As an avid lover of Disney, of course I had to see the live action remake of Beauty and the Beast as soon as possible. I went into the movie having expectations that weren’t too high, but that with some standards (it is Disney, after all). I was expecting for it to be relatively identical to the 1991 original, but ended up being surprised by its healthy balance between staying true to its predecessor while also adapting it in ways that felt entirely necessary and appropriate. Here are a few of the differences that I thought made the new movie stand out from the original.

1. The prince’s backstory.

While the original told the story of the prince’s transition into the beast exclusively through a storybook with stained glass photos, the movie provides a live action backstory of the Beast. I found it to be more powerful to get a glimpse for ourselves of what the prince was like before the enchantress put the curse on the castle rather than having it be told. We also find out a lot about his father, who had a significant influence over him and his upbringing, which made the Beast all the more dimensional, and ultimately loveable, as a character.

2. The enchantress was more prevalent.

It was not exactly a surprise that the character Agathe, who was portrayed as an outsider in the village, turned out to be the enchantress, but it was a welcome change from the original movie. Her constant presence in the background of the events of the movie helped play into the theme of the treatment of outsiders and the revelation of one’s true character based on their attitude towards others.

3. Beast’s enchanted book.

The scene with Beast’s enchanted book that allowed him to take Belle to Paris was not at all present in the original, but contributed a lot to both their characters. With Beast, we see an outward expression of his love for Belle, showing his desire to make her happy by taking her somewhere she has always wanted to go (Aladdin vibes). With Belle, we see an extension of her love for books as places to travel, and this moment was the perfect culmination for that.

4. The story of Belle’s mother.

In the added scene in Paris, Beast takes her to the place where she lived when she was only a baby and we see flashbacks of how she lost her mother (and of course it had to be the plague). Hints of her mother were dropped throughout the movie, and it was nice to see that this adaptation wanted to focus on the loss both Belle and Maurice felt when she died, and Belle’s discovery only brought her and her father closer.

5. The expanded role of the castle’s furniture.

Perhaps one of the things I loved most about this movie was just how much characters like Lumiere and Cogsworth were involved. Not only was the “Be Our Guest” scene everything anyone could hope for in a live action remake, but there was a heavy focus on how the curse on the castle affected them, making the ending all the more emotional and satisfying when they finally got to be human again.