If Found, Please Return to the Beast's Castle

Did anybody watch the new Beauty and the Beast movie? If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it and then return to this post.

**Spoilers ahead.**

For somebody who hasn't stepped foot into the movie theaters in a while, I shaved some time in my weekend schedule to go see it. Going in, I tried not to set my expectations too high despite all of the hype surrounding it. To my delight, I was quite satisfied with the live-action adaptation of the animated feature.

Disney did a wonderful job of making not so likable characters, LeFou and Gaston, quite likable. Josh Gad and Luke Evans had such great onscreen chemistry and really made their characters quite believable. The comedy bit between the two was so entertaining. I'd rewatch the move again to watch their scenes. Josh Gad is seriously my favorite character in the entire movie, and I think he made the perfect LeFou.

Emma Watson did a wonderful job portraying Belle. I got emotional when she and the Beast transported back to Paris. I could feel the sorrow of her character as she revisited her childhood home. It was a powerful scene to learn about her past and feel the feelings that she felt. Opposite of Emma Watson, Dan Stevens played a great Beast. His tone of voice and mannerisms were on point to the character of the Beast. The special effects team really nailed the look of the Beast. He was oddly handsome? Just me? Okay.

Anyways...

Emma Thompson made a terrific Mrs. Potts. I loved both her speaking and singing voice. That casting was so perfect. She was Mrs. Potts. Nathan Mack made an adorable chip. The enthusiasm in his voice really made his character come alive. Ian McKellen as Cogsworth and Ewan McGregor as Lumiere were good. I wish there was a little bit more comedy and banter between them. I felt that the relationship with LeFou and Gaston were played out a little bit better though. Kevin Kline as a believable Maurice who seemed more socially aware of everything as opposed to his aloof animated counterpart. I liked this live-action portrayal a lot better. Hattie Morahan as the Enchantress was mesmorizing, and her role was a lot more involved in this version of the film than the animated feature. I liked the way that Disney used her character as a thread to tie all of the parts of the movie together from beginning to end.

Overall, I would give this movie 4.5 stars. I really enjoyed it, and will probably watch it again at some point. I docked off half of a star because I wasn't wild about some of the new songs. I'm slightly bias to original features, so new material takes a little bit of time to adjust. All in all, great movie, and I'm looking forward to Aladdin and Mulan coming soon.

Did you watch the movie? I would love to hear some of your thoughts! Feel free to Tweet or Instagram me @Tran_gerine.

Until next time,

Melissa