Tale as old as time, let’s not go that far back. We will take a trip back to 1991 with the animated version of an all time classic, Beauty and the Beast. We will then fast forward 26 years to the live action revamp of an all popular classic. Are you ready? Because we are about to take a nostalgic journey. If you haven’t seen the new one I would suggest that you leave the story, I’m about to spoil everything. EVERYTHING.
The animated movie paints a picture of the prince's castle going from gold encrusted angels lining the corners of the castle’s roof, to gargoyles staring down anyone who would dare cross their path. Even with the curse the outside of the castle stayed perfectly intact. That’s a different story for 2017, with each passing day and lost petal, the castle crumbles and falls into the abyss.
1991, informs us about the castle’s curse, and when the curse will end for the beast, however it states that it will last until the beast’s 21st birthday, while 2017’s time limit is until the last petals falls to the table it’s set on. We aren't given an age limit.
When we meet Belle, her house is located in two different sections of the village. 1991 opens with her house’s location a little bit of a walk to the village square which would give her time to read her favorite book before being bombarded by village people singing about how odd she is. Belle doesn’t have time for that in 2017, when she opens her door she is merely ten steps away from the bakery and the library. The amount of books in each library is astounding from wall to wall books in 1991, to maybe six books in the remake. With a small village and only one person who likes to read, it’s understandable.
Our handsome Gaston is as gallant in both movies when he is on his journey to win Belle's heart. Unfortunately for him he fails both times with grace, one movie he falls into a mud pit with the pigs, while in the new one, Belle just slams the door in his face making him seem like a fool. There could be many other differences, between these two magnificent movies. If I talked about every one of them, who knows how long we would be here. But just a few more just because.
Moving further into the movie, the settings of both movies are in June where there isn’t a snowflake in sight until you reach the castle, thus validating that the castle is enchanted. We see the snow at different points in time. It starts snowing in 1991 when Belle gets locked in her room and she starts crying. We learn about the weather changes in 2017 right when Maurice crosses over to the wrong path after a tree gets knocked over by lightning, not to mention the different inventions he takes to the fair is vastly different. 1991 has a wood splitting and launching contraption to a music box in the shape of a windmill with her father painting a picture of her mother and her as a baby.
Speaking of her mother, we get to go in depth into Belle’s family past and what happened to her mother shortly after Belle was born.
That’s enough spoiling for one day. Go out, see the movie with your best friends and see what differences you can pick out. When you find them, let me know.
