Before anybody sings a note or speaks a word in "Disney's Beauty and the Beast," which runs Dec. 29 through Jan. 3 at theSaenger Theatre, there is the look to be reckoned with. And that look belongs to Ann Hould-Ward.

As costume designer for the original 1994 Broadway production -- an assignment that won her the Tony Award for Best Costume Design – Hould-Ward managed the considerable feat of rebirthing imagery from the 1991 Disney animated film to the live stage. Call it a translation…