This past weekend, I saw "Beauty and the Beast," Disney's latest live action adaptation of their classic animated films. In minimal words: impressive.
The attention to detail was absolutely astonishing. The call backs were not targeting a certain time period accuracy, giving the overall feel of the movie a correct fantastical quality. And the factual Baroque and royal Versailles helped hold a particular French appeal. Above isn't from the movie, but the "Hall of Mirrors" from the royal home of King Louis XIV, but if you see (or have seen) the movie, you no understand more the artistic value they put into the sets.
The colors and costume variety was also amazing, and reflected each minor characters' brief personality really well. Yet at the same time, they all blended into one village, a collective life where Belle really did stand out. Belle's aesthetic matched in pattern and likely material, but her standard, rich blue and simplistic hair kept her sophisticated and estranged from those who attempted to be of her higher elegance.
The music was very traditional to the original soundtrack, not deviating in tempo, tone, or else. If anything, the music was better, incorporating the singing qualities of Broadway, a variety of ranges and more supporting under voices to make the music more grand. They also had some additional songs that were not in the original feature film. These brought some particular characters into a much needed spotlight. The choreography that went with the music was also fitting and showed off characterization. They didn't attempt to the animated-comedic, and made sense in practice.
Speaking of characters: so well rounded! They fixed many of the plot holes of them with this film and gave more important roles to others. The best one was Le Fou, as most would know through general internet gossip was a cannon gay character. This part of development was hardly off the top-in your face, and very subtle. If anything, his whole thing was admiring Gaston as a man, rather than a lover, which is what I was worried about. Some other characters that got big roundabout changes, but I won't spoil exactly, are Belle's Father, the Enchantress, and Beast.
I can't really spoil the plot, as it remains very faithful to the animated original, but there are some key details and new facts added in the movie I want to say, but I just can't, might it ruin the magic of what it is. "Beauty and the Beast" is my favorite Disney adaptation I've seen so far, with a whimsical and appropriate incorporation of music and setting. They keep characters in the right places and push them even further. They hardly ruined anything about the original; they only made it more memorable.
