Beauty and the Beast (Live-Action)

All topics relating to Disney-branded content.
User avatar
Sotiris
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 21069
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:06 am
Gender: Male
Location: Fantasyland

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Sotiris »

Limited edition posters by Matt Ferguson.

Image

Image

Image
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
User avatar
unprincess
Collector's Edition
Posts: 2134
Joined: Fri Jul 26, 2013 5:00 pm

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by unprincess »

saw it yesterday. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I liked Emma Watson, thought she'd be awful and I still find her singing really blah but she wasn't horrible. I loved the art direction. I wish we could have seen the enchanted objects as humans more. I thought Beast's cgi was fine until they got him out of the rags and the darkness, when you could see him well in the light it could get distracting with its obviousness. There were times I wished the film didn't drag, I dont think we needed the stuff with the magic teleporting book. I didn't like Be Out Guest in this film as much as the animated film, all the CGI in the sequence was overload for me. Luke Evans was great, Gad was great but why were they saying the gay thing was subtle!? It was pretty overt! He even went off with that other gay dude at the end! :lol:
User avatar
D82
Signature Collection
Posts: 6311
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:07 am
Location: Spain

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by D82 »

A sing-along version of the film is going to be released this Friday:

Image
As has become typical for Disney's musical, a sing-along version of Beauty and the Beast will hit 1,200 theaters in the United States on Friday, April 7, 2017.
Source: http://www.laughingplace.com/w/news/201 ... -theaters/
User avatar
Disney's Divinity
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16239
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:26 am
Gender: Male

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Disney's Divinity »

Those are gorgeous, Sotiris, especially the first one with the rose!
unprincess wrote: I didn't like Be Out Guest in this film as much as the animated film, all the CGI in the sequence was overload for me.
I felt the same.
Luke Evans was great, Gad was great but why were they saying the gay thing was subtle!? It was pretty overt! He even went off with that other gay dude at the end! :lol:
I think it’s overt if you’re looking for it, but never underestimate a straight audience’s ability blind themselves to something that’s not spelled out in explicit dialogue.

I like that both Moana and B&tB-LA's soundtracks are in the top 10 albums together. :P
Image
Listening to most often lately:
Taylor Swift ~ ~ "The Fate of Ophelia"
Taylor Swift ~ "Eldest Daughter"
Taylor Swift ~ "CANCELLED!"
User avatar
bradhig
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1109
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:59 pm
Location: Olathe , Kansas

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by bradhig »

https://www.disneystore.com/dolls-toys- ... 9/1000259/

Belle's dress is ripped and she has white pants on under it.
User avatar
Musical Master
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1528
Joined: Wed Sep 11, 2013 12:53 pm
Gender: Male

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Musical Master »

Saw it again today and I still freaking admire it! :D
Disney, Pixar, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Cinema fan
User avatar
Disney Duster
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 14016
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:02 am
Gender: Male
Location: America

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Disney Duster »

Thanks for the explanation, JeanGreyForever. You're right that cousins and siblings marrying in royalty did happen all the time...I just don't like it, lol. I mean there is a reason some royals turned out to have problems from inbreeding.

I don't think the movie should have had the town be involved with the prince and servants' curse at all. In fact I wouldn't have had the villagers be married of all things to the castle's servants. That doesn't even make sense to me. The prince and servants should just be cursed to stay the same age they were cursed at until the curse was lifted, then they can age again.
bradhig wrote:Belle's dress is ripped and she has white pants on under it.
Both in the movie and the doll, Belle's skirt is hiked up revealing her bloomers which are like pants underwear worn under dresses in some time periods. The reason for this was so that Belle could more easily put her leg over her horse to ride him. The costume designer said this in an interview.
Image
User avatar
blackcauldron85
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16689
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
Gender: Female
Contact:

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by blackcauldron85 »

Behind the scenes of Beauty and the Beast musical on Disney Cruise Line
http://thedisneyblog.com/2017/04/06/beh ... uise-line/
Image
User avatar
bradhig
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1109
Joined: Thu Apr 07, 2005 10:59 pm
Location: Olathe , Kansas

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by bradhig »

Disney Duster wrote:Thanks for the explanation, JeanGreyForever. You're right that cousins and siblings marrying in royalty did happen all the time...I just don't like it, lol. I mean there is a reason some royals turned out to have problems from inbreeding.

I don't think the movie should have had the town be involved with the prince and servants' curse at all. In fact I wouldn't have had the villagers be married of all things to the castle's servants. That doesn't even make sense to me. The prince and servants should just be cursed to stay the same age they were cursed at until the curse was lifted, then they can age again.
bradhig wrote:Belle's dress is ripped and she has white pants on under it.
Both in the movie and the doll, Belle's skirt is hiked up revealing her bloomers which are like pants underwear worn under dresses in some time periods. The reason for this was so that Belle could more easily put her leg over her horse to ride him. The costume designer said this in an interview.
and she tore off her yellow dress heading back to the castle leaving her with nearly anything on.
DisneyFan09
Diamond Edition
Posts: 4016
Joined: Mon Sep 21, 2009 2:28 pm

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by DisneyFan09 »

JeanGreyForever wrote:The Enchanted Christmas was supposed to be a direct sequel but Disney felt that viewers wouldn't be interested in a non-Beast Prince or the human versions of the objects. The plotline was supposed to involve Gaston's younger brother, Avenant (inspired from the Cocteau film), coming to take revenge for Gaston's death.
Oh, I didn't know. Thanks. But why not having the Prince being changed into a Beast in that storyline, instead of writing a entirely new midquel which has little continuity with the plot?

Either way, I've seen the movie trice now and I loved it! It was enchanting, delightful and truly once another winning streak of the successful live action remakes. Though it's not a surprise, this remake was more a carbon copy of it's animated predecessor than the other live action versions were (counting 101 Dalmatians, which had it's twists of it's own). Though of course some changes were made, the film still followed the animated counterpart quite closely.

Though to take a literal comparison, some scenes have been placed differently. As Gaston's proposal and the reprise of Belle taking place before Maurice entering the castle. And Philippe running for Belle right after Maurice being caught.

It's true that this version is definitively a smarter take on the story and some points were actually enhanced, as Belle being labeled as ahead of her era and fixing some plot holes which fans have been whining about. As the curse affecting the village and making them forget about their ruler and the change of the "ten years we've been rusting". But it's intelligence is further enhanced in other ways, as Belle wanting to break the curse and promising her father to escape. But it's also notable how all the objects "dies", just as Beast does, before the transformation. And how the Enchantress appears just before turning him to a Prince again. But it's remarkable that the Enchantress happens to live at the town of Belle and how a little fleshed out character she is

While that being said, it's notable how Beast remains unseen until Belle finally sees him (and how the film never shows an interaction between Maurice and the Beast). And how she literally takes her father's place in a clever way. It's also notable that Belle actually kisses the Beast before him being transformed. But the scene where Belle sees right into the Prince's eyes was more or less just as it was in it's animated counterpart. But it's notable how the Prince growled like a Beast after being transformed (wasn't that supposed to be an original ending to the animated version?). I also liked how LeFou and Cogsworth got a closure in the end. It's also notable that the Bimbettes are given less screentime on this film. I also liked that Monsieur Jean was redeemed and became a sympathetic character, unlike the rest of the villagers.

What I did find strange that this film took place in June, while the animated version took place at the fall/winter. At least the 1991 version justified it's winter setting, whereas the winter aspect here felt like a part of the curse. But I guess they were inspired too much by Frozen :P


However, I thought the songs actually flowed well with the movie. They never felt out of place and the musical never felt corny (as they were in La La Land, yes, I'll dare to take that comparison). The only duds were the two new songs, Days in the Sun and How Does a Moment Last Forever. But that's that.

Everyone knows what I feel about Emma Watson as the choice, so I won't repeat myself. Other than she was just as expected It was basically as watching Hermoine again. Dan Stevens as the Beast was actually better than expected. He managed to give the Beast a gentle side and truly pull it off successfully. Luke Evans was effective enough as Gaston, looking great in the part and even more handsome than ever. As LeFou, Josh Gad was charming, but perhaps not as strong to steal the entire show (and yes, he sounded like Olaf). I feared that the enchanted objects would be less dynamic than their animated versions and though they were, they were still better than expected. Cadenza's part was endearing, though, perhaps taking a cue from the midquel with Maestrol? :P Perhaps what surprised me was Emma Thompson's acting, which was underwhelming. Her voice was generic. I usually love Thompson, but her acting was underwhelming. Kevin Kline was lowkey, but still effective in his part.

And a question; Was the enchanted book that took Belle to Paris just supposed to work one time?

It's notable that the King Arthur-scene was in the movie. Also, it's notable how Beast was labeling Belle's favorite books as too serious. And besides, if Gaston was French, why didn't he understand what LeFou said to him in French in their first scene together?

It's notable how Gaston actually decided to help Maurice to find Belle in the first place, instead of just throwing him out in the snow. I think it was a nice change from the animated version and could perhaps enhance Gaston as a character, instead of making him a one-dimensional villain. But at the end Gaston just served his villain part.

While that being said, there were some scenes with felt rushed. As Belle's entrance to the West Wing and her flight into the woods. Also the transformation scene and first interaction of Belle and the Prince right after the transformation.

I liked how LeFou was being enhanced as a character and given an arc quite similar to Nathaniel in Enchanted. It was a conventional, but still satisfying arc. But the gay moments were innocent, harmless and nothing to make a fuzz about. Besides, the guy that LeFou danced with at the end seemed quite surprised over the switch.. And the transformation scene, though being quite close to it's animated counterpart, gave me literally goosebumps.

I saw the 3D version and the 3D was brilliant. The 3D effect was good and all the confetti and the things had a good effect. When Beast launched the snowball, it was like seeing the actual ball coming right towards ya.

Otherwise, a great movie who deserved it's success. Though I'm not usually against sequels, I simply can't see a sequel work within this premise.
User avatar
rodrigo_ca
Special Edition
Posts: 617
Joined: Wed Sep 26, 2012 2:49 pm

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by rodrigo_ca »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRdH6i7u4s4

Somebody removed the Beast effects of Evermore. I quite like it. Hope to hear Dan Stevens singing it properly one day.
User avatar
Disney's Divinity
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16239
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2005 9:26 am
Gender: Male

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Disney's Divinity »

^Thank you for posting that, rodrigo_ca! It sounds fantastic. I still wish they'd put a "normal" version as a bonus on the soundtrack though. :(
Image
Listening to most often lately:
Taylor Swift ~ ~ "The Fate of Ophelia"
Taylor Swift ~ "Eldest Daughter"
Taylor Swift ~ "CANCELLED!"
User avatar
blackcauldron85
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 16689
Joined: Sat Jun 17, 2006 7:54 am
Gender: Female
Contact:

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by blackcauldron85 »

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHrBEgapolQ[/youtube]
(via mickeynews.com)
Image
User avatar
D82
Signature Collection
Posts: 6311
Joined: Fri Aug 16, 2013 10:07 am
Location: Spain

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by D82 »

rodrigo_ca wrote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRdH6i7u4s4

Somebody removed the Beast effects of Evermore. I quite like it. Hope to hear Dan Stevens singing it properly one day.
I doubt Disney will release the song without the effects. But maybe we could hear Dan Stevens perform it with his normal voice at the Oscars, if it gets nominated next year. Unless they ask Josh Groban or other artist to sing the song, which, knowing them, is quite possible.

Speaking of the film's songs, I noticed that "Aria" seems to feature the melody of "Days in the Sun", at least at the beginning. Maybe that's why it's not counted among the new songs, because it's just a variation of "Days in the Sun". It would make sense that the objects sang a sad version of the song in the prologue while remembering those happy days.
User avatar
Sotiris
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 21069
Joined: Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:06 am
Gender: Male
Location: Fantasyland

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Sotiris »

Amazing production artwork by Karl Simon. You can find more on his website.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
ImageImageImageImageImageImageImage
User avatar
Disney Duster
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 14016
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:02 am
Gender: Male
Location: America

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Disney Duster »

AMAZING concept art. Thanks Sotiris.

As for this film doing things smarter, it only filled some plot holes. But there's things like why is Belle's town so horrible? And she and her father stay there? Does the town get redeemed in the end when the spell is lifted? It seems they don't deserve their happy ending, while at least the original town wasn't downright awful to Belle and her father. Sure, they locked Maurice up, but that wasn't all of them, and they truly thought he was crazy. Honestly what the town and Gaston do in this film is disturbing. Is the enchantress punishing them, too? She should! And then of course, brought up by Doug Walker and his brother, Belle rides off to aid her father...when there's a magic book that could have taken her there in a few minutes?
Image
User avatar
Mmmadelon
Gold Classic Collection
Posts: 199
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2011 1:17 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Mmmadelon »

Sotiris wrote:Amazing production artwork by Karl Simon. You can find more on his website.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Stunning work, it looks like they used a lot of his paintings/ideas too! Thanks for sharing!
User avatar
Disney Duster
Ultimate Collector's Edition
Posts: 14016
Joined: Fri Jun 17, 2005 6:02 am
Gender: Male
Location: America

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Disney Duster »

DisneyFan09 wrote:What I did find strange that this film took place in June, while the animated version took place at the fall/winter. At least the 1991 version justified it's winter setting, whereas the winter aspect here felt like a part of the curse. But I guess they were inspired too much by Frozen :P[/spoiler]
It was a part of the curse that it was winter. This was to solve the plot hole of it not seeming to be winter anymore until Belle sees her father in the snow and then at the end of the movie it's like spring.
DisneyFan09 wrote:And besides, if Gaston was French, why didn't he understand what LeFou said to him in French in their first scene together?
It is possible for people not to know what idioms or phrases mean even in their own language. Like when people don't know what big words mean in their own language. But it could be a mistake on the filmakers.

I'm glad you really liked the film and even got goosebumps!
D82 wrote:Speaking of the film's songs, I noticed that "Aria" seems to feature the melody of "Days in the Sun", at least at the beginning. Maybe that's why it's not counted among the new songs, because it's just a variation of "Days in the Sun". It would make sense that the objects sang a sad version of the song in the prologue while remembering those happy days.
It thought "Aria" sounded like "Days in the Sun", too, and nice idea you have about what it may mean.
Last edited by Disney Duster on Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Image
User avatar
Semaj
Anniversary Edition
Posts: 1260
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 5:22 am
Location: Buffalo
Contact:

Re: Beauty and the Beast Live-Action Discussion

Post by Semaj »

Doug and Rob Walker give their (very extended) review of the film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI4y53Oj-io
Image
"OH COME ON, REALLY?!?!"
Post Reply