Disney coast as they cover the classics.

Every once in a while an idea will come along so ingeniously simple you’ll wonder why on Earth it hadn’t been done sooner. So, whichever bright spark at Disney had the lightbulb moment of dipping into their vast volt of animated classics to give them the live-action treatment, deserves a gold star and an extra-large pair of novelty Mickey Mouse ears.

What started with the so-so Sleeping Beauty spin-off Maleficent, has rapidly expanded to include reimaginings of stone-cold classics such as Cinderella and The Jungle Book and lesser known fare like Pete’s Dragon. The growing critical and financial success of these live-action adaptations has become another feather in the studio’s already elaborately adorned hat and has given the House of Mouse the confidence to delve deeper into their illustrious back catalogue to keep the ball rolling.

While the fundamental idea of these adaptations is a straightforward one, however, the execution is something else entirely. Every one of these animations is beloved in their own way, with many millions of fans spanning gender, cultural, and generational divides; making the precise handling of each adaptation crucial. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say that Disney are the true masters of guarding for their own IPs (often to a fault) and, so far at least, they have managed to get things pretty spot-on. But, while there’s no doubting the cultural importance of Cinderella and The Jungle Book; Beauty and the Beast is another…umm…beast entirely.

Staying faithful to the 1991 original, Beauty and the Beast recounts the story of bright and independent Belle (Emma Watson) who, after striking a deal with a furious and vengeful Beast (Dan Stevens) to save her father (Kevin Kline), is held captive in his castle. Despite her initial fears, Belle befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and gradually learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior to see the kind soul within. Learning of the Beast’s existence and his imprisonment of Belle, the residents of her village, led by the charming and arrogant Gaston (Luke Evans), descend - pitchforks aloft - upon the castle. Belle, the Beast, and the castle’s servants must fight to defend the castle as they attempt to break a curse that threatens to consume them all.

While things have gone rather swimmingly so far for Disney with this new money-spinning venture of reimagining their classics, Beauty and the Beast represents the studio’s first major head-scratcher. This is the first time the studio has attempted to tap into the Disney Renaissance that spanned the 1990s, encompassing properties that still live fresh in the memory of generation of fans young enough to hold films like Beauty and the Beast close to their heart.

In order to avoid the wrath of this legion of fans, every care had to be taken to ensure that the tone, music, and characters were all treated with the utmost care and diligence they deserved. To ensure these criteria are protected, however, Disney and director Bill Condon have clearly taken a safety-first approach and, while this much of the creativity out of this Beauty and the Beast, it feels largely appropriate considering the circumstances.

The film wears its reverence to the original as a badge of honour, operating primarily as a blow by blow recounting of its predecessor with little ambition to stretch beyond that. Although this no nonsense approach certainly makes for a solid, if rather uninspiring, movie-going experience which will no doubt appease traditionalist fans, there comes a point where you must question what the point is.

Movie remakes are essentially song covers and, just like any great cover, a balance must be struck between deference to the original, while ensuring you bring something fresh to the party. While there’s little doubt that Beauty and the Beast nails it on the first point, it’s debatable whether it succeeds at the second. Bill Condon works wonders in bringing the classic animation to life; ensuring that the sets, songs, and colourful characters appear as if ripped from the painted cells of the original. On its own, however, this nostalgic approach struggles to justify the film’s existence but Condon thankfully demonstrates a level of inspiration that allows this Beauty and the Beast to live on its own terms.

Without a doubt, the most important aspect to nail on any Beauty and the Beast remake is the music. Any attempt to recreate the essence of the original will live or die on how it approaches some of the most iconic tracks in Disney history. However, from the wonderfully staged opener ‘Belle’, through to the irrepressible ‘Be Our Guest’, to the iconic ‘Beauty and the Beast’; there’s little chance of failure here, as every one of the original’s classic musical numbers are recreated in all their pomp and glory.

Every one of the original songs is given just the right level of live action spark to appeal to a new generation, while remaining true to the song’s roots to remind us all just how special they are. Where the Cinderella and The Jungle Book remakes were playful with their original tracks, Beauty and the Beast knows the affection afforded to its songs is just too great to mess with and cuts out any coyness in an all-out nostalgia attack.

To ensure the animation’s musical magic was adequately recreated, the film’s real master stroke was to bring back original composer Alan Merken, pairing him with the lyricist from the Beauty and the Beast stage musical, Tim Rice. In Merken and Rice you have a couple of guys whose knowledge and affection for the material should not be understated and their clear love for the material ensures we are served up some truly incredible and wholly respectful song numbers.

But, while the old classics shine, the same can’t be said of the newer numbers. There aren’t many new musical entries to speak of but the ones that are included don’t quite live up to the high standards set. As they are, new songs ‘How Does a Moment Last Forever’ and ‘Days in the Sun’ are fine enough additions and, while their inclusion ensures a certain level of freshness in a film crying out for it, they just feel flat in comparison to those that came before.

As performances go, Emma Watson and Dan Stevens are solid as Belle and the Beast, showing great on-screen chemistry and attacking each song with great gusto, however, neither quite reach the heights you’d hope. Watson’s portrayal of Belle is merely ok, as she effortlessly embodies the character’s grace but none of the charm. Since her Harry Potter days, Watson has blossomed into a particularly fine and mature performer, but something just doesn’t quite click here and it leaves things feeling rather flat as she fails to loose with the material.

Alongside her, Stevens plays the Beast admirably but spends most the film hidden behind thick layers of CGI. The problems with the Beast aren’t so much with Stevens himself, but rather something not feeling correct with the character design. As the character carries himself around the film, his movements never bring with them the physicality you’d expect and, while you can see what they were going for with the motion-captured face, it has an incredibly ‘uncanny valley’ feel about it that just feels distracting.

While the leads are solid, it’s the star-studded support cast that really steal the show. The castle’s enchanted staff are all on form and add as much life to the film as their original animated counterparts. As for the non-CGI characters, Kevin Klein is superb and it’s always a pleasure to see him back on the big screen, but the film’s real show-stoppers are Luke Evans as the villainous Gaston and Josh Gad as the flamboyant LeFou. Chewing every piece of available scenery, both actors attack the material with real zeal and absolutely nailing their characters and every single musical number they appear in.

Where this remake really shines, and where it steels the original’s thunder, is in its sheer beauty. Although it lacks inspiration in other departments, there’s certainly nothing uninspired in Beauty and the Beast’s costume design and cinematography. The film looks stunning and you can see how much care has gone into recreating the look and feel of the original. With the aid of some rather impressive CGI, Condon has managed to go to places that its predecessor couldn’t dream of and this injects the entire film with a striking level of fairytale imagination and style.

The practical sets are just as impressive, showing that, while there’s always a place for the appropriate use of CGI, there’s nothing quite practicality to really give a film heart. While Beauty and the Beast’s tactile nature may feel a little stagey to some, the West End feel to parts like the glorious splendor of the opening number work to enhance the viewing experience rather than detract from it.

Although it may not be the revolutionary retelling that some may have hoped, Beauty and the Beast should nonetheless keep fans of the original happy, while offering just enough extra to justify its existence. To look at, the film is simply stunning and the classic songs are done justice, but the spark or originality that made The Jungle Book such a breath of fresh air is unfortunately lacking. There’s little doubt that Beauty and the Beast feels like a feature-length cover song, with little room to break out beyond that, but thankfully the film has just enough to it to ensure we’re never bored. In hindsight, Disney’s decision to revisit their well stuffed back catalogue seems like a no-brainer, but the ability to pull it off with style is not to be underestimated. While it lacks a sense of innovation, there is much to admire from this trip down memory lane and by doing justice to one of their all-time classics, Disney surely have a mega-hit on their hands.