Hear John Legend and Ariana Grande Belting in Final ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Trailer
About a month and a half separate the viewing public from the much-hyped live-action remake of Disney’s essential fairytale Beauty and the Beast. While regular TV viewers and net-surfers can look forward to an uninterrupted stream of commercials and ads until then, Disney has given one last push of publicity today with the final trailer promoting their handsomely-appointed new film. And as if to sweeten the deal, they included a snippet of the previously announced re-recording of the majestic theme tune, as sung by La La Land jazz-diluter John Legend and travel-size pop starlet Ariana Grande.
For my money, this trailer does the best job of selling the heretofore questionable-looking Beauty and the Beast yet. The slightly off-putting design of the household helpers has given fans pause, but the latest trailer amps up the sense of spectacle that made Disney’s 1991 original such a smash with youngsters and Oscar voters alike. Spinning ribbons, glittering ballrooms, fireworks that explode out of nowhere — the trailer conveys the same Busby Berkeley-ish grandeur of scope that viewers will arrive expecting. We learn a bit more about Belle (Emma Watson) and her relationship with her father (Kevin Kline) as well, as he describes her loneliness in her provincial town via a tidy voice-over. Most crucially, this spot makes the film look like fun instead of just expensive, and at the end of the day, isn’t that why everyone’s going to show up?
Beauty and the Beast waltzes into theaters on March 17, the first of an impending tsunami of live-action Disney remakes. Brace yourself.