Beauty and the Beast

Production Company: Walt Disney Pictures

Director: Bill Condon

Screenplay: Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos

Production Designer: Sarah Greenwood

Art Director: James Foster

Concept Art: Dan May

Painting Practice was recently given the opportunity to support Production Designer Sarah Greenwood on Beauty and the Beast, a live-action version of the beloved animation classic released 26 years ago. The film, which is full of grandiose visuals and complex 3D work, stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, with Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson.

Dan May was tasked to help visualise the Castle for the Art Department so that they could present working models to the Director, Disney and the VFX houses who had been commissioned to realise the final version of the matte work. Dan worked alongside James Foster, the Senior Art director on the film, to ensure that the final CG version of the castle connected seamlessly with the film’s interior set designs. As an added challenge the castle had to adhere to the rules of French Architecture for the Period, whilst retaining fantasy elements that would not compromise the overall believability of the building. To learn more about the influences that inspired the design of the castle, check out this article: Hollywood Reporter - Behind the Scenes on Beauty and the Beast