Believe it or not, I've never seen the original cartoon. So my opinion is based solely on my experience at this viewing of the new film. I went because my daughter wanted to go, and my wife is out of town, so I figured, "hey, she went fishing with me the day before because I wanted to, so I'll sit through a kid's movie." I wasn't expecting to even be entertained, and I wound up mesmerized.
I honestly don't have any criticisms of it. Maybe if I thought hard I'd come up with some. But a day later, I still want to see it again. I loved the music, the scenery, the story, the flow, the CGI, the casting, the character growth, and the pace. Emma Watson (as obnoxious as she is in real life) was enchanting as Belle. Pitch-perfectly cast, in my opinion. I've seen her casting in that role criticized elsewhere, so I wasn't expecting to like her in the role. To the contrary, I thought she was perfect. And what a beautiful young lady!
Regarding the controversies: I get it. Conscious decisions were made regarding the not-so-ambiguously gay character, and to give the Beast the visage of Baphomet. But I'll say this: the gay character was not a flattering portrayal of homosexuality. It was stereotypical, clownish, and completely served as comic relief. No kid will come away from that movie wanting to emulate Le Fou. And as far as Baphomet - he looks cool. They had to make the character look like a beast-man, and they picked a really cool-looking beast-man.