On March 17, 2017, Disney released their live-action theatrical remake of "Beauty and the Beast" starring Emma Watson as “Belle” and Dan Stevens as “Beast.” All over social media, you could see the excitement from people in anticipation of seeing the movie and hoping that they would not be disappointed. The original version of "Beauty and the Beast" that debuted in 1991, was an animated version and remains to this day a timeless classic. Remade films can sometimes either be a hit or miss, especially when the original version of the movie is upheld as a timeless classic from one generation to the next.
So, how did the live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast" fair?
Box office hit and reviews
According to Forbes.com, "Beauty and the Beast" had earned a whopping $462 million thus far worldwide since its release last Friday. Critics and people from all over were praising Disney for keeping the film as true to form as possible like its original. There were, however, a few differences in the remake, like when Beast shows Belle this magical book that can take her to anywhere in the world.
Though most of the reviews for the movie were positive, there was also outrage amongst some people about the “gay scene” at the end of the film. Villain character Gaston’s sidekick Lefou can be seen dancing with another man at the ball, but it is such a short scene that if you sneeze you’ll miss it.
However, the scene became a major and trending topic of discussion on social media. Some people felt the inclusion of the scene was something young children should not witness and may cause them to be confused about; while others felt Disney’s inclusion of the scene was their way of showing support for the LGBT community.
Disney's next live-action remake
Overall, "Beauty and the Beast" continues to thrive at the box office and receive more positive feedback than negative. With such great positive responses to the remake, it would be safe to assume that Disney is already working on turning another one of their classics into a live-action film. If one were to bet which Disney classic would be next, it wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea to bet on "The Lion King" as the next runner-up.
