Beauty and the Beast

Tale as old as time...

How many of you went to see Beauty and the Beast last weekend?  How many have, like me, been anxiously awaiting this release for a few years now??  I first heard rumors about this becoming a reality the summer before my daughter was born {she's two years old now}, and Emma Watson actually announced her role as Belle the month my daughter was born.  So its been a little more than a tiny lifetime that I've been waiting for this film!

Before the movie came out, I'd been seeing things about how various characters were changed.  Belle is a downright feminist; Le Fou is now flaming gay; Gaston has homosexual moments with Le Fou; the wardrobe is even bigger.  Okay, maybe not that last one.  Honestly, Belle has always been a bit of a feminist - she can read, for goodness sakes.  While it is said to most likely take place right after the French Revolution, it was very odd for a women to have such an equal place in the household as Belle did with her father, Maurice.

Emma Watson's portrayal of Belle is just wonderful!  I was a little hesitant to fall in love with this version, mainly because how could they possibly make it better than the animated 1991 version?  {I should have known better, because Cinderella was amazing!}  She is the epitome of the perfect live-casting of Belle.

The entire cast, really, was just absolutely splendid.  I was talking with my best friend {and fellow Beauty and the Beast fanatic} about the casting, and we both agree they really couldn't have cast the movie any better than they did.  Josh Gad's Le Fou was brilliantly played, making him seem a little less foolish towards the end {not the blind follower throughout the entire film like his animated counterpart, though he's one step behind Gaston through most of the film}.

I've read complaints about the CGI characters and sets being so unrealistic and over the top.  Um, I'm sorry... in what world is talking furniture/appliances/dishware actually realistic??  The crew did a great job with creating intricate characters and giving them a whimsical feel while making it look like something you would find in a castle {Beast is a prince, after all}.  Also, Beast is more "beastly" than the animated version, but he looks like I would imagine a man would look after magically being transformed into a beast and being stark-raving mad about it - unkempt mane, dirty teeth, ragged clothes, claws... he's a beast.

Like the animated version, you can see him becoming warmer the more he's around Belle and her humanity and kindness...

This whole film gets to huge thumbs up as well as a standing ovation from me.  I will be seeing it at least once more before it leaves theaters, possibly more than that!  I'm hoping to take my mom to see it and go on a date with my husband to see it as well {though that last one might not happen with how much he's working right now}.  First Disney does Cinderella, then Beauty and the Beast... which one of their animated classics will they make into a daringly wonderful live-action film next?