Disney is doing it again. We all know the story. It's a "tale as old as time". We all know the formula by now. Disney is taking their classic movies and re-making, re-imagining, recreating them (whatever you want to call it) as live-action movies. In 2010, Tim Burton and Disney brought the live-action version of Alice in Wonderland with Johnny Depp to the big screen. Maleficent followed in 2014 starring Angelina Jolie re-telling the story of Sleeping Beauty. Next was Cinderella in 2015 and 2016 gave us Pete's Dragon and The Jungle Book. Now, Emma Watson reprises the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Disney's original groundbreaking animated masterpiece was released in November 1991. It was nominated for Best Picture of the Year, the first of only 3 animated movies to ever be nominated for Best Picture.
For any of you who don't know, here's the story: A selfish Prince is turned into a hideous beast and his staff are all made into furniture and kitchen utensils. The curse will be broken if the Beast (Dan Stevens) can find true love before the last petal of a magic rose falls. Meanwhile, in a quaint village nearby, Belle (Emma Watson) does not fit in with the rest of the bubbly bimbos who are fawning over the town hunk, Gaston (Luke Evans). Instead, she immerses herself in books and imagination, traits she gets from her inventor father Maurice (Kevin Kline). Lost in the woods, Maurice stumbles into the Beast's castle and is taken prisoner. Belle finds him and offers herself up for his release. The Beast agrees and their courtship begins. Meanwhile, Maurice returns to the town to enlist Gaston's help in rescuing Belle and the villagers launch an assault on the castle for the final standoff.
The preview for Beauty and the Beast looks breathtakingly beautiful. There is so much to show in so little time, so they don't really waste any of it trying to summarize the plot like they do in most previews, assuming you already know the story. Instead, you are given little gems. A glimpse of the Beast that looks like Disney's original animation come to life. Brief shots of our favorite characters: Chip, Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen) and Lumiere (Ewan McGregor). Emma Watson as Belle, who may not be the obvious choice, but looks in the preview to pull off the role quite well. The CGI that looks like it will hold its own against Disney's latest reinvention of The Jungle Book that just won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. And some of the familiar music that made the first so special.
I have extremely high expectations for Beauty and the Beast, but there are a few things that will have to be nailed for this to be perfect. Belle. As I just said, Watson doesn't immediately stand out as the obvious choice for the role. She looks great in the preview, but can she hold it with the intelligence, grace, bravery, strength and singing required to match her predecessor's performance? The animation also needs to be flawless. This film now has two previous movies to live up to: the original animated version from 1991 that was nominated for Best Picture and the 2016 Jungle Book. The music. Jungle Book didn't hold back with their musical numbers and Beast certainly shouldn't at all. Judging by the previews, they don't. And finally, the ballroom scene. The sweeping shot of the chandelier in the grand ballroom with Belle in her yellow dress and Best in his blue suit was nothing short of iconic and groundbreaking. This film has a lot to live up to, but the preview makes it look like they're up to the task. So I'm giving Beauty and the Beast a very enthusiastic and hopeful 4.5 Star Prediction. Am I right? We shall see.
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