The live-action version of Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful spark to potential new classics. The singing and acting were fantastic and were great representations of the 1991 film that kicked everything off. Definitely a movie to see.
Hmm, I didn’t think the live-action version of this film would go so smoothly.
The story of Beauty and the Beast hasn’t changed since its arrival in 1991 in half-animated/half-digital form. The story of a cursed prince that is saved (twice) by a Disney princess is a timeless classic that announced the re-arrival of Disney on the animated scene that was previously hurting in the 80s. Disney was in tough shape before its arrival and, much like the beast in the story, was saved by a beautiful chance it took.
That chance almost single-handedly changed the way animation was done and could be done. It certainly revolutionized Disney’s way of doing things. Mixing hand drawn animated cel with computer crafted environments brought about an entirely new way to showcase an animated feature. It changed things forever for Disney. Now, beyond the technological achievements of the time, Beauty and the Beast also had a solid story with a magical musical soundtrack dancing right along with it with “Be Our Guest” leading the way. In short, it had quite a lot going for it and the chance Disney took on the technology paid off in the end.
With such praise and a ‘Disney Classic’ status met, I was a bit surprised that Disney had chosen to make Beauty and the Beast into a live-action film. It was certainly a risk and could have damaged the classic animated film, if not treated properly in its crafting stage. The parallel between the animated risk and the live-action risk are quite obvious and much like the risk from the original, the payoff would be the same for the live-action. Not only would the essence of the original stay firmly intact, but the success of this live-action venture will now guarantee more Disney classics turned into live-action films.
So, what made this film work? First and foremost, the acting choices were mostly spot on the characters, though I do have a bit of a reservation about Emma Watson. Before we get into that, let me just add that the brightest spot of the bunch is how believable Luke Evans was as Gaston. His egotistical attitude mixed with his well-built body captured the very essence of Gaston from the animated film. His singing voice wasn’t too bad either.
In addition to Evans, Gaston’s sidekick, LeFou, played by Josh Gad, was superb. Gad’s character was humorous, caring and definitely contained more dimension than the animated version, no pun intended. His playfulness and his sincere infatuation with Gaston was believable without question. How he ended up by the conclusion of the fairytale was relieving, as well as it was respectable. He was a good addition and expansion in the live-action version of the story.
Now, as for Emma Watson, there’s no question her looks and voice were enough to make her Belle. She did a great job with carrying Belle for the most part, but did little to bring Belle out to prominence like the animated character did in 1991. Her acting was a bit stale in some instances and not overbearing to the story itself. Belle was a tough person in the original animated film and one that stood up to the beast, as well as to Gaston. She carried herself as one tough princess to reckon with when it came down to it. Watson’s bell simply doesn’t touch that Belle and actually let’s secondary characters, such as her father and Gaston, and even LeFou to an extent, take over the screen. Again, I like Watson in some parts of Belle, but for the main element of the character she simply falls short.
Characters aside, the actual flow of the story really did parallel the animated world, which meant that everything you would expect from the film was intact. I mean, the blueprint of success was laid down in 1991, so there was no real need to go outside of that blueprint. The film does tiptoe the line a bit to expand on things, such as Kevin Kline’s portrayal of Maurice and giving him a bit more depth and interest, but it never really crosses the line with the story that was built.
Finally, the music of the film was done perfectly. Loved every moment of it and the new singers did a heckuva job bringing the goods. Watson, Evans and Obi-Wa…err…Ewan McGregor led the way with the popular classics from the original film. Everything you may have wanted from the music will not disappoint with its delivery in this live-action movie.
Overall, this live-action version of Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful spark to potential new classics. The singing and acting were fantastic and were great representations of the 1991 film that kicked everything off. Definitely a movie to see.
On the special features side of things, here’s what to expect:
• Enchanted Table Read
• A Beauty of a Tale
• The Women Behind “Beauty and the Beast”
• Making a Moment with Celine Dion
• From Song to Screen: Making the Musical Sequences
◦ “Belle”
◦ “Be Our Guest”
◦ “Gaston”
◦ “Beauty and the Beast”
• Deleted Scenes
◦ Introduction by Director Bill Condon
◦ Gaston Courts Belle
◦ Bread and Jam for Agathe
◦ Storming the Ice Gates
◦ Lumière Torches LeFou
◦ Monsieur Toilette
◦ Cogsworth Rescues Lumière
◦ Treacle the Lasses
◦ LeFou and Monsieur Toilette Reunite
• Extended Song: “Days in the Sun”
• “Beauty and the Beast” Music Video
• Making the Music Video
• Disney Song Selection
◦ “Belle”
◦ “How Does a Moment Last Forever” (Music Box)
◦ “Belle” (Reprise)
◦ “Gaston”
◦ “Be Our Guest”
◦ “Days in the Sun”
◦ “Something There”
◦ “How Does a Moment Last Forever” (Montmartre)
◦ “Beauty and the Beast”
◦ “Evermore”
◦ “The Mob Sing”
◦ “Beauty and the Beast” (Finale)
As usual, Disney rarely disappoints in this department. Good stuff that adds value to the overall package. Seriously, a lot of stuff to go through here once the film is done.
