Beauty and the Beast [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray/DVD] [2017]

Since the plot is so well-known, I'll touch on details and minutiae that made this film more meaningful for me. Like many, many others, I loved the original animated version, but, still, it IS a cartoon. The difference in the empathy and emotion drawn forth by having human actors is amazing. I FELT Kevin Kline's aching sense of loss for his beloved dead wife; Belle's impatience at the constricts of living in a provincial village; Gaston's insufferable self-love, the Beast's anguish at the predicament that he KNOWS is of his own making, the castle's inhabitants grief and regret at not having helped the prince be a better person.. The settings recalled the real darkness of the original French fairy tale. The prince is a prisoner of his own arrogance, selfishness and anger, and the intricacies of the Beast's cursed castle show that so well, metaphorically: everything is entangled and entwined with sharp, brittle branches and dark, dark, dark. The scenes where Belle and he begin to interact to get to know each other become well-lit and brighter, as if the Beast is slowly letting go of his own destructive tendencies. The mob scene is truly horrifying, as I could feel the hatred that Gaston is whipping up, and the villagers so quickly fall for. The obvious "lessons" are here as well: appearances are not all there is to a person as well as (sorry, Lloyd Weber fans) love changes everything. The humor is still here, as is the wonderful score of the original. But the score is so much more lush and full, and the three new numbers enhance both the plot and the character development very well. The opening prologue shows in just a few minutes how shallow and self-satisfied the prince is. "How Do You Hold a Memory" is so achingly sad (and I'll be some imagineer at Disney had a fabulous time making the clock that Belle's father is working on). "Days in the Sun" could be about any regret of not grabbing every chance you can to learn about and/or live life as fully as your circumstances allow. And what can be said about "Evermore"? As many versions of this fairy tale as I've read and/or seen, nothing else captures the agony of the Beast's finally finding love and realizing that, for his beloved's happiness, he must give her up, knowing full well what that will mean to and for him. Yup, I cried. "Beauty and the Beast" has always been for me, the quintessential romantic fairy tale. This rendition captures all the romance, pain, love, and self-sacrifice that the best fairy and folk tales offer in explanation of the human condition. A couple of small details: Belle's favorite book is "Romeo and Juliet," a play written in the 1600s, and the fact that her mother dies some twenty years before of plague (probably the Black Death), which they assert happened in the mid 1300s. I have just finished listening to a set of lectures on the Black Death (available from The Great Courses), and that outbreak was neither the first nor the last outbreak of the plague. The plague (of which there were three variations) returned many times through out the centuries. Cases still appear today, in the US as well as other parts of the world.There are antibiotics now to stop it, but the symptoms are so little known/recognized and the disease so fast-acting that those who contract it often die before a correct diagnosis is made. The library in the town is not well stocked with books. Historically, it wouldn't necessarily be: even though printing had been around for a century or so, books were still nowhere as readily available as they are today. As well, not many people in that town would be literate nor interested. Remember that Belle was harassed for teaching another little girl to read.

Not going to review the movie because, let's face it, your looking at this tab for the steel case. The outside art is great. In inside is charming but not as advertised and here's where it all goes south. The photo on this site very clearly shows two individual hubs, one for each disk. I've noticed most steel cases​ have a longer pillar in one hub, and both disks are stacked one on top the other which is the worst way to avoid damage to the top disk. Because the picture showed this was not the case for Beauty and the Beast, I got one only to find the hubs both on the same side of the case and offset with the bottom disk twards the top of the case and the top disk down twards the bottom of the case. Wait, it gets worse. So obviously you can't get the bottom disk without removing the top disk but due to the offset the bottom disk's jagged locking button is directly below the exposed data side of the top disk which will cause certain disaster for the top disk in a wide variety of sanerios. Also the top disk has a tab lock that the bottom disk tucks under and makes removing the bottom disk insanely tricky. On my first time trying to remove the bottom disk, it got cought on the lip, pushing the data side against the lock and scratched the disk hard. Now the movie crashes and burns halfway threw the Gaston song. Only way to watch the movie now is to skip this scene. I talked to a friend who also got this case from a different location. She had the same setup and damaged her DVD in exactly the same manner. So if you are buying this to put on a shelf, look at and never touch, then go for it. If you are buying this with the intention of watching the movie, get the standard case.

When I was a little kid and would take in a particular Disney animated feature multiple times within a very short window I always wondered what it might be like to see such characters and such worlds come to life. Real life. I never thought it would happen after the live action versions of 101 Dalmatians and its money-grubbing sequel underwhelmed (at least they did in my adolescent mind), but then again I also desperately hoped that one day movie studios might wise-up and begin building a shared universe where my favorite super heroes interacted on the big screen as well. As I've grown up and become a parent myself it seems Disney has decided to make all of my dreams come true while also giving their most iconic of animated classics updates so that they might reach wider audiences and new generations-including my daughter's. Over the past seven years or so now we've seen an uptick in the number of live-action films based on classic Disney properties. Whether they be from the respective studio that originated the tale in popular culture or not it seems many have noticed this as a way to garner solid returns-despite the brand recognition formula not always working (I liked you, Tarzan, but you cost too much). Though Disney began this recent trend by attempting to re-work properties such as Alice in Wonderland and the Sleeping Beauty story in the form of the Angelina Jolie vehicle that is Maleficent, it has been the last two live action adaptations in Cinderella and The Jungle Book that have yielded the best results in terms of quality (with all doing rather well financially). The point being, when it comes to these re-imaginings the best bet for both pleasing audiences and critics alike seems to be sticking with the source material and simply adding flourishes where might be necessary. This is one of the highlights of this latest incarnation of Beauty and the Beast as more logic and depth are applied to the characters and their plights despite the film as a whole being little more than a pound for pound remake of the Oscar nominated 1991 animated version. One would be hard-pressed to even call what director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) has made here an interpretation, but while there isn't anything in particular that separates the film apart as being great in its own regard, it pays honorable enough homage to this reviewer's childhood memories that it would be difficult to argue with the thrills and excitement it delivered in selling such a fantastical story come to life.

Coming off the heels of the smash hit live-action remakes of the Jungle Book and Pete's Dragon, it came as no surprise that Disney was going to remake Beauty and the Beast, the very first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. So, how does this new interpretation of a classic hold up? Needless to say, this movie is definitely a very strong remake indeed, but whether or not it holds up to the original can be up to debate. Much like the first film, it focuses on the story of a young girl named Belle, who recently moved to a small village with her father, and feels out of place amongst the villagers who disown her intellect and reading skills. However, when her father is kidnapped by a former prince cursed into a hideous beast, she agrees to take his place and become his prisoner. Though relations are tense at first, the two ultimately form a friendship that perhaps could become something more. For the most part, the basic plot structure is the same, save for a few minor details. In this version, Belle is just as crafty an inventor as her father, the Beast is more well read, and Gaston is a war veteran yearning for the glory days. An even bigger difference shown is many burning questions left by the original, such as the reason behind the Beast being forgotten, and the absence of some relations. Amongst these changes though comes a few character changes that some might be put off with. Belle is less passionate in her movements and speech than her animated counterpart, Beast's design seems less Beastly than before, and Gaston isn't quite as snobbish and rude. The castle staff remains the same; Lumiere is the charming ladies man, Cogsworth is the old worrywalter, Mrs. Potts is the kind, motherly one, and Chip is still the innocent child. A welcome addition to the cast is Stanley Tucci as Maestro Candenza, an original character to the film who used to be the court composer, but is now a harpsichord with a dental (or rather key) problem. Regardless, the cast does an amazing job, including Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, and Josh Gad, not to mention Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, and the rest of them. Overall, it may not be the original, but it's still a good film in its own right.

Beauty and the Beast exemplifies the risks and rewards of these films. Comparison to the established treasures is unavoidable, and in the case of Beauty and the Beast the magnification seems extended. While the film gets plenty right, parts of it feel off-balance, whether some of the needless (but certainly interesting) probing into some of the background elements or the manner in which the various servants, never mind the Beast himself, appear and participate in the film. The complex digital work just doesn't lend itself all that well to the animated version's simplistic charms and ability to draw the viewer into a fantastical realm of fairy tale make-believe. If anything this version feels too real, and that comes at the cost of the story's depth and whimsical spirit. It's also too unfocused, trying at once to satisfy purists, expand the story, and dazzle with its visual effects to the point that the end result is more spectacle and less heartfelt love story; the animated film balanced those qualities perfectly. It's a good movie in all of those areas, but it's the first of the live-action Disney films where the animated films remains the clear-cut superior. The Blu-ray is unsurprisingly terrific, featuring world-class 1080p video and 7.1-channel lossless audio. Supplements are fine though nothing remarkable. Recommended.

The steelcase is an excellent excellent purchase if you could get your mitts onto one as they were sold out within minutes after opening. Remember, you can reserve your copy early BUT your copy comes out of the allocation of the limited supply the store gets. What does that mean? It means that if you don't pre-purchase by a certain time, you can't pre-order based on your pickup store and you're at the mercy that your copy won't be scratched, bent or have a loose disc inside. That's why Best Buy sells out even before their doors open. The things you'll hear about this movie was "oh my god, it was exactly like the cartoon version", ummmmm hello, it was based on the cartoon version with the exact same script??? Yes it was an entertaining movie, lots of great production values, great music adapted by the original composer Alan Menken for the new cast and the CGI was top notch. Of course Disney casts a Brit as Belle and an American as the Beast, in France that uses Pounds as currency. Ahhhh, it's a Disney movie. Of course this was a test run to make live action movies of other well loved animated princess movies with four planned releases in the next four years with options for three more.

I will not be reviewing the movie since other sites focus on that. I will only be addressing the SteelBook, which is what differentiates this from the standard Blu-ray release. The cover art inside and out looks great and provides a nice change over the standard Blu-ray cover art. The reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because, once again, the copy I received had a spine slash and light scratches on the front cover. And unsurprisingly, there were no extra copies available at my local store to exchange with and it was sold out online. On release week, this version cost a few dollars more than the standard release (and the difference is probably even greater now, if it is even available anymore). So, the only reason why anyone would be purchasing this is for the SteelBook case, since the content is the same as the standard release. As such, it is a shame and very disappointing that scratch and dent issues still occur on these SteelBooks when the customer has to pay a premium for it. Something needs to be done about this.

There seems to be 2 reactions to this movie, either it's far superior to the animated version or absolute trash. No one I've talked to falls into the middle, except me lol. Emma Watson should have been perfect as Belle but a lot of times she seems either bored or not very good at interacting with cgi, surprising for someone who grew up doing it. Luckily The Beast, Maurice, and other (previously underutilized) characters get a ton of backstory and make you forget how rather boring it is to watch Belle. With the addition of some fantastic new songs, a magical book, and a tragic backstory all around a completely new beginning which erases plot holes from the original, i actually enjoyed this more. I also loved how much this felt like a musical on stage with very obvious sets and smaller budget designs for scenes. It will never replace the original but there's enough new stuff here to be worth adding to the collection. Cinderella is still a better live-action retelling for me though.