Disney has created 26 live-action remakes of its animated classics. These remakes aim to introduce beloved animated stories to new audiences and appease long-time fans. To most Disney fans, these live action remakes do not always land. Many fans feel that the live-action adaptations lack the emotional resonance of their animated predecessors. Instead of creating something new, Disney resorts to what they already had but instead of keeping it the same they change important details and characters.
While remakes capitalize on nostalgia, they sometimes fail to offer fresh perspectives. Critics argue that these films often serve as “cinematic photocopies,” providing a visual echo of the originals without capturing their original magic.
Origins of Beauty and the Beast Animated (1991)
Disney’s 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast became a reality after decades of stalled development and a major creative restart. Walt Disney first tried to adapt the classic French fairy tale in the 1930s, (following Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), and again in the 1950s. However, the writers and artists struggled to crack the structure of the second act and make the dynamic between Belle and the Beast work.
Live Action Origins (2017)
Disney’s 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast is a direct remake of the studio’s 1991 animated classic. The live action, much like the animated movie, draws from the centuries old French fairy tale published in 1740 by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and later condensed by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756.
Directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, the live-action film expanded on the 1991 music. They updated character backstories and fixed plot holes from the animated version.
Why Live Action Remakes are Seriously Hated
People often dislike Disney’s live action remakes because they often lack creative purpose and rely on a cynical nostalgia cash grab. Critics and fans argue that live action remakes strip away the expressive charm of 2D animation, substitute lifeless Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) and fail to capture the magic of the originals.
Many films are nearly shot-for-shot copies of the animated originals, giving audiences no compelling reason to watch them instead of the classic versions. But many fans are often angry if live action remakes change a storyline and create a new one. It feels like Disney can never win with remakes. There will be people mad if it changes and people mad if it does not change. It seems best to avoid live action remakes all together but there are some people who appreciate them.
Beauty and The Beast Overall
I love the Beauty and the Beast live action remake. If I had to pick between the cartoon or the live action, I am always going to pick the live action. The Beauty and the Beast live action succeeds by blending nostalgic Broadway style musical numbers with lavish 18th-century French production design. Watson and Stevens expanded their characters’ backstories that deepen the original animated classic.
A lot of people criticized Watson’s performance as Belle and thought she did a horrible acting and singing job. This could not be farther from the truth. Watson brought Belle to life doing an amazing job depicting Belle and making her a real person. Her acting was unbelievable and her singing was great. While the character traits of Belle aligned very closely with Watson’s personal life and feminist principles, the musical requirements of the role were heavily out of her comfort zone. She went out of comfort zone and took it to the next level. She did so well as Belle and is my favorite live action princess performance.
Stevens had a more challenging role but still played it great. In order to look like the beast, Stevens did not sit in a traditional makeup chair. Instead, he wore a 40-pound gray motion-capture suit with 10-inch stilts on set. Later, Stevens recorded his facial expressions separately using a UV-dot system in a specialized booth. Every couple of weeks, he sat in a specialized facial-capture booth sprayed with about 10,000 UV dots.
A change for the live action was adding a whole new song to the movie. Stevens’ character sings a song called, “Evermore,” which is when he releases Belle to save her father, choosing her happiness over breaking his curse, while clinging to the desperate hope that she might one day return. This song is the best Disney song ever. Stevens sung it very well and you can truly hear the emotion in his voice.
