It's a tale as old as time, and a song as old as rhyme. And no, NOT Time Magazine,
that's only as recent as 1923. This is much much older than that.
My name is Tim and today on Channel Frederator we are counting down 107 facts about "Beauty and the Beast"! Let's get started!
Walt Disney attempted to produce Beauty and the Beast into an animated film two times
prior, in the 1930’s and the 1950’s, but writers continuously had a difficult time
adapting the story. In both instances the project had to be shelved.
Disney borrowed ideas from Jean Cocteau’s 1946 French film, which was another adaptation
of the same traditional fairy tale that his film was to be based on. Of course, all three share the same name.
Julie Andrews was considered for the role of Mrs. Potts, but reportedly declined.
Maybe she was afraid of being typecast as porcelain-based characters. That's a real threat in Hollywood.
Sequences where the film lacks a song or musical score only add up to five minutes.
It makes me wonder why we can't just fill those 5 minutes with more of Gaston's song.
Chip was set to have only one line in the
film, but producers couldn’t resist how cute Bradley Michael Pierce sounded and added more.
Prior to this, the token cute character of
the film was going to be a music box that communicated through notes. I think we can agree that Chip was the better choice.
Though my personal favorite choice is the footrest dog.
Regis Philbin auditioned for the role of the Beast.
Disney's final answer was a "No".
In 1988, Walt Disney hired British animation
director Richard Purdum to to adapt the film, but his version was quite dark and non-musical.
Linda Woolverton was brought on to rewrite the script. Her only prior experience with
Disney was writing episodes of Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers.
Belle’s characterization was inspired by Katherine Hepburn’s portrayal of Jo in the
1933 film adaptation of Little Women. Linda wanted to make Belle a strong and independent character.
Sherri Stoner served as the reference model
for Belle. She also served as the model for Ariel in The Little Mermaid.
Both Belle and Ariel have a tendency to bite their lips and sweep their hair, which are
habits of Sherri Stoner that animators tried to replicate.
Angela Lansbury, the voice of Mrs. Potts, was originally reluctant to sing the classic
song “Beauty and the Beast.” It was written as a rock ballad, which wasn’t really her
style. After she expressed her hesitance, the studio asked her to sing the song in the
manner she envisioned it, which is how it became the song we all know and love today.
I WANT TO HEAR THE ROCK BALLAD VERSION SO DESPERATELY IT HURTS!
Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel from The Little Mermaid, was Disney’s original choice to
play Belle, but they ended up selecting Paige O’Hara.
Gosh, they just really love crossing over those two characters.
Is there some conspiracy Disney hasn't let us in on?
Paige O’Hara shed actual tears when recording the scene of Beast’s death. In fact, her
sobbing was so intense that producers asked if she was okay. She immediately dropped out
of character and declared “acting!”
The Beast’s real name is Adam, but it’s never mentioned in the film.
If he's a "Prince Charming", that makes him "Prince Adam"... like in He-Man.
Hang on, I need to log into my Fan Fiction.net account!
The animator Glen Keane based the Beast on
several different animals. He has the mane of a lion, the head and beard of a buffalo,
the brow of a gorilla, the eyes of a human, the tusks of a wild boar, the body of a bear, and the legs and tail of a wolf.
In the original script of the film, Gaston
was going to be killed by wolves after surviving his fall. This subplot was scrapped, but eventually
ended up in the Lion King with Scar being devoured by hyenas.
Some sculptures in the Beast’s castle are actually earlier concept designs for his appearance.
Belle is the second Disney princess of non-royal descent. The first is Cinderella, and the third is Tiana.
This raises the question; is Mulan a Disney princess?
Beauty and the Beast was the first animated
film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It lost to Silence of the Lambs.
It was also the first animated film to earn
more than 100 million dollars in the box office.
The Beast and Belle’s final dance in the
film is actually recycled animation from the final dance of Sleeping Beauty.
This isn't the first instance of Disney doing this either, it turns out they're fans of recycling.
The ending credits of Beauty and the Beast were performed by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.
Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney animated feature film to have a pop version of it’s theme play during the credits.
A number of the paintings on the walls of
the Beast’s castle are inspired by famous artworks, including pieces by Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Goya.
The Beast has excellent tastes!
Paige O’Hara was in her early thirties when
she voiced Belle, though the Disney princess is only seventeen.
Beauty and the Beast was the first animated feature to win a Golden Globe for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy.
Patrick Stewart almost voiced Cogsworth, but
had to turn down the role due to scheduling conflicts with Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Beauty and the Beast was Disney’s 30th animated feature.
The film consists of around 120,000 drawings and 1,295 painted backgrounds.
The art director of the film, Brian McEntee, chose to have Belle be the only character
in her town who wears blue. This was meant to signify how different she is from everyone
else. Of course, our protagonist later meets Beast who also wears blue at times.
The film is dedicated to lyricist and executive producer Howard Ashman, who died eight months
prior to its completion due to AID-related complications. It was his final body of work.
Howard Ashman was posthumously nominated for the Oscar for Best Song, alongside collaborator
and friend Alan Menken. Actually, three of their songs were nominated for the category. They won with “Beauty and the Beast.”
The film and Alan Menken scored a second Academy Award for Best Score.
Chip is the only character in the castle, besides the Beast, to call Belle by name.
LeFou’s name means “The Madman” in French,
and is also a phonetic pun for the French pronunciation of “The Fool.”
The smoke from the scene when the Beast transforms back into his original form is actual smoke, not animated.
That's one way of getting it to look really realistic.
The aforementioned smoke was originally used in Disney’s film The Black Cauldron.
There were darker scenes from the film that
were cut, including Gaston visiting an Asylum and the Beast dragging an animal carcass.
Rupert Everett auditioned for the role of Gaston, but was turned down because he didn’t
sound arrogant enough. He kept this critique in mind when trying out for the role of Prince Charming in Shrek 2, which he nabbed.
When Beast and Gaston are struggling on the
roof, Gaston yells out “Belle is mine!” The line was originally “Time to die!”, but changed to fit Belle back into the scene.
The stained glass window at the end of the
film depicting Beauty and the Beast, or Prince Adam, was constructed following the movie’s
release and resides permanently at Disneyland.
Hey everyone we're taking just a quick break to let you know what's coming up!
So on Tuesday on Cartoon Hangover, we have 107 Facts about Spirited Away!
Then on Thursday on Channel Frederator, we have 107 facts about the upcoming Pixar film, The Good Dinosaur.
Then on Saturday on Channel Frederator, we have our Saturday Morning Cartoons feature
which features some of the best animations from members in our network. It's great, you should totally check it out
if you want to see awesome animation by cool people. And with that, back to the facts!
The prologue of the film states that the rose
will bloom until the prince is 21, and in “Be Our Guest” Lumiere sings the line
“Ten years we’ve been rusting-”. With some simple math, the conclusion can be drawn
that the prince met the sorceress when he was just 11 years old. Her punishment’s looking a bit harsh now.
Did anyone ever contact authorities about that?
Lumiere is voiced by Jerry Orbach, who played
Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order for 13 seasons.
In 1991, an unfinished version of the film screened at the New York Film Festival. Despite
30% of the film being composed of storyboards and uninked pencil tests, it received a 10-minute standing ovation.
The role of Cogsworth was actually written for John Cleese, who turned it down.
Beauty and the Beast is only the 41st highest
grossing animated film of all time. This may have a little something to do with inflation.
Laurence Fishburne, Val Kilmer, Mandy Patinkin,and Tim Curry were also considered for the role of the Beast.
Where's Dee Bradley Baker? I want Dee Bradley Baker!
Jeffrey Katzenberg hired Kirk Wise and Gary
Trousdale to direct the film. Similar to Linda Woolverton, the two didn’t have much on
their belt. Their major credit was a short film titled “Cranium Command” which was
commissioned for an attraction at Disney’s EPCOT Center.
Robby Benson was cast as the Beast, despite being best known for his roles as sensitive
male teens in movies like Ice Castles and The Chosen.
The sounds of growling panthers and lions were mixed in to Robby Benson’s voice digitally to enhance Beast’s howls.
Which, I know I'm putting a lot of pressure on the editor right now but I'd like to try that myself!
Beauty and the Beast was one of Disney’s
earliest collaborations with Pixar. Pixar developed a computer-animation software (CAPS,
short for Computer Animation Production System) for Disney. It was first used in The Rescuers
Down Under, and then for the ballroom sequence in Beauty and the Beast set to the titular
song. The software enabled animators to create a 3D model of the ballroom, which was used
to make it appear as though a camera was swirling through the space as Belle and the Beast danced.
The sequence was considered a highlight of the film and helped spur Disney to move to full-length computer animated films.
The film was released in November 1991 to
an overwhelmingly positive response. It was the third-highest grossing movie that year.
Terminator 2 apparently took the #1 slot.
When the film was released in China, the Beast’s speaking and singing voices were dubbed by Jackie Chan.
The song “Human Again” was cut from the
film’s original release. It was added again to the 2002 re-release, as well as the Broadway musical.
As Gaston falls, tiny skulls flash in his eyes to signal that he is approaching death.
Art directors traveled to the Loire Valley
in France for inspiration. They also studied French painters Fragonard and Boucher, which influenced the illustration style.
With this film, Linda Woolverton became the
first woman to write an animated feature for Disney.
For the first time, animators were credited on screen with the specific characters they had brought to life.
In the middle of development for Beauty and
the Beast, The Little Mermaid premiered. It changed the direction of the film, which then
also became something of a Broadway musical brought to animation.
Director Kirk Wise started his career drawing caricatures at a theme park. Not one of Disney’s,
though. While he attended art school, he worked at Universal Studios to make extra money.
Glen Keane wishes that the Beast had stayed as the Beast instead of reverting back to
his princely human form. To help with the transition, he suggested that a line be inserted
where Belle asks, “Do you think you could grow a beard?” It didn’t make it in, but
Glen believes it was a great idea and a missed opportunity.
I'm inclined to agree with him, that sounds amazing.
When Maurice, Belle’s father, gets lost in the woods he comes across some road signs.
If you squint, you can read that one of them says “Anaheim.” Of course, this is the
city in California where Disneyland is located. He could have ended up somewhere a lot more fun than the Beast’s castle!
Another sign points to “Valencia” which is the city that CalArts is located in.
John Alvin, the poster artist for Beauty and
the Beast, also designed posters for other renowned films. They include E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
Gremlins, The Lion King, The Color Purple, Blazing Saddles, and more.
Belle makes a cameo in the film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, another Disney film set in
France. Pumba from The Lion King and the Magic Carpet from Aladdin also make appearances.
The Beast has also made a cameo in another Disney film. If you pay attention to the Sultan’s
stacking toys in Aladdin, you can see that one of them is the Beast.
An earlier version of the film had no music, and added some members to Belle’s family.
A little sister named Clarice and a cat named Charley.
At one point, a scene was going to be included that showed the Beast being cursed by the
sorceress. She would chase him through the castle and hit bystanding servants, accidentally
transforming the into objects before finally getting to the prince.
Disney’s animation department won a Scientific
and Technical Academy Award for the design and development of the Computer Animated Production System they used for the film.
Bambi’s mother makes a cameo in the film
during the opening shot. She can be seen drinking from a stream in the lower right.
Turns out she was fine, she just abandoned her child. She wasn't shot! That's so much better.
The song “Be Our Guest” was originally meant to be sung to Maurice, not Belle. Producers
felt it was too good to use on a secondary character though, so things were rewritten.
In 2002, the Library of Congress selected Beauty and the Beast for preservation in the
National Film Registry, deeming it “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
According to Maurice, the Beast is 10 feet tall.
The first stained glass window seen in the prologue of the film has “vincit qui se
vincit” on it, which is a Latin phrase meaning “he conquers, who conquers himself.”
It's a dead language so you can't get on me for pronouncing it incorrectly.
In The Mob Song, Gaston says “Screw your courage to the sticking place.” This is a reference to Macbeth.
The Beast’s makeover when he’s preparing
for his evening with Belle, parallels that of the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.
Of course, the Beast doesn’t keep the ribbon and curls.
The last portion of Cogsworth’s line, “Flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to
keep…” was actually ad-libbed by David Ogden Stiers.
Actually, producers encouraged actors to improvise, so there are a few lines in the final film that were never in the script.
Almost the entire cast of the film is composed
of Broadway stars. This was intentional, as Disney hoped that in the future a theatrical backer would finance a stage version.
In the French version of the film, Cogsworth
is named Big Ben, after the famed clock and tower in London.
Belle’s dress is loosely based on Dorothy’s from The Wizard of Oz.
When Paige O’Hara was auditioning for the film, a bit of her hair flew into her face
and she tucked it back. Animators liked this and added it into the film.
The scene where Belle runs into a field and sings is a homage to the opening scene in The Sound of Music.
As Belle leaves the book shop, three men sing.
The two men flanking the blonde in the middle are caricatures of directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale.
Belle’s favorite book is actually not too
distant from her real life. It features far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells,
and...a prince in disguise. In fact, the lead meets Prince Charming early on, but doesn’t
find out until chapter 3. Fans have speculated that the book Belle is reading is Sleeping Beauty.
Among the 370 people involved in its production, 43 were animators.
At the foot of the Beast’s castle at Walt Disney World, you can dine at the Be Our Guest Restaurant. Not only is it designed to look
like the castle from the film, you can even order the “Grey Stuff” that Lumiere sings
about in “Be Our Guest.”
Upon its release, Frank Rich, a renowned theatre critic for the New York Times, asserted that
the film was better than any musical he’d seen on Broadway that year.
Frank Rich’s comment inspired Disney to develop the film into its first Broadway musical
based on its animated features. It opened in 1994 and ran for 5,464 performances before
it was closed in 2007 to make way for The Little Mermaid Broadway show. It is currently
the 9th longest running musical in Broadway history.
In 2017, Disney will release a live-action film of the same name and general plot. The
director, Bill Condon has said that he will draw inspiration from the animated film and
that he plans to include most of the songs from the musical.
Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle, made a cameo appearance in Disney’s 2007 film Enchanted.
She played a television soap opera character who acted out a scene paralleling Belle tending
to the Beast’s wounds. The character’s name was Angela, which was apparently a pointer
to her Beauty and the Beast co-star Angela Lansbury.
Directors Wise and Trousdale went on to direct The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire.
Woolverton went on to co-write Disney’s The Lion King and Mulan.
She also wrote the 2010 live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.
The three Bimbettes are actually played by just two actresses.
Animators were encouraged to add Gaston hitting LeFou wherever they could fit it.
Spin-offs of The Beauty and The Beast include Belle’s Enchanted Christmas, Belle’s Magical World,
Sing Me A Story With Belle, and six video games.
Howard Ashman was the person who pushed for Belle’s father to be an eccentric inventor.
Mrs. Chamomile was a name suggestion for Mrs. Potts.
The animator in charge of Belle studied ballerinas to establish how she would move.
While many animated films take around 4 or 5 years to complete, Beauty and the Beast took only two.
Producers were so pleased with Tony Jay’s
work that they even used his audition piece in the final film. Disney also cast him again
later as Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
In the added song “Human Again” Belle and the Beast can be seen reading a book together.
It’s none other than Romeo and Juliet.
During “Human Again” we also see characters
cleaning up the castle. Because of this, animators had to go back and clean up the castle in
scenes following the song for continuity. It was still quite a mess in the original.
The completed film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
The Bimbettes hairstyles initially match up with Belle’s, Ariel’s, and Jasmine’s.
"Bimbettes" seems like a really derogatory name
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