What has stayed the same with the tale?
It stays true to the story.
I often find myself unsatisfied with remakes of movies, especially when live action movies are adapted from really great animated films. Even though I heard good things about Disney's new take on Beauty & the Beast, I was a little bit skeptical that it would not live up to my expectations. This live action version of the fairy tale did add a few new scenes to the plot, but in no way did it take away from any original scenes. I felt that all of the original scenes and so much of the original dialogue were there, including the Enchantress's curse, Belle nursing the Beast back to health after being attacked by wolves, the classic ballroom scene with Belle in her yellow gown, and the Beast's transformation back into a prince. The scenes that were added into the movie, such as Maurice's longing for his late wife, Gaston's extensive abuse of Maurice, and Belle's discovery of her family's past, only enhance the original story by providing more in-depth details and background information.
The musical aspect is great.
A Disney movie is simply not a Disney movie without the music. Any true Disney lover would agree, and I'm sure all of you childhood (or current) Disney fanatics know by heart a good number of Disney songs, so successfully capturing the musical aspect of any Disney animation in a live action version can make or break the film. I read an article criticizing the casting of Emma Watson as Belle due to the fact she is not a professional singer, but I thought she did a fantastic job with it. While Emma's voice was not the best I have ever heard, she sounds a lot like Belle, and her style of singing fits beautifully with "Belle Reprise". Much of the original choreography and songs like "Be Our Guest" and "Gaston" are so true to the original animation's version it's crazy. The film also adds a few new songs to help tie the new scenes in plot together.
The characters stay true to the animation.I always hate the disappointment that follows when characters from books don't live up to my expectations when movies are made, and I feel the EXACT same (if not more) about live action character interpretations of original animated characters. Like with the overall story line of the new Beauty & the Beast, Disney does not take away any characteristics from our favorite characters in terms of costume, dialogue, or traits, but they do enhance the characters by adding a few new qualities. For instance, the original Belle wants to escape the "provincial life" and does so, but the new Belle shows more strength. LeFou, Gaston's comedic follower, takes a stand against Gaston in the end and thinks for himself unlike the original character. Another example is how the Beast plays not only play's Belle's love interest, but also holds a major role in helping Belle discover herself by viewing her past through an enchanted, time-traveling book.
What new ideas have been incorporated?
Emma Watson molds more feminist views into Belle's village life. Feminism, as you probably know, is defined most simply as equality between men and women. I briefly stated before that Emma Watson portrays a stronger Belle, and by that I mean a more feminist Belle. While the original Belle is very defiant against the odds that are throw against her by a stagnant, never-advancing, provincial society, the new Belle is more active in helping young women within the village. In the animated version, Belle, a dedicated reader and lover of education, is the favorite (and likely only) customer of the local library. The new film, however, shows a more active Belle secretly giving reading lessons to the young girls of the village amidst their chore time. Though Belle is looked down upon and judged for thinking advanced thoughts, she actively pushes not only herself, but other young women in the story to fight for equality in more ways than one.
The film embraces social diversity.For me, diversity is one of the most notable aspects of the film. When I say diversity, I mean that the two social issues that are some of the most prominent in 2017, race and sexual orientation, play a major role. The majority of films this day and age still feature mostly straight white actors and/or characters, but Disney's new Beauty & the Beast defies the odds. Though the story is set in France, people of color take on active roles, such as Madame Garderobe (Belle's glamorous talking wardrobe), Plumette (the castle's gorgeous talking feather duster), and the town librarian. In addition to casting more people of color, the film also features a gay major character, LeFou. LeFou, as mentioned before, is Gaston's short, ever-so-goofy henchman who eventually changes sides in the end and learns to stand up for himself and against Gaston's abusive ways. While this may seem to be a controversial topic for some viewers, allowing LeFou to be an openly gay character enhances the film's diversity and helps to incorporate larger social groups into the film's spectrum. It is an amazing thing for such an influential film, and company for that matter, to incorporate actors and characters from all social groups the best it can. Overall, the 2017 rendition of Beauty & the Beast shifts its focus from the wilting enchanted rose to an overall growth in its characters that can be truly valued in the diverse society we live in today.
