For the fans of the enchanting tale of Beauty and the Beast, the new live-action has brought our classic favorite back to the forefront. For many of us, it was a chance to remember familiar characters. For others, it was a chance to finally learn more about the pasts of our star-crossed lovers. For me, it was seeing a much more realistic interpretation of their lives and blooming romance.
And that’s the best bit of a live-action, isn’t it? Being able to imagine ourselves lost in this world of a tiny French village, magic, true love, and pure redemption is like having hope for the first time. But theater-goers have already seen it all, right? Nah. As often happens in films, critical scenes are re-written for a number of reasons, or cut entirely. The new Blu-ray version gives us all of that missing content and much, much more.
All of these special features are available on the Blu-ray and the Disney Movies app. The DVD, though, only has a music video bonus feature. Here’s a list of bonus features to explore on the Blu-ray release of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, for sale beginning today. First up are the Behind the Scenes features, which will show you wonders and answer questions such as, “How long did Dan Stevens practice that ballad?” and “How did they choose that particular dress?”
The extended table reading.
This sequence is novel, perhaps unheard of, for regular actors, but is old hat for musical theater performers. A table reading is where everyone gets together and gets a feel for the dynamics of the work being developed. This helps actors, designers, directors, and other crew get an idea of what to expect, in order to hit the ground running. It also reduces confusion and boosts a sense of teamship. Disney released a much-shortened teaser of this special feature last week, but the full 13.5-minute experience is breathtaking.
The Women Behind Beauty and the Beast
This feature runs about 5 minutes, and focuses on the inspired talents and important roles of the leading women behind the scenes. Since much of the work in building the village, castle, and forest was completed by women, I thought this was a fun way to make sure they were recognized for their hard work.
A Beauty of a Tale
Very different from the teaser above, this 27-minute short film feature explores the journey of transforming a darling animation into a newly-minted live-action romance. I enjoyed it immensely, and I am sure many other have and will as well.
Making a Moment with Celine Dion
This feature is an interview with Celine Dion discussing her invitation to participate in this version, her hesitancies, and why she ultimately decided to be part of the film’s magical new song “Making a Moment.” After 26 years and the loss of her husband, it’s a touching interview.
Next up are the bonus scenes. In order to avoid spoiling these scenes, I’ll just say that there are 9 wonderful, if short, scenes which round out parts of the world of Beauty and the Beast. Through these clips, you can see more of the character development which had to be removed.
Music & More
This section features 19 clips of songs from the film, including the music video by Ariana Grande and John Legend that was included on the DVD. While I personally didn’t find that video compelling, I’m sincerely addicted to the other 18 music clips. Through the app alone, I’ve listened to “Evermore” dozens of times. I just can’t get over Dan Stevens’ performance.
Additional Versions
There are also several options for watching Beauty and the Beast. The sing-along version is included, as well as the original theater “Overture” version, and many options for closed captioning, descriptive text, French, Spanish, and English language options.
TL;DR
The release of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray brings viewers new content, including the sing-along version that so many Disney fans adore. Explore the set design, meet the many creative minds involved, and get a glimpse into the magic of the set while filming Beauty and the Beast. It’s available today on Amazon.
Do you know how to turn on the sing-along version??
On my Blu-ray it one of the “movie” options.