Beauty and the Beast

Dir: Bill Condon 2hrs 9mins (PG)

Live-action remake of the Disney classic I have to admit, I was not looking forward to Beauty and the Beast, said Jamie East in The Sun. I was too old to want to see the animated musical when it came out in 1991 and, as the father of boys born in the Pixar era, I have never been troubled by it since. Yet this live-action remake, starring Emma Watson as Belle, and Dan Stevens as the beast who imprisons her, won my heart. Warm, confident and charming, with a ravishing design and lovely songs, it is “pretty much the perfect family film”. Though slightly updated, the production sticks closely to the cartoon, said Kate Muir in The Times, but has added zing and subtlety. And in the Beast’s castle, the “great leap forward in CGI” means that all his possessions can be winningly brought to life. The greatest of these are the chatty candlestick, Lumière (voiced by Ewan Mcgregor), and Cogsworth the clock (Ian Mckellen). Yes, all the A-listers are here, said Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian; everyone warbles the tunes very nicely; and the film is bathed in that familiar honey-glow light. It is “machine-tooled” for sweetness. And if you are a cynic, said Peter Robey in The Daily Telegraph, or have the slightest allergy to Disney, then stay away.