The first teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast has become, well, quite the beast. If you haven’t watched the 90-second video at least once, we don’t know where you’ve been. Within 24 hours of its release on Tuesday, the teaser has been viewed a record-breaking 91.8 million times — and counting — besting previous contenders Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Captain America: Civil War (at 88 million and 61 million views respectively; both are also Disney-owned franchises). If teaser views are any indication of what lies ahead, then Beauty and the Beast will continue to be a tale as old as time — TFA and Civil War went on to become billion dollar box office successes.
Beauty and the Beast is one of the tentpole films of the Disney Renaissance, a period that saw a creative surge in animation and huge successes for the studio. That era also included The Lion King, Aladdin, and The Little Mermaid; the latter two have live-action remakes in the works or under discussion. Fresh off the critically acclaimed The Jungle Book, Disney is continuing to breathe new life into their beloved classics, with Cruella, Jungle Cruise, A Wrinkle in Time, Dumbo, and a Mary Poppins sequel all in development.
Emma Watson and Dan Stevens star as the titular Beauty and Beast in the reimagining of the 1991 animated tale. The impressive cast also includes Kevin Kline (Maurice), Luke Evans (Gaston), Josh Gad (LeFou), Ewan McGregor (Lumière), Stanley Tucci (Maestro Cadenza), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Plumette), Audra McDonald (Madam Garderobe), Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), and Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts).
The teaser, which really is just that, shows the Beast’s grand castle aging over time while under a magical spell and the first glimpse of Belle and the enchanted rose that holds the Beast’s fate. The voices of Lumiere and Cogsworth are heard bickering and wondering if this is the girl to finally break the spell. It starts with the iconic score, written by Oscar winner Alan Menken, who is also doing the 2017 score, and ends with “Be our guest” on March 17, 2017. We gladly accept the invitation.