document_title: Bubble Guppies

question_text: who does the voice of mr grouper on bubble guppies

text: Bubble Guppies

text: Format[edit]

text: The Guppies live in the fictional underwater city of Bubbletucky.[4]

text: All episodes follow a similar format. The episode starts with an introduction by Molly, saying 'Hi: it's me: Molly: and it's time for-' only to be stopped by Gil performing an act related to the episode's subject. One of the two then states 'It's time for Bubble Guppies!', and the theme song plays. After the theme song, the Little Fish say the episode's name.

text: An event may occur when one or more characters is proceeding to school. For example: Avi breaks his tail in "Call a Clambulance!" when Oona was going to school. Afterwards, the school day begins with all the Bubble Guppies saying "Good morning, Mr. Grouper!" Later, a Guppie tells Mr. Grouper about the earlier experience. He suggests, "Let's think about it," and the characters discuss the topic. A song follows, focusing on the episode's main topic. Usually, Molly or Gil sing this song, but there are episodes where Deema or Mr. Grouper sing it instead.

text: One of the Guppies may go to a shop that mostly focuses on the topic (example: a doctor's office in "Call a Clambulance!"). The owner of the shop (usually played by Deema) will ask questions about what he or she needs. Jokes and silly responses will eventually lead to the correct necessity. Mr. Grouper usually ends this segment by asking, "Excuse me, what time is it?" in a call-and-response pattern, with the Guppies responding, "It's time for lunch!" three times.

text: At lunch, three of the characters make a food joke about the subject of the episode (example: Molly gets pizza and a banana, Oona gets a sandwich and a cookie, and Deema gets a sandwich and an ice cream "sun"-dae in The Moon Rocks!). (Note: In almost every episode after the lunch segment, the little fish say the transition quote "That's silly!" or "That's ridiculous!" after saying the lunch joke.) After lunch, another Gil and Molly sketch is shown.

text: After the sketch, some classroom activity is shown further reinforcing that episode's theme, or Mr. Grouper talks more about the topic. This is often ended when Mr. Grouper says, "Line up everybody. It's time to go outside," followed by the "outside song". Outside the classroom, the Guppies act out a story about the topic, interfused with Adobe Flash-animated graphics. Once back inside, a second song is typically performed. Afterward, Gil and Molly do another sketch.

text: The Guppies may then go on a field trip that focuses on the topic. This may focus on a problem shown earlier and involves the key characters. The episode concludes with a final sketch by Gil and Molly, followed by a shorter version of the theme song. The credits then roll which include a song played earlier in that episode.

text: The voice cast is based in New York and California and the dialogue is recorded at New York-based Dubway Studios and Rhumba Recorders and Burbank-based Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

text: Heavy metal speaker Ozzy Osbourne guest starred as Sid Fishy in the 2015 episode Super Guppies.[5]

text: Characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Molly ("The Natural Born Leader")[6] (voiced by Brianna Gentilella, and Bailey Gambertoglio) is a guppy girl with a caring personality. She is a co-host of the show with Gil and is a natural leader of the group.[7][8] She has long pink hair, brown skin, brown eyes, a swirly bikini top, and a blue swirly tail. Molly appears alongside Gil in the transitional segments, where she aids Gil in hopes that problems won't arise.
Gil ("The Turbo-Charged Boy")[6] (voiced by Zachary Gordon, Jacob Bertrand (speaking voice), Teddy Walsh (singing voice), and Jay Gragnani) is a guppy boy with a silly personality.[7] He has blue hair, blue eyes, and a green camouflage tail. Gil gets scared easily, and appears alongside Molly in the transitional segments. In those segments, Gil often attempts to do something but with unexpected results.
Goby ("The Make Believer")[6] (voiced by Jelani Imani, Christopher Borger (singing for Season 1), Marleik "Mar Mar" Walker (2013-2015), Johntae Limpscomb (singing for The Puppy and the Ring!), and Isaac Ryan Brown) is a guppy boy with an imaginative personality.[7] He has indigo hair, brown eyes, and a purple/blue wavy tail.
Deema ("The Drama Queen")[6] (voiced by Angelina Wahler, Selena Ann Gonzalez (singing for Season 1), and Grace Kaufman) is a guppy girl with a zany personality.[7] She has orange/yellow curly hair, blue eyes, orange earrings, which she did wear in "Temple of the Lost Puppy," and an orange/yellow spotted bikini top and tail. Deema has a wild imagination and often plays the role of shopkeeper in the "store" segments.
Oona ("The Sweetie Pie")[6] (voiced by Reyna Shaskan, and Tori Feinstein) is a guppy girl with a sweet personality.[7] She has purple hair in two pigtails with a pink star shaped clip, brown eyes, and a purple/pink striped tail. Oona is the only female Bubble Guppy whose tail is attached to her top.
Nonny ("Mr. Cautious")[6] (voiced by Eamon Pirruccello, and Jet Jurgensmeyer, and Eason Rytter (singing for The Puppy and the Ring!)) is an intelligent guppy boy.[7] He has orange hair, green eyes, a blue scuba mask (his glasses), and a green striped tail. Despite not smiling a lot, he is the most polite and mature member of the group. He is smart and helps Deema pronounce words and helps his friends answer their questions.
Mr. Grouper (voiced by Tino Insana (speaking voice) (speaking for 2013-2015), (Chris Phillips) (singing voice) is the Guppies' teacher. He is an orange and yellow fish. (although most of his body is orange)[7] Mr. Grouper respects the kids' imaginations, ideas, and suggestions. Oddly, Mr. Grouper can also change his body into different colors like red, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, lime green, olive green, navy blue, magenta, white, turquoise, brown, white, black, gray, and can be able to return to his normal body color orange. ( In "The Crayon Prix," Mr. Grouper changed his body color more than once. {All other episodes, Mr. Grouper changed his body color once.}) Once Mr. Grouper changes his body color, the Guppies will have almost 100% of the time a lot of fun with him.
Little Fish (voiced by Skai Jackson, Mia Vavasseur, and Kalya Erickson) are a trio of fish that look alike and frequently answer questions that are put to the home audience by the main characters.[7]
Bubble Puppy (voiced by Frank Welker) is Gil's adopted pet puppy.[7] He has orange and white fur and a green collar with a yellow fish license.

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Clam (voiced by Chris Phillips) is a mollusk living in the classroom. "Happy Clam Day"
Mr. Grumpfish (voiced by Glenn Leopold) is a large fish who is almost always frowning.

text: Minor[edit]

text:
Big Blue Fish (voiced by Chris Phillips) is a big blue fish.
Bubble Kitty is a purple kitten.
Bubble Kitty's Owner (voiced by Kari Wahlgren) is the African lobster.
Buddy is a bottle nose dolphin.
Scuba Lobster (voiced by Chris Phillips) is a diver.
Mia is Molly's little sister.
Stylee (voiced by Keke Palmer) is a world-famous pop star.
Crabs, Snails, Lobsters, and Starfish (voiced by Chris Phillips, Candi Milo and Kari Wahlgren), are background characters appearing in many series.

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
Season
Episodes
Originally aired

First aired
Last aired

1
20
January 24, 2011 (2011-01-24)
October 24, 2011 (2011-10-24)

2
20
November 4, 2011 (2011-11-04)
May 2, 2013 (2013-05-02)

3
26
August 12, 2013 (2013-08-12)
June 19, 2015 (2015-06-19)

4
14[9]
[dead link]
May 21, 2015 (2015-05-21)
October 21, 2016 (2016-10-21)[10]

text: Changes in seasons 2-4[edit]

text:
The dance song comes after the outside sketch instead of before
There is no second "Lets think about it" sketch
All six guppies say "Field trip" before the said segment happens. This did not happen in season 1
A bubble pop transition goes from the classroom to a location based on the topic. In season 1, the topic's location is already set up after the lunch song ends.

text: Mobile streaming[edit]

text: In May and September 2017, 20 episodes of the show were made available for streaming on the NOGGIN video service as one of three shows with interactive playalong episodes. Season 3 has the linear TV episodes while Season 4 has the interactive episodes.

text: Production[edit]

text: Season 3 of Bubble Guppies premiered on August 12, 2013, with an episode entitled, Bubble Guppies: Get Ready for School.[11][12] Season 4 of Bubble Guppies premiered on May 21, 2015.

text: On November 15, 2016, Nickelodeon announced the series would not be renewed for a fifth season.[13][better source needed]


document_title: List of Fear the Walking Dead episodes

question_text: when does season 4 episode 7 fear the walking dead air

root

text: List of Fear the Walking Dead episodes

text: Series overview[edit]

tag: table

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Season 1 (2015)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseasonTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)11"Pilot"Adam DavidsonRobert Kirkman & Dave EricksonAugust 23, 2015 (2015-08-23)10.13[9]
22"So Close, Yet So Far"Adam DavidsonMarco RamirezAugust 30, 2015 (2015-08-30)8.18[10]
33"The Dog"Adam DavidsonJack LoGiudiceSeptember 13, 2015 (2015-09-13)7.19[11]
44"Not Fade Away"Kari SkoglandMeaghan OppenheimerSeptember 20, 2015 (2015-09-20)6.62[12]
55"Cobalt"Kari SkoglandDavid WienerSeptember 27, 2015 (2015-09-27)6.66[13]
66"The Good Man"Stefan SchwartzRobert Kirkman & Dave EricksonOctober 4, 2015 (2015-10-04)6.86[14]

text: Season 2 (2016)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseasonTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)71"Monster"Adam DavidsonDave EricksonApril 10, 2016 (2016-04-10)6.67[15]
82"We All Fall Down"Adam DavidsonStory by : Brett C. Leonard & Kate Barnow Teleplay by : Kate BarnowApril 17, 2016 (2016-04-17)5.58[16]
93"Ouroboros"Stefan SchwartzAlan PageApril 24, 2016 (2016-04-24)4.73[17]
104"Blood in the Streets"Michael UppendahlKate EricksonMay 1, 2016 (2016-05-01)4.80[18]
115"Captive"Craig ZiskCarla ChingMay 8, 2016 (2016-05-08)4.41[19]
126"Sicut Cervus"Kate DennisBrian BucknerMay 15, 2016 (2016-05-15)4.49[20]
137"Shiva"Andrew BernsteinDavid WienerMay 22, 2016 (2016-05-22)4.39[21]
148"Grotesque"Daniel SackheimKate BarnowAugust 21, 2016 (2016-08-21)3.86[22]
159"Los Muertos"Deborah ChowAlan PageAugust 28, 2016 (2016-08-28)3.66[23]
1610"Do Not Disturb"Michael McDonoughLauren SignorinoSeptember 4, 2016 (2016-09-04)2.99[24]
1711"Pablo & Jessica"Uta BriesewitzKate EricksonSeptember 11, 2016 (2016-09-11)3.40[25]
1812"Pillar of Salt"Gerardo NaranjoCarla ChingSeptember 18, 2016 (2016-09-18)3.62[26]
1913"Date of Death"Christoph SchreweBrian BucknerSeptember 25, 2016 (2016-09-25)3.49[27]
2014"Wrath"Stefan SchwartzKate BarnowOctober 2, 2016 (2016-10-02)3.67[28]
2115"North"Andrew BernsteinDave EricksonOctober 2, 2016 (2016-10-02)3.05[28]

text: Season 3 (2017)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseasonTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)221"Eye of the Beholder"Andrew BernsteinDave EricksonJune 4, 2017 (2017-06-04)3.11[29]
232"The New Frontier"Stefan SchwartzMark RichardJune 4, 2017 (2017-06-04)2.70[29]
243"TEOTWAWKI"Deborah ChowRyan ScottJune 11, 2017 (2017-06-11)2.50[30]
254"100"Alex Garcia LopezAlan PageJune 18, 2017 (2017-06-18)2.40[31]
265"Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame"Daniel StammSuzanne HeathcoteJune 25, 2017 (2017-06-25)2.50[32]
276"Red Dirt"Courtney HuntWes BrownJuly 2, 2017 (2017-07-02)2.19[33]
287"The Unveiling"Jeremy WebbMark RichardJuly 9, 2017 (2017-07-09)2.62[34]
298"Children of Wrath"Andrew BernsteinJami O'BrienJuly 9, 2017 (2017-07-09)2.40[34]
309"Minotaur"Stefan SchwartzDave Erickson & Mike ZunicSeptember 10, 2017 (2017-09-10)2.14[35]
3110"The Diviner"Paco CabezasRyan ScottSeptember 10, 2017 (2017-09-10)2.14[35]
3211"La Serpiente"Josef WladykaMark Richard & Lauren SignorinoSeptember 17, 2017 (2017-09-17)1.99[36]
3312"Brother's Keeper"Alrick RileyWes BrownSeptember 24, 2017 (2017-09-24)2.08[37]
3413"This Land Is Your Land"Meera MenonSuzanne HeathcoteOctober 1, 2017 (2017-10-01)2.36[38]
3514"El Matadero"Stefan SchwartzAlan PageOctober 8, 2017 (2017-10-08)2.23[39]
3615"Things Bad Begun"Andrew BernsteinJami O'BrienOctober 15, 2017 (2017-10-15)2.23[40]
3716"Sleigh Ride"Andrew BernsteinDave Erickson & Mark RichardOctober 15, 2017 (2017-10-15)2.23[40]

text: Season 4 (2018)[edit]

text:
No.overallNo. inseasonTitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers(millions)381"What's Your Story?"John PolsonScott M. Gimple & Andrew Chambliss & Ian GoldbergApril 15, 2018 (2018-04-15)4.09[41]
392"Another Day in the Diamond"Michael E. SatrazemisAndrew Chambliss & Ian GoldbergApril 22, 2018 (2018-04-22)3.07[42]
403"Good Out Here"Dan LiuShintaro ShimosawaApril 29, 2018 (2018-04-29)2.71[43]
414"Buried"Magnus MartensAlex DelyleMay 6, 2018 (2018-05-06)2.49[44]
425"Laura"Michael E. SatrazemisAnna FishkoMay 13, 2018 (2018-05-13)2.46[45]
436"Just in Case"Daisy von Scherler MayerRichard NaingMay 20, 2018 (2018-05-20)2.31[46]
447"The Wrong Side of Where You Are Now"Sarah BoydMelissa Scrivner LoveJune 3, 2018 (2018-06-03)1.97[47]
458"No One's Gone"Michael E. SatrazemisIan Goldberg & Andrew ChamblissJune 10, 2018 (2018-06-10)2.32[48]
469"People Like Us"Magnus MartensAnna FishkoAugust 12, 2018 (2018-08-12)TBD
4710"Close Your Eyes"[49]Michael E. SatrazemisShintaro ShimosawaAugust 19, 2018 (2018-08-19)TBD
4811"The Code"[50]Tara Nicole WeyrAndrew Chambliss & Alex DelyleAugust 26, 2018 (2018-08-26)TBD
4912"Weak"[51]Colman DomingoKalinda VazquezSeptember 2, 2018 (2018-09-02)TBD
5013"Blackjack"[52]Sharat RajuIan Goldberg & Richard NaingSeptember 9, 2018 (2018-09-09)TBD
5114"MM 54"[53]Lou Diamond PhillipsAnna Fishko & Shintaro ShimosawaSeptember 16, 2018 (2018-09-16)TBD
5215"I Lose People..."[54]David BarrettKalinda VazquezSeptember 23, 2018 (2018-09-23)TBD
5316"... I Lose Myself"[55]Michael E. SatrazemisAndrew Chambliss & Ian GoldbergSeptember 30, 2018 (2018-09-30)TBD

text: Webisodes[edit]

text: Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462[edit]

text: A 16-part web series, Fear the Walking Dead: Flight 462, premiered on October 4, 2015, on AMC.com; it also aired as promos during The Walking Dead season 6. The web series depicts the outbreak's effect on a commercial airplane flight. Two of its characters, Alex (originally called Charlie in the web series), and Jake are introduced in Fear the Walking Dead season 2, episode 3 "Ouroboros".[56]

tag: p

text: Fear the Walking Dead: Passage[edit]

text: A second 16-part web series, debuted on October 17, 2016, and episodes were made available online weekly and aired as promos during the seventh season of The Walking Dead. The web series follows Sierra, a capable survivor, who helps an injured woman named Gabi, as they try to find sanctuary. The series was written by Lauren Signorino and Mike Zunic and directed by Andrew Bernstein.[57]

text: Ratings[edit]

text: SeasonEp. 1Ep. 2Ep. 3Ep. 4Ep. 5Ep. 6Ep. 7Ep. 8Ep. 9Ep. 10Ep. 11Ep. 12Ep. 13Ep. 14Ep. 15Ep. 16110.138.187.196.626.666.86N/A26.675.584.734.804.414.494.393.863.662.993.403.623.493.673.05N/A33.112.702.502.402.502.192.622.402.142.141.992.082.362.232.232.2344.093.072.712.492.462.311.972.32TBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBDTBD

text: Home media[edit]

text:
Season

Episodes

DVD/Blu-ray release dates

Region 1/A

1

6

December 1, 2015 (2015-12-01)[62]March 22, 2016 (2016-03-22) (special edition)[63]

2

15

December 13, 2016[64]

3

16

March 13, 2018[65]


document_title: Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)

question_text: who played the wardrobe in beauty and the beast live action

text: Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In Rococo-era France, an enchantress disguised as a beggar arrives at a ball and offers the host, a coldhearted prince, a rose for shelter. When he refuses, she transforms him into a beast and his servants into household objects, and erases the castle from the memories of their loved ones. She casts a spell on the rose and warns the prince that the curse will never lift unless he learns to love another, and earn their love in return, before the last petal falls.

text: Years later, in the village of Villeneuve, Belle dreams of adventure and brushes off advances from Gaston, an arrogant former soldier. Lost in the forest, Belle's father Maurice seeks refuge in the Beast's castle, but the Beast imprisons him for stealing a rose. Belle ventures out in search for him and finds him locked in the castle dungeon. The Beast agrees to let her take Maurice's place.

text: Belle befriends the castle's servants, who treat her to a spectacular dinner. When she wanders into the forbidden west wing and finds the rose, the Beast, enraged, scares her into the woods. She is cornered by wolves, but the Beast rescues her and is injured in the process. A friendship develops as Belle nurses his wounds. The Beast shows Belle a gift from the enchantress, a book that transports readers wherever they want. Belle uses it to visit her childhood home in Paris, where she discovers a plague doctor mask. Belle realises that she and her father were forced to leave her mother's deathbed as her mother succumbed to the plague.

text: In Villeneuve, Gaston sees rescuing Belle as an opportunity to win her hand in marriage and agrees to help Maurice. When Maurice learns of his ulterior motive and rejects him, Gaston abandons him to the wolves. Maurice is rescued by the beggar Agathe, but when he tells the townsfolk of Gaston's crime, Gaston convinces them to send Maurice to an insane asylum.

text: After sharing a romantic dance with the Beast, Belle discovers her father's predicament using a magic mirror. The Beast releases her to save Maurice, giving her the mirror to remember him with. At Villeneuve, Belle proves Maurice's sanity by revealing the Beast in the mirror to the townsfolk. Realizing that Belle loves the Beast, Gaston has her thrown into the asylum carriage with her father and rallies the villagers to follow him to the castle to slay the Beast. Maurice and Belle escape and Belle rushes back to the castle.

text: During the battle, Gaston abandons his companion LeFou, who then sides with the servants to fend off the villagers. Gaston attacks the Beast in his tower, who is too depressed to fight back, but regains his will upon seeing Belle return. He overpowers Gaston but spares his life before reuniting with Belle. However, Gaston fatally shoots the Beast from a bridge, but it collapses when the castle crumbles and he falls to his death. The Beast dies as the last petal falls and the servants become inanimate. When Belle tearfully professes her love to him, Agathe reveals herself as the enchantress and undoes the curse, repairing the crumbling castle and restoring the Beast's and servants' human forms and the villagers' memories. The Prince and Belle host a ball for the kingdom, where they dance happily.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Emma Watson as Belle, a beautiful and benevolent bibliophile who develops feelings for the Beast and begins to see the humanity within him.

Daisy Duczmal portrays an infant Belle.

Dan Stevens as The Prince / Beast, a cold-hearted prince who is transformed into a hideous beast and forced to earn back his humanity by learning to truly love and be loved in return.[9][10]

Adam Mitchell[3] portrays the younger version of the Prince.

Luke Evans as Gaston, a narcissistic and arrogant hunter and veteran of the French Royal Army who is willing to go as far as it takes to have Belle as his trophy wife.
Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle's protective widowed father.[11]

Jolyon Coy portrays the young Maurice.

Josh Gad as LeFou, Gaston's flamboyant and long-suffering sidekick who bolsters his friend's ego but gets very little in return.[12]
Ewan McGregor as Lumière, the Beast's charismatic bouteiller who has been transformed into a candelabra.[13]
Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the neurotic court composer and Madame de Garderobe's husband who has been transformed into a harpsichord.[14]
Audra McDonald as Madame de Garderobe, a world-renowned opera singer and Cadenza's wife who has been transformed into a wardrobe.[15]
Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, one of the castle maids and Lumière's lover who has been transformed into a feather duster.[16]
Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the Beast's gruff but loyal majordomo and the head of the household staff who has been transformed into a mantel clock.[17]
Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, the castle's motherly head housekeeper who has been transformed into a teapot.[11]
Hattie Morahan as Agathe, an impoverished hermit and resident of Villeneuve who, in reality, is the Enchantress responsible for cursing the Prince.[18] Morahan also narrates the prologue.

Rita Davies portrays the Enchantress in her beggar woman form.

Nathan Mack as Chip, Mrs. Potts' plucky son who has been transformed into a teacup.[19]
Adrian Schiller as Monsieur D'Arque, the sly warden of the local asylum who is bribed by Gaston to have Maurice institutionalized.[18]
Gerard Horan as Monsieur Jean Potts, an absent-minded potter and resident of Villeneuve who is later revealed to be Mrs. Potts' husband and Chip's father.
Haydn Gwynne as Clothilde, a fishmonger and resident of Villeneuve who is later revealed to be Cogsworth's wife.
Michael Jibson as the Tavern Keeper, the owner and keeper of Villeneuve's local tavern where Gaston and the village residents drink.
Ray Fearon as Père Robert, Villeneuve's local chaplain who encourages Belle to borrow the books in the chapel's meager library.
Sophie Reid, Rafaëlle Cohen, and Carla Nella as the Village Lasses, a trio of women who fawn over Gaston and have a jealousy for Belle.
Jimmy Johnston, Dean Street, and Alexis Loizon as Tom, Dick, and Stanley, a trio of men who serve as Gaston's henchmen.
Zoe Rainey as Belle's mother, Maurice's late wife who contracted the plague and died when Belle was an infant.
Clive Rowe as Cuisinier, the castle's head chef who has been transformed into a stove.
Gizmo as Frou-Frou, Maestro Cadenza's and Madame de Garderobe's pet Yorkshire Terrier who has been transformed into a footstool.
Thomas Padden as Chapeau, the Prince's valet who has been transformed into a coat rack.
Tom Turner[4] as The King, the Prince's father who, following his wife's death, raised his son to be just as selfish and arrogant as he was.
Harriet Jones as The Queen, the Prince's mother who died of an illness when he was a child.
Dale Branston as Baker, Villeneuve's residential baker.
Chris Andrew Mellon as Nasty Headmaster, the unnamed headmaster of an all boys school in Villeneuve that disapproves of Belle teaching a young girl how to read.
Vivian Parry as the Village Lass' Mother, an unnamed seamstress who is the mother of the Village Lasses.

tag: ul

text: Cast notes[edit]

text: ^ In the initial theatrical release, Mitchell was miscredited as Rudi Gooman in the cast, but listed under his real name in the soundtrack credits.[20]

text: ^ In the initial theatrical release, Turner is miscredited as Henry Garrett in the cast.[20]

text: Stephen Merchant also appeared in the film as Monsieur Toilette, a servant who was turned into a toilet. This character was cut from the film, but is featured in the deleted scenes.[21]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: Previously, Disney had begun work on a film adaptation of the 1994 Broadway musical.[22][23] However, in a 2011 interview, composer Alan Menken stated the planned film version of the Beauty and the Beast stage musical "was canned".[24]

text: By April 2014, Walt Disney Pictures had already begun developing a new live-action version and remake of Beauty and the Beast after making other live-action fantasy films such as Alice in Wonderland, Maleficent, Cinderella and The Jungle Book.[25] In June 2014, Bill Condon was signed to direct the film from a script by Evan Spiliotopoulos.[26] Later in September of that same year, Stephen Chbosky (who had previously directed Watson in The Perks of Being a Wallflower) was hired to re-write the script.[27]

text: Before Condon was hired to direct the film, Disney approached him with a proposal to remake the film in a more radical way as Universal Studios had remade Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). Condon later explained that "after Frozen opened, the studio saw that there was this big international audience for an old-school-musical approach. But initially, they said, 'We're interested in a musical to a degree, but only half full of songs.' My interest was taking that film and doing it in this new medium—live-action—as a full-on musical movie. So I backed out for a minute, and they came back and said, 'No, no, no, we get it, let's pursue it that way.'"[28] Walt Disney Pictures president of production Sean Bailey credited Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn with the decision to make the film as a musical: "We worked on this for five or six years, and for 18 months to two years, Beauty was a serious dramatic project, and the scripts were written to reflect that. It wasn't a musical at that time. But we just couldn't get it to click and it was Alan Horn who championed the idea of owning the Disney of it all. We realized there was a competitive advantage in the songs. What is wrong with making adults feel like kids again?"[29]

text: Casting[edit]

text: In January 2015, Emma Watson announced that she would be starring as Belle, the female lead.[30] Watson was the first choice of Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan F. Horn, as he had previously overseen Warner Bros. which released the eight Harry Potter films that co-starred Watson as Hermione Granger.[29] Two months later, Luke Evans and Dan Stevens were revealed to be in talks to play Gaston and the Beast respectively,[31][32] and Watson confirmed their casting the following day through tweets.[9][33] The rest of the principal cast, including Josh Gad, Emma Thompson, Kevin Kline, Audra McDonald, Ian McKellen, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci were announced between March and April to play LeFou, Mrs. Potts, Maurice, Madame de Garderobe, Cogsworth, Plumette, Lumière and Cadenza, respectively.[12][11][15][17][16][13][14][34]

text: Susan Egan, who originated the role of Belle on Broadway, commented on the casting of Watson as "perfect".[35] Paige O'Hara, who voiced Belle in the original animated film and its sequels, offered to help Watson with her singing lessons.[36]

text: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Emma Watson was reportedly paid $3 million upfront, together with an agreement that her final take-home pay could rise as high as $15 million if the film generated gross box office income similar to Maleficent's $759 million worldwide gross.[37]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography on the film began at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England, on May 18, 2015.[11][38][39] Filming with the principal actors concluded on August 21.[40][41] Six days later, co-producer Jack Morrissey confirmed that the film had officially wrapped production.[42]

text: The Beast was portrayed with a “more traditional motion capture puppeteering for the body and the physical orientation", where actor Dan Stevens was "in a forty-pound gray suit on stilts for much of the film". The facial capture for the Beast was done separately in order to "communicate the subtleties of the human face" and "[capture the] thought that occurs to him" which gets "through [to] the eyes, which are the last human element in the Beast.” The castle servants who are transformed into household objects were created with CGI animation.[6]

text: Before the release of the film, Bill Condon refilmed one certain sequence in the "Days of the Sun" number, due to confusion among test audiences caused by actress Harriet Jones, who looked similar to Hattie Morahan, who portrayed Agathe. In the original version of the scene, it was Jones's character, the Prince's mother, who sings the first verse of the song, with Rudi Goodman playing the young Prince and Henry Garrett playing his father; but in the reshot version of the scene, the singing part is given to the Prince (now played by Adam Mitchell). The King was also recast to Tom Turner, although Harriet Jones was still the Queen, albeit with dark hair. Both Goodman and Garrett's names were mistakenly featured in the original theatrical release's credits, but was later corrected in home releases.[20]

text: Music[edit]

text: When released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast marked a turning point for Walt Disney Pictures by appealing to millions of fans with its Oscar-winning musical score by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken. In Bill Condon's opinion, that original score was the key reason he agreed to direct a live-action version of the movie. "That score had more to reveal", he says, "You look at the songs and there's not a clunker in the group. In fact, Frank Rich described it as the best Broadway musical of 1991. The animated version was already darker and more modern than the previous Disney fairytales. Take that vision, put it into a new medium, make it a radical reinvention, something not just for the stage because it's not just being literal, now other elements come into play. It's not just having real actors do it".[43]

text: Condon initially prepared on only drawing inspiration from the original film, but he also planned to include most of the songs composed by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice from the Broadway musical, with the intention of making the film as a "straight-forward, live-action, large-budget movie musical".[44] Menken returned to score the film's music, which features songs from the original film by him and Howard Ashman, plus new material written by Menken and Tim Rice.[45] Menken said the film will not include songs that were written for the Broadway musical and instead, created four new songs.[46] However, an instrumental version of the song "Home", which was written for the musical, is used during the scene where Belle first enters her room in the castle.[47]

text: On January 19, 2017, it was confirmed by both Disney and Céline Dion—singer of the original 1991 Beauty and the Beast duet song, with singer Peabo Bryson—that Dion would be performing one of the new original songs "How Does a Moment Last Forever" to play over the end titles.[48] She originally had doubts about whether or not to record the song due to the recent death of her husband and manager René Angélil, who had previously helped her secure the 1991 pop duet. While ultimately accepting the opportunity, she said: "[The] first Beauty and the Beast decision was made with my husband. Now I'm making decisions on my own. It's a little bit harder. I couldn't say yes right away, because I felt like I was kind of cheating in a way". She eventually felt compelled to record the song because of the impact Beauty and the Beast has had on her career. According to Dion, "I was at the beginning of my career, it put me on the map, it put me where I am today". Also, Josh Groban was announced to be performing the new original song "Evermore" on January 26, 2017.[49][50][51][52]

text: The 2017 film features a remake of the 1991 original song Beauty and the Beast recorded as a duet by Ariana Grande and John Legend.[53][54] Grande and Legend's updated version of the Beauty and the Beast title song is faithful to the original, Grammy-winning duet, performed by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson for the 1991 Disney film.[55]

text: Emma Thompson also performed a rendition of "Beauty and the Beast", which was performed by Angela Lansbury in the original 1991 animated film release.[56]

text: Disney debuted the music video for Ariana Grande and John Legend's interpretation of the title song "Beauty and the Beast" on Freeform television network on March 5, 2017, and it has since attained over 100 million video views on the Vevo video-hosting service.[56]

text: Release[edit]

text: On March 16, 2015, Disney announced the film would be released in 3D on March 17, 2017.[11] The first official presentation of the film took place at Disney's three-day D23 Expo in August 2015.[57]

text: The world premiere of Beauty and the Beast took place on February 23, 2017, at Spencer House in London, England;[58] and the film later premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California, on March 2, 2017. The stream was broadcast onto YouTube.

text: A sing along version of the film released in over 1,200 US theaters nationwide on April 7, 2017.[59] The United Kingdom received the same version on April 21, 2017.[citation needed]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: Disney spent around $140 million for marketing the film worldwide.[60] Following an announcement on May 22, 2016,[61] Disney premiered the first official teaser trailer on Good Morning America the next day.[62] In its first 24 hours, the teaser trailer reached 91.8 million views, which topped the number of views seen in that amount of time in history, including for the teasers for other films distributed by Disney such as Avengers: Age of Ultron, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Captain America: Civil War.[63] This record has since been broken by Thor: Ragnarok and It.[64] The first official teaser poster was released on July 7, 2016.[65] On November 2, 2016, Entertainment Weekly debuted the first official image on the cover of their magazine for the week along with nine new photos as well.[66][67] One week later, Emma Watson and Disney debuted a new poster for the film.[68] On November 14, 2016, the first theatrical trailer was released again on Good Morning America.[69] The trailer reached 127.6 million views in its first 24 hours, setting a new record as the trailer with the most views in one day, beating out Fifty Shades Darker.[70] This record has since been broken again by The Fate of the Furious.[71] A TV spot with Watson singing was shown during the 74th Golden Globe Awards.[72] Disney released the final trailer on January 30, 2017.[73]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Beauty and the Beast was released on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD on June 6, 2017.[74] The film debuted at No. 1 on the NPD VideoScan overall disc sales chart, with all other titles in the top 20, collectively, selling only 40% as many units as Beauty and the Beast.[75] The movie regained the top spot on the national home video sales charts during its third week of release.[76] The movie became available on Netflix on September 19, 2017.

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Beauty and the Beast grossed $504 million in the United States and Canada and $758.6 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $1.262 billion.[a] With a production budget of $160 million, it is the second-most expensive musical ever made; only Hello, Dolly! (1969) with a budget of $25 million ($165 million in 2016 dollars) cost more.[4] In just ten days, it became the highest-grossing live-action musical of all time, beating the nine-year-old record held by Mamma Mia!. It is currently the second-biggest musical ever overall, behind Disney's Frozen (2013).[78] Worldwide, the film proved to be a global phenomenon, earning a total of $357 million over its four-day opening weekend from 56 markets. Critics said the film was playing like superhero movies amongst women. It was the second biggest March global opening, behind only Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the thirteenth-biggest worldwide opening ever and the seventh-biggest for Disney.[79] This includes $21 million from IMAX plays on 1,026 screens, a new record for an IMAX PG title.[80] It surpassed the entire lifetime total of the original film in just six days.[81][82]

text: Beauty and the Beast is the 300th digitally remastered release in IMAX company's history, which began with the re-release of Apollo 13 in 2002. Its robust global debut helped push the company past $6 billion for the first time,[83] and led to analysts believing that the film had a shot of passing $1 billion worldwide from theatrical earnings.[84][85][86][87] On April 12, it passed the $1 billion threshold, becoming the first film of 2017, the fourteenth Disney film, and the twenty-ninth film overall to pass the mark. It became the first film since Rogue One (also a Disney property) in December 2016 to make over a billion dollars, and did so on its twenty-ninth day of release.[88][89][90] It is currently the highest-grossing film of 2017,[91] the highest-grossing March release,[92] the highest-grossing remake of all-time,[93] and the fifth-biggest Disney film.[94] Even after inflation adjusted, it is still ahead of the $425 million gross ($760 million in 2017 dollars) of the original film.[93]

text: North America[edit]

text: In the United States and Canada, Beauty and the Beast topped Fandango's pre-sales and became the fastest-selling family film in the company's history, topping the studio's own animated film Finding Dory released the previous year. Early tracking had the film grossing around $100 million in its opening weekend, with some publications predicting it could reach $130 million.[95][96][97] By the time the film's release was 10 days away, analysts raised projections to as high as $150 million.[98][99] It earned $16.3 million from Thursday previews night, marking the biggest of 2017 (breaking Logan's record), the biggest ever for a Disney live-action film (breaking Maleficent's record), the second biggest ever for both a G or PG-rated film (behind the sixth Harry Potter film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince which also starred Watson), and the third biggest ever in the month of March (behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Hunger Games).[100] An estimated 41% of the gross came from IMAX, 3D and premium large format screenings which began at 6 pm, while the rest—59%—came from regular 2D shows which began at 7 p.m.[101] The numbers were considered more impressive given that the film played during a school week.[102]

text: On its opening day, the film made $63.8 million from 4,210 theaters across 9,200 screens, marking the third biggest in the month of March, trailing behind Batman v Superman ($81.5 million) and The Hunger Games ($67 million).[103][104] It was also the biggest opening day ever for a film that wasn't PG-13, displacing the $58 million opening Wednesday of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Its opening day alone (which includes Thursday's previews) almost matched the entire opening weekend of previous Disney live-action films, Maleficent ($69.4 million) and Cinderella ($67.9 million).[105] Unlike all previous four Disney live-action films witnessing a hike on their second day, Saturday, Beauty and the Beast actually fell 2%, but nevertheless, the dip was paltry, and the grosses are so much bigger compared to the other titles.[83] Earning a total of $174.8 million on its opening weekend, it defied all expectations and went on to set numerous notable records.[106] This includes the biggest opening of the year as well as the biggest for the month of March and pre-summer/spring opening, beating Batman v Superman,[107][108] the biggest start ever for a PG title (also for a family film), surpassing Finding Dory,[109] the biggest debut of all time for a female-fueled film, ahead of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,[110] the biggest for a Disney live-action adaptation, ahead of Alice in Wonderland[110] and the biggest musical debut ever, supplanting Pitch Perfect 2. Furthermore, it is also Watson's highest-opening, beating Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 same with Emma Thompson, director Bill Condon's biggest debut ever ahead of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 and the biggest outside of summer, save for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, not accounting for inflation.[106]

text: It became the forty-third film to debut with over $100 million and the fifteenth film to open above $150 million. Its three-day opening alone surpassed the entire original North American run of the first film ($146 million; before the 3D re-release), instantly becoming the second-biggest film of the year, behind Logan ($184 million), and also the second-highest-grossing musical, behind Grease's $188 million cumulative gross in 1978.[111] Seventy percent of the total ticket sales came from 2D showings signifying that people who don't go to theaters frequently came out in bulk to watch the film. About 26% of the remaining tickets were for 3D. IMAX accounted for 7% ($12.5 million) of the total weekend's gross, setting a new record for a PG title, ahead of Alice in Wonderland ($12.1 million) while PLF repped 11% of the box office.[83] Seventy percent of the film's opening day demographic was female, dropping to 60% through the weekend.[110] According polling service PostTrak, about 84 percent of American parents who saw the film on its opening day said they would "definitely" recommend it for families.[112][113] The film's opening was credited to positive word of mouth from audiences, good reviews from critics, effective marketing which sold the title not just as a family film but also as a romantic drama, the cast's star power (especially Emma Watson), lack of competition, being the first family film since The Lego Batman Movie a month earlier, nostalgia, and the success and ubiquity of the first film and Disney's brand.[112][114]

text: On Monday, its fourth day of release, the film fell precipitously by 72% earning $13.5 million. The steep fall was due to a limited marketplace where only 11% K-12 and 15% colleges were off per ComScore. Nevertheless, it is the second-biggest March Monday, behind Batman v Superman ($15 million).[115] This was followed by the biggest March and pre-summer Tuesday with $17.8 million, a 32% increase from its previous day. The same day, the film passed $200 million in ticket sales.[116] It earned $228.6 million in the first week of release, the sixth-biggest seven-day gross of all time.[117] In its second weekend, the film continued to maintain the top positioning and fell gradually by 48% earning another $90.4 million to register the fourth-biggest second weekend of all time, and the third-biggest for Disney.[118] In terms of percentage drop, its 48% decline is the third-smallest drop for any film opening above $125 million (behind Finding Dory and The Force Awakens).[78] The hold was notable considering how the film was able to fend off three new wide releases: Power Rangers, Life, and CHiPs.[119] As a result, it passed the $300 million threshold becoming the first film of 2017 the pass said mark.[120] The film grossed $45.4 million in its third weekend, finally being overtaken for the top spot by newcomer The Boss Baby ($50.2 million).[121] On April 4, 2017, its nineteenth day of release, it passed the $400 million threshold becoming the first film of 2017 to do so.[122] By its fourth weekend, the film began was playing in 3,969 cinemas, a fall of 241 theaters from its previous weekend. Of those, approximately 1,200 cinemas were sing-along versions. It earned $26.3 million (-48%) and retained second place. By comparison, previous Disney films Moana (−8%) and Frozen (−2%) both witnessed mild percentage declines the weekend their sing-alone versions were released.[123] Its seventh weekend of release was in contemporaneous with another Emma Watson-starring new film The Circle.[124] That weekend, The Circle was number four, while Beauty and the Beast was at number six.[125] By May 28, the film had earned over $500 million in ticket sales becoming the first (and currently only) film of 2017, the third female-fueled film (after The Force Awakens and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story followed by Wonder Woman) and the eighth overall film in cinematic history to pass the mark.[126][127][128]

text: It has already become the biggest March release, dethroning The Hunger Games (2012),[129] the biggest musical film (both animated and live-action),[130] as well as the biggest film of 2017.[131]

text: Outside North America[edit]

text: Internationally, the film began playing on Thursday, March 16, 2017. Through Sunday, March 19, it had a total international opening of $182.3 million from 55 markets, 44 of which were major territories, far exceeding initial estimations of $100 million and opened at No. 1 in virtually all markets except Vietnam, Turkey, and India. Its launch is the second-biggest for the month of March, behind Batman v Superman ($256.5 million). In IMAX, it recorded the biggest debut for a PG title (although it carried varying certificate amongst different markets) with $8.5 million from 649 screens, the second-biggest for a PG title behind The Jungle Book.[132] In its second weekend, it fell just by 35% earning another $120.6 million and maintaining its first position hold. It added major markets like France and Australia.[133] It topped the international box office for three consecutive weekends[134] before finally being dethroned by Ghost in the Shell and The Boss Baby in its fourth weekend. Despite the fall, the film helped Disney push past the $1 billion thresold internationally for the first time in 2017.[135][90]

text: It scored the biggest opening day of the year in Hong Kong and the Philippines, the biggest March Thursday in Italy ($1 million, also the biggest Disney Thursday debut), the biggest March opening day in Austria, and the second-biggest in Germany ($1.1 million), Disney's biggest March in Denmark, the biggest Disney live-action debut in China ($12.6 million), the UK ($6.2 million), Mexico ($2.4 million) and Brazil ($1.8 million) and the third-biggest in South Korea with $1.2 million, behind only Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.[136][137] In terms of opening weekend, the largest debut came from China ($44.8 million), followed by the UK ($24.3 million), Korea ($11.8 million), Mexico ($11.8 million), Australia ($11.1 million), Brazil ($11 million), Germany ($10.7 million), France ($8.4 million), Italy ($7.6 million), Philippines ($6.3 million), Russia ($6 million) and Spain ($5.8 million).[132][133]

text: In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the film recorded the biggest opening ever for a PG-rated film, the biggest Disney live-action opening of all time, the biggest March opening weekend, the biggest opening for a musical (ahead of 2012's Les Misérables), the number one opening of 2017 to date and the fifth-biggest-ever overall with £19.7 million ($24.5 million) from 639 theatres and almost twice that of The Jungle Book (£9.9 million).[138] This included the second-biggest Saturday ever (£7.9 million), only behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[139] It witnessed a decline in its second weekend, earning £12.33 million ($15.4 million). Though the film was falling at a faster rate than The Jungle Book, it had already surpassed the said film and its second weekend is the third-biggest ever (behind the two James Bond films Skyfall (2012) and Spectre).[140][133] In India, despite facing heavy competitions from four new Hindi releases, two Tamils films and a Malayalam and a Punjabi release, the film managed to take an occupancy of 15% on its opening day, an impressive feat despite tremendous competitions.[141][142][143] It earned around ₹1.5 crore (US$230,000) nett on its opening day from an estimated 600 screens which is more than the three Hindi releases—Machine, Trapped, and Aa Gaya Hero—combined.[144] Disney reported a total of ₹9.26 crore (US$1.4 million) gross for its opening weekend there. It was ahead of all new releases and second overall behind Bollywood film Badrinath Ki Dulhania.[145][146][147] In Russia, despite receiving a restrictive 16 rating, the film managed to deliver a very successful opening with $6 million.[148]

text: In China, expectations were high for the film. The release date was announced on January 24, giving Disney and local distributor China Film Group Corporation ample time—around two months—to market the film nationwide. The release date was strategically chosen to coincide with White Day. Preliminary reports suggested that it could open to $40–60 million in its opening weekend. Largely driven by young women, its opening day pre-sales outpaced that of The Jungle Book.[149] The original film was, however, never widely popular in the country.[150] Although China has occasionally blocked gay-themed content from streaming video services, in this case, Chinese censors decided to leave the gay scene intact. According to local box office tracker Ent Group, the film grossed an estimated $12.1 million on its opening day (Friday), representing 70% of the total receipts. Including previews, it made a total of $14.5 million from 100,000 screenings, which is 43% of all screenings in the country.[151] It climbed to $18.5 million on Saturday (102,700 showings) for a three-day total of $42.6 million, securing 60% of the total marketplace. Disney on the other hand reported a different figure of $44.8 million.[152][153] Either ways, it recorded the second-biggest opening for a Disney live-action film,[150] with $3.4 million coming from 386 IMAX screens.[132] Japan—a huge Disney market—served as the film's final market and opened there on April 21.[133] It debuted with a better-than-expected $12.5 million on its opening weekend helping the film push past the $1.1 billion threshold. An estimated $1.1 million came from IMAX screenings, the fourth-biggest ever in the country.[154][155] The two-day gross was $9.7 million, outstripping Frozen's previous record of $9.5 million.[156] Due to positive reviews, good word-of-mouth and benefitting from the Golden Week, the film saw a 9% increase on its second weekend. The hold was strong enough to fend off newcomer The Fate of the Furious from securing the top spot. The total there is now over $98 million after seven weekends[157][158][159] and is the biggest film release of the year and, overall, the eleventh-biggest of all time.[160] It topped the box office there for eight consecutive weekends.[161][162]

text: The only markets where the film did not top the weekend charts were Vietnam (behind Kong: Skull Island), Turkey (with two local movies and Logan ahead) and India (where Badrinath Ki Dulhania retained No. 1).[132] It topped the box office for four straight weekends in Germany, Korea, Austria, Finland, Poland, Portugal, Brazil, Venezuela, Bolivia, Switzerland and the UK (exclusive of previews).[135][163] In the Philippines, it emerged as the most successful commercial film of all time—both local and foreign—with over $13.5 million.[164] In just five weeks, the film became one of the top 10 highest-grossing film of all time in the United Kingdom and Ireland, ahead of all but one Harry Potter film (Deathly Hallows – Part 2) and all three The Lord of the Rings movies (which also starred Ian McKellen).[165] It is currently the eighth-biggest grosser with £70.1 million ($90 million), overtaking Mamma Mia! to become the biggest musical production ever there.[154][166] The biggest international earning markets following the UK are Japan ($108 million), China ($85.8 million), Brazil ($41.5 million), Korea ($37.5 million), and Australia ($35 million).[161] In Europe alone, the cumulative total is $267 million to become the second-highest-grossing film in the past year (behind Rogue One: A Star Wars Story).[154][157][167]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: Beauty and the Beast received generally positive reviews, with praise for the faithfulness to the original film with a few elements of the Broadway musical version, cast performances, visuals, Jacqueline Durran's costume designs, Alan Menken's musical score and songs, though the designs of the Beast and the servants' household object forms received mixed reviews.[168][169] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 71% based on 294 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With an enchanting cast, beautifully crafted songs, and a painterly eye for detail, Beauty and the Beast offers a faithful yet fresh retelling that honors its beloved source material."[170] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 65 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[171] In CinemaScore polls, audiences gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[172][173]

text: Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "It's a Michelin-triple-starred master class in patisserie skills that transforms the cinematic equivalent of a sugar rush into a kind of crystal-meth-like narcotic high that lasts about two hours." Felperin also praised the performances of Watson and Kline as well the special effects, costume designs and the sets while commended the inclusion of Gad's character of LeFou as the first LGBT character in Disney.[174] Owen Gleiberman of Variety, in his positive review of the film, wrote: "It's a lovingly crafted movie, and in many ways a good one, but before that it's an enraptured piece of old-is-new nostalgia." Gleiberman compared Steven's character of the Beast to a royal version of the titular character in The Elephant Man and the 1946 version of the Beast in Jean Cocteau's original adaptation.[175] A. O. Scott of The New York Times praised the performances of both Watson and Stevens, and wrote: "It looks good, moves gracefully and leaves a clean and invigorating aftertaste. I almost didn't recognize the flavor: I think the name for it is joy."[176] Likewise, The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday complimented Watson's performance, describing it as "alert and solemn" while noting her singing ability as "serviceable enough to get the job done".[177] Richard Roeper of Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three and a half stars, lauded the performances of Watson and Thompson which he drew a comparison to Paige O'Hara's and Angela Lansbury's performances in the 1991 animated version while appreciating the performances of the other cast and also pointing out on its usage of the combination of motion capture and CGI technology as a big advantage which he stated: "Almost overwhelmingly lavish, beautifully staged and performed with exquisite timing and grace by the outstanding cast".[178] Mike Ryan of Uproxx praised the cast, production design and the new songs while noting the film doesn't try anything different, saying: "There's certainly nothing that new about this version of Beauty and the Beast (well, except it isn't a cartoon anymore), but it's a good recreation of a classic animated film that should leave most die-hards satisfied."[179] In her A- review, Nancy Churnin of The Dallas Morning News praised the film's emotional and thematic depth, remarking: "There's an emotional authenticity in director Bill Condon's live-action Beauty and the Beast film that helps you rediscover Disney's beloved 1991 animated film and 1994 stage show in fresh, stirring ways."[180]

text: Brian Truitt of USA Today commended the performances of Evans, Gad, McGregor and Thompson alongside Condon's affinity with musicals, the production design, visual effects featured in some of the song numbers including new songs made by the composers Alan Menken and Tim Rice, particularly Evermore which he described the new song with a potential for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.[181] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone rated the film three out of four stars which he deemed it as an "exhilarating gift" while he remarked that "Beauty and the Beast does justice to Disney's animated classic, even if some of the magic is M.I.A (Missing in Action)."[182] Stephanie Zacharek of Time magazine gave a positive review with a description as "Wild, Vivid and Crazy-Beautiful" as she wrote "Nearly everything about Beauty and the Beast is larger than life, to the point that watching it can be a little overwhelming." and added that "it’s loaded with feeling, almost like a brash interpretive dance expressing the passion and elation little girls (and some boys, too) must have felt upon seeing the earlier version."[183] The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle struck an affirmative tone, calling it one of the joys of 2017, stating that "Beauty and the Beast creates an air of enchantment from its first moments, one that lingers and builds and takes on qualities of warmth and generosity as it goes along" while referring the film as "beautiful" and also praised the film for its emotional and psychological tone as well Steven's motion capture performance.[184] Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph gave the film four stars out of five and wrote that "It dazzles on this chocolate box of a picture that feels almost greedy yet to make this film work, down to a sugar-rush finale to grasp the nettle and make an out-an-out, bells-and-whistles musical" while he praised the performances of Watson, McKellen, Thompson, McGregor, Evans and Gad.[185] Mark Hughes of Forbes also similarly praised the film which he wrote that "it could revive the story in a faithful but entirely new and unique way elevating the material beyond expectations, establishing itself as a cinematic equal to the original" and also complimented the importance of undertaking a renowned yet problematic masterpiece as well addressing changes in the elements of the story while acknowledging the film's effectiveness in resonating to the audiences.[186]

text: Several critics regarded the film as inferior to its 1991 animated predecessor. David Sims of The Atlantic wrote that the 2017 film "feels particularly egregious, in part, because it’s so slavishly devoted to the original; every time it falls short of its predecessor (which is quite often), it’s hard not to notice".[187] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune said that the 2017 film "takes our knowledge and our interest in the material for granted. It zips from one number to another, throwing a ton of frenetically edited eye candy at the screen, charmlessly." Phillips wrote that the film featured some "less conspicuously talented" performers who are "stuck doing karaoke, or motion-capture work of middling quality", though he praised Kline's performance as the "best, sweetest thing in the movie; he brings a sense of calm, droll authority".[188] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian praised Watson's performance and wrote that the film was "lit in that fascinatingly artificial honey-glow light, and it runs smoothly on rails—the kind of rails that bring in and out the stage sets for the lucrative Broadway touring version." In the same newspaper, Wendy Ide criticized the film as "ornate to the point of desperation" in its attempt to emulate the animated film.[189][190]

text: Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B-, writing that while the film looks "exceptionally great", he sensed that the new songs were "not transporting". He felt the film needed more life and depth, but praised Watson's and Steven's performances as the "film’s stronger elements".[191] Dana Schwartz of The New York Observer felt that some of the characters, such as Gaston and the Beast, had been watered down from the 1991 film, and that the additional backstory elements failed to "advance the plot or theme in any meaningful way" while adding considerable bloat. Schwartz considered the singing of the cast to be adequate but felt that their voices should have been dubbed over, especially for the complex songs.[192]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
Award
Date of ceremony
Category
Recipient(s) and nominee(s)
Result
Ref.

MTV Movie & TV Awards
May 7, 2017
Movie of the Year
Beauty and the Beast
Won
[193]

Best Actor in a Movie
Emma Watson

Best Kiss
Emma Watson and Dan Stevens
Nominated

Best Duo
Josh Gad and Luke Evans

Golden Trailer Awards
June 6, 2017
Best Animation/Family
Beauty and the Beast
[194]

Best Original Score

Best Animation/Family TV Spot

Best Fantasy Adventure TV Spot

Teen Choice Awards
August 13, 2017
Choice Movie: Fantasy
Won
[195]
[196]

Choice Movie: Fantasy Actor
Dan Stevens
Nominated

Choice Movie: Fantasy Actress
Emma Watson
Won

Choice Movie Villain
Luke Evans

Choice Movie Ship
Emma Watson and Dan Stevens

Choice Liplock

Choice Scene Stealer
Josh Gad
Nominated

Choice Hissy Fit
Luke Evans

Dan Stevens

text: Controversies[edit]

text: Gay character[edit]

text: Controversy erupted after director Bill Condon said there was a "gay moment" in the film, when LeFou briefly waltzes with Stanley, one of Gaston's friends.[197] Afterwards in an interview with Vulture.com, Condon stated, "Can I just say, I’m sort of sick of this. Because you’ve seen the movie—it's such a tiny thing, and it’s been overblown." Condon also added that Beauty and the Beast features much more diversity than just the highly talked-about LeFou: "That was so important. We have interracial couples—this is a celebration of everybody's individuality, and that’s what’s exciting about it.”[198] GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis praised the move stating, "It is a small moment in the film, but it is a huge leap forward for the film industry."[199]

text: In Russia, Vitaly Milonov agitated the culture minister for banning the film,[200] but instead it was given a 16+ rating (children under the age of 16 can only be admitted to see it in theaters with accompanying adults).[201] Additionally, a theater in Henagar, Alabama did not screen the film because of the subplot.[202] In Malaysia, the Film Censorship Board insisted the "gay moment" scene be cut, prompting an indefinite postponement of its release by Disney, followed by their decision to withdraw it completely if it could not be released uncensored.[203][204][205] The studio moved the release date to March 30, to allow more time for Malaysia's censor board to make a decision on whether or not to release the film without changes.[206] The distributors and producers then submitted an appeal to the Film Appeal Committee of Malaysia, which allowed the film to be released without any cuts and a P13 rating on the grounds that the "gay element" was minor and did not affect the positive elements featured in the film.[207][208] In Kuwait, the movie was withdrawn from cinemas by National Cinema Company which owns most of the cinemas in the country. A board member of the company stated that the Ministry of Information's censorship department had requested it to stop its screening and edit it for things deemed offensive by it.[209]

text: There were also a number of boycotts against the film. A call to boycott on LifePetitions received over 129,000 signatures,[210] while the American Family Association featured a petition to boycott with the film, asking the public to help crowdfund a CGI version of Pilgrim's Progress instead.[211]

text: Belle and the Beast's relationship[edit]

text: Disney has sought to portray Belle as an empowered young woman,[212] but a debate questioning whether it is possible to fall in love with someone who is holding you prisoner, and whether this is a problematic theme, has resulted.[213] As was the case with the original animated film, one argument is that Belle suffers from Stockholm syndrome (a condition that causes hostages to develop a psychological alliance with their captors as a survival strategy during captivity). Emma Watson studied whether Belle is trapped in an abusive relationship with the Beast before signing on and concluded that she does not think the criticism fits this version of the folk tale.[214][215] Watson described Stockholm Syndrome as "where a prisoner will take on the characteristics of and fall in love with the captor. Belle actively argues and disagrees with [Beast] constantly. She has none of the characteristics of someone with Stockholm Syndrome because she keeps her independence, she keeps that freedom of thought", also adding that Belle defiantly "gives as good as she gets" before forming a friendship and romance with the Beast.[216]

text: Psychiatrist Frank Ochberg, who coined the term "Stockholm syndrome", said he does not think Belle exhibits the trauma symptoms of prisoners suffering from the syndrome because she does not go through a period of feeling that she is going to die.[217] Some therapists, while acknowledging that the pairing's relationship does not meet the clinical definition of Stockholm syndrome, argue that the relationship depicted is dysfunctional and abusive and does not model healthy romantic relationships for young viewers.[218][219] Constance Grady of Vox writes that Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's Beauty and the Beast was a fairy tale originally written to prepare young girls in 18th-century France for arranged marriages, and that the power disparity is amplified in the Disney version.[220] Anna Menta of Elite Daily argued that the Beast does not apologize to Belle for imprisoning, hurting, or manipulating her, and his treatment of Belle is not painted as wrong.[221]

text: Notes[edit]

text: ^ Jump up to: a b Beauty and the Beast at Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 14, 2017.

tag: ol


document_title: List of The Last of Us characters

question_text: who is joel based on the last of us

question_tokens: who is joel based on the last of us

text: List of The Last of Us characters

text: Creation and conception[edit]

text: The relationship between the characters of Joel and Ellie, portrayed by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, respectively, was the central focus of the game's development. Creative director Neil Druckmann wrote the game's script, particularly focusing on the characters.[1] Though the development team quickly felt that Johnson fit the role of Ellie, they spent more time selecting the actor of Joel, as the chemistry between the two characters was imperative to the game. After Baker and Johnson played alongside each other, the team realized that the former perfectly fit the role of Joel, despite the actor's young age. Baker and Johnson contributed greatly to the development of the characters.[2] For example, Baker convinced Druckmann that Joel would care for Tess due to his loneliness,[3] and Johnson convinced Druckmann to re-write the character of Ellie in a stronger and more defensive manner.[2] Some of the dialogue between the duo was improvised by the actors; Druckmann attributed this to the fact that the script included an unnecessary number of lines during gameplay sections, and he allowed the actors to choose what they felt was necessary.[4] From the beginning of development, the team intended for The Last of Us to feature dual protagonists with strong individual story arcs.[5] The character interactions were inspired by the relationship between Nathan Drake and Tenzin in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (2009), in turn inspired by the video game Ico (2001). The game's protagonists represent the two eras that are shown in the game; Joel represents the world before the outbreak, having spent most of his life during this period, while Ellie represents the world after the outbreak, as she was born in the post-apocalyptic world. While the former is emotionally damaged due to the loss that he has experienced, the latter maintains an optimistic view of life, having become familiar to the damaged world;[6] spending time with each other saw these qualities overlapping, with Joel become more lively, and Ellie learning more survival skills.[5]

text: The character's performances were mostly recorded using motion capture technology; approximately 85% of the game's animations were recorded using motion capture, with remaining audio elements recorded later in a studio.[7] The development team felt that the post-apocalyptic world and the survival horror genre gave them the opportunity to better develop the characters. Taking inspiration from their work on the Uncharted games, the team used their knowledge of paralleling characters with the conflict in both gameplay and stories when developing The Last of Us. They also took inspiration from the books The Road (2006) and City of Thieves (2008), and the film No Country for Old Men (2007),[5] noting that they all include memorable characters and using this as a point of inspiration.[8] "[W]e can make you as a player feel more of what it's truly like to exist inside of a world where every bullet counts and each step you take is a conscious choice that's going to make or break your existence," said Straley.[5] The team also felt that the "pressures of the world" allowed them to better develop their characters. They felt that the pressure forced the characters to make interesting decisions, allowing better development.[5]

text: Lead characters[edit]

text: Joel[edit]

text: Joel (Troy Baker) is the protagonist of The Last of Us. Originally from Texas, Joel was a single father in his late 20s when the initial Cordyceps outbreak occurred. Fleeing with his brother Tommy and his twelve-year-old daughter Sarah, they got involved in a firefight with a soldier, and Sarah was mortally wounded and died in his arms, leaving him traumatized. In the 20 years that follow, Joel did whatever he had to do to survive.[9][10] In the time spent in the brutal post-apocalyptic world, still bitter from his daughter's death, Joel became a hardened survivor, physically and mentally tough. He has a brutal fighting style and is capable of taking on and defeating much younger men in hand-to-hand combat.

text: Twenty years after Sarah's death, Joel works as a smuggler in the Boston quarantine zone with his friend and partner Tess. While out searching for a former accomplice who stole some of their merchandise, Joel and Tess are tasked by Marlene, an acquaintance and leader of a rebel militia called the Fireflies, to smuggle Ellie to a rendezvous point at the Massachusetts State House. Making their way there, Joel discovers that Ellie is immune to the infection. Upon their arrival, Tess reveals that she has sustained a bite on the journey, and insists Joel finds Tommy in order to continue the mission. Joel is initially surly and short towards Ellie, though he begins to warm up to her as their journey continues. This is compounded when Joel, having initially asked Tommy to carry on in his place after meeting up with him at his settlement in Jackson County, Colorado, changes his mind and carries on as planned. Their bond deepens when Ellie nearly loses Joel to a severe injury, and when he comes to her aid after she is nearly killed by a band of cannibals. Ultimately, Joel shows his devotion to Ellie when he chooses to rescue her from the doctors who plan to remove and examine her brain, as opposed to allowing her to die. To ensure they are not pursued, Joel kills Marlene. Driving away, Ellie wakes up, after which Joel tells her the doctors gave up on discovering a cure. Ellie later confronts him about the events, and Joel swears to her that he was telling the truth.

text: When designing Joel's physical appearance, the team tried to make him look "flexible enough" to allow for him to appear as both a "ruthless operator in the underground of a quarantined city" as well as a "caring father figure to Ellie".[11] His appearance was aimed to evoke "rural Americana", referencing values of self-reliance and ingenuity when facing hardship and deprivation.[11] When writing the character of Joel, Druckmann initially took inspiration from Josh Brolin's portrayal of Llewelyn Moss in No Country for Old Men (2007), which he saw as "very quiet, very cool under pressure". However, Baker's interpretation of Joel as a more emotional person evolved the character in a different way.[12] Ultimately, the narrative became an exploration of how willing a father is to save a child; initially, Joel is willing to sacrifice himself, before evolving where he is willing to sacrifice his friends, until finally feeling that he would sacrifice all of humanity in order to save Ellie.[5]

text: Druckmann felt that players, specifically parents, would be able to relate to Joel's character and his bonding with Ellie.[13] Baker believes that Joel discovers morality throughout the game's narrative, working out the difference between loss and sacrifice, and his true personality begins to show.[14] Druckmann became intrigued by players who discussed Joel's morality, distinguishing him as a hero or villain; Druckmann felt that Joel was only "a complex person who's made good and bad decisions", but allowed it to be open to interpretation.[15] When auditioning for the role, Baker read a phrase on the character sheet that stated Joel had "few moral lines left to cross", which became the "anchor point" to the character for him.[1] Baker found great difficulty in filming the game's prologue, which features scenes with Joel and his daughter Sarah, portrayed by Hana Hayes. Upon later viewing of the first day of footage from the scene, Druckmann felt that it could still be improved. When filming the scene again, Druckmann explained to Baker how to perform it, and felt that it was the best take upon doing so. Though Baker initially found the take too "mechanical", he retroactively realized that he had been previously trying to impress audiences by his acting, and that it was "not what the scene needed".[1]

text: Ellie[edit]

text: Ellie (Ashley Johnson) is a fourteen-year-old orphan and the other main playable character in the game, and one of the few characters to have never known life before the infection. Much of her backstory is revealed in the additional content The Last of Us: Left Behind and the comic book miniseries The Last of Us: American Dreams.[16][17]

text: After surviving a bite from the Infected, Ellie is tasked to Joel to be escorted to the Fireflies. Initially annoyed by Joel's surliness, Ellie starts to feel a strong attachment to him. After experiencing a traumatizing encounter in the Winter, in which Ellie is nearly raped and murdered by a band of cannibals, she becomes withdrawn and introverted. When Joel finally gets her to the Fireflies, it is discovered that she has a mutant strain of the Cordyceps fungus growing on her brain, which may be used to create a vaccine; in order to extract the fungi, an operation on Ellie's brain is required, that will likely kill her. While she is being prepared for surgery, Joel makes his way to the operating room and carries her to safety. When Ellie awakens from unconsciousness, Joel lies by telling her that the Fireflies found many other subjects, and had stopped looking for a cure. Ellie later confronts him about it, demanding to know the truth. When he reassures her that he is telling the truth, she replies with "Okay".[18]

text: The team felt that the establishing the physical appearance of Ellie was "critical"; they felt that she need to appear young enough for to make her relationship with Joel believable, but old enough to be credible as a resourceful teenager capable of surviving.[19] When questioned about the inspiration for Ellie as a gameplay feature, Druckmann recalled when he and Straley were brainstorming ideas for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and created a mute character who would summon the player to follow them, creating a "beautiful" relationship through gameplay alone. Though this concept was never included in the final game, the idea was raised when the team were discussing a new project, ultimately inspiring Ellie.[5] Following the release of Left Behind, in which Ellie is seen kissing her friend Riley, Druckmann has confirmed that she is gay.[20]

text: Secondary characters[edit]

text: Marlene[edit]

text: Marlene (Merle Dandridge) is the leader of the Fireflies, a militia movement hoping to wrest control of the Quarantine Zones from the military. She was tasked by Ellie's mother, a close friend of hers, to look out for her daughter, but Ellie only met her after her infection. After being wounded in Boston, she offers to sell Joel and Tess the merchandise Robert stole from them and sold to her in return for smuggling Ellie out of the Quarantine Zone. Joel meets Marlene again at the Firefly hospital in Salt Lake City, where scientists are running tests on Ellie. Marlene reveals that they will operate on Ellie, which will result in her death; Joel disagrees with the operation and fights back. After Joel rescues Ellie, Marlene tries to stop him from leaving, insisting that taking Ellie will merely delay her death until a more gruesome one occurs, and Ellie's return to her would help to create a cure against the infection. Joel disregards her and instead shoots her in the stomach. She begs for her life, but Joel executes her with a shot to the head, ensuring that no-one is left to come after them.

text: The team aimed for Marlene's physical design to make her look "capable and in control", while conveying compassion, to result in players believing that she does care for Ellie.[21] Dandridge found the character of Marlene to be complex, believing that she "wants to do the best thing for the greater good", but events in her life have resulted in a confused moral standing.[22] Though she personally believed that Marlene is a fundamentally "good" person, Dandridge felt that the ambiguous morality of the characters is a significant contributor to the interest in their humanity.[22] Dandridge also appreciated the use of motion capture, comparing it to theater productions.[23]

text: Tess[edit]

text: Tess (Annie Wersching) is Joel's smuggling partner and friend. After chasing down and killing Robert, a former accomplice who stole their merchandise, Tess and Joel are offered their merchandise back from Robert's buyer Marlene if they agree to help smuggle Ellie to the State Capitol building outside of the Quarantine Zone with Joel. She and Joel successfully make it to the Capitol building, only to discover upon arrival that the people they are meant to rendezvous with are all dead. When Joel protests that they must return, Tess insists that she cannot go any further and reveals she was bitten on the journey. As soldiers arrive at the building, Tess orders Joel, as a last obligation to her, to find Tommy and get Ellie to the Fireflies, before sending them off while she covers them. Tess is then killed in the subsequent gunfight, ensuring she never turns.

text: When designing the physical appearance of Tess, the team aimed to make her look "tough and capable", striving to add an element of strength in order to show that she might be more ruthless than Joel.[24] Tess was originally intended to be featured as the main antagonist of The Last of Us, pursuing Joel for a year before a final confrontation in which she is killed by Ellie. However, the team found it difficult to believe that Tess would dispute with Joel and pursue him for a year; this was solved by majorly altering the story.[25] Wersching was impressed by the script, and Druckmann's ability to write unique female characters.[13] When writing the game's female characters, particularly Tess and Ellie, Druckmann avoided external influences, such as the media's portrayal of women, as he wished to write his own story.[13]

text: Tommy[edit]

text: Tommy (Jeffrey Pierce) is Joel's brother. At the initial outbreak, he picked Joel and Sarah up in his car to take them to safety. When the car is hit by a truck, he defends Joel as he carries Sarah, whose leg is badly hurt. After Sarah's death, Joel and Tommy initially survive together, but differing outlooks and Joel's hardened ways led to their estrangement, and Tommy left to join the Fireflies. After becoming disillusioned, he subsequently left them as well, and built a settlement around a working power plant in Wyoming with his wife, Maria. Many years later, Joel arrives at Tommy's settlement, and the brothers are reunited. Tommy initially refuses to take Ellie off Joel's hands, but upon seeing their close bond and realizing that Joel doesn't trust himself to protect Ellie, he agrees to take her to Marlene himself. However, Ellie confronts Joel about Sarah and, after having a change of heart, Joel and Ellie continue their journey after Tommy promises them sanctuary should they need it.

text: The development team aimed for Tommy's physical appearance to resemble Joel "in stature and rugged toughness", but also to express his compassionate approach to the world.[26] While Tommy shares Joel's "gritty masculinity", he also has a gentleness which Joel lacks.[26] Pierce originally auditioned for the role of Joel, which was later given to Troy Baker. When the team was required to cast an actor for the role of Tommy, they immediately contacted Pierce, as they were impressed by his audition. Baker felt that the chemistry between him and Pierce assisted in the realistic relationship between Joel and Tommy.[27]

text: Bill[edit]

text: Bill (W. Earl Brown) is a survivor who lives just outside Boston, and is a business partner of Joel and Tess. A paranoid, aggressive and distrustful man in his late forties, Bill lives alone in a heavily fortified town, laden with booby traps that include some captured Infected. During the game, Joel finds Bill in the hope that he will pay off a debt by fixing up a car for them to drive to Tommy's, but Bill insists that the only working car battery is in the unexplored part of town. After fighting their way to the local high school, Bill discovers the battery he was going to use is missing. They escape the swarms of infected surrounding the school, and find themselves in an abandoned house, where Bill discovers his partner, Frank, has committed suicide by hanging there, and it is revealed that the two had had a falling out and Frank had been planning to escape in Bill's car. After getting the car started, Joel drops Bill off, and expresses sympathy for what happened between him and Frank. Bill merely responds by ensuring that their debt is settled and then ordering Joel to leave the town.

text: Bill's appearance was designed to reflect practicality, as opposed to self-expression; most of his clothing and gear can also be used as a survival tool.[28] Bill is revealed to be homosexual at one point in the game. Druckmann initially left this vague in the script, but was inspired at the script read-through to alter a few lines to further reflect Bill's sexuality.[3] To make Bill interesting, Druckmann explored the concept of contradictory statements; while Bill states that becoming attached to people will lower chances of survival, it is revealed that he had a partner that he really cared for. Bill's role in the game was also to voice Joel's concerns about escorting Ellie, as Joel doesn't voice them. "[T]he reason to have Bill there is that Bill can actually say that to Joel, and warn Joel about that stuff," Druckmann said.[29] Sam Einhorn of GayGamer.net felt that the revelation of Bill's sexuality "added to his character ... without really tokenizing him".[30] American organization GLAAD named Bill one of the "most intriguing new LGBT characters of 2013", calling him "deeply flawed but wholly unique".[31]

text: Henry and Sam[edit]

text: Henry (Brandon Scott) and Sam (Nadji Jeter) are two brothers that Ellie and Joel encounter while trying to escape from a group of hunters in Pittsburgh. Henry is 25 years old, while Sam is thirteen. Joel and Henry initially think each other are hostile, until they see Sam and Ellie, respectively. Like Joel, Henry is an experienced survivor, and the two decide to team up, since both pairs are looking for the Fireflies. They work together to overpower the bandits guarding the exit to the Quarantine Zone, and escape to an abandoned radio tower in the Suburbs. There, Joel and Henry bond over their mutual love of motorbikes, but Sam becomes morose and introverted, particularly after a conversation with Ellie over death and the Infected. The next day, it emerges that Sam was bitten while escaping the Suburbs, and he attacks Ellie, forcing Henry to kill him. Overcome with grief and guilt at his brother's death, Henry commits suicide with his gun.

text: Both the physical appearance and behavior of Henry and Sam were designed to reflect that of Joel and Ellie; the backpack and jeans worn by both duos reflect the physical resemblance, while the behavioral resemblance was in that they are both forced to make tough decisions over time.[32] After Brandon Scott was chosen to portray Henry, the team only showed him some artistic sketches of the game, avoiding specific details about the story. Scott enjoyed portraying the character, particularly due to the fact that he was allowed to introduce elements of his own personality. "You don't have to plan [the little nuances] ... because you get to just be the character," Scott said.[33] He also felt that recording the voice and actions simultaneously was "exciting" and helpful.[33] The team felt that Henry's actions are dedicated to protecting Sam, and that Scott introduced that dedication to the character. Druckmann stated that Henry and Sam's relationship mirrored that of Joel and Ellie's. Ellie was seen by the team as a mentor to Sam. Johnson felt that Sam was "genuinely scared", admiring this significant difference from the game's other characters.[27]

text: David[edit]

text: David (Nolan North) is the leader of a group of cannibals that Ellie runs into at the Lakeside Resort where she is sheltering Joel while he recovers from a grievous wound. Initially, Ellie runs into him and a fellow hunter after killing a deer, and he offers to trade the deer for some penicillin for Joel. After he and Ellie are forced to fend off a swarm of infected, David reveals that he is actually the leader of the gang of hunters that Ellie and Joel had killed previously at the University of Eastern Colorado, when Joel was injured. He allows Ellie to get away, but later tracks her down and kidnaps her, taking her to his base in the town. There, Ellie discovers that David's gang are cannibals. She resists their attempts, manages to kill his assistant and flees into the town, while David and his gang stalk her. David eventually corners her in a restaurant, and stalks her for several minutes, as it burns down. Eventually, he manages to pin her down and tries to strangle her, but she catches hold of his machete and swings it, knocking him off her, and brutally hacks him to death, before Joel arrives and pulls her off.

text: David's physical posture and gestures were specifically designed to suggest a warm and caring nature, making players believe his acceptance to welcome Ellie to his community.[34] Veteran voice actor Nolan North, who portrays protagonist Nathan Drake in Naughty Dog's Uncharted series, was chosen to play the role of David. When approached by Druckmann about the role, North immediately accepted the part, appreciating its diversity from his previous acting roles. When portraying David, North was required to change his voice to fit the role. The first voice he proposed to Druckmann was ultimately chosen for the game; he describes it as "very quiet ... and the voice can break a little".[1] To portray the character, North approached his personality from multiple perspectives, viewing David as a "survivor". North empathized with David, stating that most of David's actions were understandable when considering the apocalyptic situation. He felt that David was initially attempting to protect Ellie, who was viewed as a "glimmer of hope".[35] Prior to the writing of the script, David was referred to as the "cannibal king", and it was known that Ellie would encounter an enemy that would change her. When North was cast, the team found it interesting to make David charismatic, and infatuated with Ellie.[27]

text: Riley[edit]

text: Riley Abel[36] (Yaani King) is Ellie's best friend. Appearing in the Left Behind additional content, Ellie and Riley became friends at the military boarding school where Ellie was sent when she turned thirteen, where at some point Riley left to join the Fireflies. At the start of Left Behind, she returns after a long absence, and ambushes Ellie in her room. The two go to their old hangout in an abandoned shopping mall, where they fight over Riley's revelation that she will soon be posted to another city. Ellie eventually supports her decision, but as the two dance together before parting, Ellie becomes tearful, and begs Riley not to leave. Without hesitation, Riley rips her dog tags off, deciding to choose Ellie instead of the Fireflies. Moved, Ellie impulsively kisses her, which she returns. Overjoyed, Riley and Ellie are pondering how to proceed when they are attacked by infected. Both sustain bites, and decide to embrace in their final hours together. Riley turns, while Ellie does not.

text: King prepared for the role of Riley by studying the single-player campaign of The Last of Us, as well as the comic book The Last of Us: American Dreams (2013). She stated that Riley has "an extremely strong personality, very driven, very confident for a 16-year-old".[37] King felt that Riley and Ellie have a really close friendship, requiring each other to survive. She noted that they care about each other, and that they can both rely on their relationship.[38] She also saw Riley as Ellie's mentor, helping her discover new perspectives in the world.[37]

text: Sarah[edit]

text: Sarah (Hana Hayes) is Joel's twelve-year-old daughter, whom he had when he was in his late teens, and the game's first playable character. The posters and photos on her wall suggest that she was a keen soccer player. At the start of the game, she gives her father a new watch for his birthday. In the early hours of the next day, she is awoken by a commotion and the sound of Tommy phoning Joel. Later, Joel bursts into his office, pulls a revolver out of his desk drawer and shoots their neighbor. Sarah leaves with Tommy and Joel, but her leg is hurt in a crash, forcing Joel to carry her. On the outskirts of their hometown, they come across a soldier, who follows his orders and shoots at them. Sarah is fatally wounded by bullets and dies in Joel's arms.

text: The team felt that Sarah's physical appearance should feel authentic, displaying her relationship with Joel, while simultaneously establishing her as a distinct character. They aimed to establish the character as "a down-to-earth girl who shares many qualities with Ellie".[39] On the relationship between Joel and Sarah, Hayes felt that they are "more like best friends than father and daughter", citing their playfulness and humor with each other.[40] Hayes felt intimidated during her audition, due to her inexperience with video game performances. She found it difficult to perform lines in the recording studio, preferring to perform them with the body movements; she believed that the latter felt more natural.[40] To perform Sarah's death, Hayes forced herself to remember and experience previous moments in her life, such as her grandfather's death.[1]

text: Other characters[edit]

text:
Character
Actor
Details

Robert
Robin Atkin Downes
 Robert is an arms dealer, who was supposed to sell weapons to Joel and Tess. When he instead sells the guns to the Fireflies, Joel and Tess infiltrate his warehouse, ultimately finding him and executing him.[41]

Maria
Ashley Scott
 Maria is Tommy's wife, and Joel's sister-in-law. Maria and her father ran a settlement in Jackson County shortly after the outbreak of the infection. When Joel and Ellie visit the settlement, Maria opposes Joel's suggestion for Tommy to escort Ellie to the Fireflies, as she is scared that he would come to danger. Ultimately, Joel continues on his journey with Ellie, and Tommy returns to the settlement with Maria.[42]
The team aimed for Maria's clothing and demeanor to reflect her "strong and fiercely capable nature".[43] Scott originally auditioned for the role of Tess; when the team required an actor for Maria, they immediately contacted Scott.[27]

James
Reuben Langdon
 James is David's assistant. He was hunting with David upon their encounter with Ellie, during which he was ordered to gather some supplies from their base. When he returns, he discovers Ellie holding David at gunpoint, but is ordered to avoid conflict; Ellie ultimately leaves. When David later captures Ellie, he and James prepare to kill her, restraining her against a table. When Ellie informs them of her infection, James' grip loosens, and Ellie takes advantage of this by stabbing him with a knife, killing him.[44]
Druckmann felt that Langdon added a dynamic between James and David, in which there is conflict between the two characters, but they still respect each other.[27]

Frank
N/A
 Frank is Bill's ex-partner. A letter that Frank wrote before killing himself reveals that Bill's growing paranoia and set-in-his-ways attitude had led to the end of their relationship, and Frank had been intending to take the usable battery, fix up a car and escape Bill's town for good.[45]

Ish
N/A
 Ish is an unseen survivor. Through a series of letters, notes and diary entries found over the course of the sewer mission in the Suburbs, it is revealed that Ish, a fisherman by profession, had set up shelter in a sewer just after beaching his boat, and later accepted some travelers who had children with them to join him.[46] Over some time, the sewers had turned into a thriving commune, but it came to an end when, after someone accidentally left a door to the outside open, a swarm of infected attacked and killed many of the inhabitants. A final note from Ish in one of the nearby houses reveals that he had made it out alive with a few people.[47]
Kotaku called the story of Ish "the hardest lesson" learned in The Last of Us: Ish is a better person than Joel, but his kindness got other people killed.[48]

text: Reception[edit]

text: The characters received acclaim. Eurogamer's Welsh found that the characters were developed with "real patience and skill", appreciating their emotional value,[49] and Joystiq's Mitchell found the relationships "genuine" and emotional.[50] Kelly of Computer and Video Games found the characters "richly painted", feeling invested in their stories.[51] GameSpot's Carolyn Petit felt that the game's sense of humanity is positively reflected through the characters.[52] Tom Hoggins of The Daily Telegraph called the characters "complex" and "flawed", stating that they help the game maintain "its own identity".[53]

text: The character performances also received praise, with Edge noting that the script improved as a result.[54] Eurogamer's Oli Welsh repeated similar remarks, naming the performances "sympathetic and understated".[49] IGN's Colin Moriarty called the voice acting "consistently superb",[55] and Matt Helgeson of Game Informer felt that the actors realistically "convey the heavy emotional toll placed on each character".[56] Jim Sterling of Destructoid felt that the voice acting is "impeccably performed", resulting in "genuine and credible" characters.[57] Kotaku's Kirk Hamilton remarked that the actors "have an uncommon chemistry and fearlessly tackle their roles", praising their delivery of the emotional material.[58] Some of the actors were awarded for their performances; Troy Baker won awards from Hardcore Gamer[59] and the Spike VGX 2013, while Ashley Johnson received two BAFTAs[60][61] and a DICE Award,[62] as well as awards from the Spike VGX and The Daily Telegraph.[63]

text: Many critics discussed the game's depiction of female characters. Jason Killingsworth of Edge praised its lack of sexualized female characters, writing that it "offers a refreshing antidote to the sexism and regressive gender attitudes of most blockbuster videogames".[64] Eurogamer's Ellie Gibson praised Ellie as "sometimes strong, sometimes vulnerable, but never a cliché".[65] She felt that Ellie is initially established as a "damsel in distress", but that this concept is subverted.[65] GameSpot's Carolyn Petit praised the female characters as morally conflicted and sympathetic, but wrote that gender in video games should be evaluated "based on their actual merits, not in relation to other games".[66] Chris Suellentrop of The New York Times acknowledged that Ellie was a likable and "sometimes powerful" character, but argued that The Last of Us is "actually the story of Joel", stating that it's "another video game by men, for men and about men".[67] The Last of Us was also praised for its depiction of LGBT characters. A kiss between two female characters in Left Behind was met with positive reactions.[68][69]