Animation to Life

Rating: 8/10 (16 July 2017)

It looks like Disney studios are going to attempt to take all of the treasured animated classics made there in the past and transform them into live action films. Well live action matched with CGI created effects. We had Cinderella not long ago and now they've added a new one. Low and behold the live action version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.
If for some reason you aren't aware of the story it tells us of a spoiled and nasty young prince who treats a beggar woman with scorn one day. It turns out she's an enchantress and transforms him into a horrendous beast like creature and the servants of the house into various items found in the house. A single red rose is kept on hand and should the prince mend his way, find someone to love and who loves him, before the last petal of the flower falls all will return to normal.
We're then told about the young and attractive girl named Belle (Emma Watson), a girl most in the small provincial town consider odd since she enjoys books and is inventive rather than act like most girls her age. The townsfolk like her but keep their distance and disapprove of her attempts at education. Belle's father Maurice (Kevin Kline) is a tinkerer, an artist when it comes to small clocks and mechanical gizmos. Belle has picked up much of this from her father.
Maurice heads out to deliver a piece he's made at the nearby market but on the way gets lost when a tree falls in his path. He is set upon by a pack of ferocious wolves that attack him and finds safety in the castle of the Beast. When he leaves he picks a rose to take back to her and the Beast throws him into a cell for stealing from him. Maurice' horse runs home and Belle has the horse take her to her father where she exchanges her freedom for his. Could she be the one to break the spell? While this is all going on we also make the acquaintance of Gaston (Luke Evans), an ex-military man with no battles to fight and a tremendous amount of ego in hi being. Gaston is in love with Belle and plans on marrying her no matter what she thinks of the idea. When Maurice returns and tells the townsfolk about the Beast no one believes him. But Gaston agrees to help him go back in search of Belle with his own intentions in mind.
While this is all going on the items around the house that were once servants (things like a candlestick, clock, dresser, harpsichord, etc.) do their best to make Belle comfortable and convince the Beast that this young girl might be the one to break the spell. The stage is set, the two begin to know one another better and the chances of the spell being broken increase. But a tragedy involving Maurice causes Belle to leave and before the end of the story she will either return or the last petal will fall.
If you remember the animated film of this story (which was re-released this past year in a special edition) then you know just how enchanting a film it was featuring numerous musical numbers that remain in your mind like all good animated Disney films had. It was one of the last Disney animated features to not rely solely on computer generated images and captured that flair the studio had when it came to creative genius. So why remake the movie? For one there is a new generation out there that was never exposed to the original. Another reason is that this new generation has less appreciation for the animated art form and lean more towards the computer generated image as in TOY STORY. This is not to say it's bad but there is room for both. In an effort to generate dollars and to offer this classic tale up to that new generation these live action films have come into being. The question is are they any good? Well I can tell you that this one is indeed a feast for the eyes. The sets, costumes, direction and performances all combine to make the story as enchanting as it was in the original. Some new music has been added and it goes along well with the previous offerings. On the whole while watching this I found that it reminded me of the classic movie musical of the past, even more so than this year's LA LA LAND did. Seeing a city burst out in song early on as Belle walks/prances through the streets is a magical moment.
All that being said I think I still enjoy the original better though. That could be because I grew up with the old 2 dimensional hand drawn renderings of those classic characters. I'm left wondering which children of today would enjoy more. As the final credits rolled on this one I began to think maybe it wasn't made for children but more the young adults. Some themes and jokes tended to be aimed more at them than at small children. The movie also had a Broadway feel to it as opposed to a classic Disney film. I would think that smaller children will enjoy the original compared to this one but that doesn't mean this isn't a completely enjoyable film for all.
As to the controversy that came out with the release of this film concerning a potentially gay character it is not near as blatant as some would have had you believe. Granted it adds nothing to the story or movie but if that truly offends you know that it's there but not near as in your face as many would think. For me the movie would have survived without the controversy so I don't understand the choice to do so but such is life.