Okay I have this movie on blu-ray and dvd so I don't even have an excuse for being late on putting this article up except maybe this; I don't like this movie as much as I used to...
Tonight's rewatch: Beauty and the Beast 2017 remake
Last time watched: 2017
How much did I like this movie as a kid?
I watched this movie as an adult but I still like to think I'm a kid at heart. So if you've read my article for Beauty and the Beast, you know I have a huge love for Beauty and the Beast, for nostalgia reasons and because I just love the movie. So when I watched the trailer for this movie I felt so much excitement that I haven't felt for a movie since the last Harry Potter movie was released (not the lame Fantastic Beasts movies, the actual Harry Potter series) and I begged my husband to have us see it at IMAX on opening night. I went to see it with my hopes up really high with my Belle keychain on my beltloop of my jeans and my husband and I even slowdanced to the Ariana Grande version of Beauty and the Beast at home before going to see the movie. I was smiling for the first few minutes but it didn't take long for that smile to slowly disappear. I didn't like that the movie was almost exactly like the original (I spent 20+ dollars to see a movie I could have just watched in cartoon form at home for free). I ended up buying the dvd/blu-ray when it came out because I was thinking "Give it another chance" but then after watching it one or two more times I left the movie on the shelf where it stayed for 2 years.
Why I love this movie so much:
So here's some possitive things about this movie and why I kinda like it.
The costume designs for most of the characters were very beautiful (except the yellow dress Belle wears. I'm sorry, but come on someone thought that looked good?) and the servants designs looked elegant and unique the same with the castle.
The new songs had a place and were well written, the only problem I have is the singing. I think the only singing I liked were Audra McDonald, Kevin Kline, and Luke Evans and sorta Josh Gad. Every one else sounded so plain or just couldn't sing at all
There were a few scenes that had me laughing like Maurice seeing Chip move and supposedly being calm about it but then shoots out of his seat and runs the heck out of there and when Belle asked a hairbrush what it's name was.
I didn't have a big issue with the "I'm not a princess" line because that actually had a place in it unlike in Moana (yes, I know that's just an in joke so I'm not mad at that line but it still didn't make too much sense being in that movie) since Belle really wasn't a princess at the time. I just wish she didn't make the face she made when she said it. She could have just said it like "Oh, haha I'm not a princess" while looking flattered or something but in this she looked...disgusted I guess?
Old vs New:
So first off, I love that this movie actually fixed some of the plot holes from the original like the fact that everyone somehow didn't remember that they had a prince or even remember his staff.
Considering how all the singers in the original sounded like they should be on broadway I think the people who worked on this movie should have tried harder to find people who could actually...sing. And the fact that it turns out all these people needed to sing for the tryouts were Hakuna Matata is actually a little insulting.
As interesting as it is that Maurice isn't the inventor but Belle is now, here's why it doesn't really work. For one thing, in the original Maurice was always scorned for being "crazy" and was inventing things that might not even work or were too crazy to work. In this movie Maurice is just called crazy old Maurice out of nowhere. And another thing, yes, we see Belle help her father with working on a music box and lockpicking but to go from simply assisting her father to suddenly inventing a frigging washing machine is so incredibly farfetched.
As much as I think Emma was probably the wrong choice for Belle I did like some of the changes done to Belle's character in this movie. In the remake Belle actually tells Gaston no and is straight with him. In the original I did like her "I don't deserve you" and tricking him to fall in the mud, it just felt like she was being too passive about his advances. I mean she was surprisingly calm about him bardging into her home while she's alone and him advancing on her. At least in the remake she actually tells him to back the heck off. I also liked that she actually asked about the enchantment rather than just shrugging off the fact that she's in an enchanted castle surrounded by enchanted servants.
I liked that Maurice finding the castle and getting a rose for Belle was more close to the original story and I liked that it was one of the few scenes in this movie that wasn't a scene by scene copy of the original.
I liked the opening too where we actually see the prince turn away the "old woman" and become a beast while the servants become objects. My one complaint is that David Ogden Stiers didn't do the narration like the original. That is really my only complaint. The woman who played the Enchantress did a wonderful job but David Ogden Stiers just had that voice that was perfect for storytelling, when he spoke I always gave him my full attention. He wouldn't have even needed to reprise his role as Cogsworth, I would have been happy enough with him just telling the tale at the beginning.
One of the things I will never forgive this movie for is rushing all the scenes from the original movie, like when Belle took Maurice's place and when Beast released Belle so she could save her father. In the original when Belle tells Beast to come into the light there was more buildup as Beast slowly stepped into the light and drew himself to more height, there was more emotion from the characters like when Beast was surprised that Belle would take Maurice's place. And when Beast was releasing Belle in the original you can see the pain on his face, hear it in his voice as he realizes he'd have to make the sacrifice to let Belle go and stay as a Beast forever. In both scenes in the remake I didn't feel or see any emotion coming from either scenes or the other scenes they copied from the original except maybe the climax scene.
I think only half of the musical numbers had a good scene to go along with them. In some of the musical numbers, like Gaston, I actually had fun watching them but then there were others like Belle/Little Town I think could have been better.
I think the only character I didn't like in this movie was the Beast. He was changed from actually having a soft spot deep deep down and trying (and kinda failing) to try to make it work with Belle so he could break the spell. In this one he's just being a petty brat who actually scoffs at Belle for liking romance novels and I think he was more miscast than Belle was.
Another change I did like was that the enchanted servants were going to be stuck as inanimate objects forever, it made me feel more worried and sad for them. Of course I did feel worried for the servants in the original but by comparison and with the scene with the servants saying goodbye to each other as they slowly become still objects actually made me feel more sad than the Beast dying in this one.
I honestly keep forgetting that the Enchantress had a bigger role in this movie. I have mixed feelings because for one thing we actually get to see her more but then again she's almost forgettable. I know Gaston mentioned her at the beginning but that was only once and we barely saw her, and I still remember the first time I watched the movie when we actually see her later on all I could think of was, "Hi, who the heck are you?" There was actually a deleted scene where she and Belle interacted at the beginning of the movie and I wish they left that in so then this character could have had a proper introduction.
The one change in this movie that I think is the most pointless and unnecessary of all is the magical book the Enchantress gave Beast. We only see it once and it's never brought up again nor is it ever mentioned again. The Paris scene does bring a tear to my eye and it was really done well but the fact that it's never brought up again is so incredibly frustrating. She could have used the book to go back to the village quicker (which would have made more sense because you can't tell me she was able to somehow ride back in time the way she did) and then use it again to come back to the castle. Or, heck, the book could have just been left out.
I loved Josh Gad as LeFou and I loved his character in this and I didn't mind him being gay in this movie. There may have been some scenes he was in that had him overdoing it a bit but I still had fun watching his scenes.
I've said it before and I will say it again. I. Hate. The. Yellow. Dress. The one in the original wasn't one of my favorite dresses but the way the one in the remake was designed I thought it was originally curtains sewn together to make a dress. It's not that hard to make the dress from the original look beautiful in real life, we see it worn in the Disney parks and Demi Lovato wore a dress that looked just like it in Princess Protection Program. And since they didn't want to use the original design they could have used a better design. I've heard different things about where this dress came from; Emma helped design the dress herself or someone's kid drew a picture of the dress and they went with that. It's like no one wants to take credit for this dress.
I'm actually glad that Belle went back to the village wearing the dress because I remember being annoyed that she would stop to change while her father was freezing to death. I'm just annoyed that none of the villagers questioned the dress or even believed what she said about the castle and Beast while wearing such a fancy dress before she used the mirror
Movie:
As a standalone movie this would have been great if not for the rushed scenes, uncessary book scene, the bad singing and some wooden acting. I wasn't bored the whole time but I kept checking the time to see how much longer I had to go through this movie. I like this movie but it's low on my favorite movie list and it's even lower on my favorite remake list.
Rating: 5/10
How much has my opinion changed?
It's hasn't
Would I watch it again?
Maybe with other people
Next movie will be The Little Mermaid!
Tonight's rewatch: Beauty and the Beast 2017 remake
Last time watched: 2017
How much did I like this movie as a kid?
I watched this movie as an adult but I still like to think I'm a kid at heart. So if you've read my article for Beauty and the Beast, you know I have a huge love for Beauty and the Beast, for nostalgia reasons and because I just love the movie. So when I watched the trailer for this movie I felt so much excitement that I haven't felt for a movie since the last Harry Potter movie was released (not the lame Fantastic Beasts movies, the actual Harry Potter series) and I begged my husband to have us see it at IMAX on opening night. I went to see it with my hopes up really high with my Belle keychain on my beltloop of my jeans and my husband and I even slowdanced to the Ariana Grande version of Beauty and the Beast at home before going to see the movie. I was smiling for the first few minutes but it didn't take long for that smile to slowly disappear. I didn't like that the movie was almost exactly like the original (I spent 20+ dollars to see a movie I could have just watched in cartoon form at home for free). I ended up buying the dvd/blu-ray when it came out because I was thinking "Give it another chance" but then after watching it one or two more times I left the movie on the shelf where it stayed for 2 years.
Why I love this movie so much:
So here's some possitive things about this movie and why I kinda like it.
The costume designs for most of the characters were very beautiful (except the yellow dress Belle wears. I'm sorry, but come on someone thought that looked good?) and the servants designs looked elegant and unique the same with the castle.
The new songs had a place and were well written, the only problem I have is the singing. I think the only singing I liked were Audra McDonald, Kevin Kline, and Luke Evans and sorta Josh Gad. Every one else sounded so plain or just couldn't sing at all
There were a few scenes that had me laughing like Maurice seeing Chip move and supposedly being calm about it but then shoots out of his seat and runs the heck out of there and when Belle asked a hairbrush what it's name was.
I didn't have a big issue with the "I'm not a princess" line because that actually had a place in it unlike in Moana (yes, I know that's just an in joke so I'm not mad at that line but it still didn't make too much sense being in that movie) since Belle really wasn't a princess at the time. I just wish she didn't make the face she made when she said it. She could have just said it like "Oh, haha I'm not a princess" while looking flattered or something but in this she looked...disgusted I guess?
Old vs New:
So first off, I love that this movie actually fixed some of the plot holes from the original like the fact that everyone somehow didn't remember that they had a prince or even remember his staff.
Considering how all the singers in the original sounded like they should be on broadway I think the people who worked on this movie should have tried harder to find people who could actually...sing. And the fact that it turns out all these people needed to sing for the tryouts were Hakuna Matata is actually a little insulting.
As interesting as it is that Maurice isn't the inventor but Belle is now, here's why it doesn't really work. For one thing, in the original Maurice was always scorned for being "crazy" and was inventing things that might not even work or were too crazy to work. In this movie Maurice is just called crazy old Maurice out of nowhere. And another thing, yes, we see Belle help her father with working on a music box and lockpicking but to go from simply assisting her father to suddenly inventing a frigging washing machine is so incredibly farfetched.
As much as I think Emma was probably the wrong choice for Belle I did like some of the changes done to Belle's character in this movie. In the remake Belle actually tells Gaston no and is straight with him. In the original I did like her "I don't deserve you" and tricking him to fall in the mud, it just felt like she was being too passive about his advances. I mean she was surprisingly calm about him bardging into her home while she's alone and him advancing on her. At least in the remake she actually tells him to back the heck off. I also liked that she actually asked about the enchantment rather than just shrugging off the fact that she's in an enchanted castle surrounded by enchanted servants.
I liked that Maurice finding the castle and getting a rose for Belle was more close to the original story and I liked that it was one of the few scenes in this movie that wasn't a scene by scene copy of the original.
I liked the opening too where we actually see the prince turn away the "old woman" and become a beast while the servants become objects. My one complaint is that David Ogden Stiers didn't do the narration like the original. That is really my only complaint. The woman who played the Enchantress did a wonderful job but David Ogden Stiers just had that voice that was perfect for storytelling, when he spoke I always gave him my full attention. He wouldn't have even needed to reprise his role as Cogsworth, I would have been happy enough with him just telling the tale at the beginning.
One of the things I will never forgive this movie for is rushing all the scenes from the original movie, like when Belle took Maurice's place and when Beast released Belle so she could save her father. In the original when Belle tells Beast to come into the light there was more buildup as Beast slowly stepped into the light and drew himself to more height, there was more emotion from the characters like when Beast was surprised that Belle would take Maurice's place. And when Beast was releasing Belle in the original you can see the pain on his face, hear it in his voice as he realizes he'd have to make the sacrifice to let Belle go and stay as a Beast forever. In both scenes in the remake I didn't feel or see any emotion coming from either scenes or the other scenes they copied from the original except maybe the climax scene.
I think only half of the musical numbers had a good scene to go along with them. In some of the musical numbers, like Gaston, I actually had fun watching them but then there were others like Belle/Little Town I think could have been better.
I think the only character I didn't like in this movie was the Beast. He was changed from actually having a soft spot deep deep down and trying (and kinda failing) to try to make it work with Belle so he could break the spell. In this one he's just being a petty brat who actually scoffs at Belle for liking romance novels and I think he was more miscast than Belle was.
Another change I did like was that the enchanted servants were going to be stuck as inanimate objects forever, it made me feel more worried and sad for them. Of course I did feel worried for the servants in the original but by comparison and with the scene with the servants saying goodbye to each other as they slowly become still objects actually made me feel more sad than the Beast dying in this one.
I honestly keep forgetting that the Enchantress had a bigger role in this movie. I have mixed feelings because for one thing we actually get to see her more but then again she's almost forgettable. I know Gaston mentioned her at the beginning but that was only once and we barely saw her, and I still remember the first time I watched the movie when we actually see her later on all I could think of was, "Hi, who the heck are you?" There was actually a deleted scene where she and Belle interacted at the beginning of the movie and I wish they left that in so then this character could have had a proper introduction.
The one change in this movie that I think is the most pointless and unnecessary of all is the magical book the Enchantress gave Beast. We only see it once and it's never brought up again nor is it ever mentioned again. The Paris scene does bring a tear to my eye and it was really done well but the fact that it's never brought up again is so incredibly frustrating. She could have used the book to go back to the village quicker (which would have made more sense because you can't tell me she was able to somehow ride back in time the way she did) and then use it again to come back to the castle. Or, heck, the book could have just been left out.
I loved Josh Gad as LeFou and I loved his character in this and I didn't mind him being gay in this movie. There may have been some scenes he was in that had him overdoing it a bit but I still had fun watching his scenes.
I've said it before and I will say it again. I. Hate. The. Yellow. Dress. The one in the original wasn't one of my favorite dresses but the way the one in the remake was designed I thought it was originally curtains sewn together to make a dress. It's not that hard to make the dress from the original look beautiful in real life, we see it worn in the Disney parks and Demi Lovato wore a dress that looked just like it in Princess Protection Program. And since they didn't want to use the original design they could have used a better design. I've heard different things about where this dress came from; Emma helped design the dress herself or someone's kid drew a picture of the dress and they went with that. It's like no one wants to take credit for this dress.
I'm actually glad that Belle went back to the village wearing the dress because I remember being annoyed that she would stop to change while her father was freezing to death. I'm just annoyed that none of the villagers questioned the dress or even believed what she said about the castle and Beast while wearing such a fancy dress before she used the mirror
Movie:
As a standalone movie this would have been great if not for the rushed scenes, uncessary book scene, the bad singing and some wooden acting. I wasn't bored the whole time but I kept checking the time to see how much longer I had to go through this movie. I like this movie but it's low on my favorite movie list and it's even lower on my favorite remake list.
Rating: 5/10
How much has my opinion changed?
It's hasn't
Would I watch it again?
Maybe with other people
Next movie will be The Little Mermaid!
