Beauty and the Beast (2017) Reflection

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The 2017 version of the Beauty and the Beast is most definitely both new and improved. First of all, any movie with Emma Watson in it is going to be a great movie. I think that she played the role of Belle beautifully. She was a perfect fit to be the lead of this movie for many reason. Disney has been working very diligently to bring light to its name. Many people have been bashing on Disney over the years for portraying negative feminine stereotypes, as well as many other things. I know that Disney made a conscious effort to improve many of the flaws in the original Beauty and the Beast. By choosing Emma Watson they were choosing a woman that is known for standing for women’s rights. Emma is a feminist and has spoken out several times about the importance of equal rights as well as the importance of education for girls. Disney did not choose her to be their lead on accident. 
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Emma gave Belle a bigger personality than she had in the original film. She is much more independent and stronger in her opinions. In this film Belle rejected the Beast’s demand to have dinner with her and she never backed down from him. Also in this film Belle was very creative and possessed skills other than singing and reading. She invented her own way to do her laundry. In this film we were able to see more characteristics about Belle be played out. She taught a young girl how to read which I couldn’t help but think that this is what Emma Watson would be doing in her everyday life. Another scene from this film that stood out to me was when the dresser said “Oh what a beautiful princess,” and Belle responded with an almost disgusted look and said “I’m not a princess.” I found this rather funny because indeed she is a Disney princess but in her actual life she was not a princess and did not take complement to being called one. I have always admired Emma Watson, so her role in this film is what drew most of my attention. 
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I believe Disney made a conscience effort to change other things as well. They talked a lot more about Belle’s mother and what happened to her rather than completely ignoring her. They explained in much greater detail the story behind the spell and also why the Beast is so cold and harsh. This was important because it allows Belle, and the viewers, to understand the Beast and feel compassion for him.
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 Another thing that really stood out to me was that once the objects changed back into humans many of the couples that had been together were interracial couples. I feel as though it is important to portray these images to young children because interracial couples are so common today and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them at all. Love is love and I think Disney is being much more conscious of portraying all of the different forms of love that exist in our society today. They even showed LeFou dancing with another man at the end of the movie. 

I think this was such a great film and I would be very interested to see what more of the original Disney movies would look like if they were made over again.







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