Very well-done live action remake to one of my favorite Disney animated classics

Rating: 9/10 (8 June 2017)

Exceptionally well-done live action remake to one of my favorite Disney animated classics. Great casting, well-acted, amazing CGI affects, and memorable musical numbers. The story-line is pretty much similar with the animated version, but with some nice background story additions about Belle's mother and the Beast/Prince's father. Also liked the linking of magical enchantress to the villager "outcast" commoner Agathe. The 3 new songs "Days In The Sun", "How Does A Moment Last Forever", and "Evermore" added nice depth and background to this live-action version.
The 2 acting performances which stood out were Emma Watson (Belle) and Luke Evans (Gaston). They both brought their animated characters to real-life as well as could be imagined. Emma Watson gave a charming, intelligent, sincere, and radiant performance as Belle. She performed her various singing moments admirably and with good emotion for a 1st time singer in a movie. It would be hard to imagine another actress who could have played this role of Belle as well as Emma Watson. She has made a nice transition from her childhood acting role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies to Belle in "Beauty & The Beast". Luke Evans gave an entertaining, profoundly over-the-top, and eventually villainous performance as Gaston. His singing prowess and theater background came through in his 2 musical numbers. Next to the CGI driven "Be Our Guest" and "Evermore", Gaston's 2 musical numbers were among the most memorable musical moments.
The other supporting cast members, from Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Ian McKellan as Cogsworth, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, and Kevin Kline as Maurice fit their roles very well and pitch perfect also.
The only reasons I only gave the remake 9 stars out of 10 are the Beast/Prince character and the ending felt a little rushed. As far as the Beast/Prince, his performance felt a bit too understated and smug at first compared to the animated version. His efforts to gain Belle's affection had more of a plan in the animated version than this live action version. The one scene where this difference stands out is when the Beast/Prince introduces Belle to his large library room. It is different and not as planned compared to the animated version. Also, would have preferred that the Beast had more human acting moments after his transformation back to a Prince. Dan Stevens still gave a very good performance as Beast/Prince, but just not up to the level of excellence as the rest of the cast. This brings me to the ending, which felt a little rushed. It would have been nice to extend the ending a little bit longer to get to know the human version of the castle characters after the curse was broken and their transformation back to human form was completed. Minor criticisms, but very few movies can be perfect...lol.
Overall, great live-action remake by Disney. Well-cast, beautifully performed, and expertly directed. After "Beauty & The Beast" and "Jungle Book", looking forward to more Disney live-action remakes. I believe "The Lion King" is up next.