What a trip down memory lane by way of nostalgia boulevard and childhood reminiscing road the 2017 remake of ‘Beauty and The Beast’ is. It does a better than expected job of recreating the sheer movie magic of the first Best Picture nominated classic. The wrinkles of autotune and some poorly delivered lines (Emma Watson cough) are soothed away by the sheer joy and giddiness of freshly reliving the classic. This adaptation is almost religious in its reverence to the original, that when it strays it does so in small ways. A radical reinterpretation this isn’t rather a fond loving homage. Certain characters have been ‘updated’ most notably the sexuality of LeFou, which if you think about it is less a sign of progress than the fact that Gaston is gleefully played by Luke Evans, an openly gay actor. In the grand scheme of things a gay actor playing a caricature of macho heterosexuality, that is Gaston, is a giant leap next to the small step of a side kick’s fawning. Gaston and LeFou are stand outs, alongside the ‘Be Our Guest’ number and a very cinematic ‘Tale As Old As Time’. The new songs strategically placed are pleasant but pale in comparison to the original classics. All in all a fitting tribute to one of cinemas greatest animated films.          7/10.