Film Preview: Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Page Revisions:

(May 29, 2016) Original
(November 20, 2016) New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#1 & #2)
(February 5, 2017) New Trailer (#3) / New Posters (#3-#27)
(March 12, 2017) New Posters (#28-#31)

Release Date:

March 17, 2017

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “An adaptation of the classic fairy-tale about a monstrous prince and a young woman who fall in love.”

Poster Rating: B+ / B / B+ / C+ / B / B (12) / A- / C+ / B- (8) / B / C- / B (2)

SEE ALL POSTERS BELOW
Review: (#1) If you are at all a fan of the original film, this poster will touch on your emotions effectively and efficiently. (#2) This won’t be as pointedly touching as the prior poster design, but it has just enough memory-inducing elements to work well.

(#3) While these elements have been used in other poster designs, it’s a satisfying combination that sells the movie in a visually pleasing manner. (#4) The iconic scene from the original movie will mean a lot to fans of that film, but it won’t make for a more than adequate design. (#5) Fewer details than the third design, this poster creates a more Gothic appeal to the film, which creates just the right atmosphere.

(#6-#17) These character posters have a nice accent border, but use almost identical backgrounds, which makes them seem a bit too similar. It’s nice to have some variance in character posters, even when they need to be visually associated. (#18) This icy design has rich detail and creates a gorgeous, appealing image that’s difficult to look away from. (#19) Most of the characters are here, but the overall tone and color saturation isn’t very appealing and feels out of place, especially in blending scenes and elements together.

(#20-#27) These character posters are largely set in the same location. While the background shifts around the room, to give them each distinctive elements, they just don’t have the right degree of appeal.

(#28) Not the best of the Beauty and the Beast posters so far released, but it has a lot of detailed elements that will keep the viewer interested long enough to be of merit. (#29) While the imagery isn’t particularly excessive, the entire design feels chaotic and overstuffed. (#30-#31) These two character posters are the English-language versions of the previously released character designs.

Trailer Rating: B+ / B+ / A

SEE ALL TRAILERS BELOW
Review: (#1) Anyone who’s a fan of the original movie will certainly fill with emotion at the first strains of the opening music. The sumptuous detail of the castle gives one hope, but there just isn’t enough to be able to verify that it’s going to live up to the original.

(#2) After the images in Entertainment Weekly, I was beginning to suspect that the film might not look nearly as great as I had hoped. This trailer alleviates those concerns quite well, but the failure to present any of the actual music is a bit concerning.

(#3) I’m not 100% sold on this new duet version of the title song, but the accompaniment and visual splendor on display in the trailer is tantalizing, making any fan of the original excited to see what the end result will be.

Oscar Prospects:

The original animated feature was a major Oscar nominee, the first animated feature ever nominated for Best Picture. I doubt this one can accomplish that, but it’s sure to be in play for several design nominations.