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Beauty and the Beast: Watch the opening musical number 'Belle'

'There goes the baker with his tray, like always/ The same old bread and rolls to sell/ Every morning just the same/ Since the morning that we came/ To this poor provincial town'

 

Clarisse Loughrey
Tuesday 21 February 2017 09:16 GMT
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Belle- Disney's Beauty and the Beast

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One inevitable point of intense curiosity surrounding Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast is, of course, the musical numbers.

Many a VHS has been worn to shreds by the constant watch-and-rewind of the likes of 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Gaston', 'Something There', and 'Belle' - to the point fans might have a hard time actually keeping silent in the cinema and not quietly singing along with, "there goes the baker with his tray like always".

Disney has now released a clip from opening number 'Belle', which appears to stay reassuringly faithful to the original as Emma Watson's Belle wanders idly through her the little town (it's a quiet village) she calls home.

The film, directed by Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn), takes clear advantage of the original fairytale's French Rococo setting in order to deliver sumptuous, romantic production design worthy of one of Disney's most beloved princesses.

The film also stars Luke Evans as Gaston, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Josh Gad as LeFou, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Babette, Kevin Kline as Maurice and Audra McDonald as Wardrobe.


Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken has re-recorded the original animation's beloved songs - with some slight alterations - alongside penning three new musical numbers with the aid of lyricist Tim Rice.

We've also heard details about how Belle's iconic yellow dress will make its transition to screen, alongside a feminist twist added to the princess' backstory.

New trailer: Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast hits UK cinemas 17 March, 2017.

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