Review of Beauty and the Beast (1991) by Mike I — 10 Dec 2012

I saw this movie with Jolie a few months ago and just found the ticket stub. I saw it in 3D and it was the first 3D movie I ever saw. I didn't expect to like this movie, considering that I'm not a big fan of Disney animated films (I love Duck Tales and Tale Spin, I love the old shorts, but the movies are hit or miss . . . but I love he live action Disney stuff . . . Black Hole anyone?) I did end up falling in love with this movie. The music and story and yes, even the Disney princess of this title, Bella, breaks the mold of the other Disney female protagonists. She wants adventure. She's smart.

The movie is also open to interpretation in terms of character motivation. For instance, watch the scene where The Beast becomes human and tell me the look Belle gives him doesn't imply she's somewhat disappointed. Tell me.

That's not just good character development, but conveying that facial expression through animation shows quality.

The voice acting of David Ogden Stiers and Jerry Orbach also make this movie fun. Gaston is also the dumbest villain in Disney history, yet he gets pretty far and gives the movie suspense.

It's a fun movie and a good story, one of the best stories I've ever watched, animated or live. The next time your brat kid says something about wanting to be a Disney princess, pop this in and hope the kid gets the message that Belle is a good role model.