The general essence and feeling were captured, but much of what made the original so love-able was lacking altogether. Take Belle, for instance, played by Emma Watson. Belle was a kind, compassionate, strong, and out-of-the box original, which helped make her arguably the greatest Disney princess in history. She is my favorite too. Having said that, I don't believe that Watson brought her justice on the silver screen. Her singing was off key and mechanical (to say the very least), she was far too sarcastic, and her facial expressions and reactions to situations were at best jarring. Watson also, being a die hard feminist in real life, put too much of that into the character. And like many reviewers have alluded to---her British accent was very distracting.

The opening sequence could have also been done better. I found it to be quite somber, lacking of the upbeat and enthusiastic excitement of the animated film. Belle, the music, and the cheesy dialogue took me right out of the film on several occasions. Yes, I understand that this is a remake. It shouldn't be a carbon copy of its predecessor. But they really missed the mark in a lot of ways. Oh, and Gaston..I loved Luke Evans but they couldn't have made him a bit bigger? CGI anyone? I mean, c'mon man! There is a problem when your dopey sidekick is bigger than you are.

Some things I LOVED were the entire Gaston song sequence, how Beast brought Belle back to her childhood, and the iconic ballroom scene. That last one was gorgeous to see unfold. I also thought that Kevin Kline did an immaculate job of portraying Maurice!

Watch the movie if you are a fan of the 1991 film, of course! Just know that much of the magic has been lost here.

This movie makes me so happy. Absolutely lovely rendition of this "tale as old as time." As a young adult at the time, I loved the animated version when it came out and while I still remember it fondly, my young daughter is really the main fan of it. When this new one came out, I took her to the theater to see it but ended up enjoying it so much myself that I went back alone another time so I could experience it again (*we have a home theater - seeing a movie in a theater is a rare experience for us, and watching it twice is in one is basically unheard of). To me, it's a gorgeous adaptation that honors the story while capturing the magic in a fresh way that makes me love it all the more.

I love good films (usually the more art-house kind) and had expected to enjoy this movie more vicariously in the role of parent taking their young child out for a treat. But when we went to see it, I genuinely got lost in the story and found it lovely and moving. I liked how they blended the seriousness of the characters with the magical details that make it the Disney version of this story. Of course it's entirely possible that these new versions of the classics are made specifically for people like me: grew up on those and loved them, grew out of them. I loved Maleficent and Cinderella, but this one is my favorite remake so far. Lush scenery, sets, and period-inspired costumes, with clearer historical context to give it more depth as a story.

As a side note I also thought it was lovely that they made it a movie that had a place for everyone. Of all the classic Disney stories, this is one that showcases the pain of being different and being a pariah because of it. With a few subtle references, they showed that people could be themselves without the world falling apart around them and without literally anyone else in the story needing to be affected by it in the slightest. Good job, Disney.

Not Really Spoilers But I Do Mention A Few Scenes From The Movie:

Beauty and the Beast is by far one of my favorite stories. I have watched as many movies as I can find depending on their availability. I have seen the majority even ones that are more adaptations of the story than the actual original. I was very excited to hear that a live adaptation of this movie was being made especially since Beauty and the Beast is one of my favorite Disney animated movies. I read many negative reviews and I can understand why the movie has so many mixed reviews.

First I want to say that Emma Watson as Belle was by far the WORST choice. She doesn't capture the essence of Belle at all. Throughout the movie she has this dead pan look on her face or her nose is kind of scrunched up as if she is constantly smelling something foul. I'm not a Watson fan but that's not whats prompting me to say this. Even if I were a fan I would still HATE her as Belle. She can't sing period! Auto Tune helped but who wants to hear that in every song?I read that Emma had a lot of suggestions and changes as well as additions to the Belle character. For instance it was her idea to make Belle an inventor. Thus the scene with the horse and barrel laundry. Which to me was a waste of time. She also wanted the costume designers to alter the yellow ball gown dress to make it less extravagant. The end result being a dress that looked like it was purchased at a costume shop for Halloween.

Belle is supposed to be a kind and gentle person but also brave and courageous. Strong willed and intelligent. With radiant beauty inside and out. Emma just doesn't capture that. I can go on and on about how much I hated her as Belle but I will let you see it for yourself. The CGI didn't bother me as much as it did others. Perhaps Beast could have been done with prosthetics instead of full on CGI. There are many great artists that have talent for this kind of thing. Think of the show Face Off. I'm sure someone could have done a superb job on Beast. The enchanted items had to be CGI to really pull it off and I honestly didn't mind that. They did add a few new elements such as back stories for Belle's mother and Beast's parents. Again these were not necessary but at the same time I didn't mind. But all of these extras in story line took up time that should have been used to show Belle and Beast bonding more. That's what draws us into this story. The way that both characters start off on the wrong foot but eventually begin to form a bond. That is what shows us how the love is built between the two.

Now on to The Enchantress. In the original we know that she came to the castle disguised as an ugly old hag and asked the Prince if he would let her seek shelter in the castle until the storm cleared. His answer was no due to his arrogant and shallow ways in thinking beauty and vanity were most important. We all know what happens next so I'm not going to go into detail. Now I disagree with how they did this in the live action movie. Here we have this lavish party going on and out of nowhere this woman just barges into the castle. No knocking, just casually walks on in. How was the Prince supposed to act? It shows disrespect in a way especially with him being a Prince and that being his castle. In her entering the castle in that manner it takes away the empathy we are supposed to feel for her after the Prince rejects her. Of course that had to have ticked him off. So naturally he acted like a jerk when she asked him for shelter. We are supposed to see his rejection of her due primarily to her appearance. I saw a review on YouTube that mentioned this as well.

If your on the fence about watching this movie I would say go into it with an open mind. But don't expect the same enchanting visuals as the animated classic or you might be disappointed. Bottom line is Emma Watson was given too much free range to tweak the character of Belle and compromised the story. Which still baffles me that she was given so much input yet she plain out sucks in this movie. So many other actresses could have done better. Even non A list celebrities. There are many hidden gems that give some truly captivating performances in short films, independent movies and such. I have seen this with my own eyes. It's truly a shame since these people have a gift for acting and just haven't caught a break in the mainstream yet. I guess they thought that putting a well known actress would be more appealing to us. That was a major mistake that backfired big time.

I am not one to typically take to musicals, but I greatly enjoyed a few of the musical numbers and the music itself. The scene where the townspeople sing about Gaston’s great attributes was particularly heart warming as the line about no one spitting like Gaston reminds me of pig roasts with my family growing up where we held seed spitting contests to see who could spit the farthest. Luke Evans gives an uplifting rendition as Gaston exuding confidence. Emma Watson’s contribution was underwhelming, deficit in the adventurous spirit that the character Belle so valiantly sings about. Watson’s character enters a whole new world in the palace and yet her performance lacks any sense of wonder or awe, though as a positive Watson’s acting nails the sweet and innocent components of her character. The animation, costumes, and set design were all beautifully done, some real care put in there.

I love this story, but the animated version was SO much better. Many of the additions in this version were not improvements. I appreciate humor and writing that is smart enough that it engages both children and adults. This movie didn't take the "smart" route; rather it went with being more racey or more graphic. Disappointing.

The music is a highlight, as it was in the animated version. There were several musical additions in this latest version, the best of which was sung by the beast. Gorgeous piece, and beautifully done. In fact, all of the singing was well done.

Though there was much to like about this movie, compared to the animated version, it fell short. I would recommend the animated version, especially for children.

I saw a production of Beauty and the Beast when it was on Broadway and it really was the “Magic of Disney” come to life on stage. This movie was such a letdown with actors who were mediocre singers at best and the whole movie was lackluster in all the musical numbers especially the Pub scene with Gaston. What a damn shame. Next time,Disney, cast it with real singers who can also act and not the so called popular actors of the moment. What a shame.

Watched it with my parents. They smiled through the whole thing. I enjoyed watching them enjoy it as much as watching the movie itself. As a special education teacher, I think this version is great in that it holds fairly true to the earlier Disney version, making it more readily accepted by those on the autism spectrum (and those that like things "just so"). Even when phrases are missing from scenes, they often appear later in the movie (or it's been too long since I saw the animated version that I got parts mixed up). The variations are slight enough that those I know with ASD might be willing to accept explanations of "artistic expression," "the movie is longer so they added some ideas they "couldn't" put in the original," "the songs have added verses making it longer" without much fuss.

Overall a good movie. I liked the way they tried to tie in the Disney classic and the original French story. The casting was really good. LeFou and Gaston were like the cartoons come to life, it was remarkable. Parts of the movie were like shot-for-shot remake of the animated version, other parts were totally different, and others a happy medium. Some parts bugged me, as I'm sure any Disney fan will have parts that they just prefer the animated one. But overall the whole family enjoyed it.