Tale as old as time…
Disney brought their 1991 animated classic to life in their new movie, “Beauty and the Beast.” Almost following the original frame-by-frame, the movie centers on Belle, played by Emma Watson, who dreams of exploring the world but is stuck reading about it in books, which is frowned upon by the people in her village. She is pursued by the handsome, self-obsessed hunter Gaston (Luke Evans), in whom she has no interest. Belle is considered odd by her village for her love of adventure and her rejection of Gaston.
Her father, Maurice, an artist and inventor, on his way to the fair to sell one of his inventions, takes refuge in an old castle, where he meets and is imprisoned by the Beast (Dan Stevens). After her father’s horse returns without him, Belle goes back to the castle and trades places with her father, allowing the Beast to imprison her in exchange for her father’s freedom.
We learn in the beginning of the movie that the Beast was once a handsome prince who was cursed by an enchantress for his vanity and cruelty, which also affected his house staff, turning them into household objects (a clock or a candelabra, for example). An enchanted rose determines his fate: if he has not found love by the time the last petal falls, he remains cursed forever. You readers can figure out the rest. This is Disney after all. When in doubt, it’s always true love.
…song as old as rhyme…
It seems that Disney has had some considerable success with live-action remakes of their original classics that “Beauty and the Beast” just seems to be the beginning. The remake was directed by Bill Condon. One of my favorite aspects of it was the music. Interestingly, Alan Menken, who scored Disney’s original version, returned to score the live-action version as well, including some of the new original songs featured in the live-action movie.
I thought it would be off-putting seeing Emma Watson in a movie outside of her iconic role as Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” films, but she fit the role well. Luke Evans did particularly well in his portrayal of the villainous Gaston. My personal favorite had to be Ewan McGregor’s portrayal of Lumiere; apparently he had a difficult time with the French accent, but the hard work paid off in the end.
While many loved the fact that it followed Disney’s original almost frame-by-frame, I for one would’ve liked for it to have been different. Disney’s “Cinderella” (2015) was reminiscent of their original animated classic, but it felt like a different movie. “Beauty and the Beast” was practically the same movie in live-action; if it were not for the few differences, I would’ve felt slightly ashamed of myself for paying an arm and a leg to see a film that I’d already seen multiple times before.
Even though I know Disney’s main motivation behind making these remakes is for the money, I couldn’t help but feel happy after seeing it. It had that Disney magic, that spark that makes you feel like a kid again. “Beauty and the Beast” was arguably one of my favorite movies growing up, and the little girl in me was overjoyed after seeing the movie come to life. It wasn’t a perfect movie, but it was the joy I felt after watching it that made it for me. It’s the Disney magic that makes the movie worth seeing, and if you enjoyed the original as much as I did growing up, then this is a must-see!
…Beauty and the Beast.
– Katherine Cater, opinions editor
