My Disney experience in ruins. Hogwarts is nearby...

Rating: 4/10 (25 March 2017)

A huge disappointment.
The only thing great about this film is probably the animation of the supporting characters (ie. The candle / clocks, etc). Well done in that area.
However, Producers made a huge mistake in casting Emma Watson as Belle. With her usual 'too knowing' look and accent, watching the film is like watching the Harry Potter star making a parody appearance. The strong English Accent is cringey throughout the film and Emma clearly is not a believable Belle. One of the original Belle's main features are her big luscious eyes batting gracefully and innocently. Whether the Producers are looking for a modern Belle or not, the casting failed miserably.
With all the hype, I was truly hoping for a "a movie that you must watch at least once in your lifetime" quality and vibe. There was clearly none here and it was as if the producers are given a big budget due to their status, but rushed on the set up without applying a masterpiece-making creative direction, completing the film on a whim, throwing in a couple of big names and making do with clear super imposed backgrounds. The opening scenes with Belle was as if it was all filmed in a small studio section with no air. Those who find her accent refreshing as Belle are just pulling the strings back to something favourable in their imagination and to settle with acceptance.
With the plot and characters already well known and predictable, they should have captured other aspects of making it a big modern classic - such as going 'outstanding' on vocals and emotional pulls. There was no effort here and the main characters are heavily set on auto tune and heavily lacking of real emotions.
The film is worth watching if you're curious, and it will be sufficient to please the kids who tend to enjoy a subtle entertaining objective expressions in a simple plot, but with the potential it had from the start, the film makers failed to go the mile.
A true waste.