The beloved tale as old as time, “Beauty and the Beast”, is coming back to your screen, this time, in live-action. Disney’s live action remakes of classic animated films such as “Cinderella”, “Maleficent” and “The Jungle Book” were box office hits, and “Beauty and the Beast” will be no exception.

Anticipation for this film stems from its loyalty to the original animated version, from scenery to song. Unlike previous Disney live-action films, “Beauty and the Beast” will be a musical. Along with all the well-known songs of the original-—most notably, “Be our Guest” and “Beauty and the Beast”—the adaptation will also include three new songs. Disney songwriter, composer for the 1991 version of the movie and Oscar winner, Alan Menken, and his partner Tim Rice have created “Days in the Sun,” a song describing the lives of the enchanted objects of the castle before they were put under the curse, “Evermore,” a song sung by the Beast about his love for Belle (replacing the song “If I Can’t Love Her” from the Broadway musical), and a third song “How can a Moment Last Forever?”

The cast of talented A-list celebrities consists of Harry Potter alum, Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Luke Evans as Gaston, Josh Gad as Le Fou, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Broadway legend, Audra McDonald as Garderobe, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette and Stanley Tucci portraying a new character Cadenza.

Though the film is staying as similar to the original as possible, there are, of course, some modifications and changes being made. Most notably, Gaston’s sidekick, Le Fou—played by Josh Gad—will be Disney’s first openly gay character. He undergoes an exploration of his sexuality as he admires Gaston. Additionally, Belle was originally the daughter of an inventor named Maurice and loved to read; however, the new film will portray Belle as an inventor, reflecting the idea that she loved to learn, an idea that Emma Watson, an active feminist, helped think of. She wanted to advocate the idea that discovering oneself is more important than finding a man and getting married. Furthermore, Emma Watson is modernizing the traditional role of a Disney princess by refusing to wear a corset.

No matter what surprises this film throws us, it is safe to say we are ready for “Beauty and the Beast” to be our guest this spring.