An adaptation of the Disney fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love.
Stars Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans
Directed by Bill Condon
Year 2017
Yes, it’s true. All the hype that is building this up for you is probably pretty warranted if you are a fan of Disney, musicals, the story, and Emma Watson. The short end of it without any spoils is that this adaptation offers you more. There are more songs and story line aspects that are very pleasing to those of us that where maybe skeptical or wondering if this was a good idea. We get a more nuanced look and answer a few questions that really enrich it all the more. Another highlight that I really enjoyed was all the pretty. If you are like me and like glittery flowery dreamy scenes that still function on an intellectual level, then this is for you. It’s very very pretty to watch. In terms of graphic design and making the adaptation work without pulling out all the fun, I’d say they pretty much nailed it. If you remember there are some scenes that I had trouble imagining in a live action, but they don’t shy away from them here.
Now, just because I’d like to put it on my shelf, doesn’t mean that it didn’t have it’s flaws. Let’s talk musicals. I relied on the fact that Alan Menkin had his hand at this one as he did in the animated ones. I’m going easy, but to say that the vocal talent matched the animated would be a bit of a stretch. Don’t get me wrong, Emma Watson and Luke Evans have great voices, but the original is just too hard to live up to in that aspect. I’d have to say though that Ewan McGregor really shined voicing Lumiere. A different flaw that I think I may have had trouble with the animated as well was the timing of everything. It felt like only a few days when it’s really over a good amount of time. I wanted them to show that a little more because falling in love so soon sometimes seems a bit weird (especially in this stance), but I’ll still accept it.
Overall if you know me, you know that I was crying/clapping at the end credits. I’m a crazy fan of musicals, especially when it reminds me of my childhood. This one worked for me on all the levels that I expected it to. Bravo Disney.