Beauty and the Beast fans, get ready for some exciting new content! ABC is airing a Beauty and the Beast special later this year to mark the 30th anniversary of the film’s Academy Award nomination for Best Picture (the first time an animated movie was nominated for that category).

Although we won’t see the special until December 15th, we have an exciting update. Now we know who’s going to play Belle!
R&B singer-songwriter H.E.R. has been cast as Belle in ABC’s upcoming special, Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. H.E.R. has received “20 Grammy Award nominations and four wins, plus an Academy Award for her song ‘Fight For You,’ from Judas and the Black Messiah” (Deadline).

H.E.R. told Deadline, “I can’t believe I get to be a part of the Beauty and the Beast legacy. The world will see a Black and Filipino Belle! I have always wanted to be a Disney princess, and I get to work with two wonderful directors Hamish Hamilton and my favorite, Jon M. Chu. It is very surreal and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Director Hamish Hamilton is also known for his work on The Little Mermaid Live. Jon M. Chu directed the recent film In The Heights. Chu has said that both he and H.E.R. have been inspired by Beauty and the Beast in their storytelling. H.E.R. will also be a producer for the special.

ABC’s special is going to be 2 hours long and will feature a mix of animation and live action. It will air on ABC on December 15th and will be available to stream on Disney+ the following day, December 16th.

If you’re looking for more Disney content in the meantime, remember that Disney x Pixar’s Lightyear will stream on Disney+ beginning August 3rd. And you can watch the final episode of Ms. Marvel on Disney+ now!

We’ll continue to watch for more Disney entertainment news, so keep following AllEars for the latest updates.
Click here to get an update on Marvel’s Captain America 4 movie.
Join the AllEars.net Newsletter to get the free list of the best original Disney+ series so far!! Click here to get started!

Are you a Beauty and the Beast fan? Let us know in the comments.
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