I went into the movie with caution, already expecting to be disappointed in some way, but you know what, I was pleasantly surprised. The movie took many things from the original well-loved classic and ‘fixed’ them! I was so happy with the result!
Gaston is a normal jerk
Remember Gaston?
Yeah, he was extraordinarily idiotic in the disney animated version. I mean, that book in the mud thing? How could he ever hope to be anything but the villain?
In the movie, he’s not exactly good either, but he’s ignorant at best, and a common arrogant jerk at worst. Not harmless, but just… more believable. He actually makes an effort to win Belle’s affection by trying to pretend he has read the book in her hand before, or then, just books in general.
New Maurice
Inventor Maurice wasn’t bad. He was funny and interesting, and his profession was awesome, but that character just wouldn’t do for live-action. He would seem like a joke, and not in a good way.
And by changing the story slightly to accommodate the original Beauty and the Beast (the one where Maurice gets taken prisoner for taking a rose) has always made much more sense to me as a reason to be taken prisoner.
The mystery of the Beast’s kingdom
The movie changes the curse a little, or at least explains it better by saying that another effect of it was making the village forget about the castle and its inhabitants. With that little explanation, it covers the plothole of having an entire village forget about the castle and in such a short period of time.
The wolves scene
A very small detail, but, have you ever wondered how on earth did Belle manage to hoist Beast up on the horse in the animated version?
I have.
The movie quickly fixes this by making the Beast not completely unconscious and having Belle whisper to him that he’ll have to help her by making an effort to stand up, since she can’t do it on her own.
The emphasis on how different the village is from Belle
We all know and love the ‘Bonjour’ song from the beginning, the perfect exposition of what a ‘funny girl’ Belle is. In the live-action film, more emphasis is put on the village’s small-mindness and how Belle is ‘ahead of her time’. I really liked this because it portrayed so well how ignorance can be manipulated into hate.
Belle has a say in the final battle
She doesn’t merely stand by to watch how it goes down. When she can, she does her best to help!
The Beast
And my favorite thing of the whole movie! The Beast himself! OMG
Like I told a few friends, at first I wasn’t so sure about how he looked, but once I watched the movie, I was convinced. It was really well-done. His face is so expressive and I was taken by him each time he spoke!
I’m NOT a beast.
In overall the effect is a fresh wave of realism that counters the heavy dose of fantasy really well! It wouldn’t have worked otherwise, I think.
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