Beauty And The Beast Goes 'Live' On ABC: 10 Moments That Made Us Laugh, Cry And Question Our Sanity

Thirty years ago, a gorgeous peasant fell in love with her hairy, abusive captor — and the rest is history.

ABC reopened a tale as old as time on Thursday with Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, fusing the original 1991 Disney animated film with live-action (but not actually live) performances.

Inspired turns from H.E.R., Josh Groban, Shania Twain and more helped breathe new life into the family-friendly fairytale, all while paying homage to the people responsible for creating this masterpiece three decades ago.

And while Thursday's production may not have been live, that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun picking it apart. Choices were still made, and whether you're a die-hard fan of the movie or a relative newcomer, we know you have thoughts. And we want to hear 'em.

Grade ABC's Beauty and the Beast special in our poll below, then read on to see our must-discuss moments, from the most pleasant surprise of the night to a wig that shall not be named. (Just kidding, we name it.) When you're done, drop a comment with your own review of the night. Did it do the movie justice?

One of the special's first nods to its source material was the appearance of Paige O'Hara (aka the original voice of Belle) as the town bookseller in the musical's opening number.

At the very least, this suggests that Belle is no longer the only woman in town who reads. And a win for literacy is a win for us all!

Beauty and the Beast composer Alan Menken also made a blink-and-you-missed-it cameo during the opening number. That was him tickling the ivories, with late lyricist Howard Ashman no doubt sitting beside him in spirit.

Menken later returned to the piano to accompany Twain as she performed "Beauty and the Beast."

Was it supposed to be an homage to Belle's 'do from the original animated movie? Because that's exactly what it looks like.

Of all the words we could use to describe Beauty and the Beast as a musical, "dance-heavy" certainly doesn't come to mind. So imagine our surprise at the multiple dance breaks added into ABC's production, beginning with this all-Belles jamboree at the end of "Belle (Reprise)."

As lovely as some of these moments were, we still have to ask: Did these dance breaks enhance the overall show, or did they merely take time away from other songs and scenes that had to be cut?

Of all the times to cut from animated to live-action, why so many wolf scenes? Like, the feather duster — arguably the true beauty of the story — is given no screen time, yet these wolves get multiple moments to shine? Exactly how much money did those wolves' parents contribute to this theater department?

Lest you doubt Groban's commitment to his craft, not only did he learn how to maneuver that enormous Beast costume, but he also rocked a pair of blue contacts to match his eyes in the painting.

Could the production team have simply made Groban's eyes brown in the painting, eliminating the need for contacts? Sure. But it would also eliminate the need for commitment.

In terms of type, Twain was arguably the most unconventional casting choice for this special. (A sexy Mrs. Potts? Unheard of!) That said, she turned out to be one of the best surprises of the night.

Twain put a smile on our faces the moment she appeared during "Be Our Guest," which lasted long after her countrified rendition of "Beauty and the Beast" was over. And that's the tea.

If you didn't shed at least a single tear when the late Angela Lansbury appeared on screen following Twain's performance of "Beauty and the Beast," it's official — the real beast is you.

As much as we enjoyed H.E.R.'s performance as Belle, she was never more captivating than when she returned to the stage with her guitar for the special's big finish.

We never imagined what Beauty and the Beast's title track would sound like on electric guitar — and now we never want it any other way.

First of all, thanks for making it this far. As a treat, we'll let you in on a secret: We don't know how to feel about the Beast costume! Is it a fascinating, brilliant contraption? Absolutely. But did it totally kill any chance for chemistry between the titular couple during their scenes together? Also possibly yes!

We'll leave this one up to you: