Visually astonishing for all ages

Rating: 10/10 (24 May 2017)

I do struggle to understand the reason behind so much hatred towards this movie. Because I went to watch it in the theater and I can't point out anything that is actually wrong with it. The performances were good. Much of the original material was there. So why are people complaining so much? Truth is, I kind of understand both perspectives. People was expecting perhaps a faithful copy of the original only with the live- action change. Disney is bringing back the classics but they don't want to simply redo their old successes. They want a refreshment too. And all the cast and the crew contributed to it in their own ways. Disney always made a point of making movies with a message. "Beauty and the Beast" was no different. Now in 2017, they made a great update in my humble opinion including more background from the characters and more themes that were quite pertinent. If you ask me " Would you take small children to watch it?" I would immediately reply "Not before they have watched the first one." Why? Because this one has way more layers than the first. Small children can't really grasp all of it and that would be a bit of a shame. I've found so many layers and dimension to it, so much is implied between the lines. But you have to go with an open mind. Just thinking back at the other version that French studios did a couple of years ago, I kept thinking these past years that Disney would have to go deeper to run against that. And they did. I couldn't be happier with this new version. It's different, yes it is. But not necessarily in a bad way.