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Stream Beauty and the Beast Now
Remakes and reboots are all the rage these days and the classic ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is so beloved that it makes sense Disney would revisit it for this generation of viewers. The 2017 reboot of the 1991 animated classic stars Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, while also featuring Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, and Ewan McGregor.
The tale may be old as time, but Watson and Stevens are the first to bring the characters to life in a live-action version of the story, aside from the Broadway musical that began in 1993. All the iterations are based on the 18th-century French fairytale written by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont.
Although Disney intended its release for primarily American audiences, most of the principal photography and filming took place in England and is one of the most expensive films ever made. It was met with mostly positive reviews by both Disney purists and new fans alike. The performances by Watson and Stevens got a lot of good buzz, but it was also heralded for its faithfulness to the animated original.
It’s turning into a classic, in its own right, so thankfully you can watch ‘Beauty and the Beast online anytime you want. ‘Beauty and the Beast’ streaming is a handy way to introduce younger viewers to the tale because many fans of the original are of parenting age now
Here’s how to stream ‘Beauty and the Beast’ right now:
How to Stream ‘Beauty and the Beast’ – Exclusively on Disney+
Beauty and the Beast is one of the now-many Disney live-action remake movies that will be streaming exclusively on Disney’s new subscription streaming service, Disney+.
You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Disney+ HERE, which will allow you to stream Beauty and the Beast and hundreds of other movies and shows on your computer, phone, tablet, smart TV or streaming device. If you extend past the free trial, the service costs $6.99/month. You may also opt for this discount bundle of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ for $12.99/month.
- 1. Sign up for Disney+ here
- 2. Go to Disneyplus.com or download the Disney+ app on your device
- 3. Log in using your information
- 4. Search for “Beauty and the Beast”
- 5. Click/Tap on the live-action version
- 6. Tap the Play Button
- 7. Enjoy!
Disney+ also boasts a vast library of Disney-owned movies and series — plus several new original series coming soon. The service includes unlimited downloads so you can watch offline whenever and wherever you want. The list of compatible devices and smart TVs includes iPads, Apple TV, Amazon devices, Amazon Fire TV, Android, Chromecast, Roku, PS4, and Xbox One.
‘Beauty and the Beast’: Overview
Release Date:February 23, 2017
Creators: David Hoberman, Todd Liberman
Director: Bill Condon
Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor
Rating: PG
Synopsis: A young woman gets lost in the woods, looking for her kidnapped father and stumbles upon a run-down castle populated by singing inanimate objects. When she finally meets the master of the house, she discovers he is a ferocious beast who wants her to trade her presence for that of her father’s, which he is holding prisoner. She agrees, and over the course of her stay they fall in love. He is then transformed back into the handsome prince he once was, and they lived happily ever after.
How Long Is ‘Beauty and the Beast’?
129 minutes
‘Beauty and the Beast’ Plot
An old and weathered woman shows up at the castle of a selfish and mean prince, asking to wait out the storm raging outside. Instead of welcoming her in, the prince turns her away, suggesting he is too rich and important to interact with her. The old woman reveals she is really a beautiful and powerful enchantress, and then places a curse on the rotten prince as revenge for turning her away.
The curse transforms the prince into a ghastly Beast, turns his servants into inanimate objects, and erases them all from the memories of their loved ones. She sets a rose under a glass lid, warning the Beast that he will be doomed to stay that way unless he learns to love another and earn their love in return. He must do so before the last petal falls or he will have to stay the Beast forever.
Years later, Belle is living in a small French village with her music box maker father, Maurice. Belle loves to read and is not interested in the town’s most eligible bachelor, Gaston, despite his forward and inappropriate advances. Belle takes care of her absent-minded father and readies him for a convention in another town.
Maurice gets lost on his way to the convention and takes shelter from a storm at the Beast’s castle. The Beast imprisons him for plucking a rose from the garden for Belle and throws him in the dungeon. When Maurice’s horse returns to the village without his rider, Belle sets out to look for her father.
Belle finds the castle, discovers the strange state its in, and finally comes face to face with the Beast. Although he is a little smitten with her, he agrees to allow her to stay in exchange for her father’s freedom. He allows her to stay in the castle, instead of the dungeon but forbids her from one particular area of the castle, which contains the rose.
She befriends the staff and they invite her to be their guest at a beautiful dinner. Afterward, Belle enters the forbidden wing and when the Beast catches her in there he scares into the woods. She is attacked by wolves and he saves her, becoming injured in the process. A friendship develops as she tends his wounds, and they grow closer and closer.
Meanwhile, back in the village, Maurice tries to convince the townspeople of the Beast’s existence, but no one believes him. Gaston sees this as an opportunity to gain favor with Belle, but Maurice doesn’t want to encourage him, so Gaston allows Maurice to be committed to an insane asylum.
Belle sees what’s happening to her father using a magic mirror, and the Beast lets her go to save her father because he loves her enough to release her. To prove her father’s sanity, Belle uses the mirror to show the Beast to the villagers, and Gaston uses this, and the knowledge that Belle loves the Beast in return, as an excuse to organize a mob and go after the Beast.
Gaston and the Beast square off in the North Tower, but the Beast is too sad to fight back until he sees Belle. He regains his strength, defeats Gaston, sparing his life. Gaston flees but climbs to higher ground to shoot the Beast with an arrow. Gaston ultimately falls to death.
As the last petal falls, the Beast dies. As Belle is crying over his body, she professes her love for him, summoning the enchantress to appear before them. She reverses the spell, turning the Beast back into the handsome prince, and restoring all the servants back to human form.
Belle and the prince host a giant ball for the whole land, welcoming them all into the now stored castle.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ Cast
The cast of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is star-studded for sure. Every character, even the more minor ones, are brought to life by A-list celebrities.
Emma Watson as Belle
Emma Watson may never be anything but Hermione Granger to some fans, but her turn as Belle is surely changing some minds. In fact, Watson was the first actor cast and the first, and only, choice to play Belle. The 2017 ‘Beauty and the Beast’ was a product of Warner Bros., the same production company responsible for all eight of the ‘Harry Potter’ movies.
Dan Stevens as Beast
There might not be much of a fan crossover between ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and ‘Downton Abby,’ but Stevens is very well known for his turn as Matthew Crawley on the British soap opera. Currently, you can find him in the Marvel-adjacent show, ‘Legion’ airing on FX.
Kevin Kline as Maurice
Kevin Kline is such a seasoned and experienced actor, the list of famous roles would be far too long to provide here. He has such range that he can go from a Disney dad to the voice of an animated character on ‘Bob’s Burgers’ without missing a beat.
Luke Evans as Gaston
Luke Evans might seem like a relative newcomer to starring roles, but he’s been around Hollywood for a while. He started out with a few small roles but got his big break in the 2014 retelling of Vlad the Impaler in ‘Dracula Untold.’
‘Beauty and the Beast’ Songs and Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the 2017 film is largely based on the 1991 animated movie. The 1991 score by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken won an Oscar and was one of the key reasons the director agreed to a live-action remake. The collection of songs was recorded by the cast and features songs sung by stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, and Luke Evans. The film also contains three additional new songs, composed by Menken with Tim Rice.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ at the Box Office
The film did incredibly well, even by Disney standards. It grossed close to $504 million dollars in America and nearly $1 billion worldwide. It became the highest-grossing musical, of all time, in just ten days.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ Reviews – What the Critics Said
The film, despite initial skepticism, played very well with critics. Some described said it played like a superhero movie for women. Critics fell in love with the performances primarily, but its visual aesthetics got a lot of attention as well, being described as graceful by some and enchanting by others.
Where ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Fits in the Disney Movie Pantheon
It’s hard to compete with the success of the 1991 animated film, but the 2017 version certainly gave it a run for its money. Although it’s not the first remake of a Disney favorite, it’s quickly become the gold standard by which to measure others. There is also a Broadway musical of the same name that came along in between the animation and the live-action film, making the Disney legacy of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ last for almost 30 years.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ Trailer
Stream Beauty and the Beast Now
‘Beauty and the Beast’ Trivia: 5 Fast Facts
A movie with the kind of scope and notoriety ‘Beauty and the Beast’ enjoyed, there is bound to be a lot of behind the scenes factoids. Here are a few of the most interesting.
1. April 15th is a very important date.
Emma Watson (Belle), Dame Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), Luke Evans (Gaston) and Nathan Mack (Chip) all have the same birthday: April 15th.
2. There’s a strange connection to ‘La La Land.’
Ryan Gosling was originally asked to play the role of the Beast. He had to turn it down to shoot ‘La La Land.’ Coincidentally, Emma Watson was offered the female lead in ‘La La Land’ but turned it down to be ‘Beauty and the Beast.’
3. There was (a LOT) more to Belle’s infamous dress than meets the eye.
Belle’s infamous yellow ball gown took 3,000 feet of thread, over 12,000 designer hours, and more than 2,000 Swarovski crystals. The dress is based on a sketch from Dan Stevens’ young daughter, Willow and was realized after the girl showed her sketch to Emma Watson. Watson then took the sketch to the costume designer and asked her to make it.
4. Emma Watson got bored.
During the long hours of filming the “Be Our Guest” sequence, Emma Watson would get really bored, since all she had to do was sit there. To keep her entertained, the crew would tell her jokes and silly stories to keep her giggling to pass the time. The director used her actual reactions to the behind the scenes jokes to use for Belle’s authentic responses.
5. The Beast’s library is a real place – sort of.
The beautiful and comprehensive library in the Beast’s castle is modeled after the Joanina Library, found in the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Unlike in the 1991 animated version, the Beast in the 2017 film was highly educated and well-read. It makes sense that he would get a lot of use out of the library since there wasn’t much else to do for all those years.