Review of Beauty and the Beast (1992) by Éric I — 27 Dec 2015

American Film Investment Corp. II's 1992 adaptation of the familiar fairy tale is without a doubt their most uninspired output; although this is might be influenced by the fact that I did not grow up with it, like I did with the other six, so the emotional attachment is considerably less.

The story is well-told, refreshingly different from that of the Walt Disney blockbuster, though the ending comes off as a bit rushed and unsatisfying. The dialogue is a bit too syrupy at times, as is the voice acting (I've always said AFICII's films featured much better vocal work than similar works from Jetlag Productions); the character designs are a bit of a disappointment (our heroine looks downright silly too much of the time) and the quality of animation trails behind the modest standards set for the studio's other works (never stellar, but reaching decency the majority of the time).

The original opening song and the blending of familiar classical music are both top-notch as always. The film is, after all, the work of a modest studio forming part of a larger non-profit charity organization.