Beauty and the Beast

I was five when Beauty and the Beast came out. I still remember what trailers were on it (Father of the Bride and The Great Mouse Detective). So now, Disney's "tale as old as time" has gotten itself a live-action rendition. It's still effective even if we know the score.

Belle (Emma Watson) is the smartest girl in her "poor, provincial town" of Villeneuve. The townsfolks thinks she's strange, while the hunter and war-hero Gaston (Luke Evans) sees her as a prize. Her widowed father, Maurice (Kevin Kline), goes off to market. Maurice is redirected by happenstance to a snowy castle and is imprisoned by its beastly master.

Belle goes off to the castle. She meets The Beast (Dan Stevens) and trades herself for her father. Belle refuses to do anything with The Beast; she brings out his best qualities with time. Meanwhile, Maurice tries to get help for Belle and Gaston reveals his worst qualities.

Director Bill Condon works from a script by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. It contains the familiar story beats and songs from the animated classic. It expands the story to provide backstories for the titular protagonists and fill in plot holes. The original's 84 minutes become this film's 129 minutes. It still tells a compelling story with capable leads. The ending is still emotional even if it's common knowledge.

The Enchanted Servants, like Lumiere (Ewan McGregor), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen) and Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), are still entertaining. Gaston is still a big creep and Maurice is a lot tougher than his animated counterpart. The best supporting character is Gaston's sidekick LeFou (Josh Gad), who's far from the sycophant his animated version was. LeFou is more of a character than a punching bag this time around.

Alan Menken's familiar music is still welcome after 25 years. The new orchestrations are as memorable as the old. The revised lyrics of a few songs weren't intrusive. The score adds new songs with lyrics by Tim Rice, filling in for the late Howard Ashman, just like the Broadway version. These new songs fit right in with the old standards.

Production Designer Sarah Greenwood and Costume Designer Jacqueline Durran perfectly visualize the animated film. They perfectly contrast the opulence/decay of The Beast's castle and the humbleness of Villeneuve. The makeup team's best work is Agathe (Hattie Morahan), the Enchantress who cursed The Beast, who grows younger with time. The Beast himself is visualized with pretty good motion-capture work.

Beauty and the Beast works just the same as the animated version. You've heard the story before, but it's still compelling after all these years. The characters are believable and the tone is earnest. It feels like seeing this story for the first time. A great achievement.

Nothing left to say.