In just a few days, Disney will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its Oscar-winning film, Beauty and the Beast. That’s right, as hard as it may be to believe, it has been 30 years since we first heard Disney’s tale as old as time. The original animated film starred Paige O’Hara as Belle, Robby Benson as the Beast, Jesse Corti as LeFou, Richard White as Gaston, Jerry Orbach as Lumiere, and Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts. Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney’s most successful animated films ever, earning an Oscar for the song “Beauty and the Beast”. The film was also nominated for Best Picture.
On December 15, Disney and ABC will celebrate 30 years of Beauty and the Beast, with a live-action/animated special that will air at 8 p.m and will be directed by Hamish Hamilton. The special will then be available to stream on Disney+ the following day.
The Beauty and the Beast special will star H.E.R. as Belle, Josh Groban as the Beast, Martin Short as Lumiere, Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts, David Alan Grier as Cogsworth, Jon Jon Briones as Maurice, Leo Abelo Perry as Chip, and Rita Moreno as the narrator.
With less than a week to go until the special airs, Disney is now sharing a first look at the incredible costumes the cast will don for the performance. Let’s take a look!
The Beauty and the Beast 30th anniversary special will be produced by Jon M. Chu, who is known for his work Crazy Rich Asians, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, and Now You See Me 2. Chu has been a Disney fan all of his life and released a statement when he was announced as attached to the project:
“Beauty and the Beast was always a game-changing cinematic experience for me. When the animated movie came out, I watched it multiple times in the first weekend. It showed me the outer limits of what animated artists and storytellers could achieve, so the fact that I get to executive produce a tribute to all the creatives that made this masterpiece through our Electric Somewhere company is a dream I didn’t even think was possible. With world-class creatives and talent to reinterpret the classic musical numbers (with a few surprises), I can’t wait for the audiences, in person and at home, to experience what we have in store for them. It’s a true celebration of creativity.”
If you are all in on seeing this special, be sure to cozy up on the couch at 8 p.m. on December 15. If you are unable to watch the special when it airs live, then head to Disney+ the next day and stream it to your heart’s content!