Don’t judge a beast by its cover

Ziggy’s Virtual Viewpoint

By CODY “ZIGGY” McGEHEE:

In the past, I have reviewed movies such as Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent but this week I went to see Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. We have all been seeing social media blowing up about this move and, if you follow Josh Glad, you have seen him do some crazy stuff preparing for this movie’s premiere. So let’s dive right in.

Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991 and it was cause for a slow clap. This move actually saved Disney as the studio had launched a few flops immediately before the Beauty and the Beast release. Then came the news of a live-action version. Many were concerned because, although Disney has done well with bringing animated movies to live action, this video would be extra difficult to produce due to the perfection of the animated version. People voiced concerns on social media that the music, characters and storyline would have to change a lot to give the film a fresh look. On top of that, this movie has caused a lot of fuss because it is Disney’s first film that has an outright “homosexual” moment. This has caused a few theaters to choose not to show the film.

After seeing Beauty and the Beast, I have to say that Disney has done it again; a wonderful job creating a fresh story with a mix of the old. We see Belle as she was in the animated series but this time we learn more about her mother. The music and choreography are on point. This version adds some lyric moments but not new songs. Some of the tempos and lyrics are slightly altered in a few songs, but overall the general standard of the animated series is maintained. The title song “Beauty and the Beast” has been made into a duet with Ariana Grande and John Legend; their music video is a spectacle that is worth seeing as much as the movie.

I have to say that it had to have been a beast of its own to animate songs such as “Be Our Guest” and choreograph songs like “Belle.” With so much motion and in some songs as many as 100 people, this film was not a walk in the park to put together. We still see a young woman fall in love with a man who knows no love and this in turns breaks a curse that has the whole castle in shambles.

In terms of the acting in general, the choice of cast was wonderful and I appreciated seeing a publicly strong woman like Emma Watson playing a lead role as powerful as Belle. This film is touching, invigorating and overall a wonder in what we in the modern film industry call entertainment.

As for the controversial moments, Josh Glad’s character “LeFou” clearly has a “man crush” on Gaston, but even in the animated series we see that LeFou is Gaston’s confidante. Regardless of your thoughts about these aspects of the film, I implore you to sit for the two hours and watch it. It just might make you think twice about judging a book by its cover.

Personally, I would give this movie a PG rating, but I do feel that this film is family friendly. I would just like to remind everyone it is not our job to judge people’s lifestyles. Allow people to love whom they want and live the life they wish. So, until next time, remember not everything is as it seems.

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