Beauty and the Beast: Emma Watson and Dan Stevens star in dramatic first full-length trailer

Fans have been given their first proper look at Disney's forthcoming live action adaptation
Jennifer Ruby14 November 2016
The Weekender

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The first full-length trailer for Beauty and the Beast shows all the characters in action for the first time.

Starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, the new clip gives a more detailed look at Disney’s live action adaptation following last month’s teaser.

The story doesn’t seem to stray far from the 1991 Disney animation, with Watson’s Belle imprisoned in the magical castle while the enchanted staff try to show her the Beast’s true heart.

Fans also get more of a comprehensive look first look at Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Lumière and Plumette, played by Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Disney

Luke Evans stars as narcissistic hunter Gaston, while Kevin Kline plays Belle's father Maurice.

Speaking about revisiting such a well-known story, director Bill Condon told the Telegraph:

“I had this a bit with Twilight. When the property is this well known, there’s an extra responsibility in trying to get it right.

“As long as you come at it with a certain affection, you just have to hope that your decisions make sense to everyone else.”

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Other updates to the story include giving Watson’s character more of a backstory.

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

“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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