Beauty & The Beast's Official Trailer

For centuries, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's 1740  ‘tale as old as time’ – La Belle et la Bête –  has been retold in literature, media and theatre, delighting generations of readers & fans across the world.

Belle ('beauty'  in french) was the youngest of 12 children- (6 sons and 6 daughters)- of a merchant who lost his fortune and were forced to move from their mansion in the city to a humble cottage in the country. On the merchant's journey back (after failing to retrieve his seized cargo), he lost his way during a storm  and came upon a castle, whose doors magically opened for him. 

After a hearty  dinner and a good night's sleep, the merchant came across a magnificent rose garden. As Belle  had requested for a rose (unlike her sisters who asked for jewels and clothes), he plucked one... which turned out to be a mistake,  as it incurred the Beast's fury, suddenly appearing before the terrified man. As a condition in exchange for his life, he's allowed to take the rose to Belle  and other gifts but demanded that he returned with one of his daughters within a month. Belle  hears of the deal and volunteers, much to her Dad's dismay. At the castle, the tale really begins to unfold  and then later ends on a happy note. 

The tale was later abridged and rewritten by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, in 1756. 

The Disney animated musical version was released in 1991; the memorable scene with Belle and the Beast waltzing across the ballroom  and its main soundtrack, Beauty and The Beast (which won an Oscar for Best Original Song) adding to its popularity and earning it a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture- Musical or Comedy, the first animated film to be nominated and win such.

Following last year’s successful live action remake of Cinderella, Disney is set to release Beauty and the Beast on the 17th of March, 2017; starring Harry Potter alum Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as The Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Emma Thompson as Mrs Potts and Kelvin Kline as Belle’s papa, Maurice.

View official trailer below: