Disney’s newest live action remake, Beauty and the Beast, premiered in Canadian theatres on March 17th. Since then, it has become this year’s highest grossing movie, with the biggest March opening of all time. You might be thinking, “so it’s doing well in the box office, but is it actually any good?” Yes. Yes, it is, and I can give you 6 reasons you should go see it immediately.
1. New Music
I am probably Alan Menken’s biggest fan. If you somehow don’t know who he is, he wrote and composed the music for the original Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, Pocahontas, and more. A Whole New World, Under the Sea, Colours of the Wind; that was all the same guy. And that incredibly talented man wrote three brand new songs for the new movie. And guys, they’re amazing. I actually liked the second half of the movie a lot better than the first, and I can pinpoint the exact moment I realized this movie was amazing: half way through the Beast singing ‘Evermore.’ It’s been on repeat ever since.
2. The Beast Got Hot
Back when there was only the cartoon, I never fully believed the love story between Belle and the Beast. How could she fall in love with him? And the most overused criticism of them all: isn’t that beastiality? And then suddenly I found myself watching the Beast singing ‘Evermore’ in his old run down castle and thinking of all the reasons it was totally normal to find this guy really, really attractive. Don’t laugh; just go watch the movie. You’ll understand.
3. The Sets
Speaking of the castle, the sets were beautiful, and the imagery in this film took my breath away. That includes all the CGI they would have needed to use to bring the beast and all of the household objects to life. The castle was huge,dark and ominous. The village was cute and quirky. Everything was made so purposeful and relative to the plot and characters, which I loved.
4. A Stronger Belle
Belle was always one of my favourite princesses (but I say that about all of them). But Emma Watson and the crew really created a stronger, more modern Belle. She’s brave, strong, and very smart. They added backstory where we needed backstory, gave her more depth, and made her stand up for herself more than she ever did in the original. This Belle is more guarded and thoughtful, which makes her less of a traditional Disney princess and more of a real human being. I think if she wasn’t already before, she will be a great role model for anyone who looks up to her.
5. The Cast
I loved the entire cast of this movie. Emma Watson didn’t have the perfect singing voice for Belle’s songs, but she brought a complexity to the character that I don’t think anyone else could. Luke Evans was the perfect Gaston, Josh Gad the perfect LeFou, and with voices from people like Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, and Audra McDonald, you really can’t go wrong.
6. The Backstory
I love that we get to learn more about Belle’s past, and it’s a whole layer of the story that adds to so much of the movie. The fairly simple addition to Belle’s life helped strengthen her relationship with both her father and the Beast, and also helped position the film in an actual place, during an actual time. There were also answers to most of the questions you might have had about the first movie, like ‘how did nobody know this huge castle was there the whole time?’
What was your favourite part of the new Beauty and the Beast? Let us know in the comments below!
Sources: 1