself that the series will be referencing songs from the animated original, and will even make use of unused lyrics written by Howard Ashman, the lyricist for the animated Beauty and the Beast who passed away due to AIDS-related complications before the film’s release.
All in all, the choice of Little Town as a title is a poignant way to honor both the original film and the beloved lyricist behind it. It’s unclear as of now how this title directly relates to the story, but we’ll likely be spending a lot more time in the quiet village in the French countryside. And with original music from Menken, this Beauty and the Beast prequel will hopefully be a delight through and through.