I have always felt a personal connection to Belle. All my friends say I look like her and yeah, I guess I do. But, I have always wanted my life to model hers. Okay, so I wouldn't exactly want to be stuck in a small town, pursued by an ignorant prick, and held captive by an ugly beast. However, I do want the same things she wants. "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere." Yes, I do. I want my life to be a great story. I do not want to look back on my life in years to come and think "What if?" I want to take every opportunity that I am offered and run with it, without even knowing where it will lead. Belle did just that and she ended up a Princess.
As you can see, Beauty and the Beast holds a very special place in my heart as well as in so many others who grew up watching the masterpiece. When I think Beauty and the Beast, scenes from the animated film flash through my mind. It is an iconic creation that has never been recreated for the screen. Until now.
Over the past 4 to 5 years or so, film makers have been recreating animated films into live action blockbusters with limited or no animation at all: Kristen Stewart stared as Snow White in Snow White and the Huntsman in 2012, Angelina Jolie (and her cheekbones) appeared as Maleficent in the appropriately titled Maleficent in 2014, and just last year the second installment of the live-action Alice in Wonderland was released and showcased big-name actors like Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. It was only a matter of time before the next innocent, animated movie fell subject to the same fate.
On March 17, 2017, a very familiar face will be hitting the big screen as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. Her name? Emma Watson. However, she is more commonly referred to as Hermoine Granger from the popular Harry Potter series. Watson, along with fellow actors Daniel Radcliffe (Harry) and Rupert Grint (Ron), have been labeled by their characters names and characteristics for so long that she faces a great challenge taking on this new role.
Previously playing a gifted yet sometimes conceited witch will make playing a humble and sweet young woman turned princess very difficult. They are quite opposite characters. In addition, Beauty and the Beast is in fact a musical. I am unsure about Watson's singing capabilities. But, during The Golden Globe Awards on January 8th, this past week, a new trailer for the film was released. It gives us a little taste of what she can do with those vocal chords.
We know that Emma Watson is not a professional singer. Just from listening to this excerpt, we are able to tell this. But, in my opinion, she does a pretty good job at carrying the tune. I was pleasantly surprised by the sound she was able to produce considering that her previous experience does not include any kind of musical work (Check out IMDB for more info: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914612/?ref_=tt_cl_t1 ) Go Emma!
Emma Watson has some big shoes to fill playing this strong and inspiring character. As the release date gets closer and closer, I become more excited and nervous about not just Watson's portrayal of Belle, but about the quality of the film in general. However, even if this version ends up being fantastic, nothing will beat the original.
