Beauty and the Beast (Live-Action)

[Disney Duster]

Oh thank goodness she wasn't involved with the film...

[Vlad]

Yes, definitely! Imagine the horror!

[Tristy]

Didn't she originally write the script for the original and the animators and artists weren't really all that happy with it so they contributed more leaving bits and pieces from her original treatment? After Alice and Maleficent, I can definitely see why.

Her original treatment didn't involve Lumiere breakdancing after becoming human did it?

[tsom]

I guess this was her original screenplay for the animated film?

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/spla ... _Beast.pdf

[Vlad]

I guess this was her original screenplay for the animated film?

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/spla ... _Beast.pdf

Wow, thank you for sharing! by the way, if anyone is interested, I have a pdf version of The Wizard of Oz script.

[Musical Master]

I guess this was her original screenplay for the animated film?

http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~ina22/spla ... _Beast.pdf

Yes it is, but the part where Gaston visits Belle's house, she's baking a cake as a welcome home gift for her dad which Linda Woolverton hated for she originally wanted Belle to put pins on a map, dreaming of the places she wishes to go. In the end Belle read a book in order to wait for her father to come home in the film.

Didn't she originally write the script for the original and the animators and artists weren't really all that happy with it so they contributed more leaving bits and pieces from her original treatment? After Alice and Maleficent, I can definitely see why.

Her original treatment didn't involve Lumiere breakdancing after becoming human did it?

Of course not, in fact the whole "breakdancing" part in AIW was Tim Burton's fault, Linda didn't write it that way originally. In fact the only reason why the story team of Beauty and the Beast weren't happy with Linda was because she was a screenwriter who was hired to write the film which they conflicted over because the Disney animation unit only used storyboards up until Linda's hiring. But as soon as Linda worked more closely with the story team members (which had Roger Allers and Brenda Chapman) to collaborate with them, they all eventually learned to get along with each other.

Oh thank goodness she wasn't involved with the film...

As much as I personally really liked and enjoyed Linda Woolverton's work on Maleficent, Homeward Bound and especially Alice Through The Looking Glass, this is where I actually agree with you, I think Stephen Chbosky could do wonders with this. After all he is the one who wrote the book and the film screenplay for Perks of Being a Wallflower.

[DisneyFan09]

Linda's script for the animated version was praised at the time for it's strenghts. It's remarkable how her reputation has gone downhill from there. I didn't mind her script for the Alice films, but the one for Malificent was lackluster.

[Musical Master]

Linda's script for the animated version was praised at the time for it's strenghts. It's remarkable how her reputation has gone downhill from there. I didn't mind her script for the Alice films, but the one for Malificent was lackluster.

I do agree, Linda's work (with revisions done by Paul Dini and John Lee Hancock) on Maleficent is quite messy even though I enjoy the film despite that. I think that Alice Through The Looking Glass is probably her best one so far IMO. Can't wait to see what Chbosky has done for his take on Beauty and the Beast.

[Disney Duster]

There is no way that was Linda Woolverton's original script for the film. First off, the first part with the young prince being turned into a beast in animation was pitched by Howard Ashman, not Linda. And then it got scrapped by the directors. Next, Howard Ashman was the one who came up with the idea of the enchanted objects, not Linda. Finally, you have the music included, and the music, I am sure, was not done until after Linda's first original script came in. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

Musical Master, I may be one of the few to admit I liked both Alice films, but I'm mad at how Maleficent was made into...a good fairy with the name that means "evil-doer" and has horns and had wings that got cut off and turned evil but then was actually really good to Aurora and the entire rest of the movie was changed as the three fairies and prince did nothing and Aurora's father was a terrible person, not to mention the three fairies were terrible people, too. If it had been just a live-action adaptation of Sleeping Beauty but Maleficent was given more backstory and a more developed character, then I would have liked it. I mean, I did like the story the film had, but I also hate it because of what it did to the original story.

[Musical Master]

There is no way that was Linda Woolverton's original script for the film. First off, the first part with the young prince being turned into a beast in animation was pitched by Howard Ashman, not Linda. And then it got scrapped by the directors. Next, Howard Ashman was the one who came up with the idea of the enchanted objects, not Linda. Finally, you have the music included, and the music, I am sure, was not done until after Linda's first original script came in. If I'm wrong, please correct me.

Musical Master, I may be one of the few to admit I liked both Alice films, but I'm mad at how Maleficent was made into...a good fairy with the name that means "evil-doer" and has horns and had wings that got cut off and turned evil but then was actually really good to Aurora and the entire rest of the movie was changed as the three fairies and prince did nothing and Aurora's father was a terrible person, not to mention the three fairies were terrible people, too. If it had been just a live-action adaptation of Sleeping Beauty but Maleficent was given more backstory and a more developed character, then I would have liked it. I mean, I did like the story the film had, but I also hate it because of what it did to the original story.

As soon as her very first draft appears, I guess we still don't know what she did write originally before the other crew members came in. But Linda Woolverton HAS acknowledged in recent interviews all the great work that Howard Ashman did and she personally thanked him for fighting alongside her to get Belle to be the character she is today.

Oh and if you thought the fairies were bad in Maleficent, you haven't seen nothing yet until you read the leaked script which made them even WORSE!

[Disney Duster]

Yea we don't know how good her original ideas were. It's good and nice she acknowledged Howard Ashman's contribution.

I actually did read the leaked Maleficent script. I forget is the fairies were meaner to each other in that one or not, and you may be right they were worse, but it still stands they were awful in the final film. And actually I liked something from the original leaked script more - the christening scene stayed almost the same, right down to one of the "good" fairies giving the sleeping and true love's kiss gift.

[Escapay]

The script posted here is dated June 14, 1990, and labeled "First Draft." It's definitely not the first *submitted* script by Woolverton. Rather, this script is the first draft of the shooting script, as it precedes the beginning of the actual production of the film (the animation stage), which began in July 1990. So this is the script that was ultimately prepared after the story meetings in Fishkill, New York. That explains why it has the songs included, as those were prepared both before and during those meetings. When you compare the song lyrics here with the demos from "The Music Behind the Magic," you'll notice they're the same. This script includes the Maurice version of "Be Our Guest," the longer version of "Gaston," and the full 9-minute sequence for "Human Again," with dialogue and interludes not used in the modified story reel included as an extra on the DVD/Blu-Ray (that version runs 7 minutes and omits some dialogue, while also re-structuring a few lyrics). Also, this script excludes both "The Mob Song" and "Something There," as neither were written at the time, understandable for "Something There" as they didn't write it until the decision was made to drop "Human Again." Though it makes me wonder when they decided to write "The Mob Song."

Reading through it, it does have the same basic structure as the film, though a bit more wordy (and not all the words are good), and a couple scenes are structured differently. In addition to Musical Master's mention of the baking-a-cake scene (which is laughably terrible in this script), quite a few scenes have fortunately been improved between this draft and the final film. Take, for example, Belle and Beast's argument between doors regarding dinner. In this draft, it's spread across both a dinner invitation and a breakfast one, whereas in the final film it's condensed to just dinner.

Another notable change is the actual scene (though no follow-up) of Gaston and Lefou visiting Maison des Loons; the final film replaces it with Monsieur D'Arque visiting them in the tavern. The Broadway version utilizes the original approach, with Gaston and Lefou visiting Maison, expanding it into the whole "Maison des Lunes" song.

One change that really would have affected the Beast character is the wolf attack scene. In this draft, he actually kills one of the wolves in front of Belle (though the script makes sure to point out that we only see Belle's reaction to it, rather than the actual act). Understandably, she reacts in disgust, telling him "There's something called mercy." Later on, he echoes that sentiment to Belle when he explains why he didn't kill Gaston. While it would have been a nice "full circle" for Beast, I'm personally glad they didn't include the wolf-killing in the final scene.

Also, many of the Chip scenes in the film are in their original Music Box form here, with the deleted character and his non-dialogue musical bits. Chip literally only has dialogue during the whole "there's a girl in the castle" scene, but is otherwise a mute character. It's Music Box who stows away with Belle when she searches for Maurice, and in an amusing cutaway toward the end, after the transformation, Maurice finds the music apprentice sitting in Music Box's place. (For those interested, the "Belle and the Beast" comic book gave a different backstory to Music Box, where they explained that he was Beast's favorite toy as a child, and the curse actually made Music Box a sentient object. In a frustrated attempt to read poetry, Beast angrily declares "Love is for HUMANS" and slammed his hand on Music Box, effectively killing him. When he realizes what he did, Beast runs off in both anger, sadness, shock, etc. whilst the EO's sadly realize they'll no longer have music in the castle.)

Woolverton's original script likely would have been submitted to Disney between October 1989 and January 1990. October 1989 was when Katzenberg rejected the Richard Purdum version, but still sent the small production team to France for a research trip. They asked Ashman & Menken to start writing songs for the film shortly before or after The Little Mermaid's theatrical release (I can't remember which), but that pinpoints it around November 1989 regardless. And January 1990 was when they began the story meetings, so a script had to have existed for them to have meetings about.

Albert

[Disney's Divinity]

One change that really would have affected the Beast character is the wolf attack scene. In this draft, he actually kills one of the wolves in front of Belle (though the script makes sure to point out that we only see Belle's reaction to it, rather than the actual act). Understandably, she reacts in disgust, telling him "There's something called mercy." Later on, he echoes that sentiment to Belle when he explains why he didn't kill Gaston. While it would have been a nice "full circle" for Beast, I'm personally glad they didn't include the wolf-killing in the final scene.

Albert

I agree. That's the scene where she realizes there's "something there," and it justifies her returning to the castle. The killing of one of the wolves would've besmirched the moment. (Plus, thatt and the possible killing of the Music Box both would've made him more creepy, which he didn't need more help with after the beginning with Maurice.)

[Disney Duster]

Wow, how very informative Escapay!

I liked some of the things in this early script, but ultimately how the script ended up for the final film is definitely for the better. I liked how the Beast said to the objects, “I told you I’d feel like a fool”, and how he says “I can’t help it” about his temper and Belle answers, “How do you know if you don’t even try?” But the “go ahead and starve” is much better where it is in the film. I did like the “mercy’ thing, but it is better to me that the Beast in the final film was not so murderous.

Hey, I forget, why did they decide they couldn’t put “Human Again” in the original film when it was made?

I agree. That's the scene where she realizes there's "something there," and it justifies her returning to the castle. The killing of one of the wolves would've besmirched the moment. (Plus, that and the possible killing of the Music Box both would've made him more creepy, which he didn't need more help with after the beginning with Maurice.)

I agree, but did you know him killing the music box only happens in the comic, not any of the scripts?

[Escapay]

Hey, I forget, why did they decide they couldn’t put “Human Again” in the original film when it was made?

The sequence showed a continuing progression of Belle's time in the castle, with seasons changing and lyrics reflecting that ("Tick-Tock, the time goes" etc.). It was considered too long (the demo clocks in at 9 minutes, the actual storyboarded sequence reportedly ran 11 minutes), and so it gave the film pacing problems. Too much time was being spent at the castle, and it made the filmmakers realize that they weren't giving the audience any indication of what the rest of the world (read: Maurice looking for Belle, Gaston plotting) was doing. So it was cut, though a few scenes were kept in the film - Beast showing Belle the library, the breakfast scene, and the snowball fight - but now were preceding (or in the snowball fight, during) "Something There." This helped condense the story (and passage of time) greatly, and when they decided to put the number back into the film (for the IMAX release), they adjusted it so it would be a "let's clean the castle!" song that takes place over far less time.

I'm not a huge fan of its inclusion in the film, mainly because it comes so soon after "Something There" and so soon before "Beauty and the Beast," so there's not enough breathing room between musical numbers. Within the story structure of the stage musical, it's inclusion is fine and makes sense since we get to know the characters more. When we're dealing with an 84 minute film now becoming a 90 minute film, it throws off the pace.

Albert

[DisneyJedi]

And yet there's more breathing room between "Something There" and "Beauty and the Beast?"

[Disney Duster]

Thanks Escapay!

Oh, and I forgot to thank tsom for finding the script we're talking about in the first place! How does he do that?

I do have to admit though, it feels like "Beauty and the Beast" should follow "Something There" instead of "Human Again". But when I saw the Broadway show on Youtube didn't seem like it was a problem, so I don't remember how it worked out.

[Musical Master]

Yea we don't know how good her original ideas were. It's good and nice she acknowledged Howard Ashman's contribution.

I actually did read the leaked Maleficent script. I forget is the fairies were meaner to each other in that one or not, and you may be right they were worse, but it still stands they were awful in the final film. And actually I liked something from the original leaked script more - the christening scene stayed almost the same, right down to one of the "good" fairies giving the sleeping and true love's kiss gift.

Not only were the fairies meaner to each other but they were plain NASTY to everyone even to the point where they feel annoyed to give the baby Aurora the gifts and they actually didn't care that they were neglectful. At least in the final film that their neglectfulness comes from a big case of stupid and from Maleficent's own boredom by using magic to "torture" them for her own entertainment, nothing more.

[Disney Duster]

Yea good points Musical Master.

[Sotiris]

The cursed objects will deviate in design from the animated ones. They will look more authentically French in design.

Bill [Condon] and his production designer Sarah Greenwood have seen to it that in that fairy tale way, as you've already seen from the 90 second teaser trailer that we released about a month ago, the look and feel of the Beast's castle is appropriately French. So, when it comes to the castle staff, who are cursed objects, let's just say that they don't look like Spanish household articles in an otherwise French castle.

Source: https://soundcloud.com/teamjackpod/59-rule-one