Review - Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and last night I got the chance to watch Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration on ABC. As of this morning, it is available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu, so if you missed out last night, definitely give it a watch on either of those two platforms. 

       So, obviously, this marks the second time Disney has done a live-action/animation special of one of their classics, as 2019 saw them do the same with The Little Mermaid, and of course I had my thoughts on that, you can check out my review of it from back in November 2019 for my opinion there. As far as this Beauty and the Beast one goes, it's a definite improvement over the one for The Little Mermaid back in 2019. For example, we see a more seamless back-and-forth between the live musical/dance segments and the original animated film. On top of that, we get far more of the live musical/dance moments here than we did for The Little Mermaid. 

       Okay, so what about the performances? Well, let's start off with Belle. R&B musician H.E.R. was excellent as Belle, and I'm not just saying that because she hails from my hometown of Vallejo, CA. She was just a joy to watch throughout the special, and she definitely has some genuine singing and acting chops. Plus, I loved when she brought out the electric guitar at the end during a rendition of the title song. Josh Groban, likewise, was excellent as the Beast. And, okay, yeah the look of the Beast costume was a bit silly and over-the-top, but it works better than a fur suit. Just saying, it could have been worse. 

       I also thoroughly enjoyed the trio of David Alan Grier, Martin Short, and Shania Twain as Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts. Also, I appreciated the tribute to the late Angela Lansbury at the end of Shania's rendition of the title song "Beauty and the Beast." Jon Jon Briones was a delight as Maurice, and definitely got a lot of the mannerisms from the animated version down perfectly. 

         One thing I also enjoyed was that the special had exclusive behind the scenes segments from the original animated film, including VO sessions with the actors, early animatics, and so on. Disney genuinely sought to make this a celebration of thirty years of Beauty and the Beast, and they definitely succeeded. All in all, I definitely enjoyed this special, and highly suggest checking it out on Disney+ and on Hulu. 

      Alrighty, guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys tomorrow for my next 12 Reviews of Christmas review: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review - The Thundermans Return (2024)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Last night, I watched the new movie The Thundermans Return on Nickelodeon, and I have a few thoughts on it. For those who don't know what The Thundermans was, it was a Nickelodeon sitcom that ran from 2013 through 2018, and focused on a family of superheroes known as, well, the Thundermans. The show was okay, at least the episodes I happened to catch when it was on, but after seeing a lot of the advertising for this movie, I was genuinely tempted to check it out. So, here's my review of the new Nickelodeon movie The Thundermans Return.           So, the movie starts off with the Thunderman family, who since the end of the series have moved to the city of Metroburg, and are fighting crime as the superhero team the T-Force. And, something worth noting is that the family has aged in real time, so we see that Phoebe and Max are now adults, Nora and Billy are high schoolers, and Chloe is a middle schooler. Unfortunately, after a mission gone awry due to
Read more

Review - Ocean's Eleven (2001)

       Hey guys, Chuck here. Back in the 1960's, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and the rest of the Rat Pack teamed up and made a movie called Ocean's 11 , which told the story of a military veteran named Danny Ocean, who teams up with his fellow squad members to rob a number of casinos in Las Vegas. It was definitely a product of the time, and is actually a really fun movie. Seeing Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and the Rat Pack on screen together is just genuinely fun.        In 2001, producer Jerry Weintraub and director Steven Soderbergh would bring together a fantastic cast to tell a more modern version of the Rat Pack classic, and that's the movie we're talking about today. This is my review of the 2001 Steven Soderbergh film Ocean's Eleven starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, and Julia Roberts, along with the likes of Bernie Mac, Don Cheadle, Eddie Jemison, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, and
Read more

Review - Night at the Museum (2006-2014)

          Hey guys, Chuck here, and after reviewing Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon, I needed something of a pallette cleanser. And, thus, I'm taking a look at the Night at the Museum trilogy, directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ben Stiller, Rami Malek, Mizuo Peck, Ricky Gervais, Patrick Gallagher, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan, and Robin Williams, with additional cast members throughout the series including the likes of Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, Carla Gugino, Bill Cobbs, Charlie Murphy, Jake Cherry, Amy Adams, Bill Hader, Hank Azaria, Jon Bernthal, Christopher Guest, the Jonas Brothers, Dan Stevens, Skyler Gisondo, Rebel Wilson, and Ben Kingsley.          So, the first Night at the Museum was released in 2006, and focuses on struggling entrepreneur Larry Daley, who ends up getting a job as the new overnight security guard at the Museum of Natural History, taking over for the older guards Cecil, Reginald, and Gus. Larry also befriends one of the daytime staff, Rebecca, and has a few r
Read more