H.E.R, who has won Grammy and Academy Awards, will play Belle, a popular Disney princess, in ABC’s upcoming special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, which will be a mix of animated and live-action scenes. The special will be produced by Jon M. Chu and directed by Hamish Hamilton.
The R&B star will take the audience through Belle’s world with never-before-seen live musical performances inspired by the classic story as well as new sets and costumes.
With H.E.R., Belle will be played on screen for the first time by an Afro-Filipina woman.
“I can’t believe I get to be part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy. Everyone will see a Black and Filipino Belle!” said H.E.R. “I’ve always wanted to be a Disney princess, and I get to work with two great directors, Hamish Hamilton and my favorite, Jon M. Chu. It seems like a dream, and I’m very grateful.”
The two-hour reimagining of Beauty and the Beast will be taped in front of a live audience at Disney Studios. It will be put on by The Wonderful World of Disney. It will air on ABC on December 15, and Disney+ will have it the next day.
The Chu said, “Her obvious extraordinary talent and stage presence make her the perfect Belle, and we’re excited for people to see her in this celebration of creativity.” “The original animated movie influenced us both as storytellers, so it’s exciting to work together to honor the artistry of that timeless classic and inspire a whole new generation of creators.”
Done+Dusted, Walt Disney Television Alternative, and Electric Somewhere work together to make Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. Chu, Caitlin Foito, Hamilton, Raj Kapoor, Richard Kraft, and Katy Mullan are the producers in charge. Hamish Hamilton will be in charge of running things. H.E.R. helps make music.
This year, 2022, is the 30th anniversary of Beauty and the Beast being nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The movie went on to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and the theme song “Beauty and the Beast” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1992.
In just under four years, H.E.R. has been nominated for 20 Grammy Awards and won four of them. Her song “Fight For You” from the movie Judas and the Black Messiah also won an Academy Award. The Color Purple, a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, will be turned into a Warner Bros. movie starring her the following year. H.E.R.’s first album, “Back of My Mind,” came out in June 2021. The song “I Can’t Breathe” won the Song of the Year Grammy Award. H.E.R. has had nearly 6 billion audio and video streams around the world.
