‘Beauty and the Beast’ Gets ABC’s 30th Anniversary Live Treatment – ​​The Hollywood Reporter

Beauty and the Beast gets the live treatment on ABC to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the beloved animated classic’s historic Academy Award nomination.

The Disney-backed broadcast network is putting together a two-hour live-action/animated special that will feature a new cast and will air on December 15 on the broadcast network. Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Wicked) is on board as an executive producer on the project, which will be directed by Hamish Hamilton. The latter is best known for directing award shows, including the Emmys and Grammys, as well as the Super Bowl halftime show, ABC’s The Little Mermaid Live, and a couple of Disney’s quarantine-era sing-alongs. The special will be available to stream December 16 on Disney+.

“Beauty and the Beast is a timeless story and we are so fortunate to work with creative mastermind Jon M. Chu and veteran director Hamish Hamilton to put a modern twist on this beloved classic for an unforgettable night of Disney magic.” Craig Erwich said. , President, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “Packed with unforgettable performances, this will be a special event not to be missed for fans of the original and for the new generation who will know this cherished story.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of when 1991’s Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film to earn an Academy Award nomination for best picture. It would go on to win Oscars for its original score and song.

The BATB special will feature never-before-seen musical performances, new settings, and costumes inspired by the classic story. Each performance, ABC says, will pay tribute to the original animated favorite while also adding to its iconic story. Songs from the original animated classic will be performed in front of a live audience at Disney Studios.

The new special follows news earlier this year that Disney+ was delaying its Beauty and the Beast prequel series, which starred Josh Gad and Luke Evans, reprising their roles from the 2017 live-action feature. The project, sources say, is expected to move forward despite rumors to the contrary. Disney had already poured millions into the production, which came from Once Upon a Time veterans Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was to feature new music by EGOT winner Alan Menken. Sources note that Disney pointed to the series by Kitsis and Horowitz, two of Disney’s biggest showrunners, as an example of the content it wanted to create for its streaming service.

“Beauty and the Beast was always a groundbreaking movie experience for me,” said Chu, who also works at Disney under general agreement. “When the animated movie came out, I watched it several times during the first weekend. It showed me the outer limits of what animated artists and storytellers could achieve, so the fact that I get to produce a tribute to all of the creatives who made this masterpiece through our company Electric Somewhere is a dream I didn’t even have. I didn’t even think it was possible. . With world-class creatives and a talent for reinterpreting classic musical numbers (with a few surprises), I can’t wait for audiences, in person and at home, to experience what we have in store for them. It is a true celebration of creativity.”

Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration is executive produced by Chu, Hamilton’s Done and Dusted Productions, Walt Disney Television Alternative, Caitlin Foito, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft and Katy Mullan.

Chu is currently in pre-production on Universal’s film adaptation of Wicked and is developing Dr. Seuss’ Oh, The Places You’ll Go with JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot. This latest project marks his first animated feature film.

Source: www.hollywoodreporter.com