The original Beauty and the Beast was an animated film that came out in 1991. I was only 4 years old, but I remember watching it non-stop once my parents bought it for me on VHS. The songs were amazing and the story always made me cry. (I was a super sensitive child)

When I found out that there was going to be a live action remake, I was worried. How can they make it as good as the original? Were they going to completely mess up one of my favorite Disney films of all time? Unlike many that scream “NOOOOO” when a remake is announced, I usually give them the benefit of the doubt.

Usually, I end up liking remakes and scratch my head as to why people think they own a film to be so pissed when the remake is announced. I consider myself a film addict and am always excited to see what someone can do with something that I already love so dearly.

This afternoon my boyfriend took my daughter and me to see the new Beauty and the Beast. This will be a spoiler free review, so on to the good stuff:

I will say it now and I will say it clear. I LIKED THIS MORE THAN THE ORIGINAL. This may get me shot, but I found that seeing a movie I hold so dear come to life was absolutely moving.

The cast was absolutely phenomenal. I wasn’t the biggest fan of casting Emma Watson as Belle, but I found that she really did a great job. I do not think she was the one to hold up the film though. The casting of the servants and Lefou were by far my favorite. My boyfriend had not seen the casting prior to going to see this film and it was so cool to watch his eyes light up when they all came back to life.

Now on to Lefou. Josh Gad was the only one that could have been cast as Lefou. He did such an amazing job that I believe he stole every single scene he was in. To the ones that refused to take their children due to the fact that Disney decided to make him a gay character: you missed out. He was by far the best character in this movie.

The music made the hair on my arms stand up straight. They did such a wonderful job bringing it to life. I felt like I was really there, inside some of my favorite Disney musical scenes. My favorite was “Gaston” and “Be Our Guest.” I couldn’t believe just how real it all felt.

The CGI on the Beast was perfect and I felt like I fell in love with him myself.

Here is a confession: I cried 4 times. Tears of nostalgia. The ballroom scene had me bawling simply because I was witnessing this touching scene in live action. All the years I spent wishing to see her famous yellow dress and his perfect blue tux in real life, the wishing had ended. It was there and it was beautiful.

They added a few original songs and the Beast has his very own song. It was my favorite out of the other original songs put in the movie.

You will find that this is almost a play by play of the original animated movie. And that was a fantastic decision. It wasn’t like I was thinking “seen this a thousand times,” it was if I was seeing it for the very first time.

All in all I give the movie 10/10 because I do not believe they could have done any better than what they did. It was perfect and I will be buying it as soon as it comes out on Blu Ray, so I can spend my 30’s like I did my childhood, and watch this over and over again.

Thanks for reading!