At Artpark each summer, the “Tuesday in the Park” and “Wednesdays on the Gorge” concert series sort of resemble my family dining room. The adults congregate for consumption at the central staging area, in this case with music and grown-up drinks, while children are relegated to the Mainstage Theater.

As adults have enjoyed the smoke, lights and spinning keyboards of acts such as Styx, Frampton and Bret Michaels, the children have been subjected to Arthur the aardvark. Now, Arthur is great and the kids love him, but it’s not the same thing. It’s not an “event” like their parents get to go to.

In a turn of fortune this summer, Artpark decided to invite the children into its main dining room, so to speak. With its production of “Beauty and Beast,” the venue is offering the younger circuit a show that’s bigger, brighter and more colorful than anything their parents have ever seen at the Lewiston site.

On Thursday, the show began its 11-day run before a near capacity crowd that included a sizeable number of children. The set, perhaps the biggest star on stage, resembled the Disney movie that inspired the live action Broadway rendition. Mammoth backdrops and giant moving rooms portrayed a provincial French town and a menacing castle in the woods.

The cast, led by Carolann M. Sanita (Belle), Michael Hunsaker (the Beast) and Glenn Lawrence (Gaston), was slightly overmatched by the stage setup. However, each managed to shine and aptly bring their respective cartoon character to life.

Physically, Sanita fit the role of Belle so well, you’d have thought Disney based its character on her when the film was created. Sanita looks like Belle. She sounds like Belle. She even sings like Belle.

Though Hunsaker’s character starts off as a cold-hearted heel, he quickly becomes a sympathetic character; one whom the audience roots for in his quest for true love.

The chemistry between Sanita and Hunsaker is undeniable and heartfelt.

Lawrence, as the egocentric villain Gaston, is straight out of the Disney movie. Equal parts Elvis and cartoon character Johnny Bravo, he perfectly prances around the stage as a muscle-bound, comic foil to Belle and the Beast. Perhaps more so than anyone else in the cast, Lawrence stands out in a sea of scenery through his animated demeanor.

Sanita and Lawrence also make a seamless pair, as he woos her, and she does her best to politely put him off.

Guiding the audience through both acts are Keith Ersing as the straight-laced clock Cogsworth and Vincent D’Elia as the frisky candelabra Lumiere. An odd couple if ever there was one, Ersing and D’Elia are funny, ever-present narrators who lighten the mood when hardship or opposition befall Belle or the Beast.

Artpark’s production comes complete with the movie’s two main song-and-dance numbers, “Be Our Guest” in Act 1 and “Beauty and the Beast” in Act II. Both are vivid, special-effects-heavy scenes that “wowed” theatergoers on opening night. (Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes.)

Despite a few technical glitches Thursday, “Beauty and the Beast” proved itself to be a show unlike anything Artpark has staged in recent years. Though it lacks the urgency and intensity of last season’s “Aida,” it does offer a happy ending. Moreover, the production is suitable for all ages, with 3-D cartoon characters for children and a truly romantic storyline for adults.