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    Movie Review

    New Beauty and the Beast is no belle of the ball

    Alex Bentley
    Mar 16, 2017 | 4:17 pm
    New Beauty and the Beast is no belle of the ball
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    The idea of Disney producing “live action” remakes of their classic animated movies makes sense in general terms. Childhood nostalgia is a huge draw, and since Disney possesses the biggest back catalog of any animated film studio, they’d be throwing away money if they didn’t try to entice moviegoers with “new” versions of the films they know and love.

    However, the new product should also offer something substantially different, otherwise you run the risk of jilting the very fans for whom the film is being made. The updated Beauty and the Beast is certainly great to look at, but once you get beyond the superficiality of seeing animated characters as real or computer-generated, the movie contains very little that sets it apart from the original.

    Sure, they try to add in a few things to modernize the story. Belle (Emma Watson) has put her book smarts to practical use, creating a type of washing machine. A brief backstory for why her mother is no longer in the picture for her and her father (Kevin Kline) is introduced. And LeFou (Josh Gad), the right-hand man of Gaston (Luke Evans), is made more explicitly gay, though whether that’s an improvement is questionable.

    Despite that, the film feels like a fuzzy copy of the movie you know and love. The story still takes the exact same twists and turns, highlighted by the familiar songs that all seem just a touch off. And because there’s nothing surprising about anything in the film, it’s purely an exercise in hitting all the beats you need to hit in order to trigger the right memories.

    The most enjoyable part of the film ends up being the performances of the main three actors. Taken on their own, Watson, Dan Stevens as the Beast, and Evans are a pleasure to watch. Watson makes for an appealing Belle, and her history as Hermione in the Harry Potter films imbues a little something extra onto the character. Evans is as perfect a Gaston as you could imagine, making him the ideal foil for Belle and the Beast.

    But other choices take away from those performances. Having stars like Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Audra McDonald voice the enchanted items at the Beast’s castle is fun in theory. But since they don’t appear in the flesh for 99 percent of the film, their presence is essentially useless.

    And then there’s the much ballyhooed/controversial idea of LeFou being undeniably gay, as opposed to the “wink wink” hints of the original. It’d be one thing if he were given a respectable side story to semi-explore that aspect. But he remains a buffoon, and the ham-handed scenes expressing the gayness of him and another character are so unsubtle and clichéd that they belong in an '80s sitcom, not a modern-day movie.

    The animated fare that Disney serves up year after year is still second-to-none, but Beauty and the Beast shows that they’re still very hit-and-miss when it comes to live action. You may think you want to go see it, but you’d be better off firing up the DVD of the animated version for the 100th time.

    Dan Stevens and Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast.

    Dan Stevens and Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast
      
    Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios
    Dan Stevens and Emma Watson in Beauty and the Beast.
    reviewsmovies
    news/entertainment

    This week's hot headlines

    Death of Dallas Caramel Company founder leads week's most-read stories

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    Jun 14, 2025 | 10:00 am
    Dallas Caramel Company
    Dallas Caramel Company
    Dallas Caramel Company

    Editor's note: It was a newsy week in Dallas. Sadly, the founder of a Dallas sweets company passed away; there was also news of a new gourmet European market in the works and peach cobbler coming to DFW Airport. Here's a chance to get caught up on the week's most-read stories, and here's help planning a fun weekend.

    1. Dallas Caramel Company founder Rain McDermott dies at 52. Dallas entrepreneur Rain McDermott, who founded artisan caramel maker Dallas Caramel Company when she was only 34 years old, died after a battle with breast cancer; she was 52.

    2. Gourmet European Market to open in north Dallas with pierogi and more. A new food shop with a distinct European flair is coming to Dallas: Called Gourmet European Market, it's opening at 17435 Preston Rd., in a shopping center south of Frankford Road, where it will feature food products from all over Europe but with a special focus on the Eastern European countries of Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Israel, and Bulgaria.

    Gourmet European Market Polish gingerbreadPolish gingerbread at Gourmet European Market.Photo courtesy of GEM

    3. Chef and caterer opens Southern to-go cafe south of Dallas. A chef and caterer has opened an eponymous to-go cafe south of Dallas: Called The Cedric Frazier Experience, it’s an upscale soul food kitchen located at 103 Waller St., in Red Oak, where it opened on June 7.

    4. Dallas cuts slack on senior homeowners with new property tax exemption. Dallas seniors who own a home got cut a break: On June 11, the Dallas City Council approved additional property tax relief for senior and disabled homeowners by increasing the city’s property tax exemption for residents who are 65 or older or disabled.

    5. Peach cobbler concept to open 2 locations at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Southern desserts are coming to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): The Peach Cobbler Factory, a chain based in North Carolina, will open not one but two locations at the airport. The first DFW location will open in Terminal D in late 2025; a second location will open in the new Terminal C Pier in 2026.

    airportdeathsdessertsmost popularopeningspopular storiestaxeshot-headlines
    news/entertainment

    most read posts

    Chef and caterer opens Southern to-go cafe south of Dallas

    Barnes & Noble to open 2 new Dallas-area stores but will close Plano

    Celeb-owned L.A. pizza chain Pizzana to open in north Dallas

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