New Beast is a beauty Beauty and the Beast (PG)
129 mins Is this the moment it all gets ugly for Disney’s live-action reimaginings of its animation back-catalogue? After all, the original Cinderella was never anyone’s favourite and technological advances would always be too enticing not to give The Jungle Book a try.
But Beast? It’s a Beauty you tamper with at your peril. Boasting memorable songs, a superbly stripped-back storyline, a groundbreaking heroine, compelling characters and crisp animation, it fully deserved its place as one of the five nominees for best picture at the 1992 Academy Awards.
With an extra 45-minutes of running time, deeper psychological explorations and yes, more songs, this new Beauty takes a little getting used to – but the result is more than satisfying.
It’s still the tale of a girl ‘‘who wants much more than this provincial life’’, whose life is turned upside down when she agrees to take her father’s place as the prisoner of the master of an enchanted castle.
However, here we learn the name of Belle’s (Emma Watson) village – Villeneuve – why she only lives with her father and the real reason why she ‘‘wants adventure in the great, wide somewhere’’.
Likewise, the Beast (Dan Stevens) gets a bit more backstory. How he wasn’t just ‘‘selfish and unkind’’, but also taxed the village to fill the castle with expensive trinkets.
And unlike the animated version, he can most certainly read and has parental issues of his own (at one point, the story is in danger of turning into Batman vs Superman or, whisper it, Fifty Shades of Grey).
While most of the original’s key beats are still present and correct, there’s a few things that grate.
The sound mix loses some of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s terrific lyrics (especially during the comedic highlight Gaston), the CGI just sometimes doesn’t elicit the same character and heart from the enchanted objects that hand-drawn animation did and a few of the more subversive elements and lines have been excised (I particularly missed the 1991 version’s famous last line).
However, these are more than compensated for by some stunning art direction, production design and costuming, spot-on vocal casting (Sir Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Emma Thompson as Mrs Potts) and moments of inspired camerawork that will draw viewers of all ages into this world.
Fans of the stage show may lament the choice to create new songs instead of including any of the additions from there, but both Days in the Sun and Evermore, enhance the story and allow
This new Beauty takes a little getting used to – but the result is more than satisfying.
the Beast a bit more voice in the proceedings.
In the end, this new Beast is still a tale as old as time that looks likely to stand the test of time, and one that will have you wiping away the tears – no matter how hard you try. – James Croot