Beauty and the Beast 2017

+JMJ+

When I first heard there was a new "Beauty and the Beast" coming out, I was excited. I looked up the cast and they had lots of familiar actors. I planned on going with a big group to see it in the theaters. Then we found out stuff. Well, we didn't go. We don't support movies like that. But I was really disappointed. Much more recently, I got the movie from the library, and watched with my parents and some of my siblings. (Just the older ones) As my aunt said once, Disney way overrated things in it. Certainly it had stuff in it. But not like I expected. In fact most of it would have gone over my head.

SPOILER ALERT

Belle

It took me awhile to judge her fairly. She is famous for being in the (HP) movies and I have seen her in nothing before. But then after awhile I did begin to think she was really good for the part. She also looks like a friend of mine, mostly when she smiles, so I put that in her favor. :D

Complaints: She walked around with the hem of her skirt tucked into her apron/belt showing her bloomers. When she escapes prison and rides off to warn the beast she throws her yellow dress off and rides off in her white under dress/petticoat. To be fair the under dress wasn't much worse then the yellow dress. But that's not ladylike.

Beast

(Okay, I'm joking. That's not what the Beast looks like. That's just him before he turned into the Beast. Seriously! Is that hideous or what?)

The Beast

I thought he was the most interesting character in the movie.

I've seen him as Charles Dickens in "The Man who Invented Christmas," and Sir Lancelot from "The Night at the Museum: the Secret of the Tomb."

Who wouldn't be charmed by this smile?

His love for Belle felt real. He cared enough for her to let her go.

Complaints: At times he looked more animated then real, if you understand what I mean. He didn't act as impressive as I expected. I never flinched when he jumps out at Belle's father/Belle/wolves. I've shrieked when Gollum grabs Bilbo's neck in "An Unexpected Journey." In fact it was more tense seeing shadows when he's creeping up on the people. But neither of those are very hard complaints. I'm willing to overlook them. :D

He also sings the best song. It's not in the original version.

Evermore

It's very hard to find a picture of him after his transformation. Well, that's him before he dresses up. He looked like he was wearing pajamas.

Gaston

I've seen him as Bard in "The Desolation of Smaug" and "The Battle of the Five Armies." And Girion in "An unexpected Journey," and "The Desolation of Smaug. And the Sheriff's thug in the 2010 "Robin Hood" (Which I did not like)

I thought he played the part really well. But I liked him as Bard and seeing him playing a self-centered creep was weird. Gaston is like the complete opposite of Bard.

I don't have any complaints about him. His character is rotten already. :D Ah yes, I found one. In the song Gaston when he's supposed to pick up two giggly girls to show that he is strong, he picks up LeFou and a girl. Disney sure likes to stick hints in.

LeFou

The gay character!

I've seen him as Olaf in "Frozen" and "Frozen Fever." (I don't like Olaf)

Even if he wasn't gay, I wouldn't have liked him. Just look at him. That picture says everything. He was just gross and yucky. Fat, greasy, and oily.

I hate to say it, but I did laugh over one of his lines. He tries to spell Gaston in the song Gaston and ends up singing in a monotone "It just occurred to me that I am illiterate. And I've never had to spell it out loud before."

The Enchantress/Crazy Marie

I thought it was interesting that the Enchantress lived in the village and sort of watched over everyone.

I also wanted to mention that she is Enid Fairley in "Lark Rise to Candleford" and Elinor Dashwood in the 2008 "Sense and Sensibility." I haven't seen either of those movies but I have friends that did.

Jean the Potter

I've seen him as Clark/Father Of Mine in "Doctor Who," Borachip in "Much Ado About Nothing" and apparently he is Lord Veneeri in the 2015 "Cinderella." I don't know who that is. He's also in "Lark Rise to Candleford." He's Mr. Paxton.

This was an interesting added in character. He is Mrs. Potts husband. When the enchantress cast the spell everyone forgot about the castle, the prince and the servants. Poor Jean forgot about his wife and son.

Lumiere

I've seen him as Norman Wayne in "Miss Potter."

He was just the same as in the original, I think. He was a bit of a flirt.

Cogsworth

I've seen him as Gandalf in "Fellowship of the Ring," "Two Towers," "The Return of the King," "An Unexpected Journey," "The Desolation of Smaug," and "The Battle of the Five Armies." And the Great Intelligence in "Dr. Who." My sister saw him as Chauvelin in 1982 "The Scarlet Pimpernel."

He was pretty good too. Just like the original. Very stuffy. But in this one at the end he is reunited with his wife, who is very shrewish. He immediately wishes to change back into a clock again.

Mrs. Potts

I've seen her as P. L. Travers in "Saving Mr. Banks," Elinor in "Brave," Nanny McPhee in "Nanny McPhee," Beatrice in "Much Ado About Nothing," She's also Elinor Dashwood in the 1995 "Sense and Sensibility" which we own but I haven't seen yet.

Madame Garderobe

I just thought that this person should get "honerable" mention because she played an opera star in "Beauty and the Beast" but was the mother Abbess from the Carrie Underwood "Sound of Music." If anyone remembers that movie, they certainly couldn't forget her singing in there. :D

Also, I've got my complaints.

I believe her

This is google's definition of Garderobe

garde·robe

ˈɡärdrōb/

noun

1. a lavatory in a medieval building.

   • a wardrobe or small storeroom, especially in a medieval building.
   • 
     

   
   

But I believe they were going off the French translation that meant wardrobe, which isn't spelled the same. But I wish they could have found a better name. It's kind of bothersome, but most people wouldn't realize it I guess. Just history people. :D

While fighting in the battle, Madame flung the contents of her wardrobe at three men, putting dresses on them in the process. Two looked disgusted and fled, but the third man grinned. Later he ran into LeFou at the dance by "accident" and I believe they danced a bit. That bothered me.

But I guess that's all the people of note.

The overall feel of the movie was cartoony. Like they stuck to the original movie so closely that they didn't leave a lot of room for improvements or realistic changes. Although both Beauty and the Beast got backstories, which was neat. I think if I had seen it in the theater without hearing anything bad about it, I would have been very disappointed.

~E