Josh Gad Surprises Audiences at Beauty and the Beast Screenings

Audiences are raving about the live-action Beauty and the Beast, which premiered this weekend. But some viewers in New York and Orlando got to see the latest Disney remake with an extra special guest--Josh Gad, who plays LeFou, the sidekick (and doting admirer) of villain Gaston.

Gad surprised audiences at screenings and posted their reactions on his Instagram.

Another city. Another theater. Another surprise #BeautyAndTheBeast pop in. This time at @amctheatres @disneysprings in Orlando FL! #beourguest #disneysprings @beautyandthebeast

A post shared by Josh Gad (@joshgad) on Mar 17, 2017 at 3:45pm PDT

Surprise singalong at @amctheatres @disneysprings with an incredible crowd. #suprisepopin #BeautyAndTheBeast

A post shared by Josh Gad (@joshgad) on Mar 17, 2017 at 4:54pm PDT

My favorite surprise of all was dropping in on the diners tonight at #beourguestrestaurant in @waltdisneyworld for the launch of #BeautyAndTheBeast @beautyandthebeast

A post shared by Josh Gad (@joshgad) on Mar 17, 2017 at 8:40pm PDT

The movie has won with audiences, but generated some controversy when it was revealed that Gad's character would have an "exclusively gay moment" in the movie. This prompted boycotts and censorship of the film from small-town Alabama to Russia and Malaysia.

From what Gad recorded, though, audiences are just happy to be caught in the magic of this "tale as old as time" told once more.