Billion Dollar Slapdash
The animated Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney's great achievements. It marks a new standard in animation, and serves the original story by showcasing complex yet vibrant characters that come to life within a clear plot that takes the best elements from its inspiration. This remake was rushed off of the assembly line to meet a release date.
The CGI looked like garbage. Disney apparently outsourced this project to some Indian teenagers in a tiger cage. The character designs were all wrong (except for Chip, who appeared mostly intact), and the animation cut some sharp corners in the mattes. scenery extensions and especially the Beast. Keeping him in a ratty cloak enshrouded in shadow sure saved some pennies at the rendering farm.
The audio flat-out sucked. From the inane telegraphed dialogue to the poorly sung songs to the perfunctory score. Which brings up the casting.
Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Kevin Kline - all the trained actors brought their best efforts. The role of a live action Belle is difficult to cast - a delicate balance between a known actress and actual objective talent. Emma Watson tilts more toward the former. She and Daisy Ridley are neck and neck in the bland middle class British actress race. Get someone who can sing, how about that? Emmy Rossum or an unknown trained singer/actress would have killed it. Dan Stevens in that dandy fop makeup is another issue entirely. A younger Kevin Kline would have made it work along with the physical performance..
This lazy attempt casts a foreboding shadow on the rest of Disney's upcoming remake series. They'll shuffle towards billions.