Beauty and the Beast (2017 movie) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Beauty and the Beast (2017 movie) |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Bill Condon |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Alan Menken |
| Cinematography | Tobias A. Schliessler |
| Editing by | Virginia Katz |
| Studio |
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| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 23, 2017 (Spencer House) March 17, 2017 (United States) |
| Running time | 129 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $160–255 million |
| Money made | $1.266 billion |
Beauty and the Beast is a magical 2017 American musical fantasy film. It was directed by Bill Condon. The movie is a live-action remake of Disney's classic 1991 animated film. Both films are based on a very old fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.
The film stars Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast. It also features many other famous actors. These include Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson.
Disney first announced the live-action remake in April 2014. Filming happened in England from May to August 2015. It was one of the most expensive films ever made.
Beauty and the Beast first showed in London on February 23, 2017. It was released in the United States on March 17, 2017. Critics generally liked the movie. They praised the actors, songs, and amazing visuals. The film earned over $1.2 billion worldwide. This made it the second-highest-grossing film of 2017. It also became one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
Contents
The Story of Beauty and the Beast
A selfish prince lives in a grand castle. One day, an enchantress visits him disguised as an old beggar. She offers him a rose for shelter from a storm. The prince rudely turns her away. The enchantress then shows her true form. She turns him into a beast and his servants into household objects. She also makes everyone forget about them. The curse will only break if the Beast learns to love someone. He must also earn their love before the last rose petal falls. If not, he and his servants will stay cursed forever.
Years later, in a nearby village, lives Belle. She loves to read and dreams of adventure. She often rejects the advances of Gaston. He is an arrogant hunter who wants to marry her. One day, Belle's father, Maurice, gets lost in the forest. He finds refuge in the Beast's castle. The Beast imprisons him for taking a rose. Belle offers to take her father's place. The Beast agrees to this trade.
Belle soon becomes friends with the castle's enchanted servants. These include Lumiere the candelabra, Cogsworth the mantel clock, and Mrs. Potts the teapot. She also meets Mrs. Potts' son, Chip, a teacup. Belle finds the enchanted rose. The Beast gets angry and forces her to leave. Outside, wolves attack Belle. The Beast saves her, getting hurt himself. As Belle helps him heal, they start to bond. The Beast shows her a magic book. It can transport readers anywhere they wish. Belle uses it to visit her childhood home in Paris. She learns her mother died from a serious illness. Her father had kept this a secret.
Meanwhile, in the village, Maurice tries to tell everyone about the Beast. No one believes him. Gaston sees a chance to win Belle. He offers to help Maurice. But Gaston plans to rescue Belle himself to look like a hero. When Maurice finds out, Gaston leaves him to the wolves. A kind hermit named Agathe saves Maurice. But Gaston convinces the villagers to send Maurice to an asylum.
Belle sees her father's trouble through a magic mirror. The Beast lets her go to save him. Back in town, Belle shows the Beast in the mirror. This proves her father is telling the truth. Gaston realizes Belle loves the Beast. He gets jealous and throws Belle and Maurice into the asylum carriage. Then, he gathers the villagers to kill the Beast. Belle and Maurice escape.
Gaston attacks the Beast, who is sad. But the Beast regains his strength when he sees Belle return. He spares Gaston's life. But Gaston shoots the Beast from a collapsing bridge. Gaston then falls to his death. The Beast dies as the last petal falls. The servants become inanimate objects. Belle cries and tells the Beast she loves him. Agathe reveals she is the enchantress. She breaks the curse. The Beast and servants return to human form. The villagers also get their memories back. The film ends with Belle and the Prince hosting a grand ball.
Main Characters
- Emma Watson plays Belle. She is a young woman who loves books. She dreams of a life beyond her village. Belle starts to like the Beast and sees his good side. Emma Watson was the first and only choice for this role.
- Daisy Duczmal plays Belle as a baby.
- Dan Stevens plays the Beast. He was once a cold and selfish prince. The enchantress turned him into a beast. He must learn to love and be loved to become human again. Dan Stevens used motion-capture to play the Beast.
- Adam Mitchell plays the prince when he was younger.
- Luke Evans plays Gaston. He is a very proud hunter. He wants Belle to be his wife. Luke Evans was cast in March 2015.
- Kevin Kline plays Maurice. He is Belle's kind father. He makes music boxes and is an artist.
- Jolyon Coy plays young Maurice.
- Josh Gad plays LeFou. He is Gaston's loyal but often confused sidekick.
- Ewan McGregor plays Lumière. He is the Beast's charming head servant. He was turned into a candelabra.
- Stanley Tucci plays Cadenza. He is a nervous composer. He was turned into a harpsichord. He is married to Madame de Garderobe.
- Audra McDonald plays Madame de Garderobe. She is a famous opera singer. She was turned into a wardrobe. She is Cadenza's wife.
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays Plumette. She is a castle maid and Lumière's girlfriend. She was turned into a feather duster.
- Hattie Morahan plays Agathe. She is the enchantress who cursed the Prince. She lives secretly in Belle's village.
- Rita Davies plays the enchantress when she looks like a beggar woman.
- Nathan Mack plays Chip. He is Mrs. Potts' brave son. He was turned into a teacup.
- Ian McKellen plays Cogsworth. He is the Beast's strict but loyal butler. He was turned into a mantel clock.
- Emma Thompson plays Mrs. Potts. She is the castle's motherly housekeeper. She was turned into a teapot.
Other characters include Thomas Padden as Chapeau (a coat rack), Clive Rowe as Cuisinier (a stove), and the Village Lasses who admire Gaston. Also, Adrian Schiller plays Monsieur D'Arque, the asylum warden. Gerard Horan plays Monsieur Jean Potts, Mrs. Potts' husband. Haydn Gwynne plays Clothilde, a fishmonger. Michael Jibson plays the Tavern Keeper. Ray Fearon plays Père Robert, the village chaplain. Zoe Rainey plays Belle's mother. Gizmo plays Frou-Frou, a pet Yorkshire Terrier turned into a footstool. Tom Turner plays the King, the Prince's father. Harriet Jones plays the Queen, the Prince's mother.
Making the Movie
How the Film Was Developed
Walt Disney Pictures decided to make a new live-action version of Beauty and the Beast. This happened after they made other successful live-action fantasy films. These included Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella. In April 2014, Bill Condon was chosen to direct the film. Evan Spiliotopoulos wrote the first script. Later, Stephen Chbosky helped rewrite it.
Director Bill Condon wanted the film to be a full musical. He felt the original animated film's music was very special. Disney agreed to make it a big musical movie.
Choosing the Actors
In January 2015, Emma Watson was announced as Belle. Two months later, Luke Evans and Dan Stevens were chosen for Gaston and the Beast. Emma Watson confirmed their roles on Twitter. The rest of the main cast joined between March and April. This included Josh Gad as LeFou, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, and Ian McKellen as Cogsworth.
Filming Locations and Special Effects
Filming started on May 18, 2015. It took place at Shepperton Studios in England. The village of Villeneuve was built as a huge set. It was inspired by a town in southern France. Filming with the main actors finished on August 21. The castle in the movie was inspired by the Château de Chambord in France.
The Beast was created using motion-capture. Actor Dan Stevens wore a special suit and walked on stilts. His facial expressions were captured separately. This helped show the Beast's human emotions. The castle servants, who became objects, were made with CGI.
The actors practiced for three months. This was to make sure Dan Stevens, on stilts, could dance safely with Emma Watson. For the famous dance scene, they first practiced without stilts. Then, Stevens learned to walk and waltz on stilts.
Music in the Film
The 1991 animated Beauty and the Beast was famous for its music. Howard Ashman wrote the lyrics and Alan Menken composed the score. Director Bill Condon felt this music was key to the new film. He wanted to bring that amazing score to a live-action movie.
Alan Menken returned to create the music for the 2017 film. It includes songs from the original movie. He also wrote new songs with Tim Rice. Menken added four new songs for the film. An instrumental version of "Home" from the Broadway musical is also used.
On January 19, 2017, Celine Dion confirmed she would sing a new song. It is called "How Does a Moment Last Forever". She sang the original "Beauty and the Beast" duet in 1991. She decided to sing the new song because the original film was so important to her career. Josh Groban also sang a new song called "Evermore".
The 2017 film features a new version of the title song. It is a duet by Ariana Grande and John Legend. Their version is similar to the original by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. Disney released their music video on March 5, 2017. It has been viewed over 250 million times.
Emma Thompson also performed the title song in the movie. This was originally sung by Angela Lansbury in the 1991 animated film.
Promoting the Film
Disney spent a lot of money to promote Beauty and the Beast. They released the first teaser trailer in June 2016. It got over 91 million views in just 24 hours. This was a record at the time. The first official poster was released in July 2016.
In November 2016, Entertainment Weekly showed the first official images. A week later, Emma Watson and Disney released a new poster. The first full trailer came out on November 14, 2016. It broke another record with 127 million views in 24 hours. A TV commercial with Emma Watson singing was shown during the 74th Golden Globe Awards. The final trailer was released on January 30, 2017.
A book based on the film was published on January 31, 2017.
Release Information
In Theaters
Beauty and the Beast had its world premiere in London on February 23, 2017. The US premiere was in Hollywood on March 2, 2017. The film was released in 3D on March 17, 2017.
A "sing-along" version of the film was released in US theaters on April 7, 2017. The United Kingdom got this version on April 21, 2017. The movie was also re-released in New York City and Los Angeles in December 2017. This was to help it get awards.
IMAX announced that the film would have an expanded view in their theaters. This showed 26% more of the picture.
Watching at Home
Beauty and the Beast was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD on June 6, 2017. It quickly became the top-selling disc. The film made $85.1 million from home video sales. It was the second best-selling film of 2017 for home viewing. The movie was also released on 4K Blu-ray on March 10, 2020. The original animated film was released on 4K Blu-ray at the same time.
What's Next?
Possible Sequel or Prequel
After the film's success, Disney said they might explore more stories. This could include spin-offs or prequels for their live-action films. Both Emma Watson and Dan Stevens have said they would be interested in playing their roles again.
Television Series
In March 2020, a limited TV series about Gaston and LeFou was announced for Disney+. Luke Evans and Josh Gad were set to return as their characters. Alan Menken was also expected to compose music for the series. The show was called Little Town. This name comes from a song in the 1991 Beauty and the Beast film. New actors joined the cast in 2021 and 2022. However, in February 2022, the series was put on hold. This was due to creative and scheduling problems.
Images for kids
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Theatrical release poster
