And this was a movie for children?
Maybe, caught up in the “issues”, I failed to expand on that - probably because everyone knows the story and the set pieces already, and most readers here want to know the sordid details bandied about in the media of late.
This IS a children’s story, suitable for adults. There’s a teen Belle who simply wants to read books and admire her eccentric tinkering father, but has to ward off the advances of an amorous Gaston, and ends up maturely falling in love with a prince. There are several musical set pieces, involving much spectacular dancing by either townsfolk or brilliantly animated furnishings. It’s the classic fairy tale, brought more to life than any production has. Romantic intimacy is nearly non-existent, save for Belle’s passionate kiss with the Prince at the end. It teaches classic Western cultural values which children need absorb.
The PG rating likely comes from the intensity of the fight scenes, and that mostly from the brief but vicious battles with wild wolves, and Gaston’s final attempt at killing Beast.
This story goes back about 4,000 years.
Fairy tale origins thousands of years old, researchers say
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-35358487
Now add in an interesting take on the movie.
Why Does The Beast In ‘Beauty And The Beast’ Look Eerily Similar To Baphomet?
http://themostimportantnews.com/archives/why-does-the-beast-in-beauty-and-the-beast-look-eerily-similar-to-baphomet