Next year's Beauty and the Beast remake may be changing or updating certain aspects for a new generation of moviegoers, but don't fret, there will still be plenty of similarities with its animated predecessor. For one thing, most of the 1991 movie's songs are being retained for the live action re-telling, including "Gaston," where the eponymous subject and his loyal fans sing about how great he is. However, that particular tune will actually have some extra lyrics thrown in for the new movie that are over 25 years old.
Alan Menken, who composed Disney's original Beauty and the Beast and this remake, revealed to EW that there were lyrics written for Gaston for the animated flick written by lyricist Howard Ashman, but they were unused. Now that Beauty and the Beast is being retold, Ashman's words will finally be heard on the big screen thanks to the new director, Bill Condon. Menken said:
In 'Gaston,' we had a treasure trove of lyrics that Howard had written that we did not put in the movie. In many cases they were a little bit risqué --- not risqué sexually, but risqué in terms of sensibility. We all felt ready to have these lyrics. When Bill found out about those lyrics, he said, 'Oh my god, can we please look at that, because it would be a wonderful way to add an extra freshness to the movie.' So, yes, you're going to hear some unheard Howard Ashman lyrics.
For this new Beauty and the Beast, Luke Evans is taking over as Gaston, the obnoxious hunter who pines for Belle (played by Emma Watson this time around) because he considers her to be the most beautiful woman in the village. Unfortunately for him, she's the only person among their population who doesn't look at him with wide-eyed admiration. Just like in the animated movie, we'll hear him boast about how he's the best there is alongside Josh Gad's LeFou and the other village fanboys/girls in his song. This time, though, there will be even more praise towards Gaston, which, according to Evans, the people at Disney dug up after reviewing hours worth of transcripts and recordings.
Along with the additional "Gaston" lines, Bill Condon also said that there will be another Howard Ashman lyric thrown into the movie. He wouldn't reveal what it was, but called it something "gorgeous" that will be a "surprise at the end." Beyond that, longtime Beauty and the Beast fans can take comfort knowing that many of those classic songs will he heard again in the remake, along with a few new tunes written by Alan Menken and Tim Rice. However, for those of you who are big fans of the Broadway musical, none of the songs specifically created for the stage performance will be included.
Beauty and the Beast will enchant audiences on March 17, 2017.
