To tell a story as old as time that’s as inventive as its heroine, the production team behind ABC’s Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration assembled a diverse team of talent to bring the classic story to life for the young and the young at heart. Presented by The Wonderful World of Disney, the combined live-action and animated special will air Thursday, December 15 at 8 pm ET/PT and will be available to stream Friday on Disney+.
Emmy® Award-nominated production designer Julio Himede is behind the special’s wonderfully whimsical set design. He used cutting-edge technology to honor the 30th anniversary of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Beauty and the Beast becoming the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards®. “Our overall goal was to take the wonderful art created for the original film and explore a different creative approach that would celebrate it,” says Himede, founder of Yellow Studio. “We didn’t want to take away or disrespect the art they created, but rather complement it and allow viewers to see the themes of the film in a different way.”
Himede’s team spent about 15 months perfecting the production design. “There was a romantic period of three or four months where we explored different concepts,” he recalls. “After that, we started designing sets for all the different scenes.” Her team also worked closely with lead choreographer and executive producer Jamal Sims and costume designer Marina Toybina to tell a cohesive story. “We had conversations from the beginning,” says Himede. “The scenery is related to the language of the costumes, and they are related to the visual language of movement. It was a lovely collaboration.”
A longtime fan of the original film, Himede and his team took special care to honor the film’s legacy. “My team was inspired by the thousands of sketches the animators did,” he says. “We had exclusive access to the Walt Disney Archives in Burbank, where we were able to see, feel and touch these wonderful sketches. We also had the chance to meet Mark Henn, who was the lead character animator on Belle. It was a great honor to speak with him. I even told Mark, ‘All of your wonderful art, doodles and sketches, even the ones that didn’t make it into a film, inspired our set design and the entire visual identity of the 30th celebration production. So thanks.’ It was wonderful to meet and honor the artist who worked 30 years ago on this production.”
For example, black-and-white storybook sketches appear in “Belle,” further illustrating the marriage between the animated film and the live-action production, the latter of which was shot in front of a live audience in disneystudios. “After talking with [executive producers] John M. Chu and Hamish Hamilton, we wanted to portray Bella walking out of her house into a world of sketches,” Himede explains. “Sketching that whole scene in 2D was a way of letting the audience know that we’re celebrating the art form of the movie, from that particular moment forward. And at the end of that performance, he transforms from a black and white sketch to color.”
In fact, several original sketches are used as backdrops in the special, tying together the past and present iterations of the story. “We use a lot of video projection and video technology,” says Himede. “We wanted a seamless transition as the audience watches the transition from the original animation to live action. It was a challenge, but technology allowed us to smooth everything out, and I think we did it in the end.”
One of the biggest shows is “Be Our Guest,” the swanky musical number featuring dancing silverware, decadent desserts and more. “It’s the funniest song in the movie. It is a very high energy, so it was a challenge for us to reinterpret it in our own way,” explains Himede. “At the beginning of ‘Be Our Guest,’ we’ve done something very interesting that involves puppets. We start off quite small, and visually it grows into a large, massive-scale number, which the song calls for. It took us about six months to create it.”
Directed by Hamilton, Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration stars HER as Belle, Josh Groban as The Beast, Joshua Henry as Gaston, Martin Short as Lumière, David Alan Grier as Cogsworth, Shania Twain as Mrs. Potts, Leo Abelo Perry as Chip, Rizwan Manji as LeFou, and Jon Jon Briones as Maurice. Rita Moreno is the narrator of the special.
Source: news.google.com