Walt would be "OH" so very proud of this live version...so where is all this hate coming from?

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2017)

As any parent should be proud of their children so is father Maurice (Kevin Kline) of his only child, his daughter Belle (Emma Watson) who could never imagine herself swooning over the town's handsome and one-dimensional Ox named Gaston who was played by Luke Evans quite well. Gaston is really in love with himself and he realizes if he wants to have little Gaston's to continue bearing his name then he wants to marry the smartest, prettiest and the only woman in the town who he just cannot convince to marry him, and that young lady happens to be Belle.
I am not a big fan of musicals and as an example I was most displeased to have to sit through the 2014 Disney live version of Into the Woods. Once Emma Watson commenced singing her opening song Ms. Shullivan grabbed my arm just a little bit tighter and I just knew this was going to be another Disney classic...and it is!
There are so many first class performers in this film such as Ewan McGregor who plays Luminere the candelabra, Ian McKellan who plays Cogsworth the mantle clock, the classy Emma Thompson who is no stranger to appearing in Disney films so she plays Mrs. Potts and by default Belle's conscience while she resides in the Beast's castle. Other great performances were on display by Audra McDonald who plays Madame Garderobe, and I cannot forget Stanley Tucci who plays Maestro Cadenza and of course Gaston's flunky sidekick the gay LeFou played perfectly by Josh Gad.
Some countries apparently are uncomfortable with LeFou being a bit more interested in Gaston than he should be but let's face it, this is the year 2017, and so any film should embrace actors/actresses that reflect today's society. In fact if I would have been asked for my opinion by the producers for any suggestions, without hesitation although I truly believe the six (6) foot Luke Evans performance as Gaston was excellent, I would have suggested an alternate name to play Gaston. Or at least give the six (6) foot four (4) inch retired NFL Hall of Fame defensive end, the gap tooth super handsome Michael Strahan to be provided an opportunity to test for the role of Gaston. Strahan would have been great and he would also have allowed a new generation of young children to see that Disney films have evolved to be inclusive when selecting starring roles.
Okay so for those naysayers who want to compare this version of Beauty and the Beast to earlier versions, and compare actual Disney characters, or actors/actresses, or the songs style and/or the singers who sing them, I suggest you just close your eyes and please just try to imagine yourself as a very younger version of your own self. If you do this and then fast forward to your adult self you will wake up to see that we are in the year 2017, and that good producers attempt to be more inclusive if the story allows for it and in most cases Disney films such as this great Disney Classic, Beauty and the Beast does. So I loved seeing the diversity in the ballroom scene, I loved Emma Watson and Luke Wilson's gradual affection for each other, I loved Josh Gad's closing scene where he finds his mate, and although I am still not convinced that CGI is an essential part, or for that matter 3-D film versions when I see the younger crowd mesmerized by this film, then I can accept it...and maybe some of you naysayers should be a bit more open minded.
I know this live version of Beauty and the Beast will do extremely well at both the box office and when it is eventually released in the retail stores on DVD/Blu Ray format, or streaming one day on NetFlix, or some other new format, such as when humans eventually live on another planet. Walt Disney himself had this kind of endless imagination where others did not and I just know he would have been very proud of all the performances of this cast, the cinematography and of course the musical score.
FOOTNOTE: Mrs. Shullivan and I did like the 1991 animated version, but we are in agreement on this next point...we enjoyed this 2017 live version a lot more!!!
I rate this Disney Classic a perfect 10 out of 10. It is definitely a keeper.