Shania Twain Joins the Cast of ABC’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ as Mrs. Potts
Shania Twain will be inviting fans to "Be Our Guest" this December. She's joining the cast of ABC's upcoming live-action and animated special, Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.
Twain will step into the role of supporting character Mrs. Potts, the friendly and maternal tea pot who, together with her son Chip, helps welcome Belle to the Beast's castle.
Twain is one of several new additions to the cast for the upcoming Beauty and the Beast special, also including Martin Short as Lumiere, David Allen Grier as Cogsworth and Rizwan Manji as LeFou. Jon Jon Briones will appear as Maurice — Belle's father — and Leo Abuelo Perry will join Twain as Chip, Mrs. Pott's son.
The two-hour Beauty and the Beast special celebrates the 30th anniversary of the beloved 1991 Disney film's nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It was the first animated film to receive a mention in that category. Though it didn't win Best Picture that year, Beauty and the Beast went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, and its theme song, "Beauty and the Beast," won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1992.
Mrs. Potts was originally voiced by the late Angela Lansbury, the Irish-British-American actor also known for her work in projects such as Murder, She Wrote. Lansbury died on Oct. 11 at the age of 96.
ABC's Beauty and the Best: A 30th Celebration will combine a live-action show with scenes from the original animated film. It's set to be taped in front of a live audience at Disney Studios, and will air on ABC on Thursday, Dec. 15 beginning at 8PM ET.