From a True Fan: A beautiful expansion on the original version

Rating: 10/10 (21 March 2017)

True fans of the original Beauty and the Beast animated movie will love this updated version. It cannot replace the original, and it should not necessarily be compared to the original. I watched the animated movie well over 100 times during my life, as it was my favorite Disney movie as a kid. I was captivated by this story, and Belle as a character. She was a strong female lead - adventurous, head-strong, and determined - at a time when there were not that many strong female characters on the screen for little girls. Emma Watson's version of Belle expands on Belle as a fearless pioneer in her small village. She is absolutely fearless! I actually liked Emma's Belle better than the original. In all the scenes where she was scared and questioning in the original, here Emma approaches everything head-on, no second guessing herself and her abilities, she just knows she can do anything. I can't help but think she is going to be a wonderful role model for all those little girls out there enjoying this movie. Actually, if I read one more daft review by some dude who wants to comment on how the movie isn't up to par and how "fake" everything looks, I will throw myself from the tower!
Can I say that I'm obsessed with the Beast and the actor Dan Stevens, who I was not familiar with before. The writers made his character so complex and rich. The new song that Alan wrote for him called "Evermore" has been playing on repeat on my Spotify for days. It is so beautifully written and performed. It is absolutely everything! I always wondered why the Beast didn't have a song in the original. It was well worth the 26 year wait! Dan really brought this character to life - and in all his interviews you can tell how proud he is of all his hard work on stilts and getting into the character of the Beast.
The rest of the cast was also amazing! Luke Evans was the perfect Gaston and Josh Gad - they could not have found a better LeFou. The two of them working together was really a treat.
I keep seeing all these reviews about how everything was CGI and everything looked so fake in the movie - seriously? When you have a movie where the majority of characters are inanimate objects, I'm not quite sure what these people were expecting. I'm not sure how Disney was supposed to have a non-CGI candlestick, or a CGi candlestick that looks 100% real. The technology is amazing, but it will never look exactly real. Also, in regards to the Beast, if people would look at interviews and information on the filming they would know that Disney attempted to fuse two types of technologies for the Beast in this movie. They tried something new that had never been done, which is the have Dan play all his parts in live action, on stilts, in a 40 pound muscle suit with Emma, and then play it again in a booth with facial recognition to get the facial expressions of a real human. The face was matched with the body later. Pretty spectacular stuff, if you think about it. If you look at the expressions of Beast during the movie, you will notice how lifelike his expressions are. They did any amazing job and probably made it as real as it could possibly look. I'm sure it turned out so much better that way, than if they had someone in a costume, or a completely CGI Beast. I am really tired of people complaining for the sake of complaining about the visuals. It is not real life, and never will be, it does not mean you can't enjoy the film.
Overall the movie was amazing! If you are a TRUE fan of this movie and have memorized every word to every song, like I have, you will love it and be inspired. I certainly am ignoring all the haters and enjoying my time in this magical world.