When was Walt Disney Pictures' animated feature film Beauty and the Beast released in theaters?
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
In June 2014, Walt Disney Pictures announced that a live-action film adaptation of the original film was in the works, with Bill Condon directing and Evan Spiliotopoulos writing the script.[122][123] Condon originally planned on not only drawing inspiration from the original film, but also to include most, if not all, of the Menken/Rice songs from the Broadway musical, with the intention of making the film as a "straight-forward, live-action, large-budget movie musical".[124] In September 2014, it was announced that Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) would re-write the script.[125] In January 2015, Emma Watson announced on her Facebook page that she would portray Belle in the new live action remake film.[126] In March 2015, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson, Josh Gad, Audra McDonald, and Kevin Kline joined the film as the Beast, Gaston, Mrs. Potts, Lefou, Garderobe, and Maurice, respectively.[127][128][129][130] The following month, Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw joined the cast, as Cogsworth, Lumière, Cadenza, and Plumette, respectively.[131][132][133][134] Composer Alan Menken returned to score the film's music, with new material written by Menken and Tim Rice.[135] In June 2015, Menken said the film would not include the songs that were written for the Broadway musical.[136] Filming began on May 18, 2015 in London, and production officially wrapped in August 2015.[137][138] The film was released on March 17, 2017.[139]