'Beauty and the Beast' 2017: Best Thought Provoking Articles About the Movie on the Internet (so far)

UPDATED! MARCH 18th, 2017 8pm

There are a lot of reviews, theories, musings and posts in general discussing Disney's take on Beauty and the Beast - both the animated version as well as the new one. Here are some that fairy tale fans, and fans of storytelling - and adapting tales for various audiences - might find more useful and interesting than the current avalanche of reviews.

This is Part I. You can find Part II HERE.

'Beauty and the Beast': 9 Differences Between the Live-Action and Animated Movies — and Why They Matter - from the Hollywood Reporter, this is one of the most thoughtful pieces we've seen at the differences in the new movie which expand on the animated classic and story. Most people know the Disney classic well so there aren't spoilers here, exactly, so much as an explanation of how the filmmakers expanded the story and why. For those who are wanting to watch the movie looking for those aspects they put an effort into developing (and which you might miss hints of in scenes in which those additions aren't the focus) this article will likely help you pick up on things you normally wouldn't see until a second viewing. For those who would prefer to see it without the hints first, it can serve as a reflective piece after a viewing, to see how successful the filmmakers were in communicating their intentions.

13 'Beauty and the Beast' Adaptations - a handy list and set of links to the various notable screen adaptations, whether they were successful or not. Each has had some impact on how society views the fairy tale, which makes for an interesting comparative tool.
There's another shorter list HERE with a couple of differences. The 'beastliness' of films is rated in this article.
A different list of 13 can be found HERE, and, although it overlaps with the others, it highlights a few different ones, including a specific episode from Once Upon A Time and a couple of other episodic series highlights.

The Beauty and the Beast remake is a long series of wasted opportunities - yes, that is the official title. We didn't paraphrase. The title is harsher than the article, likely to catch people's attention but it does critically ask the important questions of how to represent something in a revision/ reboot/ remake, be it active feminism, or acceptance of differences (race, orientation etc). (Note: it also makes an effort to point out the changes that did work, so this isn't entirely negative and critical.) Though it contains spoilers (so it may be better for reading after viewing the movie) it also makes clear how over-hyped some of the changes are, or how the changes, touted to be bold and needed advances for today, are, perhaps, still on the tame side, giving nods to these things rather than properly representing them. (Please note - neither the article, or we, are not saying things need to be explicit in any way. It's more about how one scene or moment can be undermined, ending up as a detached statement that doesn't actually change the landscape of the story at all.) Worth a read for writers and filmmakers looking to address equality for all in their work.

The boycott against Beauty and the Beast is about much more than the movie - quoting the article to give you an idea of what's being discussed: "But like so many of today’s cultural controversies, this fight over boycotting the movie is part of a bigger picture. It’s not just about Beauty and the Beast or gay rights. It’s about the outrage culture we’ve grown so accustomed to, the spectacle, and the opportunity to define ourselves online by publicly performing our morals." The article also talks about the importance of acknowledging Howard Ashman, the lyricist and co-composer of many/ most of the iconic songs that caused people around the world in droves to love The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and, yes, Beauty and the Beast. Ashman was gay and struggled with being accepted for his orientation, among many other challenges. "It takes a special cultural ignorance to protest the adaptation because it features a gay character, even though the original movie wouldn’t be what it is without Ashman’s talent." [Note: it may be of interest to christian readers that the Catholic News Service, discusses these aspects and still recommends the movie as "a must-see film intended for children" with the "pall" cast by the controversy being called "unfortunate". This article 'Beauty and the Beast': Why Christian Parents Can Calm Down is a traditionally solid evangelical approach, while being realistic about society, explaining why a 'panic button', and boycotting the movie, is unnecessary. The Evangelical Christian organization, Focus on the Family gives a movie review and breakdown here of the various elements of the movie from the positive through to the questions as well as any violence, strong language, and sexual allusions of all orientations.]

Why Is the Prince in Beauty and the Beast Always Less Hot Than the Beast? - To quote Heidi of SurLaLune: "There's been a long going discussion among scholars and others about the disappointment often felt by readers and viewers when the Beast is transformed back into his human form in Beauty and the Beast tales... The effect is much worse in film, of course, but it has been explored many times in fiction, too, by Angela Carter, Robin McKinley, and others." And this discussion has now hit popular culture, something we don't remember seeing much of when the animated film was released, but perhaps the live action/ CG simulated-live action aspect has brought this (along with other questions) to the fore. What isn't discussed here is that Cocteau, in his black and white cinematic masterpiece, intended the transformation to be a let down, and the ending to specifically be unsatisfying and a strong statement. No filmmaker since seems to have navigated (or successfully ignored) this concept gracefully since, and that includes this new movie. [Note: the animated classic intended to tap the Biblical concept of new/re-made man, hence the name 'Adam' used in the studio for the human Prince at the time, but that idea, as most girls who fell in love with the Disney movie will tell you, wasn't successful. He was definitely "less hot".]

A traditional tale with titillating twists: Beauty and the Beast gets reinvented (again) - This article tracks the traditional psychoanalytical interpretations through to the implications 'updating' Belle through to noting the social implications and automatic connections audiences will make to this new Belle, just in having Emma Watson in the role. With the strong impressions of her public persona, which include 'forever-Hermione', eco-conscious fashion icon, feminist bookworm, activist and UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, she is currently the quintessential model for brains + beauty that so many girls (and women) want to be.

There's Actually a Reason to Like Gaston in the New Beauty and the Beast - "Like" is probably the wrong word here, though it attracts readers. What they really mean is 'understand'. And understanding Gaston doesn't mean being OK with any of his behavior, as this next article - which should be read as a companion  piece to this one - outlines:
Why 'Beauty and the Beast's Gaston Is the Worst Kind of Disney Villain - "No one's a misogynist like Gaston." As stated above, it should be read as a companion piece to that one. Having the sort of background this 'new' Gaston has been given doesn't excuse any of his behavior  - as a character and certainly not in real life, as Teen Vogue aims to remind romantics.

'Beauty and the Beast' Honest Trailer Tells "a Tale as Old as Stockholm Syndrome" - This is a humorous video but, at the safe distance that comedy gives us, raises more - a lot more - than this much-talked about issue and is worth consideration. Disney's classic animated version of Beauty and the Beast has a lot of questionable things and while, yes, it paints these in fairly broad strokes, we all know that nuances of an aspect are rarely retained by the public over the long term. The overall impression - especially the unspoken ones - need to be considered, and in some cases, challenged. Even with revisions and updates in the new live action version, Belle's character motives still seem a little too close to home to the #whyIstayed discussion of domestic abuse (which is different from Stockholm syndrome but not necessarily unrelated). This 'honest trailer' that pulls no punches will, at the very least, enlighten you as to the impressions the story can give and illustrates why challenging, or updating the 'nuances' in a new version shouldn't be done half-heartedly. How much the new film succeeds at doing this on certain issues is still debatable. Good for thinkers but expect some protective feels if the Disney movie/s are personal faves.

The Primal and Mythical Allure of Beauty and the Beast by Maria Tatar - One for fairy tale folk and those looking to increase their knowledge of the fairy tale, and its appeal, beyond general knowledge. By esteemed fairy tale scholar Maria Tatar, you know this one is highly recommended by our news team. "Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” like the many other versions, gave us a vivid, visual grammar for thinking about abstractions: cruelty and compassion, surfaces and essences, hostility and hospitality, predators and victims. Like all fairy tales, it gives us the primal and the mythical, getting us talking in ways that headlines do their cultural work today. And they also lead us to keep hitting the refresh button, as we try to get the story right, even as we know that Beauty and the Beast will always be at odds with each other in an endless struggle to resolve their differences."

Crosswalk the Musical: 'Beauty and the Beast' (James Corden Brings ‘Beauty And The Beast’ (And Its Stars) To The Street -  Finishing on a fun note, this is both funny and shows how both versions of this film inspire people to creativity and continue telling the tale of Beauty and the Beast in news ways. One of the best things about this 'sketch' is that tale telling is being taken to the streets. The performance, stopped traffic. Literally. Take a look. (If you want to skip the preamble and prep and just get to the street performance, begin at 3:36):

UPDATE! MARCH 18th, 2017 8pm:

Reel Representation: Diversity in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is less radical than Disney claims  - This article takes a critical, and thought provoking look, at the true amount of diversity included in the 2017 re-make. Yes - there is more diversity and clear feminism in the new movie but is it really as progressive as the promotional campaigns for the movie have been touting? "Holding up the moments as landmarks lessens the significance of true milestones and superficially lets Hollywood off the hook, making it seem like diversity is rapidly increasing when in reality, change is slow in Hollywood."

'Beauty and The Beast': Why Live-Action Remakes Can't Truly Replace Cartoons - To be clear, this is not saying the movie is bad or 'less', just that there are certain aspects in which animation - being the artform that is is - does exceptionally well, that is difficult to reproduce in live action. (In other words, sometimes animation is the best medium.) It's an issue worth considering when choosing how to tell a story, as in what you're trying to do in a specific medium. It is also the reason illustrated books (picture books) and traditional animation works so well at telling fantasy stories. "The very specificity that live-action CGI demands (and delivers) makes it harder for audiences to accept nonhuman characters as peers to the humans — they seem too alien, too dissimilar. By contrast, there's more in common between Belle and Mrs. Potts in the 1991 animated story, because the lack of detail in the line work means the two subconsciously look more alike.
The same is true of almost every animated story: the cartoonishness works in the favor of the movie, because the artists are rarely trying to be realistic — they're more focused on telling the story in the best way possible. That's rarely the case on a live-action remake, for the simple fact that there's an additional layer of "reality" immediately placed upon proceedings..."

Ultimately this shouldn't mean 'don't make CG/live action versions of stories - not at all. What it means is there needs to be more awareness about why things work in one medium and not another, and that those need to be part of the conversation when creating moving images in whatever medium, or blend.

This is Part I. You can find Part II HERE.

Did we miss a thought provoking article on Disney's live action remake Beauty and the Beast?
Add it in the comments and we'll update the post and credit you!

Disney's New 'Beauty and the Beast' Hits Theaters Today (Magical Poster Showcase)

Beauty and the Beast triptych poster - Click to view desktop wallpaper size

It's a highly anticipated day for many folks - not just fairy tale fans - and no matter what critics are saying this movie is going to be HUGE.

The biggest draw is likely for the nostalgia crowd, which is one of the biggest guaranteed demographics. That double-edged sword also makes it apparent that this movie comes with a curse of its own: it will forever live in comparison to the animated classic, unlikely to ever truly be judged on its own merit. That said, nostalgia will win out for Beauty and the Beast fans because, at worst, it's going to be an enjoyable movie, even if its new spin isn't as groundbreaking as the first movie was.

We're going to see it in theaters at some point because, why not? It's clearly been made with love and attention to detail and isn't that what you want in a movie? Especially a family fantasy? In reimagining a well known story, even down to lines, songs and scenes that are all very familiar, each storyteller brings their thumbprint to the telling and we're curious to see the prints - and be able to see the details in the corners of the big screen - on this one.

We'll be posting some more Beauty and the Beast themed posts during the next few days, in tribute to the current social focus on this fairy tale, but for now, enjoy the fact that millions of people around the globe will be happily - excitedly - talking about fairy tales this week (at least), and if you happen to be out and about chatting fairy tales there's a good chance you'll meet some new fairy tale friends.

In case you hadn't seen them, here are the eleven, quite magical, character posters for the movie.

Yeah, we don't quite know what's going on with the Beast poster either, but overall pretty great. Here are the, better quality, static poses below, this time including the Prince. (You can click on them to view a much larger size.) Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

The Prince and the Raven

In honor of Celtic stories and general good luck, here are some lovely designs illustrating traditional Welsh, Irish and Scottish fairy tales by Alison from Illuminations.

The Cloth of the Land

Liam and the Wolfhounds

The Stolen Child

May the Luck o' the Irish (and the Luck o' the Zombies - if you're a gamer) be with you today!

Advertising: J.M. Weston's 'Le Beau Dormant' Flips the Script & Mashes Sleeping Beauty & Cinderella

Omar Sy & Alexia Giordano 'Le Beau Dormant' for J.M. Weston

We have to say, using the motif of fairy tale shoes linked to a Sleeping Beauty tale, isn't something we've seen used in commercials before, but this shoe brand has made it work for them. They've made an effort to play with fairy tale tropes, too, making for a different perspective to consider. Released this week, here's the new fairy tale based ad from J.M. Weston (French luxury shoes company for men).

Take a look:

The pink shoes were an unexpected twist and we like that the detail can be interpreted a number of different ways.

Nice to see a male in the role of the sleeper*, as well as the POC aspect, and it does add an interesting note to the ongoing conversation of agency, along with the use of magical items, or talismans. For some reason it feels very male-centric, despite all this though. We know it's a men's shoe company, so perhaps that's the intent, but...

What do you think?

*Sleepers... that brings a whole different situation to the table!

Christopher Kane's 'Beauty and the Beast' Sophisticated Eco-Conscious Fashion Collection

With a lot of Beauty and the Beast themed and inspired fashion hitting stores this month, it's not surprise to see an sophisticated designer releasing something as well. The nice surprise about this collection is that there has been a sincere effort to make it both upmarket and eco-conscious, mirroring Emma Watson's perspective on fashion (she's made a conscious choice for all the clothes she wears on the red carpet, at least, to be eco-conscious, sustainable fashion).

There's an interesting approach to the fashion shoot - a largely Chiaroscuro approach, possibly as an ode to Cocteau's classic. We haven't seen a proper presentation/ book of these, though, which you would expect with this heavily stylized shoot, but perhaps that will appear on March 16, when the collection is officially released.

It's also nice to hear a little about the designer's approach to both the fairy tale and Disney's movie.

From Vogue:

Avoiding a literal interpretation of the source material, Kane’s collection focuses on the film’s motifs rather than attempting to replicate the character’s wardrobe. Drawn to Belle’s every-girl charm, the collection focuses on clothes with real-world appeal—biker jackets and transparent blouses as opposed to oversize ball gowns. “I liked that she wasn’t a princess,” said Kane. “I know that now everyone now considers her a princess, but to me she was just a normal girl who went off and had an adventure. She dreamed of more for herself and had aspirations.” 

Though the movie’s motifs make their way onto multiple pieces, don’t expect any dresses akin to the one Belle wears for her famous dance scene. “I didn’t want to do the yellow dress. I think people were expecting that and to me it just seems too obvious,” said Kane. “I don’t think it’s necessarily something that should be taken out of the world of the film.”

Kane’s signatures also make an appearance with colorful lace skirts and unorthodox florals providing visual interest. Reworking the magical rose that signals the time left before the Beast’s transformation becomes permanent, Kane added a spooky twist befitting the dark side of fairy tales. “It’s one of the great symbols of the film and we wanted to play with it,” says Kane. “I like making flowers a little scary, so we have the oversize creeping rose.” Wound across lacy tops or covered in Swarovski crystals on sweatshirts, the emblem is feminine and foreboding. Even the humorous side of the film gets a tribute with necklaces and brooches covered in miniature teapots and saucers. “There’s just something very whimsical about the idea of wearing a tiny tea set as jewelry.” 

Even with all attention to detail, the collection’s defining feature may be its commitment to the environment. A collaboration with sustainable brand consultancy Eco-Age to use ethical sourcing, sustainable materials, and local artisans on two looks the final product represents luxury at its most conscious.

With a few more details about the sustainability aspect from UK FashionNetwork:

This marks the first time that Disney and Christopher Kane have collaborated with Eco-Age, a consulting firm specialised in business sustainability. The goal: to prove that ethics and aesthetics can go hand in hand, and that brands can create narratives by highlighting their choice of materials and manufacturing techniques. 

The collection was also created to respect the GCC Principles of Sustainable Excellence, meaning it was ethically sourced and manufactured.

Why the emphasis on sustainable fashion? Here's what the designer and partner had to say (from

Fashionista.com):

The designer partnered with Eco-Age and Disney on a capsule collection that he describes as "don't mess with me" pretty. 

Speaking to Firth and Kane, it's clear that they believe this is just the beginning of making sustainability in fashion the norm. "The red carpet is the most powerful communication arm that exists," says Firth. "It's not about, 'What are you wearing?' It's 'Who are you wearing?' What are the hands behind your clothes? What stories [do you want to tell]?" On a larger scale, it's about making your voice heard and standing up for what you care about. "We all need to be more vocal and radical these days and be creative in how we think, as well as how we design." To that, we say: Be our guest.

We also found this interview with Kane which asked some great and fun questions, both about movie inspired fashion and his thoughts on Belle and Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Here are some excerpts from Elle.com:

Disney does tons of fashion collaborations...
I think they've earned it. Where would we be, as fashion people, without fantasy? We fuel our whole industry on it. And for most of us—definitely for me—Disney was one of the first places to give us images of fantasy. They run on dreams, and daydreams, don't they? So do we. 

If you lived in the Beast's castle, what household item would you be?
I would be a bed. Actually, I would be a duvet. I would be a nice cashmere blanket. I could be cozy and in bed all the time. And it could be cashmere from our collection so everyone would know it was me. 

You haven't done a cashmere blanket for this collection, but you did make a skirt out of blue rubber bows.
Because when you think of every Disney heroine—Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine—they're all wearing blue! It's a thing. "Disney Blue." So I wanted to capture that element, but then also, that's a piece from my archive. And I like that it looks like armor, even though it's made of bows, which I think is really quite sweet, because obviously, Belle is very guarded. She's got her walls up. 

She's all about roses, too, and those have thorns.
Exactly! And also, in Beauty and the Beast, the rose is kind of a symbol of judging people before you should, isn't it? The falling petals are kind of the countdown on his curse, and I always think it's so sad in the film because when you see the rose, you're reminded of how sad people can be with their judgments. It's a good reminder to give things a chance.

Nice to read some insightful thoughts! You can see more pieces, especially the casual items, from the collection HERE.