Beauty and the Beast is now the No. 1 movie in the world.
Photo courtesy of Disney Movies UK

The “tale as old as time” has come back to win over the hearts of millions, as the 1991 Disney classic Beauty and the Beast has hit movie theaters again.

On March 17th, Emma Watson appeared on movie screens around the world starring as the classic Disney princess, Belle. Watson takes an interesting twist on this classic tale by making Belle an inventor as part of an effort to continue for Belle to be seen as a princess who embodies the current feminist movement.

Watson stated,  “Well, there was never very much information or detail at the beginning of the story as to why Belle didn’t fit in, other than she liked books. So, we created a backstory for her, which was that she had invented a kind of washing machine, so that, instead of doing laundry, she could sit and use that time to read instead. So, yeah, we made Belle an inventor.”

Critics recognized Watson for her outstanding performance in the movie. Sandie Angulo Chen from Common Sense Media stated that, “Watson is an ideal Belle in this wonderful remake.”

The movie itself was praised, as A.O. Scott from The New York Times explains, “It looks good, moves gracefully and leaves a clean and invigorating aftertaste. I almost didn’t recognize the flavor: I think the name for it is joy.”

Beauty and the Beast has made 690.3 million dollars worldwide, making the Bill Condon-directed live-action film the No. 1 movie in 2017 to date.

Take a trip down memory lane to your childhood, as Beauty and the Beast is a must-see movie that will bring you joy and happiness. Who knows, you might even remember the words to a song or two.

By Emily Koehne’18, Assistant Editor-in-Chief