With less than a month before its official release, people are already trying to decide whether or not the live-action Beauty and the Beast will be the latest remake to cause frustrated tears over “ruined childhoods.” While the cast is uniformly excellent, Belle’s iconic ballgown could be more beautifully ornate and the persistent specter of Stockholm Syndrome looms despite Emma Watson‘s protests, the jury is still out on this latest fairy tale update. However, we got perhaps our best look at what to expect with this new clip from Disney, which gives us a glimpse of Belle’s introduction and a tour through her “poor, provincial town.”
We did get a small sample of Emma Watson’s signing voice in a previous trailer, but this scene gives us the clearest example of what her pipes can do. As soon as the back and forth of “bonjour!” starts to play, one can’t help but get a little nostalgic about the 1991 cartoon’s classic soundtrack. It’s hard to get a read on whether or not Belle will come off as an aloof weirdo or simply a woman trying to be herself in a stifling society, but this minute-long clip will probably encourage most fans that the film will fall into line with the original. Now, if we could just get a better look at Luke Evans’ Gaston (easily the highlight in the trailer), we might be a little more content with letting the baker go with his tray like always.
