La Belle et la Bête

A fabulous movie, I enjoyed every moment. So beautifully done that I would watch it again. It's a true musical as they used to be. I cried and laughed, it brought out many emotions. It's a great family film. The artistry and special effects make a great Disney style fantasy come to life. The music and songs were very pleasant in typical Disney fashion.

First and foremost, this is a movie for children. The original was a movie for children. I'm surprised at so many scathing and very negative reviews I've read here.

The sets and costumes are beautiful. The music is classic and treated with respect. It takes a very classic Disney animated film and fleshes it out with additional character development and enhanced songs. Many little Disney princesses will watch it over and over again, just like the original animated version.

No movie is perfect, but I found it charming and produced with a great deal of love.

An adaptation of the fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love.

If you have one of the all-time greatest cartoons, there are things you can do with it. Turn it into a musical is one. But turn it into a live-action version with practically nothing changed (though a few scenes added) may not be your best idea. Especially if such a version relies on CGI and you have neither the time nor the ability to pull it off.

But if you are going to do it anyway, I suppose you could do much worse. Emma Watson was the ideal casting choice and no one else would have worked. No one. Josh Gad is spot on as LeFou. The Beast could be better, perhaps. My biggest casting complaint is Maurice. I suppose in this version he is less eccentric, but why is this the case? And why so tall? Kevin Kline is fantastic, but is he really Maurice?

I found this version of Beauty and the Beast to be quite refreshing. Tailor-made for the whole family to see, Emma Watson in the female lead (Belle) is a pure delight to behold. Vibrant colors provided for a stunning visual. The film approaches all emotional levels. The singing and dance sequences were most enjoyable. I've seen this movie picked apart by folks who I just think didn't want to like the movie and therefore exercised their critical writing ability to tear it down. I say, "Thanks Disney Studios!"

Very much like the cartoon! The singing was really good ... Emma Watson ... what a star! The acting was great. I was in two minds about seeing this as it's my favorite fairy story and my favorite Disney cartoon. I was in tears at the end, even though I knew the story backwards. Why didn't I give it 10 ... The thing that let it down a little for me was the make up of The Beast, I thought it was a little too scary for the film and the wolves were quite a bit nastier than the cartoon version. Young children may be scared by these things.