Adapting Disney's animated classic Beauty and the Beast into a live action film was no easy feat. As is the case with any reboot/remake, filmmakers behind the live action Beauty and the Beast had to decide what aspects of the original to keep, and which to leave in the past, risking backlash from fans and critics alike. In the end, Disney decided to go somewhere in the middle — changing a few key plot details, but staying true to the heart of the story. Most of the changes in Beauty and the Beast that have people talking are ones done to make Belle more feminist, but there's one Beauty and the Beast change you probably didn't notice that also had people talking long before the film was released.
One of the most obvious major switches in the live action Beauty and the Beast is the look of the enchanted castle. By definition, the entire live action set looks nothing like the animated version. From the detailed gardens to the interior decorating, every aspect of the castle is fresh and new because of the different visual style of the film. This was to be expected, and fans embraced most of the changes, but there's one that might have bothered some: Mrs. Potts. The live action Beauty and the Beast completely changed Mrs. Potts' look. Instead of simple purple detailing, Mrs. Potts is covered in a gold, floral pattern. Instead of a spout nose, her face is printed on the side. In other words, Mrs. Potts is practically unrecognizable if you know what to look for.
Granted, Mrs. Potts isn't the only character whose design is changed in the live action film. Her fellow servants, Lumière and Cogsworth were also given extreme makeovers (mostly in conjunction with a darker color palette), but their seem tame in comparison. According to Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon, Mrs. Potts was actually the hardest object to bring to life in this new film. "The toughest one was probably Mrs. Potts. Fans have a rabid interest and sense of ownership of Mrs. Potts," Condon said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Production attempted to keep Mrs. Potts' famous spout nose, but, as Condon put it, "there was no way to make that appealing in three dimensions."
The new Mrs. Potts might look different, but she's still got the same warmth as the original — even without her bright colors.
