ABC’s “Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” found its Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts in Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”), David Alan Grier (“In Living Colour”) and country music star Shania Twain Is. , respectively.
Rounding out the ensemble cast is Rizwan Manji (“Shit’s Creek”) as Gaston’s loyal sidekick, LeFou; John John Briones (“Ratched”) as Belle’s beloved father, Maurice; and Leo Abello Perry (2022’s “Cheap by the Dozen”), playing Mrs. Potts’ son Chip.
Presented by the anthology series The Wonderful World of Disney, a two-hour reenactment of the beloved tale of “Beauty and the Beast” will be taped in front of a live audience at Disney Studios and airs Thursday, December 15 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, with viewing on Disney+ the next day.
As previously announced, five-time Grammy and Oscar-winning singer-songwriter HER will portray Belle. Josh Groban – a Tony, Emmy and Grammy-nominated cast member – will play the Beast, while Tony and Grammy nominee Joshua Henry has been tapped to play Gaston. EGOT winner Rita Moreno will serve as the narrator of the night. John M. Choo will executive produce the hybrid animated/live-action special and Hamish Hamilton is set to direct, which will take viewers on a memorable journey through a classic mesmerizing tale.
Short is a two-time Emmy-winning comedian and actor who has built a prolific television, film and theater career since his “Saturday Night Live” breakout more than three decades ago. He has also won a Tony for his role in the revival of “Little Me”. Currently, he stars in Hulu’s popular “Only Murders in the Building” alongside Steve Martin and Selena Gomez.
Grier is a Tony-winning theatre, TV and comedic icon. He was a lead cast member in the Emmy-winning sketch comedy show “In Living Colour”. He starred in all three seasons of NBC’s “The Carmichael Show” and the network’s Emmy-winning live television production “The Wiz Live!” appeared in. as Kaward Singh. Grier is currently co-starring in FX’s “The Patient” opposite Steve Carell, and is set to adapt and executive produce a limited series adaptation of “A Soldier Story” for Sony Pictures TV.
Twain is a five-time Grammy winner and one of music’s most celebrated trailblazers. With five albums released and over 100 million albums sold worldwide, she remains the best-selling female country pop artist of all time. Twain was the first artist in history to release three consecutive Diamond certified albums. In July, Netflix released “Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl,” a career-spanning documentary on Twain’s life and career with an accompanying highlight album. At the end of September, the musician released the single “Waking Up Dreaming” from his upcoming album.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Disney Animation’s “Beauty and the Beast,” which became the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, while the theme song “Beauty and the Beast” won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1992.
“Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration” is produced by Dune + Dusted in association with Walt Disney Television Alternative and Electric Somewhere. Executive producers also include Hamilton, Caitlin Foito, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft and Katy Mullan. HER acts as a producer.
