Author’s Son Hand Delivers Book to Disney’s Princess Belle

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks, Epcot

Some wholesome news is always welcome in this day and age, and this time it is courtesy of an author’s young son and Disney’s Princess Belle. If there is one leading characteristic of Beauty and the Beast’s (1991) lead Disney Princess, it is that she loves books! In a gesture of kindness toward his author mother and towards Belle’s love of books, Noah Harmel created his own magical Disney moment.

At Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Belle meets Guests in her blue and white village dress at the France pavilion of EPCOT. During the day, Noah’s father, Jason, brought him to meet the princess for one sweet reason – to deliver Belle a book he was sure she hadn’t read yet. The book is called The Paris Daughter and is a new work from his New York Times Best Selling Author mother, Kristin Harmel.

Kristin Harmel’s book, The Paris Daughter, follows a young woman who travels to Paris after inheriting a mysterious painting from her mother, whom she never knew. While in Paris, she discovers secrets about her mother’s past. It includes her romantic relationships and the confrontation of her fears and insecurities. The novel explores themes of family, identity, love, and the power of art to connect us across time and distance.

This book sounds like Belle’s kind of book! It’s got adventure, and romance, and France! Noah really focused in on his mom’s target audience, and Belle looked thrilled by his gift! Here’s how Kristin Harmel captioned her Facebook post about the interaction:

So today, while I was getting my hair cut, Jason took Noah to deliver a copy of The Paris Daughter to Belle (as a cute little surprise to me!) in France in Epcot! Apparently Noah told her it was a gift because he figured she has already read all the books in her library!

epcot disney world princess belle france book

Maybe it was just a promotion for her new book, but sweet and unique character interactions are always the best! Hopefully, Belle enjoys reading the book and will give us her review soon.

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.