Beauty and the Beast

Critics Consensus

With an enchanting cast, beautifully crafted songs, and a painterly eye for detail, Beauty and the Beast offers a faithful yet fresh retelling that honors its beloved source material.

71%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 352

80%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 85,946
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Movie Info

Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" is a live-action re-telling of the studio's animated classic which refashions the classic characters from the tale as old as time for a contemporary audience, staying true to the original music while updating the score with several new songs. "Beauty and the Beast" is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast's hideous exterior and realize the kind heart and soul of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Oscar (R) winner Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle's eccentric, but lovable father; Josh Gad as Lefou, Gaston's long-suffering aide-de-camp; Golden Globe (R) nominee Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, the candelabra; Oscar nominee Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Oscar nominee Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and two-time Academy Award (R) winner Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts. Directed by Oscar (R) winner Bill Condon based on the 1991 animated film, "Beauty and the Beast" is produced by Mandeville Films' David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, with eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards (R) (Best Original Score and Best Song) for the 1991 animated film, providing the score, which will include new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman, as well as several new songs written by Menken and three-time Oscar winner Tim Rice. "Beauty and the Beast" will be released in U.S. theaters on March 17, 2017.

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Cast

Emma Watson
as Belle
Dan Stevens (IV)
as Beast/Prince
Luke Evans
as Gaston
Kevin Kline
as Maurice
Josh Gad
as Le Fou
Ewan McGregor
as Lumiere
Stanley Tucci
as Cadenza
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
as Plumette
Audra McDonald
as Garderobe
Ian McKellen
as Cogsworth
Emma Thompson
as Mrs. Potts
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Critic Reviews for Beauty and the Beast

All Critics (352) | Top Critics (54)

  • The film has an old-fashioned, studio-bound look, despite the reliance on digital effects.

    Mar 22, 2017 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Jake Wilson

    The Age (Australia)
    Top Critic

  • The sheer dexterity is overwhelming, and only the sternest viewer will be able to resist the onslaught of such thoroughly marketed magic.

    Mar 20, 2017 | Full Review…

    Anthony Lane

    New Yorker
    Top Critic

  • Disney has ripped a jewel out of its casing and set it in something far more elaborate; the effect is garish rather than nostalgic, frustrating rather than memorable.

    Mar 18, 2017 | Full Review…

    David Sims

    The Atlantic
    Top Critic

  • There's a complicated jumble of gender politics at hand, and any attempt at modernizing the dynamic is more of a random piling on rather than a thoughtful incorporation.

    Mar 17, 2017 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Katie Walsh

    Tribune News Service
    Top Critic

  • Ian McKellan makes a fine, melancholy Cogsworth the clock, but the rest of the enchanted servants come off hammy and campy, while Kevin Kline seems lost as Belle's father and Luke Evans turns alpha male Gaston into a bigger cartoon than the original.

    Mar 17, 2017 | Rating: 1/5 | Full Review…

    Matthew Lickona

    San Diego Reader
    Top Critic

  • All the hit numbers... Emma Watson is charming as Belle; and the enchanted servants are voiced by the likes of Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, and Ewan McGregor. But seeing it will probably send you back to the original animated movie for refreshment.

    Mar 17, 2017 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

    Peter Rainer

    Christian Science Monitor
    Top Critic
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Audience Reviews for Beauty and the Beast

  • Jan 26, 2019
    The real action version of the classic Disney film does have lovely colorful sets and a pretty perfect cast. It's especially nice to see Kevin Kline and Emma Watson does work wonderfully as Belle. The songs (not counting the outstanding title one) are a bit hit and miss but the film's biggest problem is the computer animated Beast. That becomes apparent during his solo song, where the creature sometimes feels sterile and fake. A beautiful mask and make-up would have worked wonders. Fans of the material should still be pleased, especially the finale is pretty good. But man, do I miss good make-up effects.
    Jens S Super Reviewer
  • Jul 31, 2018
    The "tale as old as time" gets updated as Disney's Beauty and the Beast is remade as a visually spectacular live-action musical. This new version more or less follows the animated one beat for beat, scenes for scene, though it does expand the story a bit; providing a backstory about Bell losing her mother and more scenes of Bell and Beast forming a friendship. However, unfortunately Disney takes a PC brush to the fairytale with conspicuous placements of minorities (in 19th century France), turning LeFou into a gay character, and making Belle more proactive and independent. Still, the all-star cast featuring Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Kline, and Emma Thompson delivers wonderful performances. And the CGI work and choreography are extraordinary, making for some extravagant and lavish musical numbers. It has its problems and doesn't live up to the animated classic, but Beauty and the Beast is incredibly entertaining and fun.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • Jun 26, 2018
    A Beauty of a remake with its sumptuous visuals and endearing players, this live-action take on an animated classic manages to be a different Beast for better and worse--edgier, zippier, and often fresher. In this PG-rated adaptation of the Disney-fied fairy tale, a monstrous-looking prince (Dan Stevens) and a young woman (Emma Watson) fall in love, much to the chagrin of her self-absorbed suitor (Luke Evans). 1991's Beauty and the Beast very possibly ranks highest among animated musicals, not to mention it's arguable standing as Disney's greatest 'toon. Just as with Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book (Snow White & the Huntsman is more of an out-and-out re-do), moviegoers are right to be more a little scared - than prepared - for the Mouse House re-imagining what amounts to an already polished and pristine jewel in their crown. And yet, like those other remakes, it all works beautifully...for the most part. Though Disney's Belle never felt like a damsel in distress, V.2 sees fit to engage in gender politics which also spills over into the characterization of supporting player LeFou, who now has more than a platonic shine for lunkheaded heel Gaston. While there's no question that such empowerment could only enhance the characters and story overall, this inclusion feels more like it was shoehorned in because of topicality than integrated organically. Such an 'upgrade' should feel like a natural fit--not like it was forced. There's a lot that screenwriters Evan Spiliotopoulos and Stephen Chbosky get right with their update, however. The backstories of the players get fleshed out (we finally learn about Belle's Mom and see more of her father, for example), as does this enchanting world in general (the inanimate objects come to life in the Beast's castle serve as more than comic relief than the first go-round). Director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn) deserves much of the credit, however, managing to stage the wonderful musical numbers such that the audience feels like they're seeing them for the first time (as there are new songs in the mix, some of them actually ARE first-timers). His canvas, encompassing town and forest and castledom, exhibits a magical quality not altogether different from the original, but oftentimes moodier and more sarcastic in keeping with modern insensitivity, er, sensibilities. Without a letter-perfect cast, however, the characters wouldn't jump off the screen. Watson, Stevens, Evans, Kevin Kline, and Josh Gad bring a lively and colorful energy to the goings-on. Though they don't hit every note perfectly, they sell through the wonderment all the same. To Sum It All Up: Be Their Guest
    Jeff B Super Reviewer
  • Jul 27, 2017
    https://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/beauty-and-beast-dir-condon-2017-disney.html
    Anthony L Super Reviewer
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