What’s better in 3D? Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in a Theatre Near You

Beauty Beast 3D - Limited time theatre release

How many times have you seen this movie? I bet you even own it? Me too. Nothing however, stops us from watching it time after time (good thing DVDs can’t get dog-eared). So why should you take your family to the theatre to see this again… because this time, it’s in 3D.

Think of the fun the kids will have with the 3D glasses and seeing the action of the characters dancing and interacting. Imagine their little hands reaching out to touch them. Engaging them… Who knows, maybe it will keep them occupied so they forget about needing to have snacks or run to the bathroom?

What’s amazing to me about this is that   “Beauty and the Beast” was the first hand-drawn film to be dimensionalized into 3D… and that’s no easy feat AND Walt Disney Studios didn’t initially have plans to release “Beauty and the Beast” or “The Lion King” theatrically in 3D they were just going to offer it for home sales. So why now? They tested “The Lion King” in 3D as there was a gap in scheduling releases and it made $100 million – which confirmed that audiences wanted to see the 3D version.

Question – do you remember when it first was released?  Walt Disney Pictures’ 30th full-length animated feature, ”Beauty and the Beast,” premiered in 1991. That’s 20 years ago, and it will be a first-time experience for children going to see it in a theatre setting which makes the experience more fun.

Bonus playing with “Beauty and the Beast” – is the “Tangled Ever After” Short: “The Pursuit”

More fun facts

“Beauty and the Beast” was the fifth classic fairy tale to be adapted as a Disney animated feature. The tradition began in 1937 with “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which was based on the famous story by the Brothers Grimm. In the 1950s, Walt Disney and his animators successfully tackled two classic folk tales by French author Charles Perrault––”Cinderella” (1950) and “Sleeping Beauty” (1959). Another famous purveyor of fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen, was the source of ”The Little Mermaid,” Disney’s 1989 release, which went on to become the Studio’s most successful animated feature up until that time.

• “Beauty and the Beast” was nominated for six Academy Awards® and won Oscars® for Best Song, by the renowned Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and Best Original Score (Menken).
• Céline Dion won a GRAMMY® Award (with Peabo Bryson) for her chart-topping recording of the title song.
• “Beauty and the Beast” was the 1st animated feature to bring in more than $100 million
• Three years after the film’s debut, “Beauty and the Beast” hit Broadway opening at the Palace Theatre in New York and ran for 5,464 performances between 1994 and 2007, becoming the eighth-longest running production – it has even played in 13 countries and 115 cities and continues to enchant audiences worldwide

Celebrity sightings at the premiere

Last Saturday the stars came out to the special screening of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D – and to get their pictures taken with Belle and Beast at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.

Rico Rodriguez of Modern Family and Disney Channel stars with Belle and Beast from a special BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D

Zachary Levi - who is the voice of “Flynn” in TANGLED EVER AFTER

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (In Disney Digital 3D™)

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

• Voice Cast:                              Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers,
• Angela Lansbury, Bradley Pierce, Rex Everhart, Jesse Corti, Hal Smith, JoAnne Worley
• Directors:                                 Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
• Producer:                                 Don Hahn
• Executive Producer:                Howard Ashman
• Screenplay by:                        Linda Woolverton

Walt Disney Animation Studios’ magical classic “Beauty and the Beast” returns to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™, introducing a whole new generation to the Disney classic with stunning new 3D imagery. The film captures the fantastic journey of Belle (voice of Paige O’Hara), a bright and beautiful young woman who’s taken prisoner by a hideous beast (voice of Robby Benson) in his castle. Despite her precarious situation, Belle befriends the castle’s enchanted staff—a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others—and ultimately learns to see beneath the Beast’s exterior to discover the heart and soul of a prince.

Featuring unforgettable music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, and an enormously talented vocal ensemble, “Beauty and the Beast” was the first animated feature to receive a Best Picture nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“Like” BEAUTY AND THE BEAST on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DisneyBeautyAndTheBeast

Celine Dion and family 

Céline Dion/“Beauty and the Beast” 3D Disney’s beloved Belle, and the Beast from “Beauty and the Beast

Céline Dion/“Beauty and the Beast” 3D Disney’s beloved Belle, and the Beast from “Beauty and the Beast,” flank internationally acclaimed singing superstar Céline Dion (center, left) and her family (center left to right) Nelson, René-Charles, Eddy, and husband René Angélil, backstage at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, on the occasion of The Walt Disney Studios’ Academy Award®-nominated classic animated feature being released for the first time in 3D on January 13.

 

 

D23 Day 1 Happenings: Books, Princesses, Pirates, Honorees and Fans!

JAKE, DAVID ARQUETTE, MR. SMEE, CAPTAIN HOOK

David Arquette – the Voice of Skully on Disney Junior’s Jake and the Never Land Pirates

LESLIE GOODMAN (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, DISNEY CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP), NANCY KANTER (SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING AND GENERAL MANAGER, DISNEY JUNIOR WORLDWIDE), KYLE ZIMMER (PRESIDENT, FIRST BOOK), CAROLINA LIGHTCAP (PRESIDENT, DISNEY CHANNELS WORLDWIDE)

What a wonderful surprise to have actor David Arquette, AKA Skully, on Disney Junior’s “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” kick off Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA today by helping announce the donation of $500,000 and 8 million Disney Publishing Worldwide books to First Book, a national nonprofit organization that provides new books to children in need.

The most fantastic thing about this donation is that last year First Book distributed 8 million books and now they have 8 million new ones and a generous donation of $500,000 which will First Book cover some expenses involved in getting all those books out to schools and programs serving kids from low-income families around the country.

Here’s a peek at the fans waiting to get into the next event

FANS at D23 Friday Waiting in Line for Next Event

DISNEY LEGENDS CEREMONY – Congrats to Regis Philbin!

REGIS PHILBIN

At D23 today men and women who have contributed to the creative legacy of The Walt Disney Company were honored in a special presentation, hosted by Tom Bergeron.

In addition to TV icon Regis Philbin, Muppets creator Jim Henson, the extraordinary actresses who vocally brought to life many modern-day Disney Princesses including Jodi Benson (Ariel from The Little Mermaid), Paige O’Hara (Belle from Beauty and the Beast), Lea Salonga (singing voices of Jasmine from Aladdin and Mulan from Mulan), Linda Larkin (speaking voice of Jasmine from Aladdin), and Anika Noni Rose (Princess Tiana from The Princess and the Frog) plus other equally impressive contributors to the Disney legacy will be named and honored as official Disney Legends.

Each honoree will receive a two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that signifies the imagination, creativity and magic they have brought to the Company. Disney Legends Award recipients also participate in a handprint ceremony, and their bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney Legends Plaza at the Company’s Burbank headquarters.

Fun Facts about Disney Legends 

• The first Disney Legend named in 1987 was actor Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest Millionaire).
• There have been a total of 237 Disney Legends named and include Tim Allen, Robin Williams, Julie Andrews, Howard Ashman, Annette Funicello, Peter Jennings, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Sir Tim Rice, Dick Van Dyke and Barbara Walters.

GUY WILLIAMS FAMILY with Mickey Mouse

ANIKA NONI ROSE, REGIS PHILBIN, LINDA LARKIN, LEA SALONGA

KERMIT THE FROG, ROWLF, TOM BERGERON

REGIS PHILBIN Surrounded by Disney Princesses

ANIKA NONI ROSE, Princess Tiana in Disney's The Princess and the Frog.

PAIGE O'HARA, LEA SALONGA, ANIKA NONI ROSE, JODI BENSON

MICKEY MOUSE at D23 2011

Be sure to stay tuned to our blog for more updates from D23! Two more days of fun from Anaheim and D23 2011!

Where Do Uber-Disney Fans Go? to the D23 Ultimate Fan Event of Course!

D23 Expo 2011

Starting today at the Anaheim Stadium, is the kick off of D23 Expo.

Before we get into all the happenings, we’ve been asked what is D23 and what am I missing? D23 is an ultimate fan club that includes a special website, Disney twenty-three Magazine, member gifts, events, exclusive merchandise, and the D23 Expo, a Disney fan convention AKA “The Ultimate Disney Fan Event” – wrapped around the name D23 which is “Disney + 1923” combined.

The Official Disney Fan Club (D23) helps fans old and new celebrate the magic that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his studio in Hollywood. 

Now that you know what D23 is, let’s take a look at the Expo going on right now!

D23 Expo 2011 Highlights:

Exclusive Screenings and Sneak Peeks D23 Expo 2011 guests will sneak peeks and screenings of upcoming Disney TV shows, specials and movies and TV shows from The Avengers, The Muppets, John Carter, Brave, The Lion King in 3D, Frankenweenie, and Oz The Great + many more.

Special Past, Present and Future Disney Presentations During the three day long expo there will be lots to choose from so guests can go “behind the magic” and get an up close look at Disney theme park attractions and entertainment.

Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives Exhibit Walt Disney Archives has assembled a 12,000-square-foot exhibition featuring props, costumes and set pieces from LOST and Pirates of the Caribbean; a room devoted to 1982’s Tron, and not to be left out, there will be lots of vintage Mickey Mouse memorabilia. You’ll even get to see Walt Disney’s limousine, a 23-foot-long model of the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean and the Dharma Initiative Volkswagen van from LOST.

Convention Center Arena Presentations There’s a 4,000-seat Arena in the Anaheim Convention Center where you can watch special presentations starting with the Disney Legends ceremony, honoring individuals who have contributed to the Disney legacy including Regis Philbin, Jim Henson and the voices of many of the Disney Princesses. You’ll also get to see our favorites Zendaya and Bella Thorne and a performance by the cast of the Disney Channel hit Shake It Up.

Fans will also get to see celebrities from other Disney projects (both on screen and behind the scenes) from Jennifer Garner, Dick Van Dyke, Willem Dafoe, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Jason Segel, Marty Sklar, Alice Davis, Michael Giacchino, Tony Baxter, Tom Bergeron, Regis Philbin, Jodi Benson, Lea Salonga, Linda Larkin, Paige O’Hara, Anika Noni Rose, David Arquette, Jason Dolley, Hayley Kiyoko, Sterling Knight, Tiffany Thornton, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Kelly MacDonald, Kevin McKidd, Lynn Collins, Taylor Kitsch, Wilmer Valderrama, Sean Astin, Melissa Joan Hart, Sean Astin, Chelsea Kane, Kyle Massey, cast members from Marvel’s The Avengers and many more.

We’ll be out at D23 and will be reporting on our experience this weekend! Stay tuned to our Blog for more updates or visit D23Expo.com for schedule details and surprises.