Beauty and the Beast is now out in theaters everywhere. My family really enjoyed the film (you can read our full review here) in part because of the amazing attention to detail. These fun facts about Beauty and the Beast and what went into making the film will make you appreciate it even more.
* The ballroom floor in the Beast’s castle is made from 12,000 square feet of faux marble and its design is based on a pattern found on the ceiling of the Benedictine Abbey in Braunau, Germany. The 10 glass chandeliers in the ballroom – each measuring 14 feet by 7 feet – are based on actual chandeliers from Versailles which were then frosted, covered in fabric and candlelit.
* Froufrou, the dog belonging to Madame de Garderobe (Audra McDonald) and Maestro Cadenza (Stanley Tucci), is played by Gizmo, a rescue from one of the U.K.’s oldest and most famous animal rescue centers.
* Over 8,700 candles (or 104,400 inches of wax) were used as set decoration during production.
* Emma Watson (Belle), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), Luke Evans (Gaston) and Nathan Mack (Chip) all share the same birthday, April 14, which was also the date of the cast read through.
* The costume department challenged itself to design and create ethical and sustainable costumes made from fair-trade fabrics (meaning the use of organic materials from suppliers that pay their employees a fair wage and are considerate of the environment), which they achieved. Working in tandem with Eco Age and the Green Carpet Challenge, the department used natural and low impact dyes, carefully disposing of any waste water, and printed with traditional wood blocks.
* The coat of arms in the Beast’s castle is a lion and a boar with a WD anagram (the WD is meant to represent a fictional character, William Devereaux, but could also stand for Walt Disney).
* Approximately 180 feet of feather light satin organza was used to create Belle’s yellow dress. The dress, which required 3,000 feet of thread and took over 12,000 hours to create, was accentuated with 2,160 Swarovski crystals.
* A production crew comprised of more than 1,000 people worked around the clock to design, build and decorate the film’s mammoth sets.
* We watched the credits and I noticed that the horses had not one but two makeup artists. I was a bit baffled, but it turns out that Philippe, Belle (Emma Watson) and Maurice’s (Kevin Kline) horse, is played by three different horses, two of which had to be painted on a daily basis.
* The enchanted forest which surrounds the Beast’s castle and features real trees, hedges, a frozen lake and 20,000 icicles, took 15 weeks to complete.
* Approximately 1,500 red roses were grown or purchased during production for use as research or set decoration.
All facts courtesy of Disney Studios.
You May Also Like: 10 free Beauty and the Beast coloring pages
Prior Post: Fun facts about pandas on National Panda Day
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