Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Bill

Condon from a screenplay by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Co-produced by Walt

Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films,[1][7] the film is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1991
animated film of the same name, itself an adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's 1756
version of the fairy tale.[8] It features an ensemble cast including Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as
the eponymous characters, with Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley
Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen, and Emma Thompson in supporting
roles.[9]
A live-action Beauty and the Beast remake was first announced in April 2014, with Condon hired to
direct it; Watson, Stevens, Evans, and the rest of the cast signed on between January and April
2015. Principal photography lasted from May to August 2015, and took place at Shepperton
Studios in England. With an estimated budget of around $255 million, it is one of the most expensive
films ever made.
The film premiered at Spencer House in London on February 23, 2017, and was theatrically
released in the United States in standard, Disney Digital 3-D, RealD 3D, IMAX, and IMAX
3D formats, along with Dolby Cinema on March 17, 2017.[10] Beauty and the Beast received generally
positive reviews from critics, with many praising its faithfulness to the original animated film, as well
as elements from the Broadway musical, performances of the cast (particularly Watson and
Stevens), visual style, musical score, songs, costume design, and production values, though
criticism was drawn toward some of the character designs and its excessive similarity to the original.
[11][12]

The film grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing live-action musical film,
making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2017, and the 10th-highest-grossing film of all time.
The film received four nominations at the 23rd Critics' Choice Awards and two nominations at
the 71st British Academy Film Awards. It also received Academy Award nominations for Best
Production Design and Best Costume Design at the 90th Academy Awards. A spin-off/prequel TV
series, Little Town, is in development.