B
eauty and the Beast is the next Disney movie scheduled to be brought from its animated world into a live action movie. Cinderella, which came out in March, was met with much hype and ecstatic fans. After seeing the movie, I was not a fan, so hearing that B&B was next did not excite me. While Ewan McGregor and Stanley Tucci have been added to the star-studded cast, I’m still wary of Disney’s decision.
I will be the first to admit that half of the reason I went to see Cinderella in the movie theater was for the “Frozen Fever” sketch in the previews. The classic animated story, while one that took up space on my VHS shelf as a child, was not one of my favorites. Not for any particular reason other than it never seemed to appeal to me, and the song during the waltz scene was creepy. They weren’t even singing.
For the live action movie, I was excited. The next generation for children has arrived, meaning more Disney movies for me to watch. And to the movie’s credit, the cinematography and costuming were beautiful. And the decision to reduce the musical numbers was one I could get on board with. But the storyline, well, it bored me.
The movie was a remake, plain and simple. The only things that really changed was that (spoilers) the king is sick and Cinderella and the Prince actually meet before the ball. But that was it. Still love without conversation. It’s the 21st century — the least Disney can do is have them go on a few dates before wedding bells start. They did try to make it work by giving the Prince a deadline to find Cinderella, but it wasn’t enough.
So now there’s Beauty and the Beast.  Scheduled to be released in March 2017, the film is beginning to develop what looks like a stellar cast. Emma Watson, Ian McKellan, Emma Thompson, Kevin Klein among others are slotted for top roles in the film. The likelihood of song seems a bit more likely with B&B, as several of the actors have appeared in musical movies or stage productions.       
But the description on IMDb reads, “In exchange for her father’s freedom, a young woman agrees to live with a monstrous beast in his castle, and she may hold the key to his salvation.” Not promising in terms of a revamp.
I think telling the classic Disney tales is a wonderful idea, but by simply retelling the exact same story while only changing the cast list and the filming process, the end product feels lazy. Not everything has to be changed, but give it a new element, something we’ve never seen before as a fairytale loving audience. A plot twist, a new character trait, something to update the films for the time we live in now, not what audiences and society expected to see in the ’80s.
Will I see the movie? Very likely, if only to support the actors I adore. But I wish that there was more to look forward to than that. I’m not saying B&B will follow in the footsteps of Cinderella, and for this Disney-loving fan, I hope it doesn’t.
Jennifer Reiley is a communication senior and assistant managing editor for The Battalion.