Fans of Disney’s classic animation Beauty & the Beast have no doubt heard of the recent live action remake, starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, and Josh Gad, among others. The soundtrack features Celine Dion, Ariana Grande, John Legend, and Emma Watson. The cast dances altogether during songs based off the original movie, “Belle” “Gaston” and “Beauty and the Beast.”

The movie itself is set in a small village in France, and the scenery, set, and choreography are a dizzying refresher to the well loved animation. Much of the choreography is based off the original, down to the sequence of people Belle talks to before breaking into song.

The cinematography switches between the light, flowery golden scenes in the village and the brooding, dramatic scenes in the Beast’s castle.

Beauty & the Beast will delight audiences of all ages. The actors range in age from young “Chip” played by Nathan Mack, to the elderly “Cogsworth” played by Ian McKellen.  A notable difference of the remake is that each character is given a more involved backstory. The viewer is able to empathize with even the Beast.

Emma Watson carries the film with her strong screen presence and voice in much of the soundtrack. Disney has also made improvements to the original animation by casting a diverse set of actors and actresses and including gay characters. Some modern slang and dialogue has been incorporated into the movie, although much of the speech is similar to older times. A possible improvement to the movie could have been to include more French dialogue, if even a few extra words.

Anyone interested in seeing the movie can attend a showing at most local theaters, in 3D, HD, or SD, including showings at Regal Cinemas in Newington or Cinemagic in Portsmouth.

Written by Jane Robinson