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Beauty and the Beast!!! Who's Seen It?


Chelli
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I took my daughters to see it last night. We all three loved it! Belle has always been my favorite princess and I felt Emma Watson did a good job of portraying the character. Luke Evans, however, as Gaston was superb! He did a perfect job. The "Be Our Guest" musical number was spectacular. The only thing I was a little bummed about was all the attention focused in the past weeks on the one character's story when none of the cast or director mentioned the numerous interracial couples portrayed in the film. That was a wonderful thing to see in any movie, but especially a Disney princess movie.

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I took my kids to see it this afternoon.  We all loved it.  It was utterly perfect.  The whole gay thing was SOOO overblown and basically nothing.  I did, however, know ahead of time there were interracial couples and two interracial kisses from an article or two I read so someone talked about that ahead of time, too.  It just didn't get the brouhaha Lefou's crush and dance got.  I've been listening to the soundtrack a whole lot and I wasn't quite sold on Gaston's casting.  He just sounded too different from the animated version.  But, after seeing the movie, he was utterly perfect.  The song they added for the Beast is amazing.  Emma was perfect.  Really, I just loved it.  I'm so glad it lived up to what I hoped in my mind.

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A friend and I took our daughters and their friends last night.  It was amazing!  We all loved every minute.  It was very well done.  There were a few moments when we thought "Hermione" should pull out her wand, and then we remembered it was "Belle."  Belle has always been my favorite princess, and I think Emma Watson is a fantastic Belle.

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I'm dragging DH and my 4 teenage boys to it tomorrow and can't wait. It's definitely not their kind of movie, but I told them if they had a sister / daughter, they would have seen the animated version a million times and would have had to play the role of the Beast with her a ton as well.

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It is??????

 

Yeah.  It's uncommon (at least black/white).  It's the first time ever for a Disney movie with human people (non-animation and black/white; there's been black/Filipino and white/Hispanic before).  Really, neither the interracial kisses nor LeFou's sexuality should've been made a fuss over, but everyone chose to freak out about LeFou and make it this huge thing that it totally isn't.  Even the director has said he's sick of the whole gay thing being the big news when the diversity of the cast is what should've been the big thing.

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I saw it today. It was ok. Two stars out of four. The CGI/ special effects just didn't carry the original characters well, and the overall effect was flat. I love Emma, and B&B was always my favorite Disney movie, so I wanted to like this movie. It just lacked the magic and connection of the 1991 film for me.

 

Sorry! :(

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Yeah.  It's uncommon (at least black/white).  It's the first time ever for a Disney movie with human people (non-animation and black/white; there's been black/Filipino and white/Hispanic before).  Really, neither the interracial kisses nor LeFou's sexuality should've been made a fuss over, but everyone chose to freak out about LeFou and make it this huge thing that it totally isn't.  Even the director has said he's sick of the whole gay thing being the big news when the diversity of the cast is what should've been the big thing.

 

My point was that no, it wasn't a first for the big screen. It might be for Disney. 

 

My guess is that you and I have been watching different movies or you don't watch a lot of movies.

Edited by mommaduck
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I saw it this afternoon and I was blown away. As I said upthread, I loved the cartoon so much I saw it in the theater multiple times, and I want to see this one multiple times too, but I probably won't because now I'm all grown up and responsible and can't justify spending the money to see it multiple times.  I thought the casting of all the roles was spot on, and I loved the extra things they threw in, like the backstory on Belle's mother. If you haven't seen it yet or didn't see it in 3D and want to see it again, do yourself a favor and splurge on the 3D if it's within your budget. I felt like I was practically inside the movie. Plus, the 3D was worth it just to see my six year old and her friend reaching for stuff that seemed like it was coming out of the screen.

 

My daughter also made a very astute observation on the way home that Gaston is the real beast in story.

 

FTR, my 12 year old boy really wants to see the movie too. He and DH were hiking with Boy Scouts today and I decided to take DD and meet a friend of hers from Girl Scouts and her family. The guys were okay with it because they love hiking, but they both want to see it sometime.

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I saw it this afternoon and I was blown away. As I said upthread, I loved the cartoon so much I saw it in the theater multiple times, and I want to see this one multiple times too, but I probably won't because now I'm all grown up and responsible and can't justify spending the money to see it multiple times. I thought the casting of all the roles was spot on, and I loved the extra things they threw in, like the backstory on Belle's mother. If you haven't seen it yet or didn't see it in 3D and want to see it again, do yourself a favor and splurge on the 3D if it's within your budget. I felt like I was practically inside the movie. Plus, the 3D was worth it just to see my six year old and her friend reaching for stuff that seemed like it was coming out of the screen.

 

My daughter also made a very astute observation on the way home that Gaston is the real beast in story.

 

FTR, my 12 year old boy really wants to see the movie too. He and DH were hiking with Boy Scouts today and I decided to take DD and meet a friend of hers from Girl Scouts and her family. The guys were okay with it because they love hiking, but they both want to see it sometime.

DD and I saw it in 3D last night. I loved it and thought it was wonderful. I would totally see it again except $$.

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DD and I just came home from watching it. Spectacular! I loved it. The costuming was eye-popping! The "be Our Guest" song was magical. Emma Watson as Belle is perfect.

 

DD and I were wondering if Emma Watson did/does sing her portions. We don't know if she actually has that singing voice or if the singing is by someone else. Anyone know?

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We saw it today with friends.  I liked it!  I felt like they played Belle as a stronger person than in the cartoon. 

 

Also, were all those Shakespeare quotes in the old one?  One would think I'd remember them singing, "Screw your courage to the sticking place!" 

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I'm so glad to read these positive reviews. I had heard it EW wasn't great in it, which would be a disappointment since I really like her. I plan to take my dd and her friend tomorrow.

 

I also read that Emma did the singing using Autotune.

Edited by Amy in NH
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We saw it tonight and loved it. We're planning it to see it in IMAX next week. I read that Emma Watson had to prove that she could sing to get the part.

 

We had a good discussion on the way home about beauty and beastliness both being on the inside. And yes, Gaston was perfect!

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DD and I just came home from watching it. Spectacular! I loved it. The costuming was eye-popping! The "be Our Guest" song was magical. Emma Watson as Belle is perfect.

 

DD and I were wondering if Emma Watson did/does sing her portions. We don't know if she actually has that singing voice or if the singing is by someone else. Anyone know?

This I know! She took voice lessons for the movie. I haven't seen it yet, but I have a couple of conductor friends who are pretty bothered since they still felt it was amateur-ish and should have been voiced over.

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DH and I saw it Thursday and loved it! I loved that there was so much of the old movie in it including scenes that were almost point for point. And yet they also went deeper into some of it and added a lot of new touch. I liked that. It made it be both a nostalgic return to an old favorite and a new adventure all at the same time. I thought Emma Watson did a wonderful job and was perfect for the part. DH and I saw it as part of a ComicCon screening event to kick off the weekend so we didn't have the kids with us. We'll be taking them to it soon! 

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We saw it today with friends.  I liked it!  I felt like they played Belle as a stronger person than in the cartoon. 

 

Also, were all those Shakespeare quotes in the old one?  One would think I'd remember them singing, "Screw your courage to the sticking place!" 

I think I remember watching an interview (probably in the bonus DVD materials) where the composer Alan Menken mentioned that Howard Ashman (lyricist) put Shakespeare in. I always think of him and the dedication of the movie in his memory. Growing up, I did not get into Disney but Beauty & the Beast was a favorite.

 

Here is a link where the Shakespeare quote is referenced and another (just in case anyone is interested in Howard Ashman) on a letter from Kurt Vonnegut.

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I liked it okay, not as much as I was hoping for but didn't feel like I wasted $$.

 

I didn't realize that the movie would be so similar to the cartoon so that was a little bit of a disappointment. I do love the cartoon but wanted something a little different I suppose.

 

I didn't like Be Our Guest because it felt too fake, I would have loved that to be more realistic display of service versus basically looking like a cartoon.

 

There was a lot I liked about the movie too and I liked the characters.

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I was fairly ambivalent about going to see it, but honestly, it was better than I expected.  I'm not a fan of Emma Watson.  Her acting has always come across as forced to me, and she didn't have as much of a forced feel in this movie.  As far as the story, well, I've never thought Belle grows much as a character and all the interesting characterization is from the Beast.  I'm also not a fan of the style of makeup they used....too close to the creepy makeup that was used in the recent Alice/Chocolate Factory movies.  

 

As for the interracial/gay stuff.....the gay stuff was annoying and not worth much of a mention except for how annoying it is. It was too forced and in your face for the movie (and a bit too much of a disconnect for the setting).  The interracial stuff was organic and natural in comparison.    

 

Stefanie

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"Screw your courage to the sticking place" is definitely in the cartoon version.

 

There were numerous additions to the movie, though, that made it enjoyable.

 

--

I'm feeling a bit awkward for admitting that I did not love it. It was better than okay but it will not be one that I would pay to see again.

 

A few people I know are hassling me because I'm not interested in seeing it; they assume it's because of "the gay scene."   One of my kids might go at some point with a friend, but she's not dying to get to it.  We just aren't into Disney, never have been.    But since "everyone" is seeing it and loving it, we must be boycotting it.  Ugh.  People.  

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A few people I know are hassling me because I'm not interested in seeing it; they assume it's because of "the gay scene."   One of my kids might go at some point with a friend, but she's not dying to get to it.  We just aren't into Disney, never have been.    But since "everyone" is seeing it and loving it, we must be boycotting it.  Ugh.  People.  

 

Interesting.  

 

FWIW, we're not seeing it either (and certainly not boycotting).  Beauty and the Beast was never one of my favorite stories to start with, but I've seen it so feel I would be super bored in yet another rendition.  I have memories of watching my watch during the last King Kong movie we went to... it went on way too long and, for me, was money and time wasted.

 

I like "new" in movies.  If I watch something I already know, it had better be something like Les Mis where I love it.  That seems to be the case for many who loved it on this thread, so personally, I assume that's the common denominator - not boycotting or watching it to be anti-boycott!

 

Our country is getting way too polarized if whether one watches a movie or not is an issue.  (sigh)

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Interesting.  

 

FWIW, we're not seeing it either (and certainly not boycotting).  Beauty and the Beast was never one of my favorite stories to start with, but I've seen it so feel I would be super bored in yet another rendition.  I have memories of watching my watch during the last King Kong movie we went to... it went on way too long and, for me, was money and time wasted.

 

I like "new" in movies.  If I watch something I already know, it had better be something like Les Mis where I love it.  That seems to be the case for many who loved it on this thread, so personally, I assume that's the common denominator - not boycotting or watching it to be anti-boycott!

 

Our country is getting way too polarized if whether one watches a movie or not is an issue.  (sigh)

 

Couple of my nieces love the movie and have already seen it more than once.  They just love all things Disney princess; they always have.  Their chatter about it on facebook is fun to read.  

 

I don't know how many people really would see it just to seem like they're not boycotting it.  (Awkward sentence, hope it was clear.)  And I am only talking about a few people in my acquaintance hassling me.  Still, it's annoying!  

 

But actually (not sure if this is too much of a derail), I watched 'the scene' out of curiosity. It seems to follow the negative stereotypes of gay men.  I am not sure I see it as a positive thing anyway, does that make sense?  

 

I didn't see anything about interracial couples, but it sounds as if it was presented as not a big deal - but where I have lived, interracial romance/marriage is unremarkably common so I wouldn't expect a big deal to be made of it.

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I took my daughter to see it yesterday, and we both LOVED it.  I was a huge Beauty and the Beast fan of the animated version, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I think it's a very fine line between staying true to the original Disney version for the purists and adding enough new to keep others interested, and I thought they did that really well.  I was shocked at the cast - obviously I knew Emma Watson was in it, but the rest of the cast was amazing - Kevin Klein, Ian McKellan, Ewan McGregor, and my personal favorite - Audra McDonald.  

 

I couldn't believe how overblown the whole "gay" thing was.  I thought there was so much going on in the character of LaFue in the film for media to focus on that millisecond.  

 

I loved seeing ALL ages there.  Not many movies lately seem to draw such a wide variety in the audience.

 

Loved Emma as Belle and loved the humor they added to Beast that wasn't super "cartoony".  I would definitely see it again...but this is from a person who has seen her favorite musical 25 times.   :laugh: What can I say - I'm a repeater... 

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I saw it today. I liked it but I didn't love it, which is a shame because it's my favorite animated Disney movie. I enjoyed the live version of Cinderella and Jungle Book, so I had high hopes.

 

I was distracted by the CG Beast - it was just odd-looking at times. And I strongly disliked Josh Gad's portrayal...and not because of the "gay thing." I just felt like I was watching Olaf the whole time - he played it so similarly, to me. And I do think Emma Watson was miscast, sad to say.

 

:p

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I saw it today. I liked it but I didn't love it, which is a shame because it's my favorite animated Disney movie. I enjoyed the live version of Cinderella and Jungle Book, so I had high hopes.

 

I was distracted by the CG Beast - it was just odd-looking at times. And I strongly disliked Josh Gad's portrayal...and not because of the "gay thing." I just felt like I was watching Olaf the whole time - he played it so similarly, to me. And I do think Emma Watson was miscast, sad to say.

 

:p

 

We felt the same way about the movie.  Emma Watson was just not "Belle".  It felt at times very disjointed. Now Luke Evans nailed the smugness of Gaston.  I liked Josh Gad but I still see him as Elmer from the Book of Mormon.Lol.  Ian was a good choice for Cogsworth but Cogsworth will always be "Charles Winchester". from  Everyone else was good but Emma just seemed so out of place compared to the others.  Her eyes said she was excited to play the part but she was stiff.  Belle was always my favorite so I was really hoping for her to shine.

 

I tried not to compare it to the original and see it as its own.  Even then, it just seems it fell a little flat to me.

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I saw it today. I liked it but I didn't love it, which is a shame because it's my favorite animated Disney movie. I enjoyed the live version of Cinderella and Jungle Book, so I had high hopes.

 

I was distracted by the CG Beast - it was just odd-looking at times. And I strongly disliked Josh Gad's portrayal...and not because of the "gay thing." I just felt like I was watching Olaf the whole time - he played it so similarly, to me. And I do think Emma Watson was miscast, sad to say.

 

:p

I completely agree with everything ...except Emma as Belle. I actually thought she did a good job.

 

The CG beast was too much. He wasn't a cartoon but looked so animated. I don't know...I also found it distracting. Many of the CG scenes were distracting to me. I loved the music, but some of the musical numbers were so fast moving that it almost gave me a headache. We did not watch the 3-D version and all I could think was that those scenes were created to look cool in 3-D.

 

My dd kept leaning over to me and saying "doesn't that sound like Olaf?" And yes, from then, I heard Olaf's voice through the rest of the movie.

 

I absolutely love Beauty and the Beast. It is my all time favorite Disney movie (the original one) and I really did enjoy this on as well. I'm sure I will be watching it again.

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A few people I know are hassling me because I'm not interested in seeing it; they assume it's because of "the gay scene."   One of my kids might go at some point with a friend, but she's not dying to get to it.  We just aren't into Disney, never have been.    But since "everyone" is seeing it and loving it, we must be boycotting it.  Ugh.  People.  

 

Wow, that's obnoxious. Funny that they're accusing you of being closed-minded when they are obviously very closed-minded themselves. 

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