Beauty and the Beast: Alan Menken praises Emma  

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WATCH: 'Beauty and the Beast' marks 25 years with Disney greats

'Beauty and the Beast' enchants with new sneak peek at live-action film

may be celebrating its 25th anniversary, but the tale as old as time is poised to enchant viewers in a whole new way.

The highly anticipated live-action retelling of Disney’s beloved animated classic arrives in theaters next March, starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast alongside a star-studded ensemble cast.

Fans have been captivated by the teasers Disney has released so far, and legendary

composer Alan Menken – who is contributing music to the new movie – seems equally charmed.

“She’s really good! I can’t picture anyone else, honestly. She’s Belle for me now entirely,” Menken told EW when asked about Watson as the film’s spirited, book-loving heroine.

His excitement continued with the rest of the cast, including Stevens (“of course, he spends a lot of the movie with a lot of fur covering him but he’s great”), Ewan McGregor and Ian McKellen as Lumière and Cogsworth, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Luke Evans as Gaston (“fantastic – what a revelation”), Josh Gad as LeFou, Audra McDonald as Garderobe, and Kevin Kline as Belle’s father, Maruice. “The cast is just a dream cast, it’s ridiculous,” he added.

This marks the third time Menken has done

work – the original film, the Broadway adaptation, and now the new film – but this time around, he was happy to take cues from director Bill Condon.

“It’s exciting. For me because I’m writing the new songs and scoring the new movie, it’s a lot of work,” he laughed. “It’s interesting and it’s challenging to come back to the same source material three times. And in this case I’m really taking my lead – I am bearer of the flame to a degree, but I want to be as good a team member with Bill Condon as I can be. So I’m really taking my lead from him as a director, and he’s doing a great job.”

opens in theaters on March 17, 2017, and the original animated version is getting a special anniversary rerelease this month. For more from Menken and other Disney greats on

, on newsstands Friday, or buy it here – and subscribe now for exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.

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