Beauty and the Beast (2017)
This article wa original posted on The Dragon’s Tower and is being reposted with permission.
Beloved by both fans and critics, the live adaptation of Disney’s 1991 Feature Film Beauty and the Beast has grossed over $1.2 Billion and is now the 10th highest-grossing movie of all time. Containing an all-star case and new songs that melted the hearts of long-time fans.
Cast
- Emma Watson as Belle
- Dan Stevens as The Prince / Beast
- Luke Evans as Gaston
- Kevin Kline as Maurice
- Josh Gad as LeFou
- Ewan McGregor as Lumière
- Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza
- Sir Ian McKellen as Cogsworth
- Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts
- Audra McDonald as Madame de Garderobe
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette
- Nathan Mack as Chip
- Hattie Morahan as Agathe
- Adrian Schiller as Monsieur D’Arque
- Thomas Padden as Chapeau
Plot
Once upon a time, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired the Prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. On a cold winter’s night an old beggar woman came to the castle asking for shelter from the bitter cold, offering a single rose as payment for his kindness. The Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. She warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for true beauty was found within. When he dismissed her again her ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. She punished the Prince for his cold heart and cursed him and his castle. He was transformed into a hideous beast and his servants were transformed into household knick knacks.
The rose she had offered was an enchanted rose. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return before the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he would remain a Beast for all times and his servants would turn into ordinary antiques for all time. The enchantress wiped the memories of the nearby villagers causing them to forget the castle’s existence.
Years later an artist by the name of Maurice got lost in the woods and stumbled into the castle for shelter from the cold and wolves. He sees the enchanted items move and runs scared from the castle, only to stumble into the rose garden. He remembers the promise to his lovely daughter Belle to bring back a rose for her and picks one. The Beast, furious at the”theft” takes Maurice as his prisoner and locks him in the dungeon tower forever.
Maurice’s daughter comes in search of her father and tracks him to the castle. She confronts the Beast and offers to change places with her ill father for the remainder of his sentence. The Beast agrees and locks Belle away. The servants spring her from the dungeon tower and give her a lovely room, occupied by the opera singing wardrobe. Will Belle be the one to break the spell?
The Dragon’s Reaction
I loved this movie so much! The cast was phenomenal and just perfect. Emma Watson was absolutely perfect as Belle. I was surprised how well she could sing. I knew the rest of the cast could sing (minus Dan Stevens, since I had no clue who he was before the film was released), but Emma Watson was a surprise. I wasn’t sure about Luke Evans as Gaston (he is just so likable!), but his performance was perfect. Evans’ and Gad’s rendition of Gaston and Lefou stole the movie. They were so funny and the chemistry between the two was delightful to watch. I adored the new songs and I was so pleased the kept the original songs as well. They did not include some of the Broadway songs like I thought they would. “Home” and “If I Can’t Love Her” were absent entirely. As was the song “Human Again” from the Special Edition release of the animated feature. No spoilers here on all the new bits the introduced, which answered so many questions about the original, but it is definitely worth the watch.
