‘Beauty And The Beast’ Remake: Emma Watson Rejects Corset And Other Things We Know About The Film

Since 2009, Disney has been eyeing the idea of a Beauty and the Beast remake, and a few months before its release, here are some things that you need to know about the fairytale romance.

Filming began in 2015

The Beauty and the Beast project officially commenced in 2015 at the Shepperton studios. Prior to it, Disney’s other live-action fairytale remakes have turned out to be successful, including Cinderella and Maleficent.

The story will stay true to its origins

Maleficent incorporated several changes into its storyline. The once-loathed villain turned out to be a good woman who only thought of Aurora’s welfare. Beauty and the Beast, however, will reportedly stay true to its reference material, the French fairytale penned by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.

Beast, who was originally a prince, was cursed for being arrogant. The old woman who experienced the prince’s haughtiness transformed him into a horrendous creature. Only true love can break the curse, but he must find one before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. If he doesn’t, he will stay a beast forever. It is interesting to see how Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will give life to the iconic roles. The film will use the original Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, although the composers have also written new tracks.

There’s a feminist take on Belle’s backstory

While it is anticipated that the story will remain unchanged, Entertainment Weekly reports that the creative minds behind Beauty and the Beast have opted to give more meaning to Belle’s backstory.

“In the animated movie, it’s her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle. I was like, ‘Well, there was never very much information or detail at the beginning of the story as to why Belle didn’t fit in, other than she liked books. Also what is she doing with her time?’ So, we created a backstory for her, which was that she had invented a kind of washing machine, so that, instead of doing laundry, she could sit and use that time to read instead. So, yeah, we made Belle an inventor.”

Since Emma has always been vocal about her beliefs, it isn’t shocking that the team opted to give her a livelier backstory.

Emma rejected the corset

The British beauty told Entertainment Weekly that a corset would only restrict her movement in the scenes. In order to be an “active” princess who’s different from other Disney heroines, Watson worked closely with Beauty and the Beast’s designer to ensure that Belle’s look remained magical and functional at the same time.

Director Bill Condon previously told the Telegraph that the film was set in the South of France in 1740 and that this was a great consideration when they were selecting a dress.

“Yes, there’s an iconic dress, that looks kind of like an Austrian curtain, from the original movie. But that isn’t at all reflective of the period we’ve chosen. So the question on our mind wasn’t, how do we get close to that dress, but, dramatically, what’s the one that’s right.”

The original Belle is confident that Emma is perfect for the role

Paige O’Hara, the voice behind the 1991 version of Belle, is “really happy” that the role went to Emma. She believes no one is more apt for the role than Emma, who’s got the intelligence and humor to bring the character to life.

Angela Lansbury, however, has blunt thoughts about the remake

While Paige has nothing but praises for Emma, Angela is baffled about the producers’ decision to have a live-action remake.

The songstress, who voiced Mrs. Potts in the original film, said she asked herself, “Why? Why are we doing this over again?”

The film is set to hit big screens on March 17, 2017.

[Featured Image by Walt Disney Pictures]