Review Roundup - Does Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Breathe New Life Into Tale as Old as Time?

Disney's highly anticipated live-action film BEAUTY AND BEAST waltzes into theaters on March 17th but critics are already weighing in with their reviews. The film is a live-action re-telling of the studio's animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. Let's see what the critics have to say:

A.O. Scott, The New York Times: But this live-action/digital hybrid, directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens in the title roles, is more than a flesh-and-blood (and prosthetic fur-and-horns) revival of the 26-year-old cartoon, and more than a dutiful trip back to the pop-culture fairy-tale well. Its classicism feels unforced and fresh. Its romance neither winks nor panders. It looks good, moves gracefully and leaves a clean and invigorating aftertaste. I almost didn't recognize the flavor: I think the name for it is joy.

Owen Gleiberman, Variety: The live-action "Beauty and the Beast" is different enough, and certainly, if you've never experienced the cartoon, it's strong enough to stand on its own. Yet it's not really that simple, is it? The larger fantasy promoted by a movie like this one is that we'll somehow see an animated feature "come to life." And that may be a dream of re-branding - shared by studio and audience alike - that carries an element of creative folly. Animation, at its greatest, is already a glorious imitation of life. It's not clear that audiences need an imitation of the imitation.

Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter: Condon also brings his experience to the table for the big musical numbers, which are among the best bits of the film, especially "Gaston," the Le Fou-led tribute to our boastful villain (containing the immortal line, "I use antlers in all of my decorating") that adds punch to the first part of the film. Filmed refreshingly straight, in a series of wide, stable shots that eschew the fidgety editing of most pop videos in favor of an old-fashioned, MGM-style proscenium space, it's a delicious moment, traditional in all the right ways.

Emily Yoshida, Vulture: You'd be glad to know, then, that Walt Disney Studios has set out to remedy everything wrong with the original 1991 Beauty and the Beast by producing a "live action" remake of the film. Finally, the unfulfilled promise of the original has come to fruition, by reimagining all its fantastical elements in CGI, and keeping them more faithful to real-world physics, I guess because that seemed like it would be fun.

Tufayel Ahmed, Newsweek: Condon's Beauty and the Beast is visually as sumptuous as Branagh's Cinderella, paying close attention to ornate castle decorations and beautiful costumes. The CGI is also well-handled; the Beast looks realistic and the special effects used in the musical numbers will mesmerize young moviegoers. "A tale as old as time;" yes. But Disney and Condon have found a way to breathe some new life into it.

Aisha Harris, Slate.com: Contrary to what the promos would have you believe, this is not a shot-for-shot, line-for-line remake à la Gus Van Sant, and surprises abound. While much of the original script remains the same, screenwriters Steven Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos, as well as long-time Disney composer Alan Menken (who also wrote for the original, along with the late Howard Ashman), sprinkle in just enough new material and character development to help it feel fresh. Emma Watson is unsurprisingly perfectly cast as our bookworm heroine.

Chris Nashawaty, EW: Directed by movie-musical veteran Bill Condon (Dreamgirls and the script for Chicago), Beauty and the Beast is a movie that can't quite figure out what it wants to say that it didn't already say back in 1991 - when it was the first full-length animated film to be nominated for a best picture Oscar (and this was when there were only five nominees in the category, too!). It's fine and funny and sweet and lush and some of the songs are infectious, but I still don't completely understand why it exists - and why they couldn't do more with it

Nick De Semlyen, Empire: With smart reworkings of some plot strands and a clutch of new songs, it's 45 minutes longer than its predecessor. The triumph is that that extra runtime flies by. An unabashed musical with its heart on its sleeve and energy to spare, it's decidedly unbeastly.

Tim Robey, Telegraph: Condon has done virtually everything in his power to make this film work, down to a sugar-rush finale which makes the star cameos pay off like bonus punchlines - or those "very special guest" appearances for 10 seconds at the end of a panto. Gorging all at once on this chocolate box of a picture feels almost greedy, but why stop at once? A large chunk of its audience will be straight back in line for seconds.

Geoffrey Macnab, Independent: The familiar ingredients are all here. On a visual level, the film is just as enchanting as you would expect with lots of snowscapes, gold flakes and images of rose petals. Condon does full justice to action scenes like the final reel fight on the castle ramparts or the sequences in which the snarling wolves attack the Beast and humans alike. Overall, though, this feels more like a re-tread than a re-invention of the first Disney film. It's certainly not a beast of a movie but it's not a beauty either.

Stephen Whitty, NY Daily News: In a nice bit of sorcery, Disney's taken their 1991 animated classic - and their 1993 Broadway hit - and combined them into a groundbreaking delight, anchored by a breakthrough performance by Emma Watson.

Brian Truitt, USA Today: Embracing its musical theater nature and adding depth to a familiar narrative, the live-action remake is a real Beauty. The film directed by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) skews long - a full 45 minutes longer than the 1991 cartoon - but uses that time to unleash fresh new songs, personalize its supporting players and provide reasons for a provincial girl to fall in love with a ferociously grumpy beast.

"Beauty and the Beast" is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast's hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar® winnerKevin Kline as Maurice, BELLE'S eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston's long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe® nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award® winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

Directed by Oscar winner Bill Condon based on the 1991 animated film, "Beauty and the Beast" is produced by Mandeville Films' David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards® (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winnerTim Rice.

Image courtesy of Walt Disney

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