This morning, Disney dropped a teaser trailer for “Beauty and the Beast.” The live action adaption of this Disney classic has become one of my most anticipated films in recent memory.

Why? Well, “Beauty and the Beast” is the film of my childhood. As someone who was raised on Disney, “Beauty and the Beast” was so well-appreciated in my family that it was considered the crown jewel in a magnificent collection of films. It has everything: beautiful music, stunning visuals, and a heartwarming story.

Now, fast forward to 2016: I only appreciate the material more as I recognize the more complex musical themes and storytelling techniques. Yesterday, a little hint was dropped that the trailer would be released today, so when I woke up yesterday afternoon (it is summer, after all), the first thing I did was watch the trailer.

Disney released what can truly be called a “teaser” trailer. It just teased us, not giving away too much, but also getting us excited to watch the film. My initial reaction to the trailer was “that’s it?,” but this is actually the perfect reaction for said teaser trailer. This movie does not come out until mid-March 2017, which will be after Syracuse University’s spring break.

The release date is too far away for Disney to give out any more information than it already has. Disney is running a marathon, not a sprint. Thus, just giving us a small taste of the film is a genius strategy. We have seen enough to get excited and interested, but not so much where we feel we have seen everything. Now, the excitement will just build and build, and reach ultimate heights when the film is released.

On a technical standpoint, the trailer looked absolutely beautiful, though possibly a little heavy on the CGI. One thing I particularly enjoyed is that the marketing, and hopefully the film itself, is really playing up the high-class angle of “Beauty and the Beast.” As the name implies, this film is about beauty, much more sophisticated than your average cartoon fare.

The trailer highlighted gorgeous imagery, while also recognizing Alan Menken’s phenomenal musical compositions. I found it a little odd that they never actually said “Beauty and the Beast” on the title card, but I guess the rose and the music says enough on its own.

I, for one, am excited for this tale as old as time.

Published on May 24, 2016 at 12:53 pm