'Beauty and the Beast' First Look: Emma Watson and Dan Stevens Take a Turn Around the Ballroom

What’s that on the cover of the new Entertainment Weekly? It’s a beast, one as tall as a mountain! Or at least, much taller than Emma Watson. The picture on the cover is the official reveal of the Beast (played by Dan Stevens) in Disney’s live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, in theaters March 17, 2017. In a scene recognizable to fans of the 1991 animated classic, the Beast dances with Belle (Emma Watson) in the ballroom of his castle.

The characters’ appearances are very close, but not identical, to the original illustrated versions; Belle’s dress, for example, has the same voluminous yellow skirt, but not the off-the-shoulder neckline or matching gloves. And the Beast (created with motion capture) has a distinctive new face, with more human-like features than the original cartoon character. (Interestingly, this mo-cap version of the Beast more closely resembles the one in director Jean Renoir’s 1946 adaptation of the fairy tale.)

Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls), co-stars Luke Evans as Gaston, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, and Kevin Kline as Maurice. The film features a combination of CGI and live-action characters, along with songs by original composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice (including new songs written for the film.) Go here to see a few other shots of the characters (including Stevens on set as the Beast’s human incarnation, Prince Adam), and check out more details from EW‘s cover story here.

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‘Beauty and the Beast’ Live-Action Tease: Watch Emma Watson and Dan Stevens at the Cast Table Read