Disney has been continuing along the path of remaking animated films into live action ones (the first one I saw being "101 Dalmatians" with Glenn Close as Cruella De Vil) with recent examples such as “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book.” Now the next movie is set to arrive on March 17th — that movie being none other than “Beauty and the Beast.” When I was a little girl, I loved Disney movies. I especially loved “Beauty and the Beast.” I knew all the songs and pretty much the whole movie forward and backward at just 4-years-old. I had seen the movie in theaters and on stage (not to mention I also had a crush on Lumiere, the candlestick). There are many things that I am hoping the film includes.
Firstly, there are going to be major changes, especially since this is a live action movie. One thing that I am not so keen on is the design for the castle staff.
I kind of wish they had kept the original designs they used for the animated film, even though I know their intention was supposed to be realistic.
The music was always one of my favorite parts of the movie. I had a Disney karaoke tape that I would sing along to when I was a kid all the time. Singing Disney karaoke is still a guilty pleasure of mine to this day. When the teasers for the first few songs in this movie came out, I literally cried. Hearing Emma Watson sing for the first time really amazed me. The soundtrack for this film just came out, and I am loving it! I really recommend giving it a listen!
Let’s talk about the characters:
“Beauty and the Beast” is supposed to take place in France, but what bugs me a little is that everyone has an English accent. Then again, they had American accents in the animated movie.
LeFou, played by actor Josh Gad, was a perfect fit for casting! It is nice to hear him singing as another character besides Olaf from “Frozen.”
Lumiere is played by Ewan McGregor, who also plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in the “Star Wars” franchise. I am really excited to see how he puts a spin on Lumiere because I have some high expectations for him.
The intelligent Cogsworth is voiced by Ian McKellen, who also plays Gandalf the Great in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. I honestly do not know anyone else who could have been perfect for this role.
Mrs. Potts is voiced by Emma Thompson, and she sounds almost exactly like Angela Lansbury, the original voice of Mrs. Potts. I’m very pleased with her casting.
I feel like they could have picked a better person to play Belle, but as the movie nears closer with more teasers, I am starting to like Emma Watson in her role.
