Disney Releases First Look at Live-Action ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Special!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+, Uncategorized

We are just about one month away from Disney’s celebration of 30 years of the Academy Award-winning animated film Beauty and the Beast. Yes, it’s been 30 years since Disney shared the story of a tale as old as time. Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney’s most successful films of all time and, in celebration of the 30th anniversary, Disney will be airing a combination live-action/animated special that will air on ABC on December 15.

The Beauty and the Beast 2-hour special will star musical sensation H.E.R. as Belle and superstar Josh Groban as the Beast. The special will feature new musical performances, sets, and costumes. And now, Disney is giving us a first look at H.E.R. in Belle’s signature yellow and Josh Groban in a royal blue cape — bringing viewers back to the iconic ballroom scene.

Beauty and the Beast

The Beauty and the Beast special will be directed by Jon M. Chu, who released a statement when it was announced:

“Beauty and the Beast was always a game-changing cinematic experience for me. When the animated movie came out, I watched it multiple times in the first weekend. It showed me the outer limits of what animated artists and storytellers could achieve, so the fact that I get to executive produce a tribute to all the creatives that made this masterpiece through our Electric Somewhere company is a dream I didn’t even think was possible. With world-class creatives and talent to reinterpret the classic musical numbers (with a few surprises), I can’t wait for the audiences, in person and at home, to experience what we have in store for them. It’s a true celebration of creativity.”

Beauty and the Beast will also star Rita Moreno as the narrator, Joshua Henry as Gaston, Martin Short as Lumière, David Alan Grier as Cogsworth, Rizwan Manji as LeFou, Jon Jon Briones as Maurice, Leo Abelo Perry as Chip, and Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts.

If you wish to get into the Beauty and the Beast spirit, both the original animated film and the 2017 live-action remake — starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens — are both available to stream on Disney+.

Again, the special will air on ABC on December 15 and will be available to stream on Disney+ the following day.

Famed Actress Angela Lansbury Passes Away at the Age of 96

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Angela Lansbury, the London-born actress best known for her role as novelist Jessica Fletcher on CBS’s Murder, She Wrote, and for her role in some of Disney’s classics films, passed away on Tuesday. She was 96.

Lansbury worked as an actress for more than seven decades and brought a presence all her own to the screen, to the stage, and to television.

People Magazine obtained a statement from her family, announcing her passing:

“The children of Dame Angela Lansbury are sad to announce that their mother died peacefully in her sleep at home in Los Angeles at 1:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, October 11, 2022, just five days shy of her 97th birthday.

In addition to her three children, Anthony, Deirdre, and David, she is survived by three grandchildren, Peter, Katherine, and Ian, plus five great-grandchildren and her brother, producer Edgar Lansbury. She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Peter Shaw. A private family ceremony will be held at a date to be determined.”

Being Mrs. Potts - YouTube

She was born Angela Brigid Lansbury, the daughter of actress Moyna MacGill and lumber merchant Edgar Lansbury. She always described her mother as “a true Irish beauty.”

Lansbury’s mother took Angela to plays at London’s Old Vic and enrolled her in a school for dance and the arts until the family’s finances no longer allowed for it following the death of her father when Angela was only 9 years old.

Angela Lansbury versus the Nazis – Avidly

For Disney, Angela Lansbury played several roles. Per Disney Fandom:

Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury, DBE was a British-Irish actress and singer, who is best known for her role as a mystery writer and detective Jessica Fletcher in the TV series Murder, She Wrote. For Disney, she played Miss Eglantine Price in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and voiced Mrs. Potts in the Beauty and the Beast franchise. She also played The Balloon Lady in Mary Poppins Returns.

ABC’s Live-Action ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Special Has Cast Its Belle!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

It seems nearly impossible to believe, but this year, Disney is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its classic film, Beauty and the Beast. That’s right, 30 years ago, audiences were introduced to Belle, the Beast, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, Gaston, and more. Disney wants to celebrate the special anniversary of its Oscar-winning movie and, on December 15, Disney and ABC will air a special live-action/animated version of the film. We already knew that the special will be directed by Jon M. Chu — who also directed Crazy Rich Asians — and now Disney has revealed that they have cast Belle!

Disney has revealed that the role of Belle will be played by Grammy-winning artist H.E.R. After the news was shared, H.E.R. — born Gabriella Wilson — released a statement, saying she was incredibly excited to play one of Disney’s most famous princesses. The statement, shared by The Hollywood Reporter, read:

“I can’t believe I get to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy. The world will see a Black and Filipino Belle! I have always wanted to be a Disney princess, and I get to work with two wonderful directors Hamish Hamilton and my favorite, Jon M. Chu. It is very surreal and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Jon M. Chu also released a statement and said that he was very excited to work with H.E.R. on such a special event.

With her obvious extraordinary talent and stage presence, H.E.R. is the perfect embodiment of our Belle, and we are thrilled for audiences to see her in this celebration of creativity. We were both influenced as storytellers by the original animated movie, so it’s very exciting to collaborate together to honor the artistry of that timeless classic while also inspiring a whole new generation of creators.”

The Hollywood Reporter was the first to report on the special anniversary show, revealing the following:

The Disney-backed broadcast network is making a two-hour, live-action/animated special that will feature a new cast and air Dec. 15 on the broadcast network. Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Wicked) is on board to executive produce the project, which will be directed by Hamish Hamilton. The latter is best known for helming awards shows including the Emmys and Grammys, as well as the Super Bowl halftime show, ABC’s The Little Mermaid Live and a pair of Disney’s quarantine-era singalongs.

Disney’s live-action/animated Beauty and the Beast special will air on ABC on December 15 and will then be made available on December 16 to all Disney+ subscribers. The special is exciting news to all Beauty and the Beast fans, especially since Disney broke the news that it was indefinitely delaying — most likely canceling — the spinoff series, Little Town. The show was set to star Josh Gad and Luke Evans as LeFou and Gaston and tell their story before they ended up in Belle’s provincial town.

Disney Guest Interrupted a Character Interaction

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

One Disney Cast Member shared an extremely unique Guest story with People magazine — seemingly a Guest decided to channel Tarzan while waiting in line to meet Beast from Beauty and the Beast.

The Cast Member shared:

“A mother climbed a tree and swung down in the middle of another family’s meet and greet with Beast. She didn’t want to wait in line.”

Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort, and other Disney theme parks globally have rules against line-cutting, so this Guest was clearly violating Park regulations. The Cast Member did not share what consequences the tree-swinging Guest faced after her escapade.

At this time, Disney World visitors can see Beast while dining at Be Our Guest Restaurant in Magic Kingdom Park. He also sometimes appears at special events, such as After Hours.

Princess Belle, however, is available for daily meet and greets with Guests in EPCOT’s France pavilion.

belle close up outside at EPCOT

Disney+ Series Caused Behind The Scenes Screaming Matches

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney+

Via DisDining.com

In 2017, Disney released a live-action remake of the incredibly popular 1991 film, Beauty and the Beast. The film starred Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, and Josh Gad as LeFou. The film was nearly a shot-for-shot remake, and audiences couldn’t get enough. They loved seeing some of their favorite characters brought to life once again.

Beauty and the Beast was so successful that, in 2020, at Disney Investor Day, the company announced that they were actively working on a prequel series that was bound for Disney+. The series would focus on the life of Gaston and LeFou before they met Belle in the provincial town they all lived in. Details were minimum at the time, but over the years, a lot more information was given.

Both Luke Evans and Josh Gad were set to return to their roles of Gaston and LeFou. Alan Menken — the original composer for both the animated and live-action films — was also going to return. We also learned that a brand-new character would be introduced into the world of Beauty and the Beast. A young girl named Tilly — LeFou’s stepsister — would be a part of the story. She would be the reason Gaston and LeFou set off on a big adventure.

Beauty and the Beast

Things seemed to be on a roll — production start dates were announced, casting was nearly complete, and a show title — Little Town — was even announced. Then it all came to a grinding halt. The Hollywood Reporter published an article that said, due to things being pushed back because of the pandemic, scheduling conflicts had arisen. The show was being put on indefinite hold.

Josh Gad confirmed Disney’s decision in a disappointed tweet.

Even though everyone was shocked to hear that the highly-anticipated show was not going to happen, things behind the scenes were less than optimal. According to a new report from Puck, the studio did not like the second or third scripts submitted by Gad and series creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz — the same men responsible for the hit ABC series Once Upon a Time. The studio was also reportedly not happy with the music being created by Alan Menken.

Alan Menken

Things were apparently so rocky that there were actual screaming matches that happened. According to Puck:

Sets were being built in London, the cast had been secured, and Disney’s film group had already pushed Gad’s start date on the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel to accommodate Beauty. So Peter Rice, who oversees the Disney Branded Television unit charged with exploiting its I.P., and Dana Walden, whose purview includes the ABC Signature studio, were forced to either swallow a chunk of money now or risk wasting a lot more on a potentially inferior product that would generate negative headlines because of the Beauty legacy. Making that call is their job, even if the creators were super upset (lots of screaming matches behind the scenes on this one, I’m told, especially since this trio’s other Disney+ TV project, based on the Muppets, was also scrapped in 2019). At least Gad and co-star Luke Evans are pay-or-play, according to sources, meaning they are owed for six guaranteed episodes, a rarity in TV.

Beauty and the Beast

While Little Town may have fallen through, Disney fans can look forward to seeing Gad portray Nick Szalinski in the new Disney series, Shrunk. In the series, Gad will play Wayne Szalinski’s now-grown son, Nick. Nick is following in his father’s scientific footsteps as he grieves the death of his mother, Diane. The series is also set to see the return of veteran actor, Rick Moranis. Moranis has been out of the spotlight for years but will return to reprise the role of Wayne Szalinski.