1. Though this movie just came out, the filming actually wrapped a surprising 18 months prior to its release. That's nuts!
2. In one of the beginning scenes, we see Belle's father, Maurice, enter the Beast's castle. Whilst he's roaming about, he happens upon a harpsichord that's gently playing notes from the famous song, "Be Our Guest."
3. Speaking of Maurice, did you know Danny DeVito was considered for the role that eventually went to Kevin Kline?! Crazy, right?
4. Apparently, Ryan Gosling turned down the Beast role in order to be in the hit film, La La Land with Emma Stone. Coincidentally, Emma Watson turned down the lead role in La La Land solely so she could star in Beauty and the Beast. Wow, I wonder how different both of those movies would've turned out...
5. When Belle visits her father in the beginning of the movie, we see a number of intricate trinkets. One of them is actually a tiny model of the exact place where Maurice and Belle's mother once lived.
(Hint: It's the windmill.)
6. During auditions, director Bill Condon had the actors sing "Hakuna Matata" from Disney's The Lion King, rather than any of the popular songs from the original film. He claimed it was to help better gauge each actor's true singing ability. Interesting...
7. The town of Villeneuve, where Belle lives, is a direct tribute to Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, a French author who heavily influenced the overall story that we've come to know and love.
8. Multi-talented actor, Ewan McGregor (who played Lumiere, the candlestick) performed each and every dance himself. The production staff was able to capture his movements with the help of motion-capture technology. Ewan was so shy, he only allowed a select number of crew members to be present during his recordings. I'd probably do the same thing...
9. The character of Mrs. Potts was initially going to go by Mrs. Chamomile.
What a tea-rrific fact!
10. Beauty and the Beast is, without a doubt, the most expensive musical to ever be produced with an overall budget ranging close to a whopping $160 million dollars. Whoa...
11. At the conclusion of the 2017 version, Belle turns to the Prince and jokingly questions how he would feel about growing a beard. This line was intended to be in the original animated feature but was removed to maintain an emotional ending. Crazy...I would've never guessed that!
12. If you look closely at the ballroom floor, you'll notice an elegant "WD" inscribed within it - an obvious nod to the great Walt Disney.
(Bonus: It might be a coincidence but all those circles taken as a whole kind of looks like the outline of Mickey Mouse - or is that too much of a stretch?)
13. When Belle and the Beast visit her parents home, you can see Norte Dame in the background. I wonder if the hunchback is still in there...
14. Instead of the usual Disney castle, the makers of the film decided to use the Beast's iconic dwelling in the opening sequence.
15. There are many gaudy items on Maurice's table but did you notice that one of them is actually a mini sculpture of the palace from Aladdin? I wonder what the live-action version of that movie is going to be like...
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