I was just as excited as any 5-year-old on opening weekend  of the new rendition of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.” All of the commercials, trailers, and song releases had prepared me for this remake.

Walking into the theater, I knew this movie was going to be good. But it was more than just good —  it was spectacular. Emma Watson (Belle), Dan Stevens (Beast), and every other actor embraced their roles and gave wholehearted performances.

The story is about a young woman, Belle, who dreams of escaping the provincial town where her father chose to live. Villagers find her odd because of her desire to learn and she uses her smarts to escape the unrequited love of Gaston, the village hotshot.

She ends up taking her father’s place as prisoner of the Beast, a cursed man who must have someone fall in love with him to break the curse.

Throughout the movie, the two learn to respect each other and eventually grow to enjoy each other’s company. They bond over their label as “misfits” and their love of books.

The use of motion-capture and CGI to recreate the beloved animated characters was a good choice. The inserted animation was so realistic it almost seemed possible for a talking clock to roam the grounds of an enchanted castle.

While the movie was different than the original, Bill Condon’s reimagining of the classic remained true to the Disney magic you see in every princess film.

New music, characters, and plot lines only made it better. Supporting characters like Chip and Cogsworth add humor to the story along the way.

The movie gave explanations that were included in the original. You learn about Belles mother and the Beast’s upbringing, among other mysterious things.

Emma Watson’s take on Belle was inspirational, and she reinforced Belle’s strong feminist personality. Dan Stevens did well playing a character who’s meant to be vicious but has a soft side dying to shine through.

I thought the choice to add more diverse characters was a great choice.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw played Plumette and Audra McDonald played Madame Garderobe. Having two talented black actresses take on the roles was an excellent choice, and I was impressed.

The decision to have LeFou (Josh Gad) be portrayed as a gay man caused an uproar of unnecessary opposition. The gay moment producers and viewers have been referring to is a short shot of LeFoe and a fellow male villager dancing together in the final ballroom scene. It was so short that if people hadn’t made such a big deal of it, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

Every choice that was made for  this movie was deliberate, and there wasn’t one change or interpretation that I don’t respect. The original film will always be a classic, but this remake has done it justice and it deserves praise from Disney fans everywhere.