Over the years, there have been film, as well as stage renditions of the popular traditional tale, Beauty and the Beast, but here are five of the most recent ones which have been enjoyed by movie-goers around the world. Although these stories might not have stayed true to the original story, these Beauty and Beast movie spin-offs have been entertaining and educational, nonetheless.
5. The Beautician and the Beast
Released in 1997 as a family and love-story comedy, this film features Fran Drescher as the beautician turned science-teacher and Timothy Dalton, a European diplomat. Although the story takes on a few elements from The Sound of Music and Beauty and the Beast, the-beautiful-girl-meets-rich-scary-man plot line stays within the movie. In this story, Fran Drescher takes on the role of Joy Miller who is a beautician and was mistakenly thought to be a science teacher by the assistants of Boris Pochenko, a powerful European diplomat. Through her wit and sense of humor, Joy tries to teach her new students life secrets of her own, and wins the hearts of their widowed father in the process.
If you want to give the ordinary Bell a sexier twist, the Storybook Beauty Costume is sure to do the trick.
4. Beastly
Beastly is a novel written by Alex Finn and borrows a central part of the plot from the original “Beauty and the Beast” story. Instead of taking place in the Medieval Era, Beastly occurs in modern day Manhattan with the main story occurring in a nearby private school and in other modern areas.
3. Howl’s Moving Castle
Howl’s Moving Castle is one of the best 2D animated masterpieces created by the master cartoonist and storyteller himself, Hayao Miyazaki. Although the story is entirely original, it does feature a young beautiful girl who was turned into an ugly, old woman and could only gain her true form back if she defeats the Wicked Witch of the Waste.
2. Beauty and the Beast (1946)
Probably one of the best renditions of Beauty and the Beast was shot in 1946 and features Josette Day as Belle and Jean Marais as the Beast. Although shot in French, this version of Beauty and the Beast has won the hearts of millions around the globe and lives on to this day as the best movie rendition about the Beauty and the Beast.
1. Shrek
Shrek might not be your good ‘ol Beauty and Beast story but its unique animation and humorous storyline makes it one of the most memorable films that includes a few elements from the original tale. Shrek, in the movie, is a green ogre whose main desire in life is to live peacefully in his swamp; however, due to a sudden turn of events, he meets Princess Fiona and slowly begins to fall in love with her. Now, Fiona has a secret of her own—at night, this beautiful princess turns into a scaly, green ogre herself, very much like Shrek; the only way to revert to her beautiful form is by meeting her prince charming and eventually, finding true love. In the end, Fiona does regain her beauty but not exactly in a way we expect.
You could always make a Beauty and the Beast rendition of your own—if you love ballet, you could call your friends together and create a ballet recital of events that belong the Beauty and the Beast.
On the other hand, if you’d like to give the story a more adult twist, you could trans-create the story into something that happens in the present, involving characters and situations occurring today.
As a traditional tale, you can always tell the story your way without having to worry about copyright issues. Beauty and the Beast is your tale, as much as it is everybody else’s.