Official "Beauty & the Beast" Film Adaptation Thread

[JP2]

Just to add on to what Tag wrote about Menken's comments, he also said the one song he would have wanted from the show was "If I Can't Love Her" but the moment in the film happens later (after she leaves) so the lyric wouldn't work anymore.

[westendfanatic]

"Ugh. I'm getting so sick and tired of songwriters making new songs and taking out the old ones just to win an Oscar. The songs added to the Broadway show are so great and it really seems like a missed opportunity to not use them."

Could not agree more.

I don't see why they need to take the songs out because the songs such as IF I CAN'T LOVE HER, A CHANGE IN ME, NO MATTER WHAT, etc...made the show and played into the story really well, especially NO MATTER WHAT. I think that moment between Belle and her father is very heartwarming because in the film she states that she thinks everybody thinks of her as being odd, but her father reinsures her that she will never be odd to him. The scene is quite adorable between the two of them. That means that if they have not included that song in the film, Kevin Kline will not sing at all. The plot of the story is gonna be confusing if they are taking out songs like these. 

[JP2]

"The plot of the story is gonna be confusing if they are taking out songs like these. "

 

Yeah, the animated film is SO confusing...

[westendfanatic]

i didn't mean it that way. i am just saying that the songs they are not including in the adaptation, fitted really well within the story in the broadway production and made the story and characters feel more realistic, they really conveyed what they were thinking and feeling and made them more believable. something that they never did in the disney film (understanding that the disney film is only 80/90mins long). don't get me wrong, i love the Disney film and liked the broadway show, it's just a shame they are leaving them out of the new film adaptation.

[Tag]

I'm sure the screenwriter will make the film comprehensible...

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Looks like they shot the finale today. Josh just posted a picture with him and Andrea on Instagram. 

[westendfanatic]

it looks as if they have finally cast the part of Chip and most of the ensemble aswell...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2771200/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast

 

 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Not only that, but there are some musical theatre people. POTO/Christine alumni Harriet Jones is the Beast's mother and there are lots of Les Mis people, as well.

[westendfanatic]

I know that Lynne Wilmot was in the film version of Les Miserables (as a whore) and in the 25th Anniversary tour of it as Madame Thenardier. Michael Jibson was also in the film version of Les Mis and Jimmy Johnston was in the West End production of Oklahoma with Hugh Jackman. Very good line-up I say cos we know that the singing and dancing is going to be really good. The more people (with the dancing/singing/theatre experience) they are adding, the better this film is looking. Very much looking forward to it. 

[westendfanatic]

i'm worried....(from 1:03 to 2:37)

LINK = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1T7kRA_nCg#t=100

 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

There is potential for Lumeire there, but god I hope they helped him. Did Disney really gave everyone their parts without auditioning to see of they'll be good or not?

[theaterfan15]

At least he said at 2:33 that he went away and really got to work on his French accent.

[decast]

You know he's joking, right? Of course they didn't cast him without seeing if he could do a French accent. I've been up there all week and  it was very clear the vibe in the room was very much him joking and exaggerating.

[HedwigInch]

Beauty and The Beast is my favorite Disney movie so I am curious how this is going to turn out. Sounds promising so far.

[Tag]

McGregor told the same voice story on The Graham Norton Show this week and said he thinks he is going to have to record everything again.

[westendfanatic]

it's not looking good then as far as his French accent is concerned. Hopefully they'll sort it out soon. 

[Bilbo3]

westendfanatic, You gotta chill gurl. Chances are this film won't be anywhere near as good as you want it to be because of your insanely high expectations for it. You don't want to be Showface on the Into The Woods thread. Don't go down that road. I personally love Beauty and The Beast and have always wanted to see it turned into a film, but there are some glaring red warnings i'm seeing that are hindering my excitement for this. Just take the film as it is and always remember a beautiful animated film and perfect Broadway production are still there to love in case this film sucks. 

[JP2]

"i'm worried....(from 1:03 to 2:37)
LINK = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1T7kRA_nCg#t=100
 "

 When aren't you? It's a funny talk show anecdote. Relax.

[Showface]

"You don't want to be Showface on the Into The Woods thread. "


You keep alluding to this, but I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong? I've at least *tried* to have nice and civil discussions when I started posting on the thread about 100 pages in...I mean, yes, I had prolonged discussions about "what happened to the witch" and Rapunzel's death being cut , and I was not the only one discussing that--it has been discussed on that thread long before I even joined.
In fact, you weren't necessarily a more quiet poster on that thread when it first started, about certain changes the film made....



But this is a discussion board, which means you get to discuss.

I do recall, however, once, that I told somebody that a certain discussion seemed to have ended pages ago, and he found that offensive. I apologize for that, because that was not what I intended.

From then on, all I did was post promo spots I found online, clips, interviews, etc.Then, the film came out, and more people reemerged to post on the thread to give their reviews and *discuss* the film. I gave mine (I really enjoyed it), and then discussion started...

Just like everyone else, I felt free to discuss the film, the movie goer reaction and the theatre reaction. Most of the people on the thread were very positive about the film, and I noticed that those were mostly the same people who were positive about it *from the beginning*, so I commented on that. I recall saying something like, "those who understand adaptation seemed to enjoy it more"...I now realize that statement might have offended a few people (mainly you, it seems)--I still stand by what I said for the most part, as a few fans of the original production (not all), were upset over minor changes, like cutting Cinderella's Father and whatnot (I explained this before, I think)

Then, discussion died down for the most part, I commented on "She'll Be Back" and the DVD.

Then it was finished....

[Bilbo3]

You know I'm just kidding, showface. Into The Woods was perfect in every way!!!! #BestMovieEver   

[broadwayboy223]

I just wonder if they decided not to do the Broadway songs because of Emma Watson's singing ability. Maybe they discovered the songs were to hard for her and wrote new ones that fit better.

[Bilbo3]

If your hypothesis is correct broadwayboy, then why even cast her? Why cast someone who isn't able to do the role? Emma Watson is at best a B list celebrity, she isn't the one going to rake in the money, the title will be doing that. Which leads me to believe she was cast because she was somehow the best person for the job. SO hopefully she has a great singing ability we just haven't heard yet. If not then well I can always dub her voice with Susan Egan's voice when the dvd comes out

Unfortunately, I'm expecting Emma Watson's singing voice to be somewhere in the vain of Amanda Seyfried's voice in Les Mis. God help us. #HopeImProvinWrong.

[disneybroadwayfan22]

"I just wonder if they decided not to do the Broadway songs because of Emma Watson's singing ability. Maybe they discovered the songs were to hard for her and wrote new ones that fit better."

 That's what I'm thinking too, since this was a last-second decision. I will be pissed if that's the reason why. If Emma & Dan can't sing the songs, why even hire them?!

 

I wonder how involved Alan Menken was with the casting because this was his last full movie with Howard Ashman. I'm not saying this because I'm bias when it comes to hiring stuff like this, but I personally believe that if Howard was still alive, he would have cast a Broadway actress as Belle. From what I read, it seems like he was very selective in hiring the right actress for Belle.

[Starship]

How do people know that not using the Broadway score was a last minute decision...? I feel as if a lot of factors could've played a part in this. Maybe this decision was made awhile ago internally and just recently announced. Maybe it was because of Emma's singing abilities...which I highly doubt considering they probably saw many, many, many actresses for the role. I mean, we are talking about one of the biggest Disney films ever and Emma really just isn't a huge enough actress to justify her casting just because of the name. Maybe somewhere in pre-production it was decided? Who knows. Not worth worrying over things we don't know.

 

 

 

[Tag]

^Of course the decision to not use the Broadway songs was made a long time ago.  Films are written, storyboarded, sets are designed and built WAY in advance.  Not to mention contracts are made re: song rights.  You don't just make a last minute decision to add or subtract major songs and scenes, especially in a film remake of an established story.

Maybe they discovered the songs were to hard for her and wrote new ones that fit better.

We don't even know if Belle gets a new song.  Two out of the three new songs are NOT Belle songs.  The third we don't know yet.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Oh God, can some of you turn don the crazy a few nodges? It's so delusional to think Disney would have ever hired a Broadway actress to headline a musical adaptation of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, especially considering the fact that Belle is a dream role for a slew of A-list talent in ways that say Alice or Cinderella aren't.

Second, wtf are you worried about? As others said, it's obviously a talk show anecdote that he clearly memorized. And you should be worried if they hadn't realized that they needed to re-record the songs.