More Than This Provincial Life: Dissecting the New Beauty and the Beast Teaser
In light of recent successes like Maleficent and Alice in Wonderland, Disney is capitalizing on the gold mine that is live action remakes of classic animations. As it stands, Disney is set to create more than 10 live action movies in the coming years, including a Cruella de Vil origin story and an Aladdin prequel.
On Monday, May 23, Disney pulled back the curtain to give audiences the first look at the live-action Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, and more. While there were no full views of any of the characters, we did see half of Emma Watson’s face and plenty of the beautiful scenery that made the original 1991 animation a masterpiece. The teaser had several homages to the original and gave some insights into the new film.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c38r-SAnTWM]So, let’s take a deep dive into this trailer and pull out each reference and piece of information we were given in those 90 seconds. Just in case there was something there that wasn’t there before.
References To Original
Though we don’t see Belle entering the castle, we do hear Lumiere and Cogsworth discussing her arrival. Lumiere takes charge of pointing out the obvious: Belle’s gender. Did that part sound familiar to you? Here’s why:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZtmuwwY8Nk?rel=0&start=76&end=82&autoplay=0]The two exchange almost identical dialogue in the new teaser. What does this tell us? Cogsworth will be just as sassy and bitter as ever, if not more so. With Ian McKellen taking on the role, Cogsworth’s sarcasm is sure to be fluent.
The only character we truly catch a glimpse of in this trailer is Belle. The clip shows Emma Watson discovering the Beast’s rose in the West Wing. But because this is Disney, even this short bit mirrors the original movie.
We don’t see Disney’s latest rendition of the Beast (whose name is actually Prince Adam), but his sinister side still shines through. One of the most iconic images from the original is the Beast’s torn tapestry. In the newest retelling, the Prince appears much younger in the painting, but it’s still there.
At the very end of the trailer, we also hear the familiar waltz of the title song “Beauty and the Beast.”
New Insights
Let’s talk scenery. Thanks to Josh Gad, who takes on the role of LeFou, we get to analyze each bit of the castle that Disney revealed.
If you look closely, you can spot a candelabra in the wall in the fourth image. Could this be our friend Lumiere?
While most of the scenery is easily identified, like the ominous castle view, the front door and the expansive ballroom, there is a quick view of one room that is open to speculation.
Based on several replays of the teaser and some intense staring, my bet is that this is our first look into the Beast’s quarters. In the original film, the West Wing is torn up and mostly destroyed, whereas this room appears neat and tidy.
What makes it the West Wing? A table. In the center of the screen, visible through the chandelier, is a small, almost flower-shaped table. It may seem like nothing, but detail is Disney’s forte and we’ve seen this table before.
Belle picks it up when she first visits the room. So, perhaps this is the West Wing pre-destruction? Or maybe the Beast has less of a temper? The latter is far more unlikely.
It seems Disney is bringing every part of the castle to life. Noticeably missing from the revealed scenes is the library. With as magical as these looks at the castle are, the library is almost guaranteed to take our breath away. Also missing is the rooftop, which hosts a slew of gargoyles and is where Gaston takes on the beast.
Characters
It looks like the characters are being kept as secret as possible until a full trailer is released. The teaser introduces three voices: Belle, Lumiere and Cogsworth. Though Belle only said one word, it appears that Emma Watson kept her natural British accent. Disney didn’t attempt to Americanize her like in the original film. They also didn’t have her take on a French accent to make Belle more accurate in terms of geographic location.
Lumiere and Cogsworth will clearly still be the bickering duo we came to love. The Beast growls and will almost certainly be as cranky as ever. Adding to the perfection was the lack of the misogynistic Gaston and his bumbling sidekick LeFou. As much as we look forward to seeing them come to life, giving them a role in the teaser would be counterproductive.
Of course, 90 seconds is not nearly enough to reveal and fans are anxiously awaiting the premiere of the full trailer.
Did you spot any giveaways in the teaser? Comment below with your findings.