Beauty and the Beast

Director Bill Condon's hybrid live-action/digital remake of the “tale as old as time” boasts sumptuous special effects and enhanced character backstories. Set in rural France in 1740, the story quickly introduces brainy Belle (Emma Watson), whose father (Kevin Kline) has been imprisoned in a Beast's labyrinthine castle. Because he was once a spoiled young prince—spurning pleas for assistance from an old lady witch—the ghastly, horned Beast (Dan Stevens) has been cursed until he can find true love. Eager to escape the confines of her provincial village and unwelcome romantic advances by boorish, boastful Gaston (Luke Evans), Belle offers to exchange places with her beloved father. Belle is immediately welcomed by the Beast's anthropomorphic household (voiced by Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Audra McDonald, and Stanley Tucci) with a dazzling, Busby Berkeley-like “Be Our Guest” musical number. Watson exudes feisty cleverness, while Stevens personifies the gruff yet intellectual Beast via “Mova,” a facial capture system. Beauty and Beast bond over their shared love of literature here, but too much has been made of Gaston's admiring sidekick LeFou (Josh Gad) being gay; it's a subtle and welcome nuance that reflects contemporary social consciousness, which has been raised since 1991, when Disney's animated version was an Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Four new songs have been added—including the Celine Dion bittersweet ballad, “How Does a Moment Last Forever”—in this elegant, nostalgic, and enchanting remake. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the “Beauty and the Beast” music video by Ariana Grande and John Legend (4 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the behind-the-scenes featurettes “A Beauty of a Tale” (27 min.), “Enchanted Table Read” (14 min.), “From Song to Screen: Making the Musical Sequences” (14 min.), “The Women Behind Beauty and the Beast” (5 min.), and “Making a Moment with Celine Dion” (4 min.), as well as deleted scenes (7 min.), the extended song “Days in the Sun” with an introduction by director Bill Condon (4 min.), a “making-of” the “Beauty and the Beast” music video (2 min.), a song selection option, and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning live-action remake.] (S. Granger)