The highly anticipated live-action remake of Disney’s 1991 classic “Beauty and the Beast” hit theaters Friday, March 17.

Emma Watson portrays Belle, and does exceptionally well incorporating her own personality into the classic character. Dan Stevens portrays Beast, who this time around doesn’t have the ginger mess of hair his ‘91 counterpart had.

The star-studded cast also features the likes of Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Luke Evans as Gaston, and Josh Gad as LeFou. The films casting is outstanding, fits the roles well, and gives new life to the “tale as old as time.”

The film has some incredible special effects, most notably bringing the Beast and all the houseware to life very convincingly with CGI. Characters like Cogsworth and Lumiere are especially well done. Nearly the entire “Be Our Guest” number was done using CGI and is exceptional given how much animation would be necessary. With a budget estimate of $160 million, there is no reason to expect less than excellence.

Despite the high budget, the classic yellow dress worn during the ballroom scene does not live up to its iconic image. Creative control over the gown was given to Watson rather than the costume designer, something that rarely happens in high budget films. This caused it to appear as a modern prom dress as opposed to the royal French ball gown it is supposed to be. The puckering on the edges and the cheap appearance of the glitter decorating the skirt left much to be desired.

Aside from the dress, there were few deviations from the original story, mostly notably Disney’s first ever openly gay character in LeFou. The inclusion of a gay character caused one theater in Alabama to decline to show it and has led some parents to refuse to see it as well. Using LeFou was criticized by members of the LGBT community as well because he spends most of the movie as the henchmen of Gaston, the movie’s primary villain.

However, the character does redeem himself toward the end and has a fairly authentic representation of his sexual orientation. The movie also features several people of color, something many other historical films shy away from claiming “historical accuracy.” The inclusion of people of color is a step forward in representation.

While the movie makes leaps forward in social issues, there were moments that just felt dragged out and predictable. The beginning had a slower pace than the rest of the two hour run time and the time Gaston spent persuading Maurice to let him marry Belle left the audience bored.

The musical numbers did make up for any drag in the plot, with all the major songs from the original movie bringing a familiar feel and some original songs gave the story new life. New songs, such as “Days in the Sun” performed by various characters in the castle and “Evermore,” sung by the Beast after Belle’s departure from the castle, added greatly to the plot and overall enjoyment of the movie.

As a whole, the movie managed to bring the classic story to life with few pitfalls. Aside from the issue of the dress and the slower areas of the movie, it is a strong live-action adaption of the original and sets the standard high for any upcoming remakes.