Review of Beauty and the Beast (1991) by Nathan R — 11 Aug 2016

Arguably the greatest Disney movie of all time, though if you want to argue it's not then you're an idiot. This is the first time the studio revisited the popular "fairy-tale" theme since 1959's Sleeping Beauty and it feels like they made up for 30 years of time in one magnificent feature.

Embracing the Broadway-musical format once again, it's pure entertainment from beginning to end. With fervent emotion and a dynamic story, the script is funny and poignant while allowing each character to develop meaningfully.

The high-point of the Disney Rennaisance, the collection of talent involved here demonstrates the creative power that the studio possesses. Full of plenty of amazing technical craft and a set of wonderfully theatrical musical numbers, it's no wonder this was the first animated movie nominated for Best Picture in the 64 years of the Academy Awards.

Beauty and the Beast remains a cultural phenomenon and its characters are some of the most recognizable in animation history. On top of becoming an actual Broadway musical (first Disney film to do so), it's also being remade into a live-action film set to come out in 2016.