4 Stars for Beauty and the Beast

I saw Beauty and the Beast this afternoon. Disney has created an interesting interpretation of the fairy tale. I came out of the movie smiling and happy. There were some surprises, which is why I gave the movie only 4 stars instead of five.  Emma Watson (she played Belle aka Beauty) is portrayed as a handsome girl who is good and sweet and caring, but not your classic "beauty." One of the lessons the fairy tale tries to teach is that beauty is more than outward appearances. Hence, if you are looking for a gorgeous Beauty to sweep you off your feet, keep on looking as it's not there.  In addition, if you are looking for a story that takes place in a tiny provincial town in medieval France, you will be surprised that the inhabitants of that village are not French. The cast is a multicultural group with alternative lifestyles. Surprise, it's the 21st century so Disney had to modernize things.   Lastly, I did not realize the movie was a musical. There is some dialogue, but like Les Miserables, a lot of the dialogue is sung. It works...but it was a surprise to me.  The story is wonderful. The fancy dress French costumes are glorious. Beast is truly a beast and kind of scary. There are some classic  Disney-type scenes that take your breath away. The ending is as it should be. Along with creating a wonderful movie, Disney added an unneeded social statement to a fairy tale that already teaches a good lesson.