12 Enchanting Facts You Probably Didn't Know About The New 'Beauty And The Beast'
The live action remake is as enchanting on-screen as it is behind the scenes.
By Samantha Khor — 07 Apr 2017, 07:18 PM
After all the hoo-ha surrounding Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast', we finally got to watch the highly-anticipated live action remake of the 1991 classic in Malaysia!
With the 1991 original having a special place in many people's hearts, the remake definitely had a lot of live up to. Personally, this writer loved it for the character backstories and emotional dimensions that have been added to the classic story. The new songs are pretty great too ('Evermore' gave me so much feels, you guys)!
With all the added plot elements and stunning details, we found quite some pretty interesting bits of trivia and insights into the making of the movie:
Note: Might contain mild spoilers.
1. Ryan Gosling was initially offered the role of the Beast, but he turned it down to star in 'La La Land'
Robert Pattinson and Josh Brolin were also rumoured to have been briefly considered for the Beast, but the role went to British actor Dan Stevens, who has appeared in 'Downton Abbey', 'Night At the Museum 3', and is currently starring in FX TV series 'Legion'.
2. Coincidentally, Emma Watson - who plays Belle - was offered the lead female role in 'La La Land', but turned THAT down to star in 'Beauty and the Beast'
Lily Collins, Emma Roberts, Amanda Seyfried ('Les Miserables'), Kristen Stewart, and Emmy Rossum ('Phantom of the Opera') were also said to have been briefly considered for the role of Belle.
3. When choosing the final cast for the film, director Bill Condon had the actors sing 'Hakuna Matata' from Disney's 'The Lion King' to measure their singing voices at the auditions
4. Three new songs were added to the live action remake, while classic numbers 'Belle', 'Gaston', and 'Be Our Guest' underwent lyrical changes
Alan Menken, who scored the original Beauty and the Beast with the late Howard Ashman, returned to score the 2017 version. Menken, together with Tim Rice from the Broadway musical, wrote three new songs - 'Days in the Sun', 'Evermore', and 'How Does a Moment Last Forever' (performed by Celine Dion) - for the new adaptation.
As for the original song numbers, some lines in 'Belle' and 'Be Our Guest' have been changed, while new lyrics written by Ashman - which were cut from the animated film - were added to 'Gaston'.
5. Four members of the cast - Emma Watson, Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), Luke Evans (Gaston), and Nathan Mack (Chip) - share the same birthday, 15 April. It was also the date of the first cast read through.
6. In the 2017 film, Belle is the inventor instead of her father Maurice. As a result, Belle's wardrobe was also revamped to reflect that.
Emma Watson wanted Belle to have a proper backstory about why she is treated differently by the other villagers. In the film, it was implied that Belle might have invented a sort of "washing machine" so that she can read books while her clothes are being washed.
Watson also came up with the idea to have her character wear boots instead of the black flats Belle wore in the 1991 animation. Her hair is also worn either in a messy bun or straight down instead of a ponytail, and she wears a few cloths on her blouse instead of an apron.
7. Belle's iconic ballroom gown took over 12,000 designer hours to complete and was accentuated with 2,160 Swarovski crystals
Close to 55 metres of satin organza and 914 metres thread were also used to create the dress.
8. With Dan Stevens wearing 10-inch stilts and his regular height, the Beast stands at 6ft 10 (2.08m)
However, according to Visual Effects Producer Steve Gaub, the Beast is closer to 7ft 4 (2.24m) if you measure right to the top of the horns.
9. Unlike the original, more details about the Beast's backstory is made known in the new adaptation
WARNING: Spoilers ahead!
In the 2017 version, the Beast is revealed to have gotten an "expensive education" befitting a prince and definitely reads, making his vast library collection much more plausible. We also find out a little bit more about his parents.
10. In an interview, Dan Stevens revealed that there was a very different version of the ending transformation planned, where the Prince was supposed to emerge shirtless from a bed of rose petals
However, the scene was nixed after receiving negative reactions from test audiences who felt that if the Prince appeared shirtless, the rest of him might be naked as well and that wouldn't be appropriate for young children.
11. Though not shown in the movie, there's a reason why Gaston is loved and admired by the townspeople - he was a war hero and army captain who helped protect the village from Portuguese marauders when he was just 16
Luke Evans revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he saw "massive potential to create backstory and layer him up with intention and objectives". Evans also hinted that Gaston may have suffered from PTSD, though he keeps it bottled up and eventually growing into the villain we all know and hate.
12. Luke Evans had to wear fake teeth during filming, as he had canines that are longer than normal and might make Gaston look like a vampire
Coincidentally, Evans played Vlad in 'Dracula Untold'.