Disney has released the first full trailer for its live action remake of Beauty and the Beast, which is set to release in cinemas next year. Coming after a teaser trailer that didn’t reveal too much about the movie, this new clip offers glimpses of many of the characters fans will remember from the original.
We see Gaston (Luke Evans) rallying an angry mob, presumably for an assault on the Beast’s castle, as well as a brief snippet of one of his musical numbers. Belle’s father also features prominently in the new trailer, played here by Kevin Kline.
Unsurprisingly, the animated portion of the cast is also given plenty of focus in this clip. Ewan McGregor’s French accent looks likely to define his performance as Lumière, while the strength of the cast is demonstrated by appearances from Cogsworth (Ian McKellen) and Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson).
All this being said, the star of the show is undoubtedly the Beast himself. Even a few years ago, it’s easy to imagine a live action version of the character being rather hokey, but the footage in this trailer suggests that this is not the case.
The design doesn’t stray too far from the one used in the original movie, but whether Beast is dancing with Belle or fighting off a pair of wolves, the computer graphics used to realize the character are very effective. You may not recognize him in the role, but the Beast is played by Dan Stevens, best known for his performance as Matthew Crawley on Downton Abbey.
As Disney pushes forward with plans to remake its greatest hits in live action, Beauty and the Beast looks to reach the high bar set by The Jungle Book earlier this year. The film is scheduled to hit cinemas on March 17, 2017.
