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“Beast” Come To Life
The latest live action Disney Classic is taking the big screen and is set to be the biggest opening of 2017 thus far.
Emma Watson plays the iconic Belle and captures the same charm as she did after years of playing Hermione in the Harry Potter Franchise and even goes as far as to throw in a line from the first film in the opening village scene. Overall, the set and costume design of the movie fully captures the time period of the original and one feels a part of the movie from the first moment on.
The beast, played by Dan Stevens, fully embraces every ounce of the original character from the savage, self-absorbed man that transforms into a caring, somewhat sensitive person that Belle can not resist.
Bill Cordon, who directed this live adaptation wanted to create unique moments, including new never been heard songs written by original composer Alan Menken and new lyrics by Tim Rice which also added to the addition of a new character, Cadenza (voiced by Stanley Tucci). Overall, the music, seamlessly meshed together to create a “Tale as old as Time” for a new generation.
Other actors include, Luke Evans as the dastardly sleek Gaston, his sidekick Lefou played by Josh Gad in Disney’s first ever “Gay” character which brought controversy on all sides. Kevin Kline played Belle’s father Maurice and Ewan McGregor voiced Cogworth while Ian McKeller voiced Lumiere and Mrs Potts was voiced by Emma Thompson.
Overall, the new live adaptation of the ’91 classic, fares well to its predecessor, but keeping the same story while giving it a somewhat modern twist for a new audience, while adding more of a back story to our beloved Belle and her beast. Audiences for the first time got the answers to two of the most puzzling questions, “what happened to Belle’s mother?” and “what happened to the beast to make him so cold?”.
For the answers, make sure to see the movie while it is in theaters. Beauty and the Beast opened in theaters March 16 to packed and sold out audiences and is expected to take number one at the box office this weekend after averaging over 63 million as of its Friday total.
“Pan” Reimagined
The classic tale of the boy who never grows up returns to the big screen in the latest prequel, “Pan“. The fantasy blockbuster stars Garrett Hedlund as Hook, Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard, Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily and newcomer, Levi Miller as Peter and follows the young boy on a journey from being abandoned at an orphanage as a baby to being kidnapped out of his bed twelve years later and whisked off to Neverland where he discovers his ultimate destiny.
Overall, the film has amazing special effects, from the first seen it pulls you into the story and keeps you there. It does answer a lot of questions of how and why Peter ends up in Neverland. The story? That’s a different case. If you look at it as an alternative, it could be quite believable, but from the original Peter Pan standpoint, there are a few minor alterations.
That being said, you should see it for yourself before making the final decision. Pan opens October 9, in theaters and is a great action packed movie for all ages.
A Classic Fairytale takes The Crown
Walt Disney has done it again. The classic tale of the girl with the heart of gold had audiences worldwide flocking to see the live action Cinderella. The film stars, Lily James as the heroine, Ella, who earns the name Cinderella from her evil step mother, played by Cate Blanchett and her two step sisters, however she remains as kind and courageous as her father and mother taught her, but is it enough to earn the awe from the prince, played by Richard Madden?
The film pays a great homage to the original, 1950 animated version, and did a fair job in following the original. The acting was spot on spectacular even down to Helena Bonham Carter who took on the challenging role of the fairy Godmother and brought humor and wit to an enchanted audience.
Though, this version didn’t have the same musical variations, if one stayed toward the end of the credits, Lily James did sing the familiar song, “A Dream is a wish your heart make” and Helena Bonham Carter brought the always favorite “Bibbidi, Bobbidi, Boo” to crowds who waited out the credits.
And on a side note, the movie brought back the favorite sisters from last year’s blockbuster film, in the new short titled, “Frozen Fever” and it was a hilarious ten minutes of laughter that had the entire theater cracking up from the first minute on.
Cinderella opened in theaters on March 13 and brought in over 70 million worldwide and is currently at a theater near you.