The story and characters audiences know and love come to spectacular life in Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” a live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated classic featuring an extraordinary ensemble cast, including Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast.
Directed by Bill Condon and based on the 1991 animated film “Beauty and the Beast,” the screenplay is written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman as well as three new songs written by Menken and Tim Rice. And those three new songs? Oh my! So good.
What I loved about this movie was that as soon as it started I was wrapped up in to the tale. It was almost magical how the story guided me through Belle’s life and shared her journey to finding the Beast. Another great part about this movie is that it delves deeper into Belle’s past, sharing who her mother was and how she died, making Belle more real and relatable.
The characters were as loveable as ever and the movie, while staying true to the original classic, had some great additional hilarious moments brought out by Lefou, played by Josh Gad. The inflection and way that he presented his lines turned Lefou into a character who almost took the limelight away from Gaston.
At first, I wasn’t too crazy about the adaptations of the characters like Mrs. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth, and Lumiere, but as I watched the movie I came to love the attention to detail and character put into each and every one of them. The literal personification of each character was put into their outward appearance and watching the difference between who they were as humans in the beginning of the movie and how they transformed was quite interesting.
Throughout the movie I kept being taken back to when I was a small girl watching Beauty and the Beast on repeat in my house and thinking of how my kids would react to seeing the movie. And I have no doubt that just like me, my 6 and 8 year old would love it.
Now there are scary parts in this movie that the littles might have a hard time with just as with the animated classic. There are wolves in a few scenes as well as the end when Gaston and the Beast meet. And the Beast himself can be quite alarming when you first get to know him.
But with those moments being small parts of an otherwise beautiful and happy movie, I believe that this movie would be perfect for 7+ unless you have a 6 year old who doesn’t mind a scare here and there.
Want a peek at what’s in store? Watch this trailer:
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Beauty and the Beast Memory Game
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Beauty and the Beast Coloring Pages
Looking to bring Beauty and the Beast to life in your home? Make a gorgeous DIY Rose Hair Clip to wear when you go see the show! Click on the image below to read our tutorial.
