Is this one version too many?

Rating: 7/10 (22 March 2017)

This is the 7th film version of Beauty and The Beast and I really wonder why they made another, especially seeing it's part human and part animation but it works . It's neither a film version of the Broadway stage hit or a Human version of the great fully animated Disney feature film. It does have all the magic and effects that Disney dollars can throw at a film and a few new songs and plot twists.
The cast is very capable especially Emma Watson, who sings well and looks suitably enchanting as a true Disney Princess should . It's was fun to see some favourites of mine like Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobes and Emma Thompson as Mrs Potts . The new songs by Alan Menken don't really add anything to his original score in fact I think they made a mistake by not including Human Again in this film it's a great production number and I missed it, perhaps it's on the DVD extras cost certainly couldn't have been a factor in dropping it with Disney dollars behind it.
In conclusion it's a good film with reservations I prefer the 1946 Jean Cocteau version, watched it recently with new Phillip Glass opera soundtrack or The fully human live Broadway musical production, but yes it's lovely and pays little tributes to The Sound of Music opening scene Maria twirling while "The Hills are Alive "and little references to the Original Cocteau version but please no more Beauty and The Beasts , that's enough!