Last updated April 2

I have been waiting to see Beauty and the Beast on film since word got out that Disney was producing one. And now that I have, I’m simply ecstatic. I don’t even know where to begin.

 

 

 

 

Emma Watson as Belle is of course, a perfect fit. She IS Belle come to life. Save for the singing, I admit, but good to know she’s not perfect. LOL

The animation of Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiere, and Cogsworth, however, lacked the magic I’ve come to expect from this magical tale. Or maybe, I’m just too used to the Beauty and the Beast of my youth that I was looking for effects less subdued.

What I do love about this particular experience, though, is how layers were added to the story and the characters. I first saw it in the broadway musical where Beast questioned the gravity of his punishment vis a vis his “crime”. But Beast’s backstory as a cruel prince in this version was just what the story needed to seal that hole.

I also love that the librarian was one of the only two (it seemed) people in town who didn’t hate Belle and her father. Being probably the only other bookworm in town, the librarian had no reason to see Belle as an eccentric, unlike the way it was depicted in the musical.

Belle as an inventor was also a refreshing addition to the story, a tidbit that made her more extraordinary especially juxtaposed against the “little town full of little people”.

I was touched by Belle’s relationship with her father more in this version, especially their backstory and that rose baby rattle. OMGosh! Can you say destiny?

While I was completely enthralled by the iconic dance between Belle and Beast, may I just say, I luuurved Belle’s earrings in that scene? Like, seriously, where can I get a pair?

I was grinning from ear to ear during the “Be Our Guest” scene. And the pudding at the end just made me LOL 

I can’t say I love the new songs but I will never tire of this story, this tale as old as time.