How the American vs. French "Beauty and the Beast" live-action casts compare

As we eagerly await the arrival of Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast next year, we still have the recently released (in North America) French live-action version (it originally came out in 2014 in France), La Belle et la Bête, to fawn over as well.

So close, yet so far.

Both are equally gorgeous films, but they’re very different stories (the French version sticks more closely to the original fairy tale). For example, the characters Cogsworth and Lumière were total Disney inventions.

Léa Seydoux in the French live-action Beauty and the Beast.

However, the main characters in the stories remain the same and it’s interesting to see the differences in casting as well as how they compare to our beloved Disney animated film of the same name from 1991.

Here’s a look at how the American vs. French live-action Beauty and the Beast films’ cast look side by side.

Belle in the animated film.

Emma Watson who will star in the American version and Léa Seydoux who stars in the French version.

The Beast in the animated film.

Dan Stevens who will star in the American version and Vincent Cassel who stars in the French version.

Gaston in the animated film.

Luke Evans who will star in the American version and Eduardo Noriega who plays the villain Perducas in the French version.

And finally, Maurice (Belle’s father) in the animated film.

Kevin Kline who will star in the American version and André Dussollier who plays Belle’s father (just called ~The Merchant~) in the French version.

Honestly? Both casts are absolutely magical.

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  By Crystal Ro