Earlier this month I had the pleasure of taking in a matinée for an advanced screening of Beauty and the Beast. I’ve been dying to share my thoughts about this film starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast ever since.
The magic of Beauty and the Beast begins right away when we are whisked into the world of Prince Adam before he became the Beast. I loved seeing this aspect come to life in all its gorgeous detail with the set and costumes. From there we are taken to Belle and her provincial village. Here we find our heroine yearning to break free from her life in a small town. It’s also where the audience gets its first look at how much more independent and multi-dimensional our characters are versus their one-note animated predecessors. To me, this made the film even brighter and more engaging and was exactly what I was hoping for with this Beauty and the Beast.
The film is bursting with music and song right from the get-go. Colors swirl before your eyes in every scene and no detail is spared when re-creating scenes from the animated film many of us grew up on and still love as well as including new ones too. I found that the characters that inhabit the Beast’s home were more engaging this time around too. I felt we got to know them a little better, had a bit of a back story and it made it more enjoyable to watch as a whole.
~ The Tale as Old as Time ~
Keep your eyes peeled throughout your time in the castle for wonders and side scenes that add to the picture. I loved each moment in the castle kitchen. The animators added so much to common household appliances as characters and former staff for your eyes to feast upon. It provides a more in-depth view into how they run the castle while under the spell.
This new version is a great flick for the whole family. The Beast, played and animated so well by Dan Stevens (of Downton Abbey fame) adds an element of danger, drama and excitement that will entertain young and old as well as boys and girls. Emma Watson plays Belle as smart, independent and empathetic in such a well-rounded way that the whole 129-minute film is engrossing.
New Songs, More Enchantment and Gorgeous Costumes
While my girls were never big fans of any one Disney princess or film in particular, Belle does hold a special place in my 11 year-old daughters heart. She loves how Belle can see that there is more to the Beast than meets the eye and that she doesn’t give up her love of learning and books or inventing just because it makes her different from the rest of the girls in her village. This new version of the story expounds on these topics making it prime for repeat viewing in our home.
See Beauty and the Beast in theaters this week beginning March 17, 2017. It’s fun for the whole family and I believe that fans of the animated film and new viewers will all fall in love with this re-telling of a tale that is “as old as time” but feels brand new.
Want a look at the process behind the film and how the actors felt about their characters? Read Mom Generations interview with Emma Watson and Dan Stevens here.
*Disclosure: TMC was not paid for this post. Opinions are 100% my own.
I want to see this movie so bad!
It’s so good! I’m not one for musicals at all, but I was enchanted with it. The costumes and scenery are so beautiful and the story line is much more in-depth. They did an excellent job with taking Dan Stevens gestures and expressions and using them on the Beast.