Beauty and The Beast
In 2016, Walter Elias Disney on the 50th anniversary of his passing but Disney continuing legacy.
The live-action film of the classic animated, Beauty and the Beast was the most popular film of
2017. Emma Watson, best known for her role as Hermione in Harry Potter, plays Belle, while Dan
Stevens, the British actor who first came to prominence in the TV series Downton Abbey, plays the
Beast. Belle who always staying true to herself, and the Beast, who has lost sight of his true self.
The heart-to-heart exchange between Belle and the Beast delivered an inspirational messages of hope
and encouragement, 'Believe in your own irreplaceable brilliance'. The first trailer for the
live-action version of Beauty and the Beast has been viewed more than 120 million times in the first
day, setting a new record for the 'most viewed trailer in the world in 24 hours'. In Japan, the film
grossed 12.4 billion yen, making it the No.1 box office hit of 2017. It was also the worldwide 13th
highest grossing box office film of all time.
The Original Version of Beauty and the Beast?
The Disney animated film is based on the classic French folk tale Beauty and the Beast. It was the
first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and won two Oscars (Best
Original Score and Best Song). It was also the first animated film to gross over $100 million at the
box office and the first Disney animated film to be adapted into a Broadway musical.
The Tale of Beauty and the Beast
A young and handsome Prince (Stevens) and his servants live in a majestic castle deep in the forest.
One day, during a storm, an old beggar woman came to the castle and pleaded for shelter, with a
single red rose as a return. However, the capricious and arrogant Prince unceremoniously sends her
away, unaware that the old woman is an Enchantress. As punishment for his cold heart and cruelty,
the Enchantress casts a ghastly curse on the castle, turning servants into anthropomorphic household
objects and transforms the Prince into a terrifying beast. In order to lift the curse, the Prince
must learn to love and earn other's love before the last rose petals fall.
A few years later, in the small country village of Villeneuve, Belle (Emma), a beautiful and
intelligent girl, lives with her father Maurice (Klein). Belle's intelligence and free-thinking
attitude due to her love of books doesn't fit in with her fellow villagers and has labeled as an
outcast. Belle aspires for a life of adventure in the great, wide somewhere. Gaston (Evans), the
most handsome and egotistical man in the village, pesters Belle to marry him, but she firmly
refuses.
One day, Maurice gets lost in the forest and wanders into the Beast's castle. He is imprisoned in
the castle as an intruder. Belle comes to the castle in search of her missing father. She is shocked
by the Beast's visage, but still decides to stay in the castle with the Beast forever for exchanging
her father's freedom. The servants of the castle, who have been turned into household objects, count
on Belle to break the curse, although the Prince has already accepted his fate as a beast forever.
He fell into despair, believing that there is no one who will love him for his terrifying look and
horrible self. However, an unexpected encounter with the beautiful heart of Belle brings about an
unexpected change in the beast, who is on the verge of losing his humanity...
