Disney Debuts First Photo of Live-Action ‘Beauty & The Beast’

The latest issue of Entertainment Weekly features a treat for Disney aficionados on its cover: The first full shot of Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the titular characters in the upcoming live action adaptation of Beauty & The Beast.

The photograph looks to be from the well-known ballroom dance sequence. Stevens is fully decked out in his Beast look, including prosthetics, long hair, what appear to be CGI legs, and the character’s blue dress attire. In his arms is Watson, decked out in a version of Belle’s iconic yellow ballgown.

In excerpts released from the article, costume designer Jaqueline Durran explained how the creative team brought the classic garment to life.

“We tested a lot of yellows. It was just trying to work out the tone. It’s still made of silk, but it has a satin finish, so it’s less transparent than other organza. There is a cage under some parts of [the skirt], but mainly it’s layers of organza that just give it a lift, for it to have lightness.”

Durran goes on to explain how the design was made with Watson’s portrayal in mind. “For Emma, it was important that the dress was light and that it had a lot of movement. In Emma’s reinterpretation, Belle is an active princess. She did not want a dress that was corseted or that would impede her in any way.”

Watson herself describes her version of Belle as “…very practical. In the (original) movie she wears these little ballet shoes, and I knew they had to go. If you’re going to ride your horse and tend your garden and fix machinery, then you need to be in proper boots.”

The photo joins previously released images of Gaston as well as concept art of Cogsworth and Lumiere.

The highly anticipated Beauty & The Beast stars Watson and Stevens along side Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Adrian Schiller, Hattie Morahan, Henry Garrett, and Harriet Jones in live action rolls. In addition, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nathan Mack provide vocal performances. The film is scheduled for release on March 17, 2017.