1:04pm ET
Records will be broken, awards will be won.
The Jungle Book, Cinderella, and Maleficent were all successes at the boxes as Disney live-action films, but Beauty and the Beast is undoubtedly the best one yet.
Accumulating hype for more than a year, the Bill Condon-directed film seems to have surpassed expectations through opening weekend.
For the most part, the movie follows the storyline of the 1991 animated feature closely with some pleasant additions. One noticeable difference between the two versions is the addition of Beasts' song, 'Evermore,' written by Josh Dad and performed by Dan Stevens (Beast).
Back to the beginning, the movie opens with a rather dark scene involving the enchantress and prince. This provides the back story as to how the Prince and all of the castle staff were cast under a spell.
From there, the movie moves to the opening number featuring Emma Watson (Belle) singing 'Belle.' With Hermoine Granger not being known to show off her vocal cords, it's safe to say she did well for her first Disney film. This scene is also where we are introduced to Luke Evans (Gaston) and Josh Gad (LeFou).
Quickly into Gaston's portion of the song, viewers learn that Gaston and LeFou have one of the most adorable bonds throughout the film. LeFou seemingly has the hearts for Gaston, which viewers will quickly pick up on through various jokes and subtle hints throughout the movie (mostly in the tavern scenes).
The CGI-work in this film is nothing short of phenomenal. On par with The Jungle Book's special effects, production crews and Dan Stevens seem to have perfectly depicted the Beast in both his mannerisms and facial expressions. You can really tell before the 'Something There' number, where Beast takes on a whole new personality of gentility and witty humour-- something you don't connect with in the cartoon. In addition to the Beast, the enchanted objects also undergo a massive transformation behind the scenes, giving them lifelike characteristics and personalities before they even speak.
The diversity amongst the enchanted objects allows the movie to go in a number of directions between plot-lines and humor. For example, Cogsworth is known to be wound up tight and a bit of a worry-wart in the 1991 classic, but he takes on a new humorous role in this reimagining of Beauty and the Beast. Lumiere takes on the same role as the flirtatious host and Mrs. Potts & Chip keep their mother/son relationship, but there are certain, unique nuances that help amplify the character's personification.
When is it too much?
As with many movies, sometimes directors and writers push the envelope a bit too far. There are two instances that come to mind with this film: Madam Wardrobe and the fight scene between the villagers and castle staff. We are first introduced to Madam Wardrobe when she tries to dress Belle for her first dinner at the castle-- where she spits out and absurd amount of garments and dresses the young prisoner in atrocious attire. The second instance is when the villagers invade the castle and Madam Wadrobe spits out clothes as she attacks three villagers, turning them into girls; there were some chuckles throughout the theater, but the sequence seemed a bit 'extra'.
The fight scene between the staff and villagers seemed like 'a bit too much' throughout the whole scene, not just Madam Wadrobe. There's a part where Maestro Cadenza is spitting out piano keys to attack the villagers, or when Chip is shooting saucer plates as a defense mechanism and it all just seems like a bit too much.
Nostalgia factor used to its fullest potential:
Disney is known for creating long-lasting memories within it's movies, saying original Beauty and the Beast had a few is a but of an understatement. The reimagining brings back memories, using the nostalgic factor to elevate the the movie's overall emotion. The ballroom dance between Belle and Beast was nearly a frame-for-frame reenactment from the iconic 1991 scene. It was also extremely classy to have Disney legend Alan Menken orchestrate the soundtrack of this movie for a second time (he composed the 1991 soundtrack) and bringing back Celine Dion to the lineup, this time for her new original song 'How Does a Moment Last Forever.'
Final thoughts:
This reimagining of a Disney classic far exceeds expectations through storytelling, music and nostalgia. Without trekking too far off the beaten path, producers and writers found a way to add their own twist on Beauty and the Beast through different techniques while still staying true to the movie's message. With a fabulous cast and fantastic soundtrack, this movie should break box-office records, win Grammy's and Oscars.
