If you haven't seen this movie yet, I'd definitely recommend seeing it as soon as possible. As a person who grew up watching and loving the original animated version, I have a lot of appreciation for what Disney is doing here. It's got its flaws, but overall there were tons of awesome things I absolutely loved.
1. Emma Watson
I was so excited when I found out Emma Watson was going to be playing Belle, and she did not disappoint. No, she's not an outstanding Broadway singer, but she still did a fantastic job. She kept the strength and independence the original animated character had while still bringing her own style to it.
2. The rest of the cast
Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Audra McDonald; this cast was so talented and so fun. It was beyond entertaining, especially considering most of them were CGI furniture for the majority of the movie.
3. The Library
I loved it as a kid and I love it now. It was just as beautiful as I expected it to be.
4. Historical accuracy
Kind of. Maybe I'm a nerd, but I just really appreciated the ~18th century French costumes and references to the events of that time. Which leads me to my next point-
5. Belle's mother
I'm very thankful for the answer to a childhood question (even though it was pretty depressing). Bless you, Disney.
6. The inventor/artist
He was quirky and adorable, just like in the animated version, except he was much less useless. I also loved how they developed the relationship between Belle and her father as opposed to just making him a semi-pointless character.
7. The visual aspects
This movie was visually stunning. The costumes, the dancing, the village and the castle were all beautiful and impressive. And, thankfully, I never felt like the CGI was cheesy.
8. The humor
Disney has always had a good sense of humor, so I really couldn't expect anything else from this movie. It's not a comedy, but there were a couple of points I actually had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard.
9. The music
While most of the movie consisted of the original music, there were several new songs that were thrown in. I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were and how well they flowed with the rest of the score. Thank you, Alan Menken.
10. Nods to the original
What I appreciated the most was how much this movie didn't change. Sure, things were added and taken out, but overall, there was no new "spins" or "twists" to the original. There were even a lot of the same lines from the animated classic. It was a good honest princess movie, and I loved it.
