Beauty and the Beast (2017)
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Ever just the same
Ever a surprise
Ever as before
Ever just as sure
As the sun will rise
~ Mrs. Potts
quick fox: B-
An accurate summary for Disney’s original 1991 animated Beauty and the Beast might be: a British-sounding French peasant escapes her provincial life by falling in love with her aristocratic kidnapper.
The 2017 live-action remake might be a bit more complicated, but not all that much of an improvement. It’s probably not best to think about it too much, otherwise you might start to wonder what would happen if Belle had accidentally smashed a plate during “Be Our Guest” and what those broken pieces would turn into once the curse is reversed… Best not to let your imagination run away from you. Really, the most awkward part about Belle and her “Prince Charming” is how many details they’re going to have leave out about how they first met when they explain it to their kids:
Well, honey, it’s a funny story. Your father locked your grandfather Maurice in a dungeon for stealing a rose, and then he blackmailed me into being his prisoner in exchange for my father’s freedom.
~ Belle to her future child, Adele
(Adam + Belle = Adele. Get it?)
Much like the music, most of the plot and dialogue are transposed from the 1991 animated version. For everyone who fell in love with the “tale as old as time,” they can find comfort in familiarity. But it’s a mistake to expect Disney to deviate from the formula that made Beauty and the Beast the first animated feature ever nominated for Best Picture at the 64th Academy Awards.
And maybe that’s a good thing. The most disappointing part about Beauty and the Beast (2017) is that the moments where it branches off into original content are usually the least polished. The opening number, “Belle,” is beautifully choreographed and highlights the stunning countryside landscape. However, all the other songs feel lackluster when compared to their original musical numbers. From a storytelling standpoint, the remake loves incomplete backstories more than Gaston loves antler-based interior decorating. The beginning takes great pains to prove Belle’s cleverness and prowess at inventions, but abandons any sign that she’s ever picked up a sprocket twenty minutes into the story. Same thing with the Beast. The film spends thirty seconds to reveal that the Beast lost his mother when he was young and his father was apparently “cruel,” but that backstory is never hinted at before or after that brief moment.
The characters are kind of a toss-up between being interesting or completely dull. Most of the anthropomorphized objects are upgrades, or at least, are matches for their animated counterparts. Although the voices for Lumière (Ewan McGregor), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), and Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts didn’t feel like they totally embodied their roles. And I know some people hate her and some people love her, but I personally think Emma Watson did an admirable job (despite the British accent) portraying Belle with a fearless attitude. Plus, Maurice (Kevin Kline) is no longer a doddering fool but a wise, caring father, and Josh Gad endears himself to the audience as LeFou without being a dunce. Even Gaston (Luke Evans) is a small improvement over his original since he isn’t the embodiment of evil as much as he is recklessly arrogant.
The crowning achievement of Beauty and the Beast (2017) is the Beast’s castle. The architecture is magnificent to behold, and the interior ornamentation was extravagant in only the French Rococo style can be. I’m guessing that Disney knew they weren’t going to take much risk with the story and character development, so instead they focused on creating a dazzling production design.
Beauty and the Beast (2017) isn’t an original movie, but it wasn’t as though anyone really was expecting it to be so. Instead, the lackluster screenplay for this updated adaptation is made up for with an impressive visual display.