Let me start by saying that yes - there are a million things related to the election we could talk about. But my last three posts have been about the election, and this isn't a political blog. Gotta talk about other things from time to time.
And what better thing to talk about than a video that had me in tears yesterday?
In case you've been living under a Disney rock, Beauty and the Beast has been re-made into a live action movie with Emma Watson perfectly cast as Belle.
Belle is, as many of you know, my favorite Disney princess by about a thousand miles. This is my favorite Disney movie of all time. I had a reeeeeeeeally high bar for what the new version should look like, and I wasn't disappointed. Not even a little bit.
My original idea for this post was to do a shot-for-shot comparison of the trailer to the old animated movie, but upon logging into Facebook this morning, I discovered that my friends over at moviepilot.com (we're not friends, I'm just trying to sound cool) had already done that. So here's a tip of my hat to their fine work that I am about to steal and comment on.
First, the trailer by itself:
RIGHT? RIGHT?? DID YOU DIE????
Okay I know. It's so good. Everything is perfect. But follow me, nerds, as we take it a step further. The video below will take you through the entire new trailer shot-for-shot with the original movie.
EVEN BETTER, RIGHT??
Proof that the Internet can still be a wonder place.
Let's talk some stills for a moment, shall we?
In the new movie, it looks like Maurice gets locked up for picking a rose from the Beast's rosebushes. Great casting here, as this guy 100% looks like he'd wander onto an abandoned, spooky ass property and start messing around with things.
AMAZING. There's something about seeing these things in live-action that gives the the movie new life. Sure, it's easy to imagine talking furniture and appliances when it's animated, much like it's easy to imagine talking animals or talking toys. But when Lumiere and Cogsworth really look like a candlestick and a clock, then they start TALKING?? Enchantment is the only word. I just gave myself goosebumps. I am SO EXCITED.
Along those same lines, MRS. POTTS, YOU GUYS. How perfect is that?? They even nailed the frilly edge along the top of the pot! I can't!!
Sidebar, I also love that it sounds like they're taking a lot of the original movie verbatim into the new one. It's every 90's girl's dream.
Nailed it.
Okay but really, NAILED IT. How can a human being capture the exact expression of an animated character? How? Tell me. All I know is he did.
Now for the ones that choked your girl up.
WHO didn't love this scene in the original?? This is basically every nerdy girl's dream situation. It's the most spectacular. Emma Watson gets all the good parts. Also, in the same way we miss the true magic of talking furniture, we forget that the Beast actually has straight-up horns growing out of his head until we see them on a real life version.
But seriously, the grandeur of the castle, the kind of dusty-light-through-the-windows...everything about this new movie seems pitch-perfect.
Me when this part of the trailer came on:
I'm just overwhelmed and SO excited that it looks like they've gotten it so right. Every choice they made in terms of casting, costuming, set design - it's all transporting us to a real-life version of this world we all wish actually existed. This is the epitome of Disney magic.
WHY MUST WE WAIT UNTIL MARCH?!
What do you think?? Do you love it or do you love it?
(If you don't love it you gotta go somewhere else).
I knew it. You loved it.