If I had to pick my favorite animated film of all time, I would probably end up going with Disney‘s Beauty And The Beast. It was not one I watched much as a kid. The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are where my Disney nostalgia attachments lie. However, when I was about fifteen or sixteen, I revisited the movie and took on a whole new appreciation for it, particularly considering that I learned so much about how musicals should operate.
The music by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman is lush and filled with character. It drives conflict and story in a way that makes its pace never let up. The film never sits back and spins its wheels in a redundant song, which is why the extended edition of the movie that came out including the song “Human Again” does not work as well.
Upon first hearing about Disney going back to this story in a live action adaptation, I was very nervous. The story has already gotten that in a very successful stage adaptation that ran on Broadway for over 5,400 performances. Despite the impressive art direction and a terrific ballad for the Beast called “If I Can’t Love Her” that closes the first act, the show never captured the magic in the film. Then, I had to take a step back and realize I cannot be too upset about this film happening. This is a story that has been told on screen countless times, from Jean Cocteau‘s beautiful 1946 version to Christophe Gans‘ version released in Europe this year, starring Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux. I cannot get picky. There will always be a new Beauty and the Beast.
Luckily, Disney announced today some news that made me much more interested in the new adaptation. Stephen Chbosky, writer and director of The Perks of Being a Wallflower (which if you have not seen, do it immediately), will be penning a new draft of the screenplay to be directed by Bill Condon. This is not Chbosky’s first dive into adapting a musical, having worked on the screenplay for Rent, which is not a good movie, but that was not his fault. He was able to structure that show in a way that made sense for the screen, and director Chris Columbus ruined it with every other choice.
I hope Disney allows Chbosky to insert his personality into the script at least a little. Based on Perks, he really understands the outsider’s perspective, which could shed some very interesting light on the Beast. The teenage angst he truthfully captures lends itself very well to this “tale as old as time” (yes, I feel bad for writing that). I am not getting my hopes up that the film will be great, but Disney has me very interested, which I have not been for a live action Disney movie in a long time.
Original report from Entertainment Wekly
