So, Beauty and the Beast was near perfect, and, as we all know too well, Hollywood can't leave well enough alone, so we got a remake. Okay, so that was a little cynical, but if you can't be cynical about cinema, what can you be cynical about, right? Disney has been hit and miss on their live action remakes, with emphasis on the miss unfortunately. Cinderella was nice, but forgettable. Maleficent missed an opportunity to develop the greatest and, perhaps, most complex villain ever, in favor of making her relatable and a tragic character. The Jungle Book paired incredible visual effects with Christopher Walken and Bill Murray... umm... singing? I can't think of a better word for it, but it ruined an otherwise exceptional film. I still prefer the first Disney live action Jungle Book remake. Pete's Dragon (though live action originally, I'll still including it), was clever, original, and heartfelt. So, it seems that Disney is getting better, but still struggling to find the balance between paying homage to the original, while creating something new and unique. My theory is you either need to go all in or not at all. As far as making a true remake, Beauty and the Beast goes all in.
Much of the film is, line-for-line, shot-for-shot, a recreation of the classic we know and love. Seeing the exact images from the animated version come to life is immensely rewarding. It would, of course, be tedious to sit through an entire film with no surprises or anything even a little unexpected, though, so there had to be some departures from the original. Expectedly, Disney decided to fill in some background and more thoroughly flesh out their characters. We learn more about the prince, the curse, Belle and her family's past, and even Gaston gets a backstory. Unexpectedly, Disney also closed a couple plot holes. Something as simple as Belle asking the beast to get up after he collapses following the wolf attack scene could have been ignored, but Disney really surprised me by adding little things here and there that clarify and simplify the film. None of the additions seemed out of character, nor did they seem excessive. Still, there were enough new bits to keep the film feeling fresh and exciting.
For many, the most significant addition was the inclusion of Disney's first officially gay character. Now, I don't think it did much to affect the film to any degree. As a matter of fact, between LeFou's confusion over what he really wants and the slightly homophobic moment during the Gaston song and the fact that most of the most "gay" moments are played for laughs, I would say that the supporters of traditional marriages and families should be happy with this film as much as the supporters of LGBT rights. When a controversy plays out prior to a films release, it's usually just for the free publicity, and I can say that, for this film, the implications about the first gay character in a leading Disney role was purely for hype and not pertinent to this film at all. I don't intend to belittle those that view this as more significant, but I honestly believe that if there weren't a statement from the director about LeFou being homosexual, then few people would have been shocked at the theaters.
As a side note, for those of you wanting to boycott the film because of the supposed support for the LGBT agenda, a word of advice. Going out and saying, "I'm not going to watch this movie because it's gay," is like when you tell your friend, "hey, don't taste that stuff, it taste terrible." What does your friend do, he tastes it, and says, "wow, that really is awful." You're providing advertising for free for a movie you're trying to shut down. If you really want to send a message to Disney, you should do the following. For the next couple weeks, talk up Lego Batman and share how excited you are to see Boss Baby. Ignore Beauty and the Beast and boost sales of it's competitors. Kong: Skull Island and Logan would be great alternatives as well, though less family friendly, they have the potential to pull sales away from Beauty, too.
Anyways, back to the movie. I can't leave this post without mentioning the score. Obviously, the majority of the score was straight from the original, but there were several new songs added, which certainly have potential to become classics (not to mention they resisted the urge to do "Human Again"). The choice that really made this film, in my opinion, was the choice to bring back the legendary Disney songwriting team of Alan Menken and Tim Rice. Menken wrote the music to the original score with lyricist Howard Ashman. Rice worked with Menken on Aladdin after Ashman passed away. Menken currently has more Oscars than any living person and is among the reasons the Disney Renaissance happened. I can't get enough of his latest work, and how beautifully he weaves the new material with the old. I'm particularly smitten with "Evermore", a powerful, moving, heart-wrenching solo sung by the Beast, Dan Stevens. It describes the lingering affect of love even when the one you love is no longer there, and features some powerful vocals from an amazing singer.
Well, that's Beauty and the Beast. I didn't even mention the excellent ensemble cast, so there's plenty more for you to enjoy as you view it yourself. It is absolutely scoring a must buy rating from me, and I recommend the same for all fans of the original classic film. This was the highlight of my spring break this year and I hope in can be a highlight for all of you, whenever you are lucky enough to watch it.
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