Why Disney Cut the Beauty and the Beast Character (And Who Replaced Him)

A character who was only a cameo in Beauty and the Beast should have had a bigger role. That's why they were replaced.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast owes its popularity in part to its large and dynamic cast of characters, but a last-minute character change had a major impact on the movie. Released in 1991, Beauty and the Beast's original animated film was the fifth Disney princess film. It's based on a fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, but like most adaptations, Disney made changes to the original. Their best change was the addition of characters such as main antagonist Gaston, Bale's father Maurice, and of course, the memorable creature serving in Beast's Castle.

Some of The Beast's staff are Mrs. Potts, the head housekeeper who is turned into teapots by witches, and her children, who are turned into teacups, including her seven-year-old son Chip. Brave and cheerful, Chip is easily the cutest character in Beauty and the Beast, but surprisingly, he wasn't always meant to play such a prominent role. Originally, the movie had a charming music box that served as the lovable on-screen character, and Chip was meant to be just one line of dialogue. However, Chip's voice actor Bradley Michael Pierce would later play Peter Shepard in the original Jumanji, and he so impressed the film's creators that Chip had to play a larger role.

Beauty & The Beast Is Much Better With Chip

Chip is extremely important to the plot of Beauty and the Beast. He is the first to announce Belle's presence at the castle to the other subjects, although Mrs. Potts does not believe him. Later in the film's climax, when Belle and Morris are captured by Gaston and the villagers, it is Chip who saves them with Morris' wood splitter. Plus, his unrelenting joy, such as when he offers to show Belle a trick and blow tea bubbles out of his head, which makes Belle start to feel comfortable in the Beast's castle. The little teacup became such a popular character that some fan theories speculated that he might have a bigger role in the plot, such as when it was suggested that Chip was actually the son of the Beast.

Who Voices Chip In The Live-Action Beauty & The Beast

After Bradley Michael Pierce's impressive performance, many actors went on to play Chip, including The Sixth Sense actress Haley Joel Osment in Beauty and the Beast: An Enchanted Christmas , and Nick Jonas in 2002 Broadway production. Chip was played by Nathan Mack in Disney's 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson. Mike was ten years old when he voiced the role, his first major role. He has many memorable scenes in the role of Mrs. Potts alongside Emma Thompson. However, unlike the original film, the live-action Chip does not return to the village to save Belle and Maurice, but instead engages in a battle with Gaston and the villagers at the castle, which ultimately results in Gaston falling to his death.

Music Box Still in the original Beauty and the Beast movie, with a brief cameo in the final battle. Later, in the short comic series that recounted Beast's life before Belle's arrival, the Music Box resumed a more prominent role, giving it backstory and personality. Ultimately, however, replacing the music box with the Chip was the right choice. In a potentially darker story about a girl trapped in a castle against her will, Chip is the one who reminds Belle and the audience of the innocence and joy that a Disney fairy tale should be inspired.