A tale as old as time, with a bit of a modern twist. This live action take on Disney’s classic, Beauty and the Beast, lives up to the expectations set by its predecessor— for the most part. The tale is the same that has been told for years, but this remake has added lines of humour to make a more enjoyable modern day film.

The disney versions of Beauty and the Beast first came out in 1991. The movie world has made leaps since then as well as the world of pop culture. The plot of the film is the same as the original. Belle’s (Emma Watson) father is taken prisoner by the Beast (Dan Stevens) and Belle goes to take his place. The former servants of the castle, who were turned into talking objects, greet Belle, hoping she will be the one to break the curse. However a few bits of lines have been added to this version of the film to make it more humorous and appealing to this generation of audiences. If you are looking for a pretty spot on remake, this is the movie for you.

At the beginning of the movie, it is sometimes obvious that Belle (Emma Watson)) is lip syncing to the lyrics of the song. The issue is not apparent at any other point in the movie however, only during the opening song.

The other issue found with the movie is the length of it. The run time is a total of two hours and ten minutes, a twenty minute increase from the 1991 film. While some of that time is given to added bits of humour, a majority of it is in added detail. Some of the scenes felt as if they were going on for a longer time than was necessary to express what was needed.

On a more positive note, the animation in the film is impeccable. Everything seemed to jump out of the screen at the audience. The colors and shimmer used in some scenes was incredibly detailed and was blended well with the unanimated portions of the movie. The talking objects were done realistically.  Clearly a hard character to tackle, the Beast was adorned with his fur and horns well. The Beast fit right in with the rest of the human characters. However, the film was beautifully shot and does not rely on animation. The set of Belle’s village was detailed and realistic.

The cast was a perfect fit for the characters. Josh Gad was a spot on choice for LeFou. Dan Stevens encompassed the Beast well but when he turned into the prince the acting was less convincing.