Tuesday Movie Review: Beauty and the Beast

Hey guys, and welcome to another edition of the Tuesday Movie Review! This week, I'm going to take a look at one of Disney Animation's greatest movies of all time. A film that is so beloved and cherished, that Disney decided to re-make it into a live action film, and I'll be talking about that on here as well. No, I'm not talking about The Jungle Book or Cinderella. Today, I'm looking at a tale as old as time: Beauty and the Beast! As always, I'll be looking at the storyline, acting, soundtrack/score, and the movie's presence in the Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts. So, be my guest, and let's talk Beauty and the Beast!

1991 film courtesy of imdb.com

As I said earlier, Beauty and the Beast was such an iconic movie, that in March, 2015, Disney announced they would be re-making the film in live action, adding to the growing list of classic films Disney is making live action adaptations for. The stars of the movie would be Emma Watson playing Belle, Dan Stevens would be the Beast, and Luke Evans would be Gaston. The 2017 adaptation premiered March 17th, 2017 and it's final box office count was 1.246 billion dollars. The original film was released November 22nd, 1991 and it's final box office count was 425 million dollars. Seems like quite a big difference, but take into consideration the times. In 1991, people didn't visit movie theaters nearly as often as they do in current days. Also, films didn't stay in theaters as long as they do now. For example, the 1991 film ranks at number 247 on IMDB's Greatest Films of All Time List, the 2017 adaptation isn't featured on the list. Now, I believe the best way to review the 2017 live action film and the 1991 animated classic is just go through the way I normally do and talk about things I liked and didn't like in both films. So let's begin with the storyline.

2017 film courtesy of variety.com

We all know how the story goes: there was a prince who was real greedy and mean, he gets cursed by a witch to find true love before the last rose petal falls, Belle's father gets captured in his castle, Belle comes to save him, Beast falls for Belle, Belle falls for Beast, Gaston comes to kill Beast, Beast kills Gaston but is brutally harmed, Belle kisses Beast and he turns into Adam and everyone lives happily ever after. But for this, I want to really look at the storyline because there's so many different dynamics going on at the same time. For instance, while Beast and Belle are falling in love, Maurice is running back to the village to get Gaston's help. And while Gaston is fighting Beast on top of the castle, Belle is rushing back to save Beast. Beauty and the Beast also really makes you think about the film and evaluate yourself too. We see Prince Adam in the beginning living wealthy, yet still yearning that one true love, then we see him turn away an older lady who turns out to be the witch that curses him; but I often ask myself "if I was Adam, would I do the same thing?" I think a lot of people, whether they admit it or not, would probably do the same thing if they were in Adam's position. And let's talk about Belle. I believe she is a very underrated princess, if not the most underrated princess. You may be thinking "Kevin, she is literally in every park and everywhere at Disney, how is she underrated?" Well, obviously Belle is a big time princess, but Belle's character is what I love about her. She has the heart, the knowledge, and the faith to know that beast isn't really a Beast and that there really is something there underneath it all. She doesn't fall in love with the person, she falls in love with the personality, and I love that about her! While the 2017 version followed the same storyline as it's predecessor, I really liked the way Disney Studios was able to bring the characters to life, specifically Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Pott's, and Chip. The film itself was beautiful, shot on perfect locations, and while some people didn't like the idea of Emma Watson playing Belle, I thought it was Watson's best work since her Hermione days in the Harry Potter series. While I loved the whole cast of the 2017 live action film, Josh Gad as LeFou really stole the show in my opinion. He was hilarious, the perfect combination of dumb but not too dumb, and amazingly loyal to the bully Gaston. He also reprises the song "Gaston" and to me, his version is a billion times better than the original version.

Emma Watson as Belle courtesy of Business Insider

The music is where the big difference in the 1991 film and the 2017 film can be found. The great Alan Menken composed the songs for both films, as well as conducting the score for both films. However, with different actors and actresses come different voices in the songs, which is most profound in the opening song of the films, one sung by Paige O'Hara, the other by Emma Watson. Another big difference is the addition of Josh Gad, who is, as we all know, a phenomenal stage presence and singer (ie: Frozen). There were also four additional songs added to the 2017 film that were not in the 1991 film (Aria, Evermore, How Does A Moment Last Forever, and Days in the Sun).The 1991 film won the 1992 Academy Award for Best Music Original Song (Beauty and the Beast) and Best Music Original Score, along with the 1992 Golden Globe for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (Beauty and the Beast). "Be Our Guest" and "Belle" were also nominated for the Best Music Original Song category. The 2017 received nominations for the BFCA for Best Song (Evermore) and the Golden Trailer for Best Original Score. So clearly, people liked the music from the 1991 film better than the music from the 2017 film. Personally, I liked the 1991 music better. I didn't really like the additional songs that came with the 2017 film, although I did love the moment that came with the song "How Does A Moment Last Forever". Like I said earlier, I do LOVE Josh Gad's version of "Gaston", it actually is my favorite part of the film. However, I would be re-missed if I didn't talk about the iconic song that inspired a restaurant, "Be Our Guest". I very much prefer the 1991 version to the 2017 version and there's really only one reason why: when Lumiere is introducing the song in the 1991 film, it gets straight to the point; however, in the 2017 film, the organ has some kind of mess up and I really didn't like that part. I know it's such a small thing, but if you're going to attempt to re-create such a great song, it needs to be perfect. Once the song got going, the scene was BEAUTIFUL, but I just couldn't get over the broken organ. However, I do think Emma Watson has a beautiful voice and was very well as Belle, as well as Luke Evans as Gaston.

Be Our Guest (2017 and 1991) courtesy of comicbook.com

The cast of the 1991 film isn't a very well known one, contrary to the 2017 cast which is packed with Hollywood stars (Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Kevin Kline, etc). I think the easiest way to go through the cast of the film is to put the character's name, who played them in the '91 film, who played them in '17 film, and what I thought about each one. Now don't worry, I won't hit literally every character, just the main ones pertinent to the storyline. Let's start with Belle.
Belle: '91-Paige O'Hara; '17-Emma Watson. Of course, everyone loves Paige O'Hara's version of Belle and one of the big questions regarding the 2017 film was can Emma Watson spark that same love felt for O'Hara. I believe Watson was the perfect choice, and really, at some points, I liked Watson's Belle better than the original.
Beast/Prince Adam: '91-Robby Benson; '17-Dan Stevens. Stevens did an amazing job interpreting the Beast and even more amazing was the fact he acted out the whole film, just in a CGI suit. Robby Benson was phenomenal in the original film, however I feel like with Stevens' Beast you can see and feel the emotions on his face more than you can with the animated Beast.
Gaston: '91-Richard White; '17-Luke Evans. I like Richard White's performance, but I'm a big Luke Evans fan and seeing him in a Disney movie was so cool for me personally, it also helps that he was phenomenal in the role.
LeFou: '91-Jesse Courti; '17-Josh Gad. This really is the biggest improvement the '17 film made from the '91 film. Josh Gad is arguably one of the most dynamic actors in Hollywood today. He can go from being a lovable snowman to being a sidekick to the villain so easily, it's crazy how talented this man is. Also, Lucasfilm, if you're reading this, put Josh Gad in Episode 9, it would make everyone so happy.
Lumiere: '91-Jerry Orbach; '17-Ewan McGregor. I've already gone into detail about how I'm not a big fan of the new "Be Our Guest"; however, Ewan McGregor did surprise me with how well he can sing and perform, as I only know him as Obi Wan Kenobi. All that being said, there's just something special about Jerry Orbach's Lumiere that I love too much.
Cogsworth: '91-David Ogden Stiers; '17-Sir Ian McKellen. McKellen is an amazingly talented actor (Magneto, Gandalf) and it was rather interesting to see him play a pretty improtant role in a movie with no mutants or mythical creatures running around. While I thought McKellen did an amazing job, Stiers' Cogsworth and his constant ordering around is just too good to be outdone.
Mrs. Potts: '91-Angela Lansbury; '17-Emma Thompson. In most of these cases, there can be an argument that the 2017 version of the character was just as good as the 1991 character; this is not one of those cases. It's not that Thompson didn't play a good Mrs. Potts, it's just that Lansbury is so beloved for her "Beauty and the Beast" that there is no way to make that role any better.

Beauty and the Beast has a decently large role in the Walt Disney World parks, however Belle is a pretty big merchandise character so there's a ton of merchandise regarding the movie. At Epcot, you can find Belle in her village outfit doing a meet and greet outside of the France Pavilion; however, during the holiday season, she's in her holiday dress worn during the snow scene in the film. Her meet and greets are always heavily populated, so I would grab a times guide and plan to go to the earliest meet or the latest meet. You can also meet Belle in her yellow ballroom dress at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall during the Princess Storybook Dining. If you visit Epcot during the Flower Garden Festival, you can find some beautiful Beauty and the Beast topiaries in the France Pavilion. Across the way at Hollywood Studios you can find one of the longest running plays in the world: Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. In it's 27th year of running, the 20ish minute show tells the tale as old as time live and in person! The show typically begins playing at 11:00am and the last show is normally at 5:00 or 6:00pm and they all take place at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater located next to the Tower of Terror. You can also see Belle and Beast in Fantasmic as they have their own float during the princess portion of the show. The park with the most Beauty and the Beast influence is definitely Magic Kingdom. From attractions to eateries, you can find it all at MK! Located towards the back of the park in Fantasyland, you can find a little cottage reminiscent of the one from Beauty and the Beast. Inside the cottage is Enchanted Tales with Belle, a show telling the story of Beauty and the Beast using some amazing features (like an astonishingly real looking Lumiere) and select members of the audience! You end up in Belle's library where, if you want, you can get a picture with the princess and the Lumiere! A little while down the road is Gaston's Tavern where you can find all the antlers he uses in decorating! You can also grab one of my favorite combinations there: a cinnamon roll and LeFou's Brew! Outside of the Tavern on select mornings, you can find Gaston himself and participate in his meet and greet which is such a great one! In between the two is the Beast's Castle. While this may look intimidating, inside the castle is the hardest dining reservation to get on Disney property: Be Our Guest. The restaurant inspired by the song is many people's favorite on property, and it is by far the best themed restaurant on property. With three different dining rooms (West Wing, Main Ballroom, and Portrait Gallery) you can have a totally different experience in each room. My personal favorite is the Main Ballroom at Christmastime because they have a huge tree set up and outside the windows you can see snow falling! While breakfast and lunch are considered quick service meals, dinner at Be Our Guest is nearly impossible to get reservations for if you don't book it 180 days out. It's a magical experience from what I've been told, and sometimes you can even see the Beast as he occasionally makes appearances at the dinner. At Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, you may be lucky enough to find a Belle and Beast meet and greet outside the castle as they sometimes attend the parties.

Be Our Guest Main Ballroom courtesy of disneyworld.disney.go.com

Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney's most successful and loved films of all time, and while many people questioned whether or not Disney should have re-made the movie, the 2017 adaptation was cinematically stunning and a great movie as well. Along with the awards mentioned earlier, the 1991 film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, 5 Grammys, and was nominated for the 20/20 Award for Best Picture and best Score, as well as being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The 2017 film didn't receive as much love this award season but won the MTV Award for Movie of the Year, Watson won the MTV Movie Award for Best Actor/Actress in a Movie, and the film also won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie: Fantasy. Overall, I really liked both movies, and while I'm not the biggest Beauty and the Beast fan, I will say it's one of Disney's best movies. If I had to choose, I would choose the 1991 original film over the 2017 live action re-make; but, I do enjoy both films. That being said, I'm going to give the 1991 film a 4.5 of 5 stars because of how loved it is universally, even if it isn't my favorite movie. I also chose to give the 2017 film a 3.5 of 5 stars, because while it is a great film, the additional four songs really take a lot away from the film instead of adding to it...and that dang organ.

2017 film rating

1991 film rating

Kevin Scott is a contributing writer for The Mouse Knows Best Podcast. He is self proclaimed Disney addict and oftentimes annoys his family with how much he talks Disney. He enjoys walking around all Disney Parks and taking as many pictures as he can in one day. When he isn't at Walt Disney World, he is working to get back or re-watching Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars movie. His spirit animal is a mix between Simba and Kylo Ren with a dash of Tony Stark. You can find him on Twitter @doubleoh_kevin and on Instagram @waltdisneyduo.