On May 23rd, Disney released the official minute-and-thirty-one second-long teaser trailer for the long-awaited live-action "Beauty and the Beast" film, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, and it was magical.
First, we see a snowy, cozy-looking castle, with one light glowing in the tallest tower. (How intriguing!)
Fun fact: Between 1985 and 1995, the unchanging stamp of the Disney trademark logo in the beginning of every Disney film was Cinderella's castle. Starting in '95, Disney began to thematically accommodate the logo, and sometimes the landscape around it, to each new film.
We close in on the lit tower!
(Hogwarts, is that you? Maybe Emma Watson is just drawn to magnificent castles.)
Cut to the inside of this opulent place and suddenly the sun is shining through.
Note the icicle-like crystals falling from the chandeliers. A metaphor for the Beast's icy soul (until Belle can warm it up)? I think so!
Look at all of that gold and bronze... and we zero in on the family portrait.
Such gorgeous and intimidating feng shui.
Oh, the door lays ajar!
But what could that jagged break mean?
Again, the view from the outside.
It's interesting to note the ways in which the castle itself is treated as a character. We do not see a single human character until the very end of the trailer. Instead, our gaze is focused upon the castle itself. We may even imagine that as we look at it, the castle looks back at us.
As soon as it is hinted that it is Belle that came through that open door, the camera jumps to the rose.
Perhaps the most important symbol in the story of "Beauty and the Beast".
With that image, Belle's curious yet cautious eyes are focused in upon in the background.
That is all we are given. Just the perfect amount to make us hungry for more!
There has been much fanfare about Emma Watson playing the role of Belle. Her gracious beauty and lovely bookishness make her pefect for the role.
Who is playing the Beast, you might ask? That would be Dan Stevens of “Downton Abbey”!
He looks ready to be the latest Disney prince if you ask me.
The film will be released on March 17th, 2017 to United States audiences.
