What makes Beauty and the Beast so much better than Cinderella? Well, for starters, while "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo" are present on Cinderella's soundtrack album, they are absent from the film. In fact, the film is completely void of any musical numbers at all, omitting "The Work Song (Cinderelly, Cinderelly)" and "So This Is Love," as well. Beauty and the Beast, however, keeps all of the original Disney film's songs intact and even adds new songs such as "How Does a Moment Last Forever," "Days in the Sun," and "Evermore," all hauntingly beautiful songs that add a much more emotional and maybe even slightly melancholy layer to the story. That slightly melancholy layer acts as a positive force, though, as it adds depth to many characters such as Belle, The Beast, and even Belle's father Maurice. Even Gaston's sidekick LeFou (which, funnily enough, is French for The Fool) is far more interesting, complex, and even likable in this version of the story. More is learned about Belle's history as well as the Beast's history, making him a more sympathetic character, and Maurice is a more active character rather than just a plot device like he is in the animated film. Another factor that I strongly feel that this adaptation gets right is costume design, even though it recently came to my attention that many reviewers apparently harshly critiqued the costume design. I am of the opinion that the elaborate costumes fit the mood, atmosphere, and apparent era of the film. The only complaint that I have about the costume design, which is a really minor complaint, is that the color of Belle's iconic yellow dress in the ballroom scene seemed a bit off to me. It is a very bright, vibrant yellow whereas, for some reason, I was expecting and hoping for a color that was more gold. This is nitpicky, though, and like I said, I am overall very pleased with the costume design.
Nearly all of the casting in Beauty and the Beast is spot-on, as well. Although this version of Belle has a somewhat different personality than the animated Belle, Emma Watson (best known for her role as Hermione in the Harry Potter films) fits into this film's universe perfectly, with a sweetly innocent singing voice (which some people have complained sounds too autotuned even though it's hardly noticeable to me if it is), which is a lot softer and more timid than Paige O'Hara's soprano soars in the animated film, and a fiercely independent and quick-witted personality. Kevin Kline's Maurice is a lot less timid than he is in the animated film, and some of his facial expressions, such as the one that he displays when he stands up to Gaston and tells him that Gaston will never marry Belle, are hilarious. As previously stated, I would definitely argue that he plays a more active role in this film compared to the animated film, and Kline's acting, like pretty much all of the acting in this film, is phenomenal. After seeing the film, I can't imagine a better fit for Gaston than Luke Evans; he nailed the role perfectly, and although he didn't stray too far from the animated version of Gaston, he does seem a bit more reserved and more calculated. I would also argue that he's probably more evil than the animated version of the character, as he does something especially heinous that he doesn't do in the animated movie. Josh Gad (already Disney famous for his vocal portrayal of Olaf in the 2014 hit Frozen) was also a perfect fit for LeFou; his singing voice is even somewhat similar to the animated version of LeFou. As previously stated, he's a little bit more complex than the animated version, and he's even a bit more comical. Dan Stevens (known previously for titles like The Guest and Downton Abbey) plays The Beast, and I absolutely adore this version of The Beast. I know that some people did not because they didn't feel that he was scary-looking enough, and I agree that he doesn't appear all that menacing; he, in fact, looks very majestic and beautiful, but I also think that that makes it even harder to hate him. Similar to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom, The Beast, although definitely initially villainous, is meant to be seen as a misunderstood and tortured soul, and Stevens delivers this perfectly.
Emma Thompson (famous for roles like Nanny McPhee and Professor Trelawney from the Harry Potter franchise) plays Mrs. Potts, and even though playing a role previously played by Angela Lansbury obviously means very big shoes to fill, Thompson manages it very well. Lumiere, played by Ewan McGregor (known for a long list of titles but probably known best for his portrayal of a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise), is another character that I actually prefer in this version. Even though I love the animated Lumiere, this one, like LeFou, is even funnier and sassier. At one point in the film, Cogsworth (played by the legendary Ian McKellen) tells Lumiere that if the master (meaning The Beast) finds out that they have been catering to Belle behind his back, he will blame Cogsworth, and Lumiere exclaims, "Yes, I will make sure of it!" What also makes this live-action version better than the animated film is that even though the animated film is a classic and a masterpiece and is definitely among my favorite Disney films, it's also messy and sloppily written, as it's lousy with errors and plot-holes, and this rendition corrects just about all of them. The list is very long, but to list a couple: (1) The curse is said to become permanent on The Beast's twenty-first birthday, and during "Be Our Guest," Lumiere sings that they have been cursed for ten years. That would mean that The Beast was eleven when he was cursed, yet he is clearly older than that in the portrait that he tears up. (2) How does Philippe know where The Beast's castle is? The list goes on, but those are the two most annoying ones, and the new film corrects both of these. So much about this movie - no, everything about this movie - is magical and beautiful, and I can't praise it enough. Disney definitely got this one right. (I have now seen the film three times, and those rookie numbers will definitely rise once I have my hands on the blu-ray!)
