When director Bill Condon first spoke to Disney about adapting Beauty and the Beast (1991), they weren't sure they would do this new version as a musical. Condon said, "With all due respect, I think you're crazy. The songs are too good. You're going to spend all this time making a huge, gorgeous live-action 'Beauty And The Beast' and not do 'Be Our Guest'?"
Ryan Gosling was offered the role of the Beast but turned it down to appear in La La Land (2016) instead. Emma Watson was offered the lead role in that movie but turned it down to star in this one. La La Land won several Oscars, including Best Actress for Emma Stone, who accepted the role Watson passed on.
Sir Ian McKellen originally turned down the voice of Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast (1991), a decision he deeply regretted, which is why McKellen readily accepted the role for this version. His close friend, Sir Patrick Stewart, had similar regrets when he was forced to turn down the role of Jafar in Aladdin (1992) due to scheduling conflicts, considering it one of the biggest regrets of his career.
Ewan McGregor performed Lumière's "Be Our Guest" dances in motion capture. However, he was embarrassed at wearing the motion-capture suit and couldn't dance properly unless he was completely alone with the filming crew.
Belle's ballroom gown required 3,000 feet of thread, and over 12,000 designer hours to complete. It was accentuated with 2,160 Swarovski crystals.