La Belle et la Bête (2014)
Characters
Belle: We liked her for the first 2/3rds of the movie. She had attitude and personality but then her character did a 180 once the Beast tried to actually molest her. Her character mainly fails because this film tried to combine the Cocteau and Disney version and they DO NOT mesh at all. Also, the last third took away her character arc.
Beast: Honestly, the main reason this movie is in last place is because this is the only version where the Beast is a rapey murderer. Say what you will about the rest of the versions or the original fairy tale but at least Beast isn't a would-be rapist killer in them. This is the worst version of the Beast by a mile and a half. He is not kind and he doesn't even get a redeeming character arc. So he stays the same bastard he was from the get go.
Minor characters: Belle's father is better than in the fairy tale and we liked him. The villain is pointless and useless and we wondered the whole time why is he there. Belle's sisters are barely there and instead they gave more time to the Beast's dead wife and even that didn't go anywhere.
Story
So, so convoluted. There was a possibility that it could've worked if they had simplified it and given more time to the characters. The idea that the Beast only demanded that the father come back and pay for his crime and never asked for a wife, was actually an improvement to the story. And they even gave a meaning for the roses, since they were the Beast's dead wife. But these are really the only things that we thought were improvements. Otherwise, this film and its characters suffer greatly from the fact that the filmmakers tried to merge two diametrically opposed versions of this story (ie. The Disney animation and the Cocteau film). This is the only version where one could possibly make a connection to the whole "Stockholm syndrome" theory. So, thank you film, for encouraging the internet commentators.
Misc./Technical aspects
This film looks AMAZING. We mean fucking gorgeous. The colours, the sets, the outfits, everything looks SO good. This is what the Disney remake should have looked like. The score as well manages to be better than the Disney remake's. Hell, even the Beast looks less fake than in the Disney live action. Truly, if it wasn't for the rapey Beast, we would actually like this more than the Disney remake.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Characters
Belle: All of her personality has been erased. She is the unfortunate victim of what we like to call "shallow feminism", aka "corporate feminism". Much like Rey in Star Wars, she doesn't really have any faults and doesn't make mistakes and most importantly is barely given any leeway to show negative emotions. Which also gives her no character arc. The only thing that they could've improved from the animation was to give Belle a character arc but instead they even took away her utilitarian purpose in the remake. She's a blank slate and we don't think that any actor would've been able to improve this level of writing.
Beast: This Beast should really thank the French remake on its knees. Because otherwise he would be our most detested version of this character. He also stays largely the same unpleasant person he was in the beginning. There is no character arc. This version didn't seem to understand that the Beast had already changed in the animation when Belle came to the castle. And who wouldn't fall for a guy who after hearing your love for tragic romance basically goes "you ignorant peasant girl, I'LL show you better literature than that drivel". This Beast is a condescending jerk and also thinks far too highly of himself. No.
Minor characters: Since the writers took away Gaston's character arc he might as well be a minor character. Instead of having Beast's and Gaston's arcs intact, they took 'em away and gave character arcs to two minor characters, Le Fou and Maurice, which bring absolutely nothing to the story. Funnily enough, though the film focuses much more on the servants than in the animation they are far less interesting or fun than they were in the animation.
Story
There's a way better film critic than us who has done a deep analysis of this film, so we'd advise you to watch her criticism instead of reading our drivel. We pretty much 100% agree with her, we just don't hate this film, since we had such fun time watching it in the cinema. We'd say it's an enjoyable bad movie. One thing we have to say though that we absolutely did hate about this film was the horrible class reductionism and "upping the ante". Holy shit, even the French remake was more true to the French revolutionary and equality principles than this movie, since the prince gave up his crown and became a farmer in the end, for god's sake! And the Disney animation never ever blamed the fucking servants for the deeds of their master. That kind of victim-blaming is class reductionist as fuck. Also, this movie lets both the Beast and the villagers off the hook, since the Beast doesn't really learn anything and the villagers were just enchanted. And was the destruction of the castle and the servants dying really necessary for the story, since it was supposed to be about the two main characters which the movie ultimately didn't actually focus on? Taking away the parallel character arcs of Beast and Gaston made the story completely hollow so they had to stuff it with pointless shit that didn't lead anywhere. Belle doesn't save the Beast on her own once, Gaston dies not because of his own greed and jealousy but because the castle kills him and Beast doesn't change drastically. And let's not forget the crowning achievement of this movie - Belle's hairpin of empowerment. It's not Belle who gets out of the predicament she and her dad are, but she sure gave him the hairpin that does the trick. Also, this movie is at least 10 - 15 minutes too long.
Misc/Technical elements
Like every movie nowadays it looks dark and colourless. So many frames are ridiculously cluttered and aren't given space to breathe. Also, we greatly dislike the overuse of CGI which gives the film a mechanical and cold look. The music is barely there as well and the new songs are entirely forgettable. The autotune is pretty cringey and the only people who sound good in the movie are Luke Evans and Josh Gad (who were our favourite part of the film, even if Evans' character wasn't Gaston). All in all, a completely superfluous version that was never needed in the first place.
La Belle et la Bête (1946)
Characters
Belle: The only Belle with a character arc. Which is what she had in the original story - she has to see beyond Beast's hideous form to his kind heart. She's a pretty great character and her character design is sublime. She is humble and kind like in the original story but also quite blunt and pays too much attention to people's outward appearance.
Beast: He is almost exactly like he is in the fairy tale. Kind and long-suffering, but a tad passive aggressive (which you can't get rid of if you want to make a faithful version of the story). He also tries to reign in his beastly nature and live more like a human being.
Minor characters: Belle's father is again improved from the fairy tale and her sisters are deliciously bitchy and vain.
Story
Completely metaphorical storytelling. The surreal images that are given and Belle's entrance to the Beast's castle can be interpreted as a metaphor for the sexual awakening of a young woman. Avenant, Belle's rival suitor, being the Beast is one of the strongest aspects of this reading. The music, the sets and images all support a more metaphorical interpretation. The humble Belle asking only for a rose is in contrast to her sisters asking expensive jewels and clothing. The dream sequences and the mystical air in the Beast's castle add to the surreal feeling of the film. If one watches this movie as a straightforward story with a simple lesson one will lose a lot of meaning and nuance in the film.
Misc./Technical aspects
Just like the French remake, the film looks gorgeous. The shadows and shades of black and white are especially something that modern films can't seem to be able to replicate. Beautiful sets, outfits and convincing make-up that has kept the focus on the Beast's eyes (the window to his human soul) look particularly great.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Characters
Belle: Although she is not the best Belle, she is our favourite. She's sarcastic, a little rude and a contrarian. And unlike the remake, while here she doesn't have a character arc, she does have a utilitarian purpose not only saving her dad but the Beast as well (at least twice, three times if you count the confession). And this Belle at the very least shows some negative emotions like grief, anger and sadness and is allowed to cry over losing her father and freedom. These are some basic human emotions that make characters way more relatable, at least for us.
Beast: This is the best Beast and by far our favourite. His arc is basically Mr. Darcy's, except for the fact that the Beast loathes himself and that makes him act incredibly aggressive and assholish. But the drastic change in his behaviour after the 1/3rd of the movie is pretty similar to Mr.Darcy's. The arc is given to the Beast in this movie and it is a great redemption arc of regaining one's humanity.
Gaston: One of the best villains not just in Disney canon but overall. The parallel to the Beast and his character arc is gradually descending into a possessive murderer. Where the Beast lets Belle go and refuses to kill Gaston, Gaston becomes more and more possessive of Belle and is ready to murder somebody to own her. Gaston is self-obsessed, vain and greedy and constantly tries to invade Belle's personal space. They've also cleverly made him into a more handsome fellow so one might not instantly think he is a villain.
Minor characters: Maurice is endearing and we love all the servants - they are fun and heartfelt.
Story
Simple yet there's more than meets the eye. The parallel character arcs for Beast and Gaston work great and they've actually tried to built a relationship between Belle and the Beast. Belle is given some agency since she gives her word to the Beast to live in the castle and only breaks it when he really scares her. Clearly her promise means something to her and not to anybody else. Belle's actions and decisions are meaningful and make a difference in the story. The villagers turning into a mob is based on real psychological reality, which we find hilarious that an animated kids film can be more realistic to real life than the actual movie with live actors. The story is short, yes, but everything in it is utilised to its absolute maximum. Also, why we always thought the servants were changed into objects was because the prince saw them as such and they were also changed as a punishment for the Beast, so that he would blame himself and that it would all be his fault. It's called metaphorical storytelling and unfortunately is largely lost in modern filmmaking. The Disney version is not the most faithful adaptation of this story, but it is definitely the one we love the most.
Misc./Technical aspects
Everything's perfect. The music, the colours, the designs, we love everything and it all looks so wonderful. We especially appreciate that the focus on the Beast's eyes (again, window to his humanity) was taken from the Cocteau version - it really makes him a distinct character that can speak without saying a word. Also the fact that only Belle and the Beast wore blue in the movie was a nice bit of colour symbolism. Both of these elements (the eyes and colour) were sorely missing in the remake and made it a duller movie visually as well. This is the best thing Disney has ever done and we doubt they can ever do better.
