“You don’t lose hope, love. If you do, you lose everything” – Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Let’s not judge a book by its cover and dive right into these surprising facts about the various forms of the Beauty and the Beast story.
Beauty And The Beast Facts
34. Bambi cameo
For one star-studded moment, Bambi’s mother appears in the 1991 movie. The opening shot of the film features her drinking from the stream in the lower right.
33. The hills are alive with the clanking of pots and pans?
Julie Andrews was reportedly the first choice to voice Mrs. Potts in the 1991 film.
32. Farewell, Gaston
When Gaston is falling at the end of the 1991 film, a tiny skull flashes in each of his eyes during a close-up of his face. This is meant to symbolize that he dies from the fall.
31. It’s all about experience
In 1988, Disney hired Richard Purdum to adapt the film. His version of the film was a much darker, non-musical adaption that never made it to the big screen. After he left the film, screenwriter Linda Woolverton was hired to rewrite the script. Her entire portfolio of writing experience with Disney consisted of a few episodes of Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers.
30. If at first, you don’t succeed…
Disney tried turning Beauty and the Beast into a film twice before finally going for it in 1991 – first attempt was in the 1930s and the second in the 1950s. Now, Disney has two adaptations.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
29. Being blue
In the 1991 Beauty and the Beast, Belle is the only character in her village to wear blue to symbolize that she is different.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
28. Stained glass has class
Remember the gorgeous stained glass featured in the 1991 Beauty and the Beast? Under the scene depicted there is a Latin phrase “Vincit qui se vincit.” Ever wonder what it meant? The translation is: "He conquers who conquers himself,” which is an interesting bit of foreshadowing…
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
27. Switching movies
Ryan Gosling was originally offered the part of the Beast in the 2017 adaptation, but turned it down to star in La La Land. Emma Watson, on the other hand, was offered to star in La La Land and turned it down to appear in Beauty and the Beast.
26. Meet Adam
Who is Adam? Well, that is the name of the Beast and subsequently the Prince in the 1991 Beauty and the Beast. His name is never mentioned in the film, but it was confirmed later.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
Sign up to our newsletter.
History’s most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Making distraction rewarding since 2017.
25. Beast is a myriad of animals
Can you guess which ones? Beast is a very subtle combination of: a gorilla (brow ridge and head shape), a buffalo (hunch and eerie melancholy), a lion (the mane), a bear (the body) and a wolf (those saucy legs and tail). His tusks have been borrowed from a boar. He’s like a quilt of animals.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
24. Same film, same composer
Alan Menken, who did the score for the 1991 Beauty and the Beast, returned to create the score for the live-action film. Some songs were rerecorded from the original and a few new ones were written.
Getty Images
23. One line character
The adorable Chip, originally had only one line in the entire 1991 Beauty and the Beast, but the producers fell in love with Bradley Pierce’s voice work and gave his character more lines.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
22. The cute factor
Before Chip’s character was expanded, the original “cute” character was intended to be a music box.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
21. Jackie Chan as the Beast
Just hear us out… Jackie Chan actually dubbed the Beast’s voice in Mandarin for the 1991 film release in China. Wouldn’t have guessed, right?
20. The elusive French accent
Ewan McGregor, who portrays Lumiere in the live-action film, said that the most difficult aspect of the character was the French accent. Try and as he might, the actor claimed his accent kept coming out Mexican-sounding.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
19. It takes a village
The 1991 Beauty and the Beast took a grand total of four years and 600 artists (as well as animators) to make! Yes, you read that right – 600 artists and animators. That is crazy.
18. Candles, candles, candles
More than 8,700 candles were used as decoration on the set of the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
17. One take, one slam dunk
It took Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts) one take to record the “Beauty and the Beast” song in the 1991 film. The actress didn’t think she was well suited for the song and recorded it as a backup, but the producers loved it.
16. Emma Watson’s reinvention of Belle
Emma Watson requested for Belle to be the inventor in the live-action film, instead of her father Maurice. This was to justify her being treated differently by the villagers. Watson also chose to wear boots instead of flats (which Belle wore in the 1991 film), because they’d be more suitable for an inventor.
15. First time on the Disney train
The live-action Beauty and the Beast is Emma Watson’s very first Disney film.
14. Be our guest… Maurice?
Originally, the “Be Our Guest” song in the 1991 adaptation was meant to be sung to Maurice, but the producers didn’t want a secondary character to be the receiver of such an awesome song and changed the scene to involve Belle instead.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
13. Chandeliers from Versailles
The live-action film features beautiful, giant chandeliers in the ballroom (each measuring 14 by 7 feet!), the design for which is actually borrowed from the ones in Versailles.
12. Putting it all together
The filming for the live-action Beauty and the Beast finished in 2015, but it took several years to put the film together.
11. Losing to Hannibal Lecter
Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. It ended up losing to Silence of the Lambs.
10. What’s the thread count?
The iconic yellow dress Belle wears in the 1991 Beauty and the Beast, took 12,000 hours to turn into reality for the 2017 live-action film! That’s basically over a year and a half of nonstop work.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
9. Gaston’s demise
When Gaston fell from the castle in the 1991 film, he was supposed have lived and then killed by a pack of wolves. The producers scrapped that idea, but it was repurposed by Disney later for Scar’s death in The Lion King.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
8. Lazy dance
The final dance scene with Belle and the Beast (who is by then a Prince) in the 1991 film is actually a reused sequence from a dance between Aurora and Prince Phillip in Sleeping Beauty. In all fairness, it was not laziness, the animators were simply running out of time and decided to recycle.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
7. No corset for this gal
Emma Watson flat out refused to wear a corset for her role in the live-action film. Can’t say we blame her.
6. Mrs. Chamomile
Yup, Mrs. Potts was originally named Mrs. Chamomile to give her a soothing persona. Of course, Mrs. Potts is much easier to remember and pronounce for children, which is what ultimately led to the change.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
5. Make it rain!
The 1991 Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney animated film to earn more than $100 million at the box office.
4. Belle is the oldest Disney “princess”
She’s not technically a princess, but let’s move on. Disney chose to write the character as a woman in her 20s – which is evident in both the 1991 and 2017 adaptations – whereas the other princesses have all been in their teens.
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
3. Ties with Katharine Hepburn
Apparently, while writing the character Belle for the 1991 adaptation of the story, screenwriter Linda Woolverton used Katharine Hepburn’s performance as Jo in Little Women as inspiration. She wanted Belle to be a stronger and more independent character.
2. The original original
The fairy-tale written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, obviously differs greatly from the adaptations. First of all, there is no enchanted furniture or servants; the Beast lives alone. There is no Gaston. Belle is one of six children and has two mean older sisters. Maurice is not an inventor, but a merchant, who loses his fortune. He is captured by the Beast while trying to cut a rose from his garden for Belle, who then takes his place. She ends up falling in love with the Beast and turning him into a prince. The two mean sisters are turned into stone at the end. That’s pretty much it in a nutshell.
1. Controversial Love? Come on, it’s 2017.
Russian officials tried to ban the upcoming live-action remake of the 1991 classic, and some American theatres are threatening to boycott the film after Disney stated that the film will feature an openly gay character. Most fans feel this is the right step for Disney, but the vocal minority always finds a way to drag us back 100 years.
Deadline critic Pete Hammond described the character:
“The villain of the piece is the dashing but devious Gaston (Luke Evans), who pursues Belle relentlessly, accompanied by Le Fou (Josh Gad), his sidekick who seems to be more interested in Gaston than Belle would ever be. Le Fou is said to be Disney’s first gay character — and already stirring a bit of controversy in Alabama — but the inference is not overt and lands more into bromance territory than anything else.”
Emma Watson says she "loves" the scene because it's subtle, calling it "fun."
Walt Disney Pictures, Beauty and the Beast
