Average Rating: 
Rating:  - One Of The Best...
I've been waiting for Beauty and the Beast on DVD ever since I bought a player back in 1997. I am happy to say I am not disappointed. Disney has wisely included three versions of the movie. The original theatrical release, the special edition including the new musical number "Human Again", and the work-in-progress which was shown in New York in October 1991. The movie looks and sounds great on DVD. The extras are nothing to write home about. Most of it is promotional stuff for other Disney products. However, the tribute to the late Howard Ashman is touching and appropriate considering he was the brains behind this masterpiece. Disney animated features since Beauty and the Beast have ranged from fair "Tarzan" and "Aladdin" to downright lousy "Pocahantas" and "Atlantis". Howard Ashman is definetely a missed person in the Disney idea department as they have never measured up to this film since. As a Law and Order fan, it's also a hoot to see Lt Lenny Bricoe (Jerry Orbach) singing into a microphone. Since this is in limited release I will probably buy another copy to have around in case something happens to my original. So why all the praise and only four stars? I don't like the idea that this and all other Disney DVD's start with those rancid trailers. Sure I can hit the menu button but it's still a pain.
Rating:  - The Closest Thing to a Perfect Animated Film
The 1990's was a great decade for animation. We had old classics like Fantasia, Pinnochio, Snow White and Jungle Book brought back to the theatre with the addition of Toy Story 1 and 2, Aladdin, Anastasia, The Iron Giant and The Lion King (and the late 1980's helped put animated films back on the market with American Tale, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Little Mermaid). I think one movie that set the standards for quality in animation in the 1990's was Beauty and the Beast.Like one of the reviewers, this movie also made me cry (perhaps I'll add it to a future Listamania list). The music (composed by Alan Menken, with songs like "Be Our Guest"), the voices (Paige O'Hara, Angela Landsbury and others), the story and the animation bring it to life. The movie also brings home the old adage that you can't judge a book by its cover. The extra features are nice, too (I'll get to them later). I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about the "Human Again" sequence, but I think it flows wonderfully with the rest of the film (basically, it's a song the prince's subjects sing in hopes of being human again). It all starts out when a spoiled and selfish prince is punished for his bad attitude, along with the rest of the castle. He's transformed into a beast, since he acted no better than a beast. His only hope is an enchanted rose, which will wilt on his 21st birthday and the ability to love and be loved before the last petal falls (but he's given up hope on that happening). Meanwhile not too far from the castle, a beautiful, introverted bookworm named Belle (played by Paige O'Hara) is the talk of the village. The pompous Gaston has a big crush on her but alas, the feeling is unrequited. Her father Maurice is a slightly eccentric but lovable inventor. He accidentally stumbles upon the castle and is taken prisoner by the grumpy Beast. Belle comes to save her father and takes her father's place as prisoner. Though his quick temper turns her off, Belle is eventually able to see his true nature and the Beast makes a new friend. For those of you who prefer the original the way it was shown in 1991, this is also available on this edition. There are interviews with many of the different cast members, animators and other people behind the scenes. Also, a spoken commentary throughout the film is available. I haven't really bothered with the extra games (those are probably more geared for kids anyways). To wrap this up, you have until January 31, 2003 to add this classic to your collection. Otherwise, you'll have to wait another 10 years for its release or pay big bucks at auctions for it!
Rating: - One of the Best (Disney) Movies Ever!
Disney's animated version of the classic tale, "Beauty and the Beast," is every bit as enchanting as the "tale as old as time" that it tells, making its way into our hearts as well as motion picture history. Being the first film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as six nominations altogether, Disney proves that it has what it takes to make an animated feature enjoyable for adults and children. I remember watching the film as a small child, and now, as an adult, is hasn't lost its luster, and everything is just as I enjoyed it before. Through brilliant animation and song, as well as some terrific voice talents, the story of unexpected love comes to new and exciting life. Small-town girl Belle is forced to head into the woods once her father turns up missing, bringing her to a gloomy, secluded castle where she finds him and his captor, a vicious-looking beast. Of course, the beginning of the movie explains the beast's origins: he was once a selfish prince who, after turning out an old beggar woman, was transformed, given an enchanted rose, and told "if he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time." This begins their rocky-turned-romantic relationship, as they begin to warm to one another. Meanwhile, the town brute, Gaston, has plans of his own, involving some sinister maneuvers involving Belle's father in hopes that she will agree to marry him. Many have hailed this as the best of Disney's films, and they wouldn't be wrong in saying so, either. It's easy to see why the movie has become such a success: there are elements at work in this film, just as in every other Disney film, only they seem to have taken on a small degree of maturity with this film's creation. The animation is some of the best and most believable I've seen for an animated film in a long time. Most of the scenes involving solely characters is the same as most of Disney's works, but there are scenes of pure life-like reality that have a special flare to them. The ballroom scene is one such scene: the camera angles sweep across a room filled with high-arched glass windows and a chandelier which looks as real as the words you're reading on this page. Some nice effects go into the creation of the castle as well, especially in the end once everything returns to normal. The is one of the most moving Disney soundtracks to come along since that of "Cinderella" and "Pinocchio." It is clear that composers were striving to capture the feeling and influence of their previous score for "The Little Mermaid," and they truly succeed in doing so. The songs are delightful and will have kids and adults alike smiling and singing along. The score is the perfect underlining for scenes of romance as well as tension and suspense. In case you were wondering, three of the originally written songs were nominated for Academy Awards; that should say something. This is one of Disney's most ambitious and successful projects, ranking alongside such cinematic achievements as the successes of "Citizen Kane" and "Gone With The Wind." Winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture, as well as its Oscar nominations, "Beauty and the Beast" is a hallmark of a time when movies were something that everyone, young and old alike, could enjoy on the same levels. Be my guest, and see this movie.
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