3/27/17

Disney showed its mastery in storytelling once again with the live adaptation of its classic fairytale, Beauty and the Beast.

Starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast, the movie showcases the romance that forms between two individuals who are at polar opposites. A prince who lives in a castle lacks compassion is cursed by a sorceress after refusing to offer her shelter from the unrelenting weather in return for a rose. As punishment, the prince is transformed to a Beast and all household in the castle are turned into antiques and furnitures. The only way to break the spell is for the Beast to find someone who will show him true love before the last petal of a rose fell.

Belle is a local villager in a small town looking for a great adventure outside the town. She meets the Beast after her father gets captured and offers to stay in the castle in exchange of her father's freedom.

The movie doesn't deviate from the original Disney animated movie, probably to the delight of many fans. However, they did add some details in the story which adds depth to the characters. The story showed what happened to Belle's mother which we did not see before. One of the features that the fans should watch out for are the music that is featured in the movie. They stayed true to the animated film and retained the classic Disney songs such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Belle." Music producer Alan Menken who composed the original songs wrote four new songs for the new movie which was incorporated in the film.

The film also boasts of a great casting. Emma Watson was the perfect choice to portray the leading lady as she portrayed the character very well. Her acting may have been quite awkward in some scenes and her vocals may not be strong but she was able to hold her own and do justice to one of Disney's beloved princesses. The cast also included veteran Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts and Ian McKellen as Cogsworth. Luke Evans did a good job playing the villainous Gaston with Josh Gad as his sidekick, Le Fou, whose character is revealed to be a homosexual in this adaptation. The change in his character caused some concerns in China which lead to the movie being banned. However, it shouldn't be much of an issue as that angle isn't shown heavily all throughout the film.

It was a touching and romantic movie that will surely touch the viewers' hearts regardless if you have seen the original animated film or not.

With this movie as well as the previous releases of live adaptations of Cinderella and The Jungle Book, Disney is reportedly planning to make more live adaptations of their classic movies. I certainly can't wait to see what direction they will go for.