Believe it or not, they improved upon the Oscar winning Score (but you have to watch through the credits!)

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2017)

I'm not really sure why Disney is remaking all their animation classics in live action form but ... well actually, it's pretty obvious. And Beauty and the Beast (2017) has performed so well at the box office that I'm sure the studio isn't about to put a stop to the money train.
What's nice is the fact that they're adding some new scenes, more detail of characters' backgrounds and motivations, or even altering their stories slightly. While these changes don't necessarily improve on the originals, at least they give moviegoers something besides a rehash that might bore (adults in particular). Yes, some of these alterations are predictable, and even unfortunate, given the politically correct nature of our society, but others are welcome, especially those that extend the story - this one runs 45 minutes longer than the 1991 Academy Award Best Picture nominee - in ways that entertain old and new audiences alike.
Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens (heavily costumed and partially CGI-animated) play the titled leads, while Luke Evans plays the boorish Gaston, Josh Gad his sidekick LeFou, and Kevin Kline is Belle's eccentric father Maurice. Ewan McGregor plays Lumiere, Ian McKellen Cogsworth and Emma Thompson is Mrs. Potts; Stanley Tucci also plays a role ... and all are marvelous. It would be nearly impossible to top the "Be Our Guest" sequence from the animated original, but the filmmakers certainly did try.
No need for me to retell one of the most cinematically realized classic stories of all time (perhaps only Cinderella exceeds it?), but I feel it's important to note that the Soundtrack is excellent and PLEASE DON'T leave or turn it off too soon as two of its best songs are featured while the special closing credits roll - one by Celine Dion and the other by Josh Groban.