Beastly (film)
Encyclopedia
Beastly is a 2011 romantic
fantasy film
loosely based on Alex Flinn
's 2007 novel of the same name
. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast
set in modern-day New York City. The film is written and directed by Daniel Barnz
and stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer
.
The plot focuses on Kyle Kingson, a wealthy and arrogant high school student. During an environmental event, he is disrespectful to a classmate, who is secretly a witch in disguise. The witch then casts a spell on Kyle to disfigure his body and face, giving him one year to find love or be left with his monstrous appearance forever.
It was expected to be distributed to theaters by CBS Films
and Alliance Films
on July 30, 2010. However, it was moved to March 18, 2011, in order to avoid Hudgens's film from clashing with the release of Zac Efron
's film Charlie St. Cloud, but in January 2011, it was bumped up to March 4, 2011.
) is the arrogant and vain son of wealthy news anchor Rob Kingson (Peter Krause
). When he wins Green Committee president, he bullies the eccentric Kendra Hilferty (Mary-Kate Olsen
) for being ugly and strange at the after-party. Disgusted, Kendra magically transforms Kyle into a bald, tattooed and scarred shell of his once-handsome self. Kendra says Kyle has until the next spring to find someone who loves him or he stays this way forever. His father Rob takes Kyle to live in a private condo with their maid, Zola (Lisa Gay Hamilton
), and Kyle's blind tutor, Will Fratalli (Neil Patrick Harris
). Rob initially promises to support his son, but gradually neglects his son over time and stops visiting him after work altogether. Angry and hurt, Kyle finds sympathy from Will and Zola.
As spring draws closer, Kyle finds himself infatuated with Lindy Taylor (Vanessa Hudgens), a girl from his former school who he had initially been as distant to as he was to Kendra. When Lindy and her father are about to be shot by two brothers on the street, Lindy's father shoots one of the brothers, the surviving one vowing vengeance by taking Lindy's life. Kyle saves Lindy and her father, and arranges for Lindy to move in with him for her own safety. Initially, Lindy is furious about hiding, since she wants to go to Machu Picchu
on a field trip - but after she claims she's seen worse when Kyle reveals himself to her (now calling himself "Hunter" around her), they warm up to each other. Kyle writes a letter to Lindy professing his love to her, but he never plans to give it to her, in fear of Lindy not feeling the same way. Will and Zola continue to help Kyle win her over, as the two begin to fall in love. In time, he completely wins her over when they read Frank O'Hara
's poem "Having a Coke with You" together out loud. Closer to spring, Kyle goes to visit Kendra, begging for more time. Kendra refuses, but agrees to restore Will's vision and grant citizenship to Zola's three children in Jamaica as well as restoring Kyle to his original self if he succeeds in winning Lindy's heart.
Lindy receives a text message from her father that the criminal who threatened her life is in jail. She and Kyle spend an afternoon at one of Rob's private cottages on a lake. As they are about to kiss, Lindy receives a call notifying her that her father overdosed and is in a hospital. Kyle gives permission for Lindy to leave and see her father. After driving Lindy to see the train station, Kyle gives her his letter, but regrets doing so when she tells him he's a good friend before leaving. Heartbroken, Kyle does not answer Lindy's phone calls, after she reads his letter. Inspired by Will and Zola, Kyle goes to meet Lindy one last time before she leaves for Machu Picchu, and explains he did not answer her calls because he thought she only liked him as a friend. Lindy professes her love, and departs for Machu Picchu. Kyle's normal, handsome self is restored with Kendra's spell broken, but Lindy decides against leaving and tries to find "Hunter" again. She initially ignores Kyle while searching for Hunter, only for Kyle's phone to ring when she calls "Hunter". Realizing Hunter was Kyle, the two share a kiss in the street.
Will wakes up one morning and to his delight can see again. Zola finds three green card
s for her children in the mail from the government. Kendra is also seen approaching Rob Kingson's office as a new intern, implying that Kendra will likely do the same thing to Rob as she did to Kyle. In the credits, a series of photographs show that Kyle and Lindy went around the world together - starting with Machu Picchu.
Through clues that Lindy leaves him, Kyle finds Lindy and Victor, and Victor turns his gun on Kyle. He rushes at the two, frees Lindy, knocks out Victor, but is shot. He falls to the ground and Lindy comforts him. Kyle tells her "I was someone else" and that he was ugly, referring to his life as the mean Kyle. She tells him that he isn't ugly and that she loves him. She kisses him, and Kyle dies. Lindy runs off. The flowers from his arm tattoo float to his gunshot wound and he is revived. Kyle returns to his normal self, since Lindy broke the curse. Kyle awakens, seeing in a mirror that he is normal. Lindy is confused and scared that her friend isn't there. Kyle tries to explain about his curse, but Lindy doesn't believe him. At this, his face shows utter sadness and resignation. Seeing this, Lindy slowly understands that this is not the old Kyle but really the one she loves: "It's you" and they kiss.
Zola and Will find that Zola's children are allowed to live in the states, and that Will can see. About a month later, before his school's graduation ceremony, Kyle is waiting at the school's entrance with a white rose in his pocket. He sees Trey and Sloane, who tells him he's changed, and he says it's what underneath that counts. He also sees Kendra, and thanks her about Will and Zola, and she jokes around, indicating a friendship starting. Lindy arrives and he tells her "You look so beautiful -- on the inside", and they kiss. Later, Kendra is seen arriving at Rob Kingson's office as his new intern. She might be planning to do the same thing she did to Kyle.
Track Listing
The film is based on Alex Flinn
's 2007 supernatural
romance novel
of the same name
, and has been in production since CBS Films
bought the rights in December 2007. In February 2009, it was announced by CBS Films
President and Chief Executive Officer Amy Baer that Daniel Barnz
would direct and write the screenplay. This is one of the first projects to be put into development by CBS Films. Susan Cartsonis
produced the film through Storefront Films with Roz Weisberg as co-producer.
Initially, the executives hoped for a late 2008 theatrical release; however, the WGA strike
delayed that possibility.
Baer expressed excitement about the director, saying, "Daniel’s fresh vision makes him one of the most exciting directors of his generation. We are thrilled to partner with him as he brings his unique voice to arguably the most universally resonant myth in storytelling." Barnz anticipated bringing an indie sensibility to Flinn's story. "It's a very commercial idea that I get to tell in a highly artistic fashion," he said. Barnz stated:
In writing the script, Barnz was inspired by the film Say Anything keeping the experiences of teenagers in mind while still basing the screenplay on the novel. He "immediately fell for it, because [he] saw that there was an amazing opportunity to tell a modern version of this fairytale and [he] loved the idea of it." Barnz remarked that he was happy to see the story told through the beast's perspective and that it focused more on the romance than the supernatural.
Pettyfer's appearance in the film mostly features him wearing heavy makeup and prosthetics. The prosthetics differ from what is described in the book. Having no fur or fangs, Pettyfer was pleased with the revision:
The makeup was composed of 67 pieces. There were 7 pieces on his head, as well as 60 tattoos and individual scars applied following application of full-body makeup. The facial prosthetics and tattoos took almost three hours to apply, and to put on the full body makeup took the artists 6 hours to finish. Pettyfer commented on his 'transformation':
Tony Gardner and Alterian, Inc. were responsible for the design and creation of the prosthetics and tattoos. Jamie Kelman handled Pettyfer's makeup application from day to day. Hudgens described the beast's look as "crazy" and that it moved her in "a really weird and peculiar way." Several days before the announced production date, several members of the cast were photographed while headed to a wardrobe studio for fittings. The costumes and the wardrobes used in the film were designed by Suttirat Anne Larlarb.
; it had a budget of $17 million for filming and marketing. Production began on June 13, 2009 in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
and ended in August of the same year. The first clip of the official Beastly trailer was filmed in Chicago, shooting Walter Payton College Prep High School as Buckston Academy High School. Old Montreal and Laval were used as filming locations, as well as the Mount Royal Park in Montreal, which served as Central Park
in New York and other outdoor locations. Local Montreal diner Place Milton is also featured as Cafe Santiago. Filming was done in 45 days.
The Quebec government announced on June 12, 2009 that it was increasing its tax credit for foreign producers making films and TV shows there from 25 per cent of labour expenses to 25 per cent of the entire budget of productions shot there. Beastly was one of the film productions who chose to film in Montreal before the announcement of tax-paying increase.
Hudgens left for Montreal to film following the MTV Movie Awards
. "I'm laid-back about it," she said. On June 4, 2009, Hudgens and Pettyfer arrived in Montreal. Neil Patrick Harris also went to Montreal to shoot his scenes, and at the same time, for his lead role in an independent film. Hudgens was the first to wrap shooting in order to promote the film Bandslam. Re-shoots were conducted in 2010 due to the push back of the film's release and in order to "emphasize the romantic relationship between the two main characters".
was composed by Marcelo Zarvos
. Songs by Swedish indie band Marching Band
were featured in the film. Also featured was Natalia Kills
' second single, "Wonderland". The film's soundtrack was released on March 1, 2011.
The first teaser trailer was released on November 20, 2009 during the previews of New Moon. The 23-second teaser received reactions and comments from commercial sites. Annie Barrett of Entertainment Weekly
remarks that "Alex Pettyfer is giving off more of a (Disney pretty-boy) Gaston vibe than the Beast here." A holographic poster was posted in some selected theaters before. The first official poster was then released in early April 2010. A featurette video which includes clips from the film was released in early February 2010. The full-length trailer premiered last April 19, 2010. There was a new trailer released in late 2010 featuring a new logo, the new date, and the song "Broken Arrow
" by Pixie Lott
.
announced that Beastly would have apparel and accessories, social expressions and gaming produced for the film's marketing. Among the products which were planned around the film are proprietary and co-branded games and puzzles for release worldwide by Fundex; figures and bobbleheads worldwide by Bif Bang Pow!
; costumes, masks and accessories for the US and Canada from Rubie’s; and video games worldwide from Storm City, among others. CBS Consumer Products rallied a number of partners for movie-inspired merchandise.
The latest signings include:
, based in Montreal, released the film in Canada under a deal done by Alliance and CBS Films
. Sony Pictures handled all international distribution. It was earlier reported to have a July 30, 2010 release date, but, a few weeks after Charlie St. Cloud moved to a July 30 release, CBS films released a statement saying that they will be moving Beastly because it will cause a "real dilemma" to some of the fans of Zac Efron
and Vanessa Hudgens' relationship, via Beastly's Official Facebook
account. Eventually, they moved the film's release date to March 18, 2011 to avoid clashing with other films opening during the summer 2010. However, the reasons of moving the date vary. The new March 18 date comes four weeks after Pettyfer debuted in American cinema in I Am Number Four. This introduced Pettyfer to the American audience, and three weeks before Hudgens' other film Sucker Punch
. Separately, CBS Films distribution head Steven Friedlandere explains, “There wasn’t much left in the summer that we could move it to. We didn’t want to go in fall, and the holidays are for four-quadrant movie
s. So we figured if we went to March, we’d have some school breaks happening around that time.” Due to a successful test screening, CBS Films decided to bump Beastly up to March 4, 2011.
predicted "50 Biggest Movies of 2010". Hudgens and Pettyfer are honored as ShoWest Stars of Tomorrow for their roles in Beastly. The film was screened at ShoWest and it drew enthusiastic reactions from the luncheon crowd of exhibition officials.
and The Adjustment Bureau
. As of May 25, Beastlys total US gross is $27,865,571. It garnered $10,162,659 more in other regions completing the worldwide gross of $38,028,230, doubling its $17 million budget.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
loosely based on Alex Flinn
Alex Flinn
Alex Flinn is an American author of novels for young adults. To date, she has written eight books that have been published.-Personal life:Flinn was born in Glen Cove, New York and grew up...
's 2007 novel of the same name
Beastly
Beastly is a 2007 novel by Alex Flinn. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City from the view of the beast. Flinn researched many versions of the Beauty and the Beast story to write her book...
. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
set in modern-day New York City. The film is written and directed by Daniel Barnz
Daniel Barnz
Daniel Barnz is an American screenwriter and director.-Life and career:Barnz made his debut in directing in the 2001 movie, The Cutting Room.He also directed the 2009 movie, Phoebe in Wonderland, which received very positive reviews from critics...
and stars Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer
Alex Pettyfer
Alexander Richard "Alex" Pettyfer is an English actor and model. He appeared in school plays and on television before being cast as Alex Rider, the main character in the 2006 film version of Stormbreaker. Pettyfer was nominated for a Young Artist Award and an Empire Award for his role. He has been...
.
The plot focuses on Kyle Kingson, a wealthy and arrogant high school student. During an environmental event, he is disrespectful to a classmate, who is secretly a witch in disguise. The witch then casts a spell on Kyle to disfigure his body and face, giving him one year to find love or be left with his monstrous appearance forever.
It was expected to be distributed to theaters by CBS Films
CBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
and Alliance Films
Alliance Films
Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...
on July 30, 2010. However, it was moved to March 18, 2011, in order to avoid Hudgens's film from clashing with the release of Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...
's film Charlie St. Cloud, but in January 2011, it was bumped up to March 4, 2011.
Plot
Kyle Kingston (Alex PettyferAlex Pettyfer
Alexander Richard "Alex" Pettyfer is an English actor and model. He appeared in school plays and on television before being cast as Alex Rider, the main character in the 2006 film version of Stormbreaker. Pettyfer was nominated for a Young Artist Award and an Empire Award for his role. He has been...
) is the arrogant and vain son of wealthy news anchor Rob Kingson (Peter Krause
Peter Krause
Peter William Krause is an American film and television actor and film producer. He is perhaps best known for his lead roles as Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under, Adam Braverman on Parenthood, and Casey McCall on Sports Night...
). When he wins Green Committee president, he bullies the eccentric Kendra Hilferty (Mary-Kate Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen
Mary-Kate Olsen is an American actress, producer, author and fashion designer. She made her career debut in 1987 alongside her twin sister Ashley Olsen in the television series Full House...
) for being ugly and strange at the after-party. Disgusted, Kendra magically transforms Kyle into a bald, tattooed and scarred shell of his once-handsome self. Kendra says Kyle has until the next spring to find someone who loves him or he stays this way forever. His father Rob takes Kyle to live in a private condo with their maid, Zola (Lisa Gay Hamilton
Lisa Gay Hamilton
Lisa Gay Hamilton is an American film, television, and theater actress known for her role as attorney Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice, and for her critically acclaimed performance as young Sethe in Jonathan Demme's film adaptation of Toni Morrison's Beloved...
), and Kyle's blind tutor, Will Fratalli (Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris
Neil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
). Rob initially promises to support his son, but gradually neglects his son over time and stops visiting him after work altogether. Angry and hurt, Kyle finds sympathy from Will and Zola.
As spring draws closer, Kyle finds himself infatuated with Lindy Taylor (Vanessa Hudgens), a girl from his former school who he had initially been as distant to as he was to Kendra. When Lindy and her father are about to be shot by two brothers on the street, Lindy's father shoots one of the brothers, the surviving one vowing vengeance by taking Lindy's life. Kyle saves Lindy and her father, and arranges for Lindy to move in with him for her own safety. Initially, Lindy is furious about hiding, since she wants to go to Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian 15th-century Inca site located above sea level. It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, which is northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows. Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for...
on a field trip - but after she claims she's seen worse when Kyle reveals himself to her (now calling himself "Hunter" around her), they warm up to each other. Kyle writes a letter to Lindy professing his love to her, but he never plans to give it to her, in fear of Lindy not feeling the same way. Will and Zola continue to help Kyle win her over, as the two begin to fall in love. In time, he completely wins her over when they read Frank O'Hara
Frank O'Hara
Francis Russell "Frank" O'Hara was an American writer, poet and art critic. He was a member of the New York School of poetry.-Life:...
's poem "Having a Coke with You" together out loud. Closer to spring, Kyle goes to visit Kendra, begging for more time. Kendra refuses, but agrees to restore Will's vision and grant citizenship to Zola's three children in Jamaica as well as restoring Kyle to his original self if he succeeds in winning Lindy's heart.
Lindy receives a text message from her father that the criminal who threatened her life is in jail. She and Kyle spend an afternoon at one of Rob's private cottages on a lake. As they are about to kiss, Lindy receives a call notifying her that her father overdosed and is in a hospital. Kyle gives permission for Lindy to leave and see her father. After driving Lindy to see the train station, Kyle gives her his letter, but regrets doing so when she tells him he's a good friend before leaving. Heartbroken, Kyle does not answer Lindy's phone calls, after she reads his letter. Inspired by Will and Zola, Kyle goes to meet Lindy one last time before she leaves for Machu Picchu, and explains he did not answer her calls because he thought she only liked him as a friend. Lindy professes her love, and departs for Machu Picchu. Kyle's normal, handsome self is restored with Kendra's spell broken, but Lindy decides against leaving and tries to find "Hunter" again. She initially ignores Kyle while searching for Hunter, only for Kyle's phone to ring when she calls "Hunter". Realizing Hunter was Kyle, the two share a kiss in the street.
Will wakes up one morning and to his delight can see again. Zola finds three green card
Green Card
Green card may refer to:* Permanent residence , known informally as a green card* Green Card , a 1990 movie whose title refers to the American document above...
s for her children in the mail from the government. Kendra is also seen approaching Rob Kingson's office as a new intern, implying that Kendra will likely do the same thing to Rob as she did to Kyle. In the credits, a series of photographs show that Kyle and Lindy went around the world together - starting with Machu Picchu.
Alternate ending
Zola and Will encourage Kyle to go to the school to see Lindy before she leaves. When he gets there, he finds that the plane to Machu Picchu has departed. This leaves him upset and he accidentally exposes his face; a girl screams and everyone stares. He uncovers his head and says: "I'm just me, inside out", then runs away. He runs to a forest, and tries many times to call Lindy, and sees that he has a message from her, telling him that she didn't go because of his letter and she didn't want to go without him. Lindy then calls him, and Kyle hears that Victor, the criminal from earlier, escaped and is holding her hostage. Kyle runs off to find her.Through clues that Lindy leaves him, Kyle finds Lindy and Victor, and Victor turns his gun on Kyle. He rushes at the two, frees Lindy, knocks out Victor, but is shot. He falls to the ground and Lindy comforts him. Kyle tells her "I was someone else" and that he was ugly, referring to his life as the mean Kyle. She tells him that he isn't ugly and that she loves him. She kisses him, and Kyle dies. Lindy runs off. The flowers from his arm tattoo float to his gunshot wound and he is revived. Kyle returns to his normal self, since Lindy broke the curse. Kyle awakens, seeing in a mirror that he is normal. Lindy is confused and scared that her friend isn't there. Kyle tries to explain about his curse, but Lindy doesn't believe him. At this, his face shows utter sadness and resignation. Seeing this, Lindy slowly understands that this is not the old Kyle but really the one she loves: "It's you" and they kiss.
Zola and Will find that Zola's children are allowed to live in the states, and that Will can see. About a month later, before his school's graduation ceremony, Kyle is waiting at the school's entrance with a white rose in his pocket. He sees Trey and Sloane, who tells him he's changed, and he says it's what underneath that counts. He also sees Kendra, and thanks her about Will and Zola, and she jokes around, indicating a friendship starting. Lindy arrives and he tells her "You look so beautiful -- on the inside", and they kiss. Later, Kendra is seen arriving at Rob Kingson's office as his new intern. She might be planning to do the same thing she did to Kyle.
Cast
- Alex PettyferAlex PettyferAlexander Richard "Alex" Pettyfer is an English actor and model. He appeared in school plays and on television before being cast as Alex Rider, the main character in the 2006 film version of Stormbreaker. Pettyfer was nominated for a Young Artist Award and an Empire Award for his role. He has been...
as Kyle Kingston/Hunter (novel: Kyle Kingsbury/Adrian King), the handsome man with an ugly streak who gets transformed when he bullies a girl at his school. - Vanessa Hudgens as Linda "Lindy" Taylor (novel: Owens), the main female character of the story.
- Mary-Kate OlsenMary-Kate OlsenMary-Kate Olsen is an American actress, producer, author and fashion designer. She made her career debut in 1987 alongside her twin sister Ashley Olsen in the television series Full House...
as Kendra Hilferty, the eccentric girl behind Kyle's transformation. - Neil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick HarrisNeil Patrick Harris is an American actor, singer, director, and magician.Prominent roles of his career include the title role in Doogie Howser, M.D., Colonel Carl Jenkins in Starship Troopers, the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother, a fictionalized version of himself in the Harold...
as Will Fratalli, Kyle's blind tutor - Lisa Gay HamiltonLisa Gay HamiltonLisa Gay Hamilton is an American film, television, and theater actress known for her role as attorney Rebecca Washington on the ABC legal drama The Practice, and for her critically acclaimed performance as young Sethe in Jonathan Demme's film adaptation of Toni Morrison's Beloved...
as Zola (novel: Magda), the Kingsons' maid - Peter KrausePeter KrausePeter William Krause is an American film and television actor and film producer. He is perhaps best known for his lead roles as Nate Fisher on Six Feet Under, Adam Braverman on Parenthood, and Casey McCall on Sports Night...
as Rob Kingston, Kyle's father - Dakota JohnsonDakota JohnsonDakota Mayi Johnson is an American fashion model and actress. She is the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith and the granddaughter of actress Tippi Hedren.-Career:...
as Sloane Hagen, Kyle's girlfriend before he leaves due to his deformity; she accompanies him in bullying other students. After Kyle leaves, she begins dating his best friend, Trey. She cheats on Trey with some other guy who is barely mentioned in the book. - Erik KnudsenErik KnudsenErik Kenneth William Knudsen is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Daniel Matthews in Saw II and Robbie Mercer in Scream 4 and played Dale Turner in the CBS series Jericho.-Life and career:...
as Trey Madison - Regina KingRegina KingRegina King is an American film and television actress. She is well known for her role as Mary Jenkins's studious daughter, Brenda Jenkins, on the 1980s sitcom, 227, and for her critically acclaimed supporting role in the feature film Jerry Maguire...
as Letisha - David Francis as Dr. Davis
- Brian Eastman as Dan Granburg
- Gio Perez as Victor barrel
- Roc LaFortune as Lindy's father
Soundtrack
Various ArtistsTrack Listing
- On the Radio - Regina SpektorRegina SpektorRegina Ilyinichna Spektor is a Russian American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered in New York City's East Village.-Early life:...
- Vanity - Hanover Swain
- Garden of Exile - Toby Martin
- Get Free - The VinesThe Vineshttps://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Special:LandingCheck?landing_page=L11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy_DDOptimised&utm_medium=sitenotice&utm_campaign=C11_1121_WMUK_DDvOneOff&utm_source=B11_1121_WMUK_Jimmy&language=en&country=GB...
- Boys and Girls - Randy Shockne
- Crashing - GerseyGerseyGersey is an Australian rock band based in Melbourne, which formed in 1997. The band is composed of Craig Jackson , Daryl Bradie , Matt Davis , Danny Tulen and Drew Pearse ....
- Transatlanticism - Wenzel Templeton & Robert Pegg
- Today Is the Day - Tim MyersTim MyersTim Myers is an American singer, songwriter and musician from Orange, California.Myers is also known for playing bass in the band OneRepublic from 2004-2007.-Early life:...
- The Long Goodbye - Army Navy
- Breathe In, Breathe Out - Matt Kearney
- Heaven - The Fire TheftThe Fire TheftThe Fire Theft is an indie rock band from Seattle, Washington. It was formed in 2001 by vocalist/guitarist Jeremy Enigk, bassist Nate Mendel, and drummer William Goldsmith, all of whom were previously members of Sunny Day Real Estate...
- Broken Arrow - Randy Shockne
- Be Mine - Kristina & The Dolls
Development
| I was very inspired by 'Say Anything.' I thought there was this kind of rawness and visceral qualities of those years. Being 18 and 19 and what those years are like. So, I wanted to translate that into this film as well. - Daniel Barnz, director of Beastly on writing the screenplay |
The film is based on Alex Flinn
Alex Flinn
Alex Flinn is an American author of novels for young adults. To date, she has written eight books that have been published.-Personal life:Flinn was born in Glen Cove, New York and grew up...
's 2007 supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
romance novel
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
of the same name
Beastly
Beastly is a 2007 novel by Alex Flinn. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City from the view of the beast. Flinn researched many versions of the Beauty and the Beast story to write her book...
, and has been in production since CBS Films
CBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
bought the rights in December 2007. In February 2009, it was announced by CBS Films
CBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
President and Chief Executive Officer Amy Baer that Daniel Barnz
Daniel Barnz
Daniel Barnz is an American screenwriter and director.-Life and career:Barnz made his debut in directing in the 2001 movie, The Cutting Room.He also directed the 2009 movie, Phoebe in Wonderland, which received very positive reviews from critics...
would direct and write the screenplay. This is one of the first projects to be put into development by CBS Films. Susan Cartsonis
Susan Cartsonis
Susan Cartsonis is an American film producer and the president of Storefront Pictures. She produced Firelight, Where the Heart Is, What Women Want, Aquamarine, and Beastly, and was the executive producer of The Mistress of Spices and No Reservations.-External links:*...
produced the film through Storefront Films with Roz Weisberg as co-producer.
Initially, the executives hoped for a late 2008 theatrical release; however, the WGA strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
delayed that possibility.
Baer expressed excitement about the director, saying, "Daniel’s fresh vision makes him one of the most exciting directors of his generation. We are thrilled to partner with him as he brings his unique voice to arguably the most universally resonant myth in storytelling." Barnz anticipated bringing an indie sensibility to Flinn's story. "It's a very commercial idea that I get to tell in a highly artistic fashion," he said. Barnz stated:
There was this sort of hyper-modern version of this story and that it was told from his perspective, which we'd never seen before and thematically, because it's all about beauty and how you look and inner beauty that this was such a great story set in the teenage world and for teenagers, because it has such a great message to it.
In writing the script, Barnz was inspired by the film Say Anything keeping the experiences of teenagers in mind while still basing the screenplay on the novel. He "immediately fell for it, because [he] saw that there was an amazing opportunity to tell a modern version of this fairytale and [he] loved the idea of it." Barnz remarked that he was happy to see the story told through the beast's perspective and that it focused more on the romance than the supernatural.
Design
I was very happy to know I wasn't going to be furry. Question is, were you happy I wasn't furry? Well, I think the audience will be happy. This beast make-up is phenomenal. You're talking to someone who is a fanatic about it [prosthetics and movie make-up] and I've never seen anything that looks remotely similar to this.
The makeup was composed of 67 pieces. There were 7 pieces on his head, as well as 60 tattoos and individual scars applied following application of full-body makeup. The facial prosthetics and tattoos took almost three hours to apply, and to put on the full body makeup took the artists 6 hours to finish. Pettyfer commented on his 'transformation':
It really affected me because as soon as I shaved my head it kind of put me in this weird place, the same place [Kyle is in after his transformation] which really helped me with the role a lot. But at the same time, it kind of is a challenge because you are fighting personally with your own problems off set, but then onset you have a great resource to go to.
Tony Gardner and Alterian, Inc. were responsible for the design and creation of the prosthetics and tattoos. Jamie Kelman handled Pettyfer's makeup application from day to day. Hudgens described the beast's look as "crazy" and that it moved her in "a really weird and peculiar way." Several days before the announced production date, several members of the cast were photographed while headed to a wardrobe studio for fittings. The costumes and the wardrobes used in the film were designed by Suttirat Anne Larlarb.
Filming
Beastly is one of the first feature films to be produced and distributed by CBS FilmsCBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
; it had a budget of $17 million for filming and marketing. Production began on June 13, 2009 in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and ended in August of the same year. The first clip of the official Beastly trailer was filmed in Chicago, shooting Walter Payton College Prep High School as Buckston Academy High School. Old Montreal and Laval were used as filming locations, as well as the Mount Royal Park in Montreal, which served as Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York and other outdoor locations. Local Montreal diner Place Milton is also featured as Cafe Santiago. Filming was done in 45 days.
The Quebec government announced on June 12, 2009 that it was increasing its tax credit for foreign producers making films and TV shows there from 25 per cent of labour expenses to 25 per cent of the entire budget of productions shot there. Beastly was one of the film productions who chose to film in Montreal before the announcement of tax-paying increase.
Hudgens left for Montreal to film following the MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
. "I'm laid-back about it," she said. On June 4, 2009, Hudgens and Pettyfer arrived in Montreal. Neil Patrick Harris also went to Montreal to shoot his scenes, and at the same time, for his lead role in an independent film. Hudgens was the first to wrap shooting in order to promote the film Bandslam. Re-shoots were conducted in 2010 due to the push back of the film's release and in order to "emphasize the romantic relationship between the two main characters".
Music and soundtrack
The film scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
was composed by Marcelo Zarvos
Marcelo Zarvos
Marcelo Zarvos is a Brazilian pianist and composer. He began in classical music in his teens and studied at the Berklee College of Music. He is more known for jazz and had success with the album Dualism accompanied by saxophonist Peter Epstein...
. Songs by Swedish indie band Marching Band
Marching Band (band)
Marching Band is a musical duo consisting of Erik Sunbring and Jacob Lind from Linköping, Sweden. Marching Band combines eccentric musical elements with mainstay rock sounds, creating a sonic fusion that finds instrumentation of marimba, banjo and vibraphone meshing with guitars, bass, drums and...
were featured in the film. Also featured was Natalia Kills
Natalia Kills
Natalia Keery-Fisher is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and short-film director who performs under the stage name Natalia Kills. She released her first single "Don't Play Nice" under the name Verbalicious in February 2005...
' second single, "Wonderland". The film's soundtrack was released on March 1, 2011.
Marketing
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
remarks that "Alex Pettyfer is giving off more of a (Disney pretty-boy) Gaston vibe than the Beast here." A holographic poster was posted in some selected theaters before. The first official poster was then released in early April 2010. A featurette video which includes clips from the film was released in early February 2010. The full-length trailer premiered last April 19, 2010. There was a new trailer released in late 2010 featuring a new logo, the new date, and the song "Broken Arrow
Broken Arrow (Pixie Lott song)
"Broken Arrow" is a song by English recording artist Pixie Lott from the re-release of her debut album, Turn It Up Louder . Written by Lott, Ruth-Anne Cunningham and Toby Gad, the track was released on 10 October 2010 as the lead single from the re-release, reaching number twelve on the UK Singles...
" by Pixie Lott
Pixie Lott
Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott is an English singer-songwriter, dancer and actress. Her debut single "Mama Do" was released in June 2009 and went straight to number one in the UK Singles Chart. Her second single "Boys and Girls", also topped the UK charts in September 2009. Her debut album Turn It...
.
Merchandising
CBS FilmsCBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
announced that Beastly would have apparel and accessories, social expressions and gaming produced for the film's marketing. Among the products which were planned around the film are proprietary and co-branded games and puzzles for release worldwide by Fundex; figures and bobbleheads worldwide by Bif Bang Pow!
Bif Bang Pow!
Bif Bang Pow! is a toy company that makes action figures, plush, and bobble heads based on licensed properties. The company has produced bobbleheads based on The Big Lebowski and Flash Gordon, and has a deal with Anthrax member Scott Ian...
; costumes, masks and accessories for the US and Canada from Rubie’s; and video games worldwide from Storm City, among others. CBS Consumer Products rallied a number of partners for movie-inspired merchandise.
The latest signings include:
- Accessory Innovations for tote bags, wallets, bag clips, messenger bags, cross-body satchels, key chains and bookmarks (U.S.)
- Bif Bang Pow for figures and bobbleheads (worldwide)
- C&D Visionary for stickers, patches, magnets, buttons, key chains and (non-lenticular) bookmarks (U.S.)
- Fundex for games, co-branded games and puzzles (worldwide)
- Genki Wear for fragrances (U.S.)
- HallmarkHallmarkA hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of precious metals — platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium...
for greeting cards and other social expressions (U.S.) - Harper Collins for an original novel (worldwide)
- Jerry Leigh for fashion T-shirts and hoodies (U.S.)
- LTL Prints for removable wall art (North America)
- Philcos for fashion T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, mood jewelry, blankets, headwear, glassware, buttons and wallets (Canada)
- Rubies for costumes, masks and accessories (U.S./Canada)
- Rock Paper Pencils for lenticular journals, bookmarks, pens and stationery (U.S.)
- Storm City Games for 2 video games (worldwide)
- Scorpio for posters (U.S.)
- Sticker You for stickers, decals, static clings and appliqués (U.S.)
Release
Alliance FilmsAlliance Films
Alliance Films is a major Canadian motion picture distribution/production company, which serves Canada, the United Kingdom, and Spain.-History:It was formed in 1984 by Stephen Roth, Denis Heroux, John Kemeny, Robert Lantos and Jay...
, based in Montreal, released the film in Canada under a deal done by Alliance and CBS Films
CBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
. Sony Pictures handled all international distribution. It was earlier reported to have a July 30, 2010 release date, but, a few weeks after Charlie St. Cloud moved to a July 30 release, CBS films released a statement saying that they will be moving Beastly because it will cause a "real dilemma" to some of the fans of Zac Efron
Zac Efron
Zachary David Alexander "Zac" Efron is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and became known with his lead roles in the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, the WB series Summerland, and the 2007 film version of the Broadway musical Hairspray...
and Vanessa Hudgens' relationship, via Beastly's Official Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
account. Eventually, they moved the film's release date to March 18, 2011 to avoid clashing with other films opening during the summer 2010. However, the reasons of moving the date vary. The new March 18 date comes four weeks after Pettyfer debuted in American cinema in I Am Number Four. This introduced Pettyfer to the American audience, and three weeks before Hudgens' other film Sucker Punch
Sucker Punch (film)
Sucker Punch is a 2011 action-fantasy thriller film, directed by Zack Snyder and co-written by him and Steve Shibuya. It is Snyder's first film based on an original script. The film stars Emily Browning, Abbie Cornish, Jena Malone, Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Chung, and Oscar Isaac...
. Separately, CBS Films distribution head Steven Friedlandere explains, “There wasn’t much left in the summer that we could move it to. We didn’t want to go in fall, and the holidays are for four-quadrant movie
Four-quadrant movie
In the movie industry, a "four-quadrant movie" is one which appeals to all four major demographic "quadrants" of the moviegoing audience: both male and female, over and under 25 years old....
s. So we figured if we went to March, we’d have some school breaks happening around that time.” Due to a successful test screening, CBS Films decided to bump Beastly up to March 4, 2011.
Critical reception
The film received mostly negative reviews, earning a 19% approval rating from Rottentomatoes.com from 89 reviews, with an average rating of 3.7/10. It ranked #45 in The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
predicted "50 Biggest Movies of 2010". Hudgens and Pettyfer are honored as ShoWest Stars of Tomorrow for their roles in Beastly. The film was screened at ShoWest and it drew enthusiastic reactions from the luncheon crowd of exhibition officials.
Box office
Beastly landed the third spot on the weekend gross right behind RangoRango
Rango was a Western situation comedy starring comedian Tim Conway which was broadcast in the United States on the ABC television network in 1967....
and The Adjustment Bureau
The Adjustment Bureau
The Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 American fantasy romantic thriller film loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story, "Adjustment Team". The film was written and directed by George Nolfi and stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. The cast also includes Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Michael Kelly,...
. As of May 25, Beastlys total US gross is $27,865,571. It garnered $10,162,659 more in other regions completing the worldwide gross of $38,028,230, doubling its $17 million budget.
Accolades
2011 Teen Choice Awards2011 Teen Choice Awards
The 2011 Teen Choice Awards hosted by Kaley Cuoco aired live on August 7, 2011 at 8/7c on Fox. This was the first time that the ceremonies were aired live since the 2007 show...
- Choice Movie Liplock - Alex Pettyfer and Vanessa Hudgens (nominated)
- Choice Movie Breakout Actor - Alex Pettyfer (won)