--- --- # You Can't Unsee This Video of a Pre-CGI Dan Stevens in _Beauty and the Beast_ by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman May 25, 2017 8:54 PM UTC by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman May 25, 2017 8:54 PM UTC This is the magic of Emma Watson’s Belle and Dan Stevens’ Beast in [_Beauty and the Beast_](http://time.com/4715468/beauty-and-the-beast-time-loop-theory/) like you’ve never seen it before. Fans already knew that the 34-year-old actor transformed into the Beast for the [wondrous live-action remake](http://time.com/4689999/beauty-and-the-beast-review/) of the animated classic with some help from motion-capture technology and CGI. But no one really knew exactly how the film brought the Beast to life — until now. Recently surfaced footage shows Stevens as the Beast in his bulky motion-capture suit and some very tricky shoes escorting Belle down the castle’s golden staircase. The _Downton Abbey_ actor wore a 40-lb. grey lycra “muscle suit” covered in marker dots and stilts for filming, according to [People](http://people.com/movies/dan-stevens-transformation-beauty-and-the-beast/). It looks like Watson, total pro that she is, had no trouble compensating for the lack of fur. **MORE** [12 Ways the New _Beauty and the Beast_ Is Different From the Original](http://time.com/4702119/beauty-and-the-beast-differences-original-version/) The internet is treasuring the silliness of it as fans often do with [these inside looks](http://time.com/4488423/mad-max-fury-road-no-special-effects/). Perhaps the classic film’s [enduring theme song](http://time.com/4691912/john-legend-ariana-grande-music-video/) said it best. “It’s just a little change, small to say the least.” > [](https://twitter.com/theonewitheone/status/867372083881193472) > [](https://twitter.com/albionscastle/status/867364853048115201) > [](https://twitter.com/cumberbatchlive/status/867356359540576258) > [](https://twitter.com/ShoyukoTakirin/status/867289540649603072) > [](https://twitter.com/adandamn/status/867048319251390464) Watch Stevens describe working with the suit below. Beauty and the Beast: Behind the Scenes Video of CGI, Dan Stevens ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4794956/beauty-and-the-beast-cgi-video/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4794956/beauty-and-the-beast-cgi-video/"},"headline":"You Can't Unsee This Video of a Pre-CGI Dan Stevens in Beauty and the Beast","datePublished":"2017-05-25T20:54:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:43:58.398Z","description":"A behind-the-scenes video of Beauty and the Beast capturing Dan Stevens in his pre-CGI Beast suit has delighted the internet.","url":"https://time.com/4794956/beauty-and-the-beast-cgi-video/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Internet","movies","celebrities","viral"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ashley Hoffman","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4794956/beauty-and-the-beast-cgi-video/","name":"You Can't Unsee This Video of a Pre-CGI Dan Stevens in Beauty and the Beast"}}]}] ```