Disney's Beauty And The Beast "Live Action version"

[DodgerGirl]

A few minutes ago I saw the live action version of Disney's Beauty And The Beast and I cannot figure out why Disney chose to do a live action version of Beauty And The Beast in the first place? When I first saw it with my mom I thought it would be nice. But as I watched Beauty And The Beast I noticed something weird about it. It seems that this version of Beauty And The Beast is not like the animated version at all but instead this version seemed to be based on the original Beauty And The Beast fairytale. Because for one thing Belle's father Maurice is not an inventor in this version and he doesn't go to the fair like in the animated version but instead Belle asks for a rose like in the original fairytale. Then the second part is that Maurice gets to the castle after the carriage crashes and I don't recall a crash in the animated version and then Maurice finds the rose and The Beast accused him of stealing the rose just like the merchant in the original Beauty And The Beast story and then like in the original Beauty And The Beast story Belle gets a fancy room but how did Belle get a really fancy room in this version because in the animated version Belle's bedroom was a prison at first and even though it was beautiful she couldn't leave. Also Belle's horse is supposed to be brown colored but instead they made Philippe a white horse instead. What I think attracted people to this version of Beauty And The Beast was having Emma Watson cast as Belle and Emma sings wonderful as Belle and Emma Watson simply was marvelous as Belle. But why they made The Enchanted Objects look weird is surprising to me and to me the one character that stole the show is Lumiere because they tried to make Ian Mckellen be just as good as Jerry Orbach when he voiced Lumiere in the animated version. And how Ewan McGregor got cast as Cogsworth as beyond me because when I saw him play Cogsworth it seemed odd that this is the same guy that is in Obi-Wan Kenobi and I think Ewan made Cogsworth more serious than the animated version's Cogsworth. I think The Beast in this Beauty And The Beast is very creepy and I don't know how they cast Dan Stevens as The Beast but he is great. But at least they had Celine Dion sing How Does A Moment Last Forever but choosing Ariana Grande and John Legend to sing Beauty And The Beast was a surprise because John sounds like Peabo Bryson and Ariana sounds like Celine Dion. But it's a great movie that should be watched

 

[maltdizzy]

I cannot figure out why Disney chose to do a live action version of Beauty And The Beast in the first place?

I can think of a reason, ... it earned $1.25 billion. To put that in perspective, even if you were to spend $1 million dollars every year, it would take you 1,250 years to spend that much money.

I'm not a fan of the Disney live-action remakes, especially the ones like Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Aladdin, Lion King*, etc. that just retell the same story. As a matter of fact, I have stopped watching them. I'm more amendable to films like Malecifent that have an original story, or the Jungle Book which changed the story. But there is a huge demand for these remakes, and Beauty was one of the most successful Disney films ever, so it makes sense that executives would capitalize on that market. When it comes down to it, Diseny is a major corporation, not an art co-op.

* There was nothing "live action" about The Lion King, it was just "photo-realistic"

 

[BrianL]

I can think of a reason, ... it earned $1.25 billion. To put that in perspective, even if you were to spend $1 million dollars every year, it would take you 1,250 years to spend that much money.

I'm not a fan of the Disney live-action remakes, especially the ones like Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Aladdin, Lion King*, etc. that just retell the same story. As a matter of fact, I have stopped watching them. I'm more amendable to films like Malecifent that have an original story, or the Jungle Book which changed the story. But there is a huge demand for these remakes, and Beauty was one of the most successful Disney films ever, so it makes sense that executives would capitalize on that market. When it comes down to it, Diseny is a major corporation, not an art co-op.

* There was nothing "live action" about The Lion King, it was just "photo-realistic"

Yeah, I agree with you. I have liked the very different offerings - Maleficent, Dumbo, Cruella - and don't much care about the straight remakes. That said, it's not Disney's fault though as audiences eat that up and have made them very successful. They are only giving us what we want, so it is what it is.

 

[Eeyore daily]

I'm more amendable to films like Malecifent that have an original story, or the Jungle Book which changed the story.

Cinderella sorta changed the story, at least to me they did.

 

[BrianL]

Cinderella sorta changed the story, at least to me they did.

They did a little bit, but not a ton. There was a little more backstory with her mom and the "Lavender's Blue" song (deep cut!). Beauty and the Beast added a little bit too, but when the original is such a masterpiece it just doesn't matter much to me.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yeah, I agree with you. I have liked the very different offerings - Maleficent, Dumbo, Cruella - and don't much care about the straight remakes. That said, it's not Disney's fault though as audiences eat that up and have made them very successful. They are only giving us what we want, so it is what it is.

I agree. Disney will stop making the lazy shot for shot remakes when people stop watching them. Seeing how well Beauty and the Beast, Lion King and Aladdin did financially, I don't think they will. I do see people becoming more critical of them with the release of Pinocchio and how awful that was though. We'll see how Little Mermaid does critically but regardless of its quality it'll most likely make a boat load of money.

 

[maverik85]

I wish Disney would at least do remakes of lesser watched ones to still feel a little more fresh. Treasure Planet and Atlantis would be great one. Really hope they eventually do Atlantis. As mentioned though the popular movies get remade as it's what will draw people in. Agree that I think it is better when they do twists on the story or connections to make it more original. Cruella has probably been my favorite of these since it wasn't a direct remake but a new story and a lot of fun. The only think I don't like for these is they seem to do villain backstories that make them no longer a villain. Cruella still has the potential in hers to become the villain we know, but Maleficent was completely turned into a misunderstood figure and hated that they got rid of the dragon battle.