Confession: I'm a huge Disney fan, and Beauty and the Beast is not only my favorite Disney movie (even with its problematic elements), but it's also my favorite musical, full-stop. Like. I really like Beauty and the Beast.

So, mark my surprise when I hear that Disney is doing a "grittier" reboot of the film. I thought, "...Is this necessary...?" But, I decided I'd see it anyway, because hey, Emma Watson is playing Belle, I adore her, they're bringing back the original composers for the new songs, and I'm sure the new version can't be that bad, right?

Spoiler Alert (not for the movie, but for my own reaction!) - I was not only pleasantly surprised, but blown away! But, to be honest, I still prefer the original.

There's a lot of things to love about this version of the classic tale. I'm not going to take you all through the plot, since I'm assuming you have a general idea of what's happening due to the fact that this fairytale is a "Tale as old as time", as they say in-film. But, I can tell you how it differs from the original animated film we all know and love.

First off--it's a kind of combo of the Broadway show and the original animated film, which fleshes out and fills in some of the plot holes that the movie never addressed. So, I was walking in expecting a film with songs from both, and the best of both worlds. This was partially the case, and more on that later.

Also, it's longer. A lot longer. Clocking in at just over 2 hours in comparison to the original's hour and a half, this version tries to cram in more story, more exposition, more spectacle, more everything. That is not a bad thing, but there were times where the film dragged a bit as a result. The prologue is extended a bit too much for my liking; still, that's a small gripe.

But, also, because of this extended length, we have more time to admire the gorgeous setpieces, costumes, and the general mis-en-scène of the film. If there's one thing this version has going for it, it's intricate detail and lots of beauty. The costumes, sets, even the CGI for the cursed inhabitants of the castle--gorgeous. The historical accuracy is also something to cheer about, along with how the French was accurate that we see throughout the film. Felicitations, Disney!

And, of course, the music was also beautiful as well, with a bunch of the classics returning, such as "Belle" and "Gaston". While my favorite songs from the Broadway show were cut out ("Me" and "Home", along with "If I Can't Love Her"), considering they weren't in the original film, that's a small loss. But, still, the Broadway fan in me was a bit disappointed! The new song, "Evermore", is still a worthy addition to this version's musical pantheon, though. My one beef with the soundtrack is how doctored it is. It's far more noticeable when you're listening to the soundtrack in comparison to the actual film, and doesn't ruin the film by any means, but a bit less doctoring and the soundtrack would have been near-perfect.

As for the actual plot of the film--it's the same old story we all love, but with more agency for Belle! And filling in of plot holes! Every complaint I had with the original film was addressed in this version, and I'm so happy that they made the story more feminist as a result. Not that the original film wasn't, but in this version, Belle not only has 1000x more agency, but we see her agency. It's clear that Watson, who is a reknowned feminist activist, had a hand in modifying the film a bit. But, it's a wonderful update to the tale as old as time in that regard.

There is one other reason the film has been getting press, besides Emma Watson's casting--and this is actual minor spoilers for the film if you care about this bit, so just skip to the next bolded section--which is that Lefou, Gaston's sidekick, is Disney's first gay character in one of their films. Suffice to say, this attempt at representation was more subtextual than anything. It is not at the level of queerbaiting, since this film isn't even about Lefou and it's a bit more obvious than that. I mean, it's a step in the right direction, but I'd hope that Disney does more next time around with representation. LGBTQIA+ kids deserve better.

But, in their attempt to bring the first "openly gay" Disney character to the screen, what we do get is a wonderfully fun performance from Josh Gad, who actually gives Lefou far more layers than the Lefou in the musical and original. He actually has character development. It's a lovely change.

SPOILERS OVER. In general, character development extends to the entire cast. The performances from the cast are also lovely, and really carry the film. One thing I also appreciated was how diverse the cast was in comparison to other Disney properties, which was a nice change.

Still, in short: While not perfect, and still not as good as the original film and Broadway show (in my opinion), this version of Beauty and the Beast is a delight, and I'd still highly recommend checking it out!

Rating: 7 / 10 cursed rose petals