Beauty and the Beast Live Action Movie Review

Beauty and the Beast Movie

Enchanted Rose at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2017

The live action version of Disney's Beauty and the Beast was released this week and I was able to head to the movie theater on the first morning of its premiere to see the full film! I was so excited for this film to be released, being a 90's kid, Beauty and the Beast is one of the "Big 4" of films from my childhood - The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King! These were all released around each other in consecutive years and I was at a prime age for the films when they came out.

When I found out Disney was remaking Beauty and the Beast into a live action version, I knew it would be a great translation from animated film to live action because of all of the cinematic elements of the story and rich character stories. The classic story has grown on me as I've gotten older, and I've enjoyed the Beauty and the Beast entertainment at Walt Disney World, with the stage show at Hollywood Studios and Be Our Guest restaurant at Magic Kingdom.

Beauty and the Beast stage show at Hollywood Studios, Photo Courtesy Disney Parks, Gene Duncan, photographer

I will try not give away TOO much about what has been added into the movie, but please note there may be a few spoilers below. Although if you've seen the animated version and are familiar with the story, you can be sure that you'll recognize the framework for the story in the live action version!

Stand Out Parts in the Movie

The live action Beauty and the Beast had a few stand out moments for me that I thought really set the tone!

- When Belle sees the library for the first time. This scene was fantastic and you really get a sense of this wonderful connection Belle is going to have to the castle and contents inside. When it is found out that the Beast not only likes to read but knows many of the stories well it gives the audience an instant sense of the connection building between the two.

The library does look quite magnificent! Photo Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios

- Be Our Guest dining scene, this is such a fun scene! They did a tremendous job at carrying this over into the live action version and it felt very magical! We will leave it at that to not spoil any of the fun!

- Learning more about the backstories of both Belle's mother and the Beast's mother. This is a really pivotal plot line that was mainly left out of the animated version, but I felt like it added so much to the movie it really was important that this part of their stories be told.

- Belle and Beast's first dance, this is where you see their love story start to blossom.

Photo Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios

Enriched Character Stories

One of my favorite parts of the live action version of Beauty and the Beast, were the enriched character stories within the movie! Every character, from Belle to the enchanted objects around the castle, is introduced and brought into the story with more depth than the animated version. I really liked how they brought more of the story of Belle's mother and Beast's mother into the story, and I felt like it showed how the two had a unique connection.

We learn a lot more about the enchanted objects in the live action series compared to the animated version, their personalities seem fuller and more vibrant. The special effects of bringing them to life blended seamlessly with the actors.

The enchanted objects all have vibrant personalities! Photo Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios

I also loved how fearless Belle appeared in the movie, Emma Watson made the character very strong yet still distinctly feminine. I felt like Belle was more involved in the final fight scene between Gaston and the Beast, and it suited the movie that she was intertwined with that scene more. Luke Evans who played Gaston, truly personified the childhood image of Gaston from the 1990's animated version - it was like looking at the animated Gaston that had jumped onto the screen. Overall the entire cast was extremely solid and I was completed immersed in the story while watching.

She's just not that into you. Photo Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios

Would I take the kids to see Beauty and the Beast in the theater?

So you'll probably noticed by now in my recap it was a lot of "me" and "I"... not "we". I did go see the movie in the theater while my husband was at work and while the girls were at school. The timing hadn't worked out for our babysitter to be available on a weekend for my husband and I to go see the film - and the girls' haven't yet seen a live action film in the theater, so I wasn't sure how they would do as far as sitting through it.

The biggest issue with my girls and movies is they do get scared easily during intense parts. I knew from the animated version that there would be some tense parts with the wolves and also at the end final fight scene. After seeing the movie, I do think the few scenes with the wolves would be our toughest moments with the girls, but I feel like they would be capable of sitting through them.

The movie is quick moving and I feel like would hold the girls' attention well. Their ages are 5 and 6 currently, and Beauty and the Beast is a story that they are well acquainted with, so I am going to try to fit going to the movie theater on the weekend into our schedule if we can find a time that isn't sold out! If you have a child that loves Princess Belle, this movie is sure to capture their attention!

She really is a lovely girl. Photo Courtesy: Walt Disney Studios

I felt the content in the movie was appropriate for kids of all ages to watch with their parents, especially those ages 5 and up - I think that children will especially enjoy the added elements of "magic" during the Be Our Guest scene. The story line remains true to the story of our childhood, so if you are familiar with the animated 1990's version, the live action story will seem familiar to you with a bit more character detail added.

I hope you found my review helpful and I think that any Beauty and the Beast fan will love to see the movie in the theater! The sweeping scenes across the countryside and views inside the castle were certainly extraordinary on the big screen for sure!

Be sure to check out our Beauty and the Beast movie viewing party of the animated version at home, in anticipation of the live action release! And if we do find a time to go to the theater with the girls, I'll be sure to follow-up on their reaction!

** This is not a sponsored post. I was able to screen portions of Beauty and the Beast at Disney Social Media Moms Celebration 2017. All opinions are my own.

How Being Successful in Social Media, Can Make You Feel Like a Failure

A Success = Failure?

I use the term "successful" loosely here, because everyone's definition of success is different. For some, it may be in terms of views, for others it may the monthly amount of revenue your social media outlets are bringing, and ultimately - for those that have it figured out, perhaps it is just the amount of joy it is bringing you. However you define your terms of success as a social media influencer, digital publisher, YouTuber, blogger, or whatever terms you prefer to call yourself, I've found the more goals that I achieve or higher amounts of "success" that I achieve, the more it can make you feel like a failure.

With each climb upwards, it makes you wonder how you possibly sustain that? Where do you go from there?

Pondering where you even go from here?

Don't Compare

Very early on in your YouTube career, you learn not to compare yourself to others. Our numbers are very "out in the open", on each video, channel page, and easily searched on Social Blade. There are numbers everywhere you turn. There will always be someone that is "bigger" than you, growing faster, or that grows overnight. Your channel and your social media outlets are on their own trajectory.

Up to this point, I have stuck with letting my social media outlets grow organically. Relying on the YouTube algorithm and search function to help people find my videos, and using additional social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, to stay engaged with my audience and remind them when my videos are posted. Along the way, you realize that it is extremely easy to get "caught up in the numbers" of it all and it can consume you, for some this is too overwhelming and they decide that working in social media is not for them, for others you persevere and keep moving forwards only looking at your own gains and losses for comparison sake... Comparison is still comparison though, even if it is with yourself.

When you lose comparing against yourself

Comparison can still be a thief of joy, even if it is just comparing against yourself. I'm coming off of one of my biggest months in recent months. January can be a down time for many publishers, but for me - it tends to be a higher viewed month with my Christmas videos being highly searched out. Add to that a few additional videos that drove views even higher during January 2017, a Disney World and Disney Cruise reveal video that added over 65,000 views, and a few videos that were done to test the algorithm (which worked, by the way - more on that in a future post) - including a wrapping prank video that brought in a higher than average 15,000 views. It added up to be one of my best Januarys yet, with 745,000+ videos on Being Mommy with Style and over 1.1 million views on all of my channels... A significant percent higher than my average monthly views of 500,000 on Being Mommy with Style and 700,000-800,000 views overall across all channels.

...Yet, come the end of February, I will feel like a failure.

I will feel like a failure, because I know February's numbers will not match January's. Due to either circumstances of Christmas searches starting to drop off, that I was traveling for part of the month so my channel had to be on "auto-pilot" for that time with scheduled videos with limited intervention from me, or the fact that February only has 28 days - February's numbers will undoubtedly not match nor top January's numbers. And then you feel set up to try to "chase" the higher numbers of the previous month, which really - that's not what I started all of this and it doesn't have to be about.

Christmas videos are some of my most highly searched videos in January!

When these thoughts start to creep in and I start to have self-doubt about what this is all about, why I'm doing this, and whether I'm really achieving anything at all, I have to remind myself that I started this to help people, to build that connection. And whether it is 5 people or 100 people, if I can bring some brightness to their day, help them in some way, or entertain them while they are stuck in the house with sick children or nursing their baby in the middle of the night, then that makes it all worth it.

So I would implore you, if you're feeling this way... you feel yourself starting to feel like you've failed even after you've met goals you've set for yourself, consider how far you've come. Consider the positive impact that we are making to help people make informed purchasing decisions, deciding where to vacation, or giving them a bit of company when they need it... We can bring positivity into the world through social media and THAT is what I want my ultimate goal to be. Not to meet last month's numbers, but to bring joy to people however I can.

If we focus on that joy, and let our social media outlets continue to be organic and authentic, then really we are all successful. In the true sense of the word.

** This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.