It hurts me to write this.

Rating: 7/10 (20 March 2017)

'beauty and the beast' was my favorite Disney film and i cried at every single trailer they ever played. to say i was excited was an understatement. The movie was perfectly cast-FOR THE ORIGINAL. it's legitimately a line in the cartoon-'if it's not broke, don't fix it'. so why did we need to fix a perfect cartoon and make it a Politically correct family friendly movie? half of the beauty and charm of the cartoon original is that it really isn't for kids, at all. from Gaston's chauvisnistic (but hysterical) lines, to an actual terrifying Beast, toning it down was a major mistake. However, that may be casting's fault so let's break it down. Emma Watson was the perfect Belle. I was a little worried when they said they were making her a pro-active princess, as she was already kick ass enough in the original and even more might make her obnoxious, but thankfully the changes were subtle. Luke Evans was a deliciously evil Gaston. Imagine how much more perfect he would have been had he would have been allowed to do what Gaston did in the original? and Josh Gad. a PERFECT Lefou, but let's be real. when you hear Josh Gad has been cast as Lefou, you look forward to two years down the line when he has to stand outside in the snow dressed like a snowman. erasing any trace of snow and rewriting LeFou's comedy was a HUGE mistake, as funny as he still was.
now, the mistakes. Dan Stevens was miscast as the Beast, unless he was intentionally supposed to be a softie. Robbie Benson's powerful voice in the original frightens you to death, while Stevens' portrayal makes you roll your eyes. maybe that was the point, i don't know, but i do know that by making both gaston and beast softer characters, it's not as much a competition for Belle. The rest of the cast was fine. you really can't go wrong with anyone and no one did anything to really make themselves stand out either.
Now, i will admit, this film still made me emotional. I cried from 'evermore' (A+ decision to add that song) until the end of the film, but i was still expecting more. when i watch the cartoon, i'm a mess from the moment the music starts. which brings me to the music. You can't go wrong with it in this film, and I noticed something a lot of others are pointing out: it is so NICE to have actors who ENUNCIATE and to finally know what the lyrics to the song are. i'm 31 and i found out i'm singing the songs wrong because the animation isn't as clear. LOL as for the changes made to the songs, again PC decisions. the new lyrics were fine, and funny, but like i said, much more for kids. we can show two guys dancing but we need to cut out 'and every last inch of me is covered in hair?'. AND ON THAT NOTE, the director was such an idiot for opening his mouth about that 'gay moment'. it was a point second of Lefou dancing with a man, something not common in those days. WHY EVEN SAY ANYTHING?
Overall, I still enjoyed the film, I just can't give it the 10/10 i give the animation.