Disney Is Remaking ‘Beauty & the Beast’ Once Again

in Disney, Theater

Belle dances with Beast in the live-action and animated 'Beauty and the Beast' movies.

Credit: Disney

After a poorly received live-action remake in 2017 and a 2022 televised musical performance, The Walt Disney Company is once again reimagining the Academy Award-winning Beauty and the Beast (1991).

On Thursday, Disney announced a 30th-anniversary revival of its Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, “Beauty and the Beast.” Original composer Alan Menken, lyricist Tim Rice, and writer Linda Woolverton will return to help create a new version of the show.

Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as Belle and Beast in 'Beauty and the Beast'
Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the 2017 live-action remake. Credit: Disney

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While the idea of an updated classic might scare some Broadway fans, this isn’t the first time the show has changed since its 1993 premiere. In 1998, the song “A Change in Me” was added to the score when R&B singer Toni Braxton signed on as Belle. It received such a positive reception that it’s been included in every performance since.

According to Playbill, “Beauty and the Beast” will hold technical rehearsals and initial performances at the Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, New York, in June 2025 before a July premiere at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. In August, the 30th-anniversary tour will open at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Disney hasn’t announced further tour stops and states there are no current plans to return the show to Broadway.

Beast and Belle dancing in the promo image for Beauty and the Beast on Broadway
Credit: Disney

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Tickets aren’t yet available for the “Beauty and the Beast” North American tour, but Disney musical fans can sign up here to be the first to know any news about the show. No casting decisions have been announced.

Broadway’s Original “Beauty and the Beast”

Susan Egan and Terrence Mann as Belle and Beast on Broadway.
Credit: Disney

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“Beauty and the Beast” opened at the Palace Theatre in New York City in 1994, just three years after the Walt Disney Animation Studios film premiere. Disney icon Susan Egan originated the role of Belle alongside Terrence Mann as the Beast. Menken, Howard Ashman, and Rice reunited to adapt Beauty and the Beast into a musical.

Though critical reception to “Beauty and the Beast” was mixed, the show was a massive hit with audiences. It was overwhelmingly financially successful, running on Broadway until 2007. The musical toured the United States four times and performed on the West End in London from 1997 to 1999. It’s toured dozens of countries and become popular for school and amateur theater groups.

A limited-time West End revival of “Beauty and the Beast” opened in 2022, leading to speculation that this version of the show is what Disney plans for the 2025 tour.

Have you seen any Disney on Broadway shows? Which one is your favorite? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.

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