HOME | DD

Description
Movie: Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Using the lessons learned from The Little Mermaid, Disney crafted one of the most dizzyingly beautiful and stirringly fun movies ever in the form of Beauty and the Beast.  With this movie, Disney kept what made The Little Mermaid so good, tossed out the bad parts, and tightened up the romantic aspects.

Beauty and the Beast is, first and foremost, a shameless tribute to not only the best of classic Disney conventions but also to the stage musical.  While many of Disney's movies that came after The Little Mermaid tried to emulate the Broadway style, Beauty and the Beast is the only movie that, in my opinion was truly successful at the style.  The music in Beauty and the Beast is simply magical.  When Belle waltzes into the field of flowers, you can almost half expect someone to sing "The Hills Are Alive".

The animation is magical again.  The multiplane effect seen in the opening forest is reminiscent of Bambi.  The color, depth and detail in the trees is reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty.  Of course Beauty and the Beast is most famous for its intricate marriage of hand drawn animation and computer assisted images.  This movie's famous ballroom dance sequence is just as jaw-dropping now as it was in 1991.

The new song "Human Again" seems to add nothing to the overall story, just like "Morning Report" from The Lion King.  However, it uses a fun little trick to seamlessly merge itself into the next scene where the familiar footage picks up again.  It also keeps the entertaining spirit of the original version's musical motif and provides a great example of the kind of humor seen (mostly) in the movie, that of the warm, rib-tickling kind Disney used to do and not the edgy, pop driven kind seen in later Disney movies.

Of course Beauty and the Beast represents what Disney, deep down, knows when they get their head in the game.  Namely, that story matters more than fancy special effects or jokes.  Beauty and the Beast isn't anything you haven't seen before.  It's a simple love story.  The kind Disney has done since their earliest days.  However what makes this movie click is the chemistry between Belle and Beast.  Belle is a good character by herself, but Beast is a mix of hero and villain, a character with true depth who's a cross between a fiend and a friend, an ogre with a heart of gold.  He gives the budding romance between Belle and Beast a certain realistic dimension that's pretty similar to the romance seen in Lady and the Tramp.  The secondary characters are also lovable in their own right, except for the village people, who are merely backdrop pieces.  But even Gaston, who is a pretty weak villain, strikes the figure of a lovable rogue as he is not over-the-top evil, merely just spineless and possessing a character flaw that doesn't look too out of place.

Beauty and the Beast almost falls apart during the third act when the movie forgets everything that made it special up to that point and devolves into a chaotic mess of slapstick and a song that doesn't stick out at all in a scene where the villagers attack Beast's castle.  This whole sequence seems rather rushed, and it's sad to compare it to the rest of the movie when everything was so lovingly crafted.  However, the movie bounces back with an exciting fight scene and a touching ending.

It seems rather strange.  Beauty and the Beast represents everything that turned me off about post-modern Disney.  The need for extravagant songs.  The over-budget feel of most of their movies.  However, taken within the context of its own world, all the elements seem to work, and what didn't work in The Little Mermaid somehow works here.  Not only is Beauty and the Beast a visual feast and a story populated by characters we can adore, more importantly the movie just "sings".  The best of the old school classics possessed a spirit and resonance that gave you goosebumps for their quality.  Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi all had this quality.  Beauty and the Beast is a reflection of this trend cast into a new era.

Grade: 98

Description
Movie: Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Using the lessons learned from The Little Mermaid, Disney crafted one of the most dizzyingly beautiful and stirringly fun movies ever in the form of Beauty and the Beast.  With this movie, Disney kept what made The Little Mermaid so good, tossed out the bad parts, and tightened up the romantic aspects.

Beauty and the Beast is, first and foremost, a shameless tribute to not only the best of classic Disney conventions but also to the stage musical.  While many of Disney's movies that came after The Little Mermaid tried to emulate the Broadway style, Beauty and the Beast is the only movie that, in my opinion was truly successful at the style.  The music in Beauty and the Beast is simply magical.  When Belle waltzes into the field of flowers, you can almost half expect someone to sing "The Hills Are Alive".

The animation is magical again.  The multiplane effect seen in the opening forest is reminiscent of Bambi.  The color, depth and detail in the trees is reminiscent of Sleeping Beauty.  Of course Beauty and the Beast is most famous for its intricate marriage of hand drawn animation and computer assisted images.  This movie's famous ballroom dance sequence is just as jaw-dropping now as it was in 1991.

The new song "Human Again" seems to add nothing to the overall story, just like "Morning Report" from The Lion King.  However, it uses a fun little trick to seamlessly merge itself into the next scene where the familiar footage picks up again.  It also keeps the entertaining spirit of the original version's musical motif and provides a great example of the kind of humor seen (mostly) in the movie, that of the warm, rib-tickling kind Disney used to do and not the edgy, pop driven kind seen in later Disney movies.

Of course Beauty and the Beast represents what Disney, deep down, knows when they get their head in the game.  Namely, that story matters more than fancy special effects or jokes.  Beauty and the Beast isn't anything you haven't seen before.  It's a simple love story.  The kind Disney has done since their earliest days.  However what makes this movie click is the chemistry between Belle and Beast.  Belle is a good character by herself, but Beast is a mix of hero and villain, a character with true depth who's a cross between a fiend and a friend, an ogre with a heart of gold.  He gives the budding romance between Belle and Beast a certain realistic dimension that's pretty similar to the romance seen in Lady and the Tramp.  The secondary characters are also lovable in their own right, except for the village people, who are merely backdrop pieces.  But even Gaston, who is a pretty weak villain, strikes the figure of a lovable rogue as he is not over-the-top evil, merely just spineless and possessing a character flaw that doesn't look too out of place.

Beauty and the Beast almost falls apart during the third act when the movie forgets everything that made it special up to that point and devolves into a chaotic mess of slapstick and a song that doesn't stick out at all in a scene where the villagers attack Beast's castle.  This whole sequence seems rather rushed, and it's sad to compare it to the rest of the movie when everything was so lovingly crafted.  However, the movie bounces back with an exciting fight scene and a touching ending.

It seems rather strange.  Beauty and the Beast represents everything that turned me off about post-modern Disney.  The need for extravagant songs.  The over-budget feel of most of their movies.  However, taken within the context of its own world, all the elements seem to work, and what didn't work in The Little Mermaid somehow works here.  Not only is Beauty and the Beast a visual feast and a story populated by characters we can adore, more importantly the movie just "sings".  The best of the old school classics possessed a spirit and resonance that gave you goosebumps for their quality.  Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi all had this quality.  Beauty and the Beast is a reflection of this trend cast into a new era.

Grade: 98