Review of Beauty and the Beast (1991) by Asha K — 01 Mar 2014

"Tale as old as time true as it can be. Barely even friends then somebody bends unexpectedly.".

Animation is a genre that's hard to put into words sometimes. At one point there's cartoons that are so stupid that you wish that animated films never existed, such as most animated films released today (particularly garbage like The Croods and Planet 51), but then again, when looking at the many great animated releases from Disney, you don't want the genre to go away. And one of these fantastic Disney releases, and one that is certainly in my Top 5 animated Disney films, is Beauty and the Beast, a truly marvelous and fantastic Disney film that every single person should watch in their lifetime.

The film's about a girl named Belle, who puts herself away from society by being a heavy book reader, living with her crazy inventor father and resisting the charms of the masculine hunter Gaston, who wants to marry her badly. When her father Maurice ends up in trouble with a monstrous beast, Belle, not wanting him to die in the dungeons, bravely takes his place and offers to remain a prisoner in the castle forever. It turns out that the beast was once a selfish and arrogant prince that was cursed and turned into a beast for his actions, and that only true love can break the spell. In order for the two to fall in love and break this spell before the enchanted rose dies out, the beast has to learn to control his temper and Belle has to look outside the beast's looks to find the heart and soul of this troubled and sympathetic creature. Plus they also have to deal with a jealous Gaston, who'll do anything in order to get Belle to marry him.

To start off, the animation, putting it in one word, is beautiful. Simply beautiful. The animators do what they do best in this movie, and draw some of the most visually wonderful images ever put in a Disney film, highlights being the opening stain glass introduction, the "Be Our Guest" sequence, and the famous ballroom scene, featuring stunning CG shots.

This version of Beauty and the Beast is the most famous version of this legendary French fairy tale, and while I haven't seen other versions (though I do intend on seeing the 1946 version), this Disney film is likely to be the most enchanting. I was impressed with Disney's desire to wow us visually and tell an emotionally powerful story. That's what Disney loves to do best, especially in their fairy tale stories, and Beauty and the Beast is the best of the best. Not only does it have the strongest female character in a Disney film, but it also features strong characterization on almost every single character, most importantly its villain, Gaston. You know when he has his own musical number of how masculine he is, we know how selfish of a jerk this guy is. His plot to force Belle to marry him is quite sickening; send the father to the insane asylum, with the great Tony Jay voicing the asylum owner. It's brilliant!!!!! There's also great development on the supporting characters, the objects of the castle, my favorites being the teapot voiced by Angela Lansbury and the clock that's voiced by David Ogden Stiers.

It also has a fantastic score from Alan Menken and some phenomenal Broadway-styled songs written by Menken and the late Howard Ashman. There has never been a musical in all my life that does so well in telling a story and introducing the main characters best with a simple song, and that's what makes the songs "Belle" and "Gaston" so brilliant. "Be Our Guest" is entertainingly awesome, "Something More" is romantically clever, "Human Again" is wonderfully delightful in giving the objects development, "Beauty and the Beast", used during the ballroom scene, is phenomenal, nuff said, and "Kill the Beast" is one of the most goosebump-inducing villain songs ever written. Along with The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, this is Alan Menken at his greatest.

It was the first animated film nominated for Best Picture. It's use of CGI has helped Pixar out in the creation of Toy Story. And it's one of the greatest Disney films of all-time. This "tale as old as time" certainly feels new every time I watch this beautifully animated film, and it's certainly a Disney favorite among every one that's watched it. I'm glad Disney made this film, as I strongly believe that Disney's reputation will not be as strong as they are today without Beauty and the Beast. Of the films in their Second Golden Age, this is my second favorite in this grand era, behind The Lion King of course, but either way, both films are some of Disney's best.