Review of Beauty and the Beast (1991) by Cj W — 04 Apr 2014

Beauty and the Beast is an absolutely gorgeous animated film, both in its animation and its delivery of this magical story. It is probably the most lavishly animated film from the Disney Renaissance, it is creative and always seems to find the right tone for each scene.

The scenes in the village are all very fun at first, and the castle scenes are all dark and dramatic, however, by the end of the film, these roles have been reversed, which fits perfectly with the story.

More importantly though, this film is genuinely dramatic, and perfectly comedic, making it very entertaining and touching to watch. The message may not be the most original, but whatever doubts you may have about the way Disney conveys that message can be thrown out the window, because the story is engaging and heartfelt right from the beginning.

The songs are mostly very whimsical and the sequences are brightly and lively animated, there are some more touching songs, but all of them are well written and composed by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.

Although, the best part of the film may be its screenplay, which makes this film emotionally dramatic, yet light-heartedly funny. Also, it makes the relationship between Belle and the Beast both very memorable and somewhat complex.

The story is not simply about her falling in love with him, but her reluctance to be in love with him, her accepting him, and the way that love changes both of them. Beauty and the Beast, along with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, are probably the two most well crafted, insightful, magical, and best films of the Renaissance, which makes this film a top 5 Disney film.

And also, one that every child and adult should watch.