Disney's live-action Beauty and the Beast

[Ben]

She may not be Rand's cup of tea, but Watson isn't exactly hideous! But she does seem too slight to be the non-weak Belle, especially in the vocal department. I think Felicity Jones dressed up all purdy might have hit this out of the park, if she hadn't been filming a Star Wars movie at the same time...and if she can sing (although that doesn't seem to be an actual requirement!).

[Dan]

Hmmm... interesting choice, Ben.

I guess "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" as I've been around loads of people (mostly girls, mind you) who think there was no one better to play Belle than Emma. I actually thought when she was cast it was ideal compared to most other girls I could think of at the time.

Had she not already done Into the Woods, I might've considered Anna Kendrick as a thought.

[Ben]

Plenty of American chicks to consider...but I was trying to keep it to the "Queen's English"-speaking style of British actresses they wanted, in keeping with the thespian-approach they went in (where, because it's period, everyone speaks pure accented English, even though it's set in France!).

A young Anne Hathaway, Kendrick, etc...lots could have done it if they didn't restrict to an English actress.

[Randall]

Of course, the original Belle didn't have a European accent, either! But the queen's accent does always sound proper for Euro-set stories.

Yes, there's nothing wrong with Emma's appearance, I just don't think she stands out in a crowd. She's not "the most beautiful girl in town". She's pretty, but plain. She gets a lot of mileage from people for being the perfect Hermione (and dare I say maybe she was prettier when she was younger?), but seen objectively now, she's just "okay". And when the part calls for her to be the most beautiful in town, "okay" just doesn't do it. Unless she shows a great deal of charisma in the role, which means a lot... but she doesn't.

However, I could accept all that if Emma had pipes. But she doesn't. The singing was just plain weak. And sad, when you think of what others could have brought to it. It was such a missed opportunity.

I was actually thinking about Anna Kendrick as well. In fact, I was just telling someone the same thing today. She's not necessarily a "beauty" in terms of pure looks (though I think she's dang attractive), but she has sparkle, personality, and can belt out a tune. I would have loved for her to play Belle (though she's maybe a little too old at this point).

[Randall]

And, of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder!!!

[Randall]

I will note that I have been informed by a 49-year old lady friend that Emma was the only person who could have possibly played the role. And a client told me that the Disney fan forums' consensus was that Emma was the ideal choice for Belle.

It's mind-boggling to me, but there you have it. Apparently, most people don't care if Belle can actually sing.

[Ben]

Including the studio!

[Randall]

And 700 million dollars in 10 days can't be wrong, right?

[EricJ]

And 700 million dollars in 10 days can't be wrong, right?

That's EXACTLY what we said seven years ago with Tim Burton's Alice.
For EXACTLY the same reasons..

(Well, okay, we have fangirls on Spring Break, but no zombie-cult of Bill Condon fans, still...y'know what I mean. March, 'n stuff.)

[Ben]

While some big films find deserved commercial success, audiences the world over have historically proven that they will pay enormous sums to see crap, while some terrific gems remain "box-office failures".

Let's see what we're watching in 25 years. It won't be the live-action B&TB.

[EricJ]

Let's see what we're watching in 25 years. It won't be the live-action B&TB.

Let's see what we're watching in TWO years. It won't be the live-action Dumbo.

[Ben]

Given that it's not in production yet and will likely take a year in post, it actually probably will.

[Daniel]

This is getting the 4K Ultra-HD treatment same day as the original, March 10th:



One movie I can happily live without.

[Daniel]

Best Buy steelbook:



So-so.

[Ben]

More than the movie deserves!