Emma Watson and Dan Stevens bring Beauty and the Beast to life in first look images

The actors take on the iconic roles in Disney's new live-action version of the story 
First look: Emma Watson in character as Belle in Beauty and the Beast
Disney
Jennifer Ruby3 November 2016
The Weekender

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New images of the forthcoming live-action version of Beauty and the Beast show Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in action for the first time.

Looking strikingly similar to Disney’s 1991 cartoon classic, the film features characters including Luke Evans as Gaston and Kevin Kline as Maurice.

One picture, posted on Entertainment Weekly’s Instagram, shows Watson wearing Belle’s iconic yellow ball gown.

Another gives a first look at Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Lumière and Plumette, played by Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

The Beast, played by Stevens, looks even more fearsome than he does in the cartoon, with huge horns protruding from his head.

The story had been slightly updated from the Disney animation, with Watson’s character having more of a backstory.

“In the animated movie, it’s her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle,” said Watson.

“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.”

Beauty and the Beast is slated for release on March 17, 2017.

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