As I write this I have just returned from my second viewing of Disney’s live action remake of Beauty And The Beast and I thought I would do a little blog post about my thoughts on the film. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t include any spoilers, although I am sure most of you will know the story – it is a classic after all!
The first thing I can say about the film is how much I absolutely loved it!! As I said to my mum after I saw it for the first time “it was every bit as magical as I expected it to be!” and it really was! Growing up I absolutely loved Beauty and the Beast for me Belle was the most relatable of the disney princesses and I was so excited when the announced they were going to be doing a live action remake. Of course with excitement comes apprehension, it would be very easy to ruin this classic but I am glad to report this was not the case.
One thing that makes this version so great is the cast. I thought casting Emma Watson as Belle was a gamble but in my opinion it paid off. She by no means is a West End vocalist but she can carry a tune, I like that they edited the songs to fit her range and was a lot of spoken word/poetry type elements. Despite this I do wish they hadn’t digitally enhanced her voice quite as much, I don’t think it needed as much as they had done and it bothered me as I could hear it. Another stand out bit of casting was Luke Evans and Josh Gadd as Gaston and Lefou. Their chemistry was brilliant and despite his character itself being less than desirable, Luke Evans is certainly easy on the eye! I could go on for hours about the cast but the last person I will mention, one of my all time favourite actresses – Emma Thomson. Her portrayal of Mrs Potts was warm and comforting, everything it should have been.
The new musical additions fitted so well into the story, I particularly loved ‘Paris of my Childhood’ I thought it was a truly beautiful number. I was pleased that the story itself didn’t deviate too far from the original and in fact it fixed a few of it’s plot holes. Such as the Beast’s back story, the curse and what happened to Belle’s mother. The addition of Maestro Cadenza was also another great element to the story as a whole and on the subject of the servants I thought they were all fantastic, well cast, beautifully designed and cleverly written. Over all I thought all the new elements of the film simply added to the original and enhanced the experience as a whole.
I would 100% recommend for anyone, disney fan or not to go and see this film. You will leave feeling like you’ve had a warm hug, the magic is as real today as it was when I first saw the original over 15 years ago! Let me know what you thought of the film if you’ve seen it, I’d love to know your thoughts.
Love & Hugs,
Charlotte xo
Charlotte Georgina 
I, too, saw the film twice and I liked it better the second time. First viewing the movie felt long, and watching it again it almost didn’t feel long enough! I wanted more Emma Watson (though for the record, everyone could use more Emma Watson). Perhaps it was because I learned to let go of my bias and expectations and went along for the ride. There’s no denying it’s a fun time at the theaters. I may even see it again! Great review.
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Thank you! I agree, the world needs more Emma Watson, and you’re right it really is a fun film for everyone!!
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