Sneak Peek at MinaLima’s Illustrated ‘Beauty and the Beast’!

We were overjoyed when we heard that MinaLima would be publishing a reimagined, beautifully illustrated version of Beauty and the Beast as part of their classics collection, to coincide with Emma Watson’s starring role in the Disney remake of the movie.

Published by Harper Collins, the deluxe gift edition features new artwork and nine interactive elements, and will be launching in the U.K. on 9 March 2017, in stores and at the House of MinaLima, which is (thankfully) to remain open!

I picked up a copy of the book, and – as usual with the artistic duo – was absolutely overjoyed at how much detail is in each and every nook and cranny. Each page is separated with a thin layer of tissue, the binding is strong and illustriously engraved, the interactive ‘pop-out’ features made me feel like a kid again and each illustration perfectly compliments  Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s tale as old as time (well, 1740).

The interactive elements include:

• A trifold map of the affluent French city where the Beauty’s father and his family live
• A fold out that reveals the interior of the Beast’s alluring palace
• A series of flaps that open to reveal different attractions available to Beauty in the Beast’s palace
• A dial of the ring Beauty turns on her finger to return to the Beast and more

I found Belle to be a refreshing re-imagination of Disney’s animation (and Emma Watson’s recreation of this character). MinaLima have re-envisioned her (and the beast) in an elegantly crafted manner, aligning with their other two illustrated children’s classics, Peter Pan and The Jungle Book.

Every turn of a page brings you a new surprise, and it’s definitely made me want to start getting calligraphy lessons!

Without wanting to share too much of the book, here’s a preview of the first few pages:

The first page of each chapter is probably my favourite part about this book, it makes reading even much more exciting when the words are accompanied by such talented illustrations. If you want some prints from MinaLima to put on your wall, you’ll be happy to know they’re available on their website and at the House of MinaLima, so be sure to check them out if you’re like me and wish you could do any form of art.

We’ll be bringing you more news about the release of MinaLima’s Beauty and the Beast deluxe gift edition soon, so keep posted! In the meantime, take a look at a video (from HarperCollins) of the book below, and preorder your (signed!) copy here!