So what did you think of "Maleficent" ? This past
weekend, that Robert Stromberg film blew through the $200-million-in-domestic-ticket-sales
barrier. Which makes this Walt Disney Pictures a blockbuster by modern Hollywood
standards. That — coupled with the $383.7 million that "Maleficent"
has earned overseas to date — means that this reimagining of "Sleeping
Beauty" will ultimately be a very profitable enterprise for the Mouse.
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Me personally, I enjoyed "Maleficent." But then
again — I have a fondness for "Wicked" -like stories like this.
Which take a tale or a character that you thought you already knew and then put
a new twist on it.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
Which is why — when I heard that Serena Valentino had
written a new book for Disney Press — I immediately asked to be sent a review
copy. For those of you who don't remember: Serena wrote "Fairest of All: A
Tale of the Wicked Queen" (Disney Press, August 2009). And that 256-page
hardcover put a pretty sinister spin on the story of Snow White. Not to mention
that the twist at the very end of this book suggested — long before "Once
Upon a Time" debuted on ABC — that Snow & Prince Charming weren't actually
going to have a very "Happily Ever After."
(L to R) Josh Dallas as Prince Charming & Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White on ABC's
"Once Upon a Time." Copyright American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
All rights reserved
So when I heard that Valentino was going to bump
out the borders of Disney's "Beauty & the Beast," reveal what
really happened to the Prince prior to Belle's arrival at the castle … Well,
I just had to get my hands on this 224-page hardcover.
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And I'm glad to report that "The Beast Within: A Tale
of Beauty's Prince" (Disney Press, July 2014) does not disappoint. While
Serena's take on this " … tale as old as time" remains firmly
rooted in the world of that Academy Award-winning animated feature from 1991,
she does find some fun ways to put some new twists on this story.
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Like what? Well, could you ever imagine a world where the Beast & Gaston could
have once been childhood chums? Or that the Prince might have had a prior
romantic history with the beautiful enchantress who cursed him? Or that Ursula
the Sea Witch from Disney's "The Little Mermaid" could make a cameo
appearance in this story?
The enchanted objects from NETworks Presentations, LLC's touring production of
Disney's "Beauty & the Beast." Photo by Joan Marcus. All rights reserved
Valentino does all this and more. Better than that, none of "The Beast
Within" is forced. The story that Serena has crafted here all seems like a
natural, organic outgrowth of Linda Woolverton's original screenplay for the
film. Valentino even manages to fold in elements of the Broadway version of "Beauty
& the Beast" (i.e., that the curse moves slowly. That the Prince &
his loyal servants aren't all magically transformed at once. That these changes
all happened slowly over a number of years).
(L to R) Kristin Chenowith as Galinda & Idina Menzel as Elphaba in "Wicked."
Photo by Joan Marcus. All rights reserved
So you just can't wait for that live-action remake of Disney's "Beauty
& the Beast" that the Company announced just last month (which — just
in case you're wondering — will make use of songs from both the animated film
as well as the Broadway musical), then you would be well advised to pick up a
copy of "The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty's Prince." Which puts a
"Wicked"-ly entertaining twist on Disney's " … tale as old as
time."