Jon M. Chu, who directed “In the Heights” and is currently working on the two-part “Wicked” adaptation for Universal, is bringing his special sauce to another beloved musical property: Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”.
“Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Anniversary,” combines original footage from the animated masterpiece (the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture) with new live-action performances and Chu as producer, an all-star line-up. Belle and the Beast HER and Josh Groban star as Rita Moreno as the narrator, Joshua Henry as Gaston, Martin Short as Lumière, David Alan Grier as Cogsworth, Rizwan Manji as LeFou, John Jon Briones, Leo Abello Perry as Chip and Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts.
But what is this 30?th Is the anniversary celebration all about? And why was Chu forced to remake “Beauty and the Beast” again? Read on to find out.
What is “Beauty and the Beast: A 30”th Anniversary” exactly?
Well, “Beauty and the Beast” turned 30 when it was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. I grew up with “Beauty and the Beast” I was obsessed with all Disney animation during that golden age. And I went opening weekend, I had all the toys, I still have them in their boxes, I never opened them because I thought one day they would be worth so much money because this movie was crap. I also have newspaper ads, one sheet of it, I just saved it. I had trading cards.
One version I saw at the time, it was a work-in-progress version of the movie that they sent as a screener to the Oscars, with a friend’s father of mine. And that’s what inspired me to make movies because I saw animation thinking it was magic. But when you see pictures of it, you realize, oh, humans made it. He made it just like I make it in my sketchbook at home and made it in this. And to me, that was mind-blowing. It stayed with me for so many years.
When they did a “Little Mermaid” special last year where they showed the animated film and they did these interstitials with a live audience while performing live. I wanted to do the same but that’s it but I wanted to reinterpret some of the numbers and do something like Chasing the Wolves where there were no numbers but we make it a number in our movie, or When rose petals fall. We take this from the movie and have all these dancers represent rose petals to pay homage to the idea of creativity. It’s a celebration of genuine creativity, that it’s not just about “Beauty and the Beast” surviving, but that it’s about inspiring new generations, my generation. And as a storyteller, I am here now and I have the honor to pay tribute to him. And then also giving way for these young choreographers to reinterpret these numbers, and hopefully inspire another generation. I hope it’s additive to the legacy of “Beauty and the Beast.”
What was the biggest challenge of this particular production?
The challenge was how do we complement the original film and not take away from it? And so how do we like to take something like Belle’s wonder and make it contemporary and an anthem for young people where it’s not only feeling sad about this guy asking her to marry him but Really empowering and our version of Belle is really connected to other people it’s women and she also meets her younger self who had all these dreams and our hopes for this adventure ahead. And it feels like “Belle Reprise” is trying to materialize. I think finding those little gaps, finding where the rose petal dance really works because at one point the rose petals are really sad, letting go of the rose petals is a sacrifice and it’s really beautiful. And then the last one is that it brings them back to life. , Basically getting into the top line of storytellers who did it for the first time and were trying to find their way into it. This was probably the hardest because we all had different versions of how to do it and how to do it delicately.
Did you consult any of the original creative principals on the first film?
I had to do a lot with Alan Menken because we were working with his music and so much material that we were reinterpreting, we were talking to him and his team, and he had to listen to me. I used to Zoom with him because he was always in different places and he would give notes. And it was great. What it was like working on “Beauty and the Beast” with Alan Menken, it’s crazy. I have Lin-Manuel Miranda on one side, Stephen Schwartz on the other, and Alan Menken on the third line. It’s been a crazy, crazy year to be honest.
Can you talk about your approach to casting?
Just the fact that we got Martin Short and persuaded him to do it and showed him everything we were doing. He’s such a huge supporter of creativity. I wasn’t sure since I’d never met her before, if she would even be interested. But I think he was such a sucker for creativity and all these young choreographers who were stepping up to show what they do. I think he was into it and his “Be Our Guest is crazy. It’s crazy to think that “Be Our Guest” has been done in so many ways, in every talent show and every Disney on Ice and Disneyland show and on Broadway. Like How are you going to do it again and the way we do it is a lot of fun. So it sounds very Martin Short.
But especially with him, I have wanted to work with him for a long time. We even found it together in a weird way. I didn’t know if she would be interested in doing it, but she’s a huge Disneyphile. And I think the moment it was announced, she also released something on her TikTok where she is singing the opening. And she kills it. And when he brings out his guitar, just wait. Josh Groban is amazing of course. and being a Black and Filipina belle. And it seems to me that you do not even question it. It’s really great to see that imagination brought to life.
What are you most excited about seeing people in this edition?
There are definitely many things out there, but I think I think our “Be Our Guest” is crazy. I think it’s very funny. This is not just a big dance number. I think it’s just weird and cool. I think when people first come to this movie, the opening prologue really compels me to explain the stained glass window. And I think it’s really cool. And of course, the rose stuff is just fabulous. It’s all overhead. And so it’s like you’re looking at this kaleidoscope of rose petals and it’s really innovative.
“Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Anniversary” airs Thursdays on ABC and Fridays on Disney+.
