The New Black Beauty Movie Vs the Book!
The New Black Beauty Movie on Disney Plus
Movie: Black Beauty (2020)
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: A mature 8+
Running Time: 2 hours
Release Date: November 27th, 2020
Genre: Drama, Family, Coming of Age
Themes: Loss, Responsibility, Loyalty, Healing, Trauma, Horses, Friendship
Warnings: This new Black Beauty movie contains some intense and dramatic scenes. Just like in the book, in some of the scenes people and horses get injured and pass away. The movie deals with death and trauma, but not in a harsh way.
Parent Review of the New Black Beauty Movie on Disney Plus
*No Spoilers*
The new Black Beauty movie is as inspiring as ever. A beautiful story about how friendship and connection are healing. There are some big differences from the book, which we’ll go into detail about later in this post. Mackenzie Foy does an amazing job (just like in The Nutcracker) and plays a very convincing devastated kid. The movie doesn’t actually focus as much on the human characters as I thought it would though, which was a pleasant surprise because the book does not at all. It’s all told from Beauty’s (Kate Winslet) perspective, which is wonderful. Definitely one to watch alongside of your kids. But just know, they’ll probably want riding lessons afterwards!
This is a wonderfully done retelling of the Black Beauty story. It can absolutely be used in a classroom setting (with parent consent) and in a homeschool one to go along with the novel. And in thinking of the new Black Beauty movie vs the book- although the stories are a little different, I think they are wonderful companions and could both be used in a class setting. It’s a beloved classic for a reason, and I think this movie will become one too. Animals are wonderful. Friendship and tenacity are healing balms. And a wild, kind, spirit is beautiful.
Favorite Moments in the new Black Beauty Movie:
*No spoilers*
-In looking at the Black Beauty movie vs the book, I was so excited that they changed Beauty to a female perspective and that she would be voiced by Kate Winslet. I’ve seen reviews that were not fond of her narration, but it was one of my favorite parts!
-The film was SO beautifully made! The picturesque riding scenes were just breathtaking.
-Just like in the book, you really bonded and empathized with Beauty’s journey. And the character of Jo was really well done, and also very easy to empathize with.
Black Beauty Quick Summary:
*No Spoilers*
The story opens with Black Beauty telling you about an idyllic childhood. The whole novel is narrated from Black Beauty’s perspective. Of course, childhood can’t last forever. Through a series of events that Black Beauty has absolutely no control over, life becomes an incredible and hard adventure. How will beauty respond and will the ending to the story be a happy one? Sewell wrote an amazing story that emphasize the importance of personal responsibility and kindness. Plus, the need for better treatment of horses!
Black Beauty Movie Vs the Book:
5 similarities and differences
**SPOILERS**
- Genders and storyline focus. While the movie is narrated by and mostly about Black Beauty, like the book is, it also shares a much more significant part of the storyline with the stable hand. In the book, Beauty and the stable hand are boys, whereas in the movie they are both girls.
- Beauty’s childhood is very different in the book and the movie, and the traumas faced were not the same. The same is true of the main human characters, in the book Joe needs to mature and is goofy. In the movie though, she experiences great trauma and hardships and is already mature when she gets to the barn. However, Beauty’s mom’s advice and lessons being the major guiding voice in life is the same.
- The time difference. The book takes place when there were still squires and carriages were a main mode of transportation. Whereas the movie is set in modern day. They manage to keep many of Beauty’s mid life experiences the same, or similar enough that it does not change the meat of the story.
- The one thing that absolutely remains true of both the book and the movie is the heart behind it. The moral and lessons from the story are absolutely the same as the ones from the movie. Be kind to everyone, friendship is important, treat animals with respect and great care, responsibility is important in life, and you can make a difference.
- The relationships. There is a much stronger bond between Jo and Beauty in the movie than in the book. The book focuses more on Beauty’s life lessons sustaining and moving him through life whereas the movie focuses more strongly on his relationships. And there is significantly more focus on Jo and her struggles than there is on Joe in the book.
Conclusion on the Black Beauty Movie Vs the Book:
While there are a significant amount of differences from the book to the movie, I expected that considering how old the book is, it absolutely maintains the general spirit of the book. Personally I thought this adaption was very, very well done.
*Keep reading for Black Beauty curriculum, Black Beauty Discussion Questions, and the Black Beauty book review!!*
Black Beauty Curriculum
We have a full Black Beauty Discussion Guide and Curriculum available for digital download. This download includes:
-Black Beauty discussion questions
-A multiple choice movie quiz with answers
-Discussion/ Comprehension questions for the full book broken up into
15 sections.
-Essay and project prompts
-A Venn Diagram to compare the book and movie & MORE!
*Find our Black Beauty curriculum on Teachers Pay Teachers here!
*A great deal for a full discussion guide! & Thanks for checking out our Black Beauty Movie Vs the Book post!
KEEP reading for the discussion questions and book review!
Black Beauty Movie Discussion Questions:
**Spoilers**
- Can one person make a difference in our lives? In the life of an animal?
- What helped Black Beauty get through difficult situations?
- What helped Jo get through difficult situations?
- What helps you get through tough times?
- Jo achieves her dreams and ends up with her dream job. What is your dream job?
- Owning animals takes a lot of care and patience? How can we make animals lives easier?
- What were the lessons that this story tried to teach us?
Black Beauty Book Parent Review
Book: Black Beauty
Author: Ana Sewell
Genre: Animal Drama, Animal Welfare, Coming of Age, Kids Fiction, Anthropomorphic Fantasy
Pages: About 250-270 (depends on your edition)
Published: Originally published in 1877
Age Suggestion: A mature 8+
Warnings: The book is actually a little more graphic than the movie is. The book details the pain that Beauty goes through as well as the death of other horses, not in a terribly graphic way. But it’s enough that I wouldn’t read it to a younger kiddo that is sensitive. In my opinion, I wouldn’t start a read aloud until 2nd grade- but you know your kids best.
Black Beauty Book Parent Review:
As a reader, I immediately empathized with Black Beauty. The way she writes from the perspective of the horses is so engaging. The author challenged the status quo with the goal of better treatment for horses, which is wonderful. Personally I think the most important lesson that the novel imparts is that it doesn’t matter how old you are, what your station is, whether you have control over your life situation or not (and most children do not)- how you act and treat others matters. What a beautiful and important message for us all to internalize, but especially children who are still forming who they are as a person. I will say that after watching this movie, I wish Joe had been written about a little more because Jo’s storyline in the movie was so amazing- but he was not the point of the book. It’s a classic for good reason.
Why Read the Black Beauty Book :
This book is so beloved by so many! It was revolutionary for it’s time because the animals talked and were presented as if they felt emotions exactly as people did. Because I love so many stories like that, I’m thankful that Sewell was passionate and creative enough to do that. If you, your kiddos or your class loves horses- this is one to read and love! It’s a beautiful testament to how amazing horses are but it is also more than that. The Black Beauty book is full to the brim of applicable moral lessons. And not just about how we should treat animals and those less fortunate but also about personal responsibility. Definitely one to read and re-read. And in thinking about the Black Beauty movie vs the book- I think they are wonderful companions and that this movie is a really well done reimagining of the story!
What to Check Out Next:
-Our other Disney Plus streaming suggestions!
-Mackenzie Foy’s other Disney movie- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
-Our One and Only Ivan full parent review and our curriculum for it
-Our Book Vs Movie review of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe! We also have curriculum for that as well right here.
-5 lessons from the new Mulan movie on Disney Plus.
-You can grab the Black Beauty book here; the young readers version here; The 1994 movie version here; and the 2005 graphic novel version here.
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What a great story! I’m excited to see this new retelling of Black Beauty
I’ll have to give this movie a watch! My list of movies to watch is always growing. I’ll definitely put this near the top of the list! Thanks for the review.