March 1st Disney infinity 3.0 live event

^^ If this were to happen it would allow for Princes to join also.

It's not just Maleficent though. All signs are pointing to them going with the live action versions of Alice and the Mad Hatter as well.

As much as I would also like to see the animated versions of Belle and the Beast, I'm not holding my breath.

@Vidia, what signs other than the article from France point to them going with the live action versions of Alice and Hatter (other than our collective assumptions because it makes the most sense from a marketing standpoint)? The only thing I can recall even mentioned about it was JV giving us the hint about going through the looking glass on the new episode of NEXT...

The thing is, as @OpossumGuy said, it's *very* unlikely they will have Belle and Beast's styles clash. Beast's form in the 2017 film is going to be -- at the very least -- a hyper-realistic CGI creation, guaranteed (I'm hoping for a makeup-CGI hybrid personally). If they didn't do a hyper-realistic style for Baloo, why do it for Beast? That aesthetic will completely clash with iNfinity's currently established style, and if the live action version really is looking to pull many concepts and ideas from the 1991 film, it seems like doing a lot of extra work for a very minimal gain...

Just my two cents. I suppose all will be answered in due time.

I think there's more than enough evidence for it in the two signs that we have. The French article stated that Time was going to be a figure as well, which clearly points to the Burton versions, whilst JV's comment about the looking glass doesn't apply to the animated versions because the looking glass wasn't in that movie.

Baloo is different because he's just a bear. It wasn't about him being hyper-realistic, it was about him being generic. If they'd brought that version into Disney Infinity they would have just ended up with a nondescript cartoon bear, hence why they went with the classic design. One assumes that the "live action" version of the Beast will be more distinct than that. Unless of course the upcoming movie has him looking basically identical to the animated one, which is a possibility. I haven't actually heard anything about the design that they're going with.

I'm not saying they won't give us the animated versions, only that I wouldn't get my hopes up.

Oh, I see. I just figured he used that because anyone who Google's that phrase will have the new movie jump up as a result. I read it as hint dropping to start buzz because the characters are getting released -- in whatever form -- to promote the film just like Baloo and the new Jungle Book, not so much confirmation of something specific.

My theory is that every single iteration of the Beast from Disney has been with heavy reference to the animated look, even in the Broadway show. His design is unique and iconic, and it's pretty much his Disney character trademark now. There's a reason we almost never see him as "Prince Adam" in any form of media or performance unless it's dealing with the ending transformation directly (i.e. Beauty and The Beast: Live On Stage at DHS). So with what I can only speculate at this time -- because it has been confirmed that they are indeed lifting songs right from the animated movie and the Broadway show for the film -- it seems very likely to me that his design in the 2017 film will not stray too far from that which is depicted in my avatar. If that is the case, I stand by my comment and opinion of "extra work for minimal gain" to not just go flat out with the animated look, given Disney iNfinity's current universal aesthetic.

Well, I certainly hope that you're correct about Beauty and the Beast. It's my favourite of the Disney Animated Classics and I'd love to see them in that form. They do seem to be sticking very closely to the original movie with this remake, to the point of even using the same songs. I could definitely see them using the same Beast design.

^^ All of that is music to my ears, B&TB is also my favorite. If it truly is more of a remake and not a reboot, then maybe there's potential for the classic versions. I think the overwhelming positive feedback for Baloo has the potential to hopefully sway them in our direction in this instance.

I'm in the classic BatB boat too, if I hadn't made it clear enough. There's no doubt in my mind that they'll be a part of 3.0's lineup (likely the tail end) in some form by the end of the year to promote the new film, but I'm admittedly cautiously optimistic they'll opt for the classic versions. The Baloo route was basically met with unanimous applause, after all.