Beauty and the Beast

Two days before Valentine's Day, I decided to review one Disney movie which mainly focused on romance, and what better one than a Disney Princess one? So after thinking about it, I decided to go with what people consider Disney's greatest love story, Beauty and the Beast! Based on Jean lePrince de Beaumont's French fairytale La Belle et la Bete, this is the 34th film in the Disney Animated canon, and came at the start at the Disney Renaissance after The Little Mermaid. It had a troubled production from the start when Walt Disney wanted to do it in the 40s, but had to scrap it alongside other project. Disney tried in the mid 80s, but they had trouble with adapting the story as there were only 2 characters in the original story, and it wasn't intended to be a musical. With the help of directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, screenwriter, Linda Woolverton, lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken, they managed to fix it up and put it back in production in 1989, after the huge success of The Little Mermaid. Sadly, it would be Ashman's last project he ever worked on as he died of AIDS on March 14th 1991 and never saw the final movie. But on a brighter note, it became the first ever animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, even though it lost to Silence of the Lambs. So does this movie show that beauty really is skin deep, or is it as ugly as a beast? Let's find out!

Story: When it comes to the plot, Beauty and the Beast isn't exactly the easiest of stories to adapt into animation. But somehow, Disney managed to do it! The changes they made were definitely for the better, as the romance is nicely developed and not one plot overshadows the other. The romance is just beautiful and perfect, as Belle and the Beast's relationship begins to progress only when he starts to be nice to her and when they both start to put their defences down and get to know one another. Not once does it feel forced or contrived, it's just adorable once the Beast starts to be nice to Belle. I mean, it's not like past Disney romances where they fall in love at first sight or in a matter of days and decide they're meant for each other. Heck, Belle's desire isn't just to get married or find love, she just wants something even she can't comprehend! The comedy is also funny, and doesn't rely on adult humour, as the household objects also serve a purpose as to further develop the growing chemistry, and have distinct personalities. The pacing is also well done, and nothing feels rushed at all. If anything, I was surprised with the running time of because it felt longer, in a good way! I think what I love most is it knows it's a fairy tale and it should be treated like one instead of just having small elements and calling it a 'fairy tale'. Honestly, I don't have any qualms with the plot at all! Seriously, this one of them rare movies where there I don't have any problems whatsoever in terms of writing, it's simply perfect!

Animation: Even after 23 years, the animation it still very very beautiful to look at. I don't think there's any other character design which could fit each one perfectly, especially for Belle and the Beast, with the latter showing his emotions through his eyes and Belle being beautiful both inside and out.  I know people have complained about the design for the human version of the Beast, but I personally don't mind it since she and the audience fell in love for the Beast for his personality, not his looks! The character animation is well done with a realistic approach on the humans, but I find it's much more creative on the non human characters like the household objects with Lumiere, Mrs Potts and, actually all of them! Even the Beast's movements reminds me of a wolf when he's more, well, beastly! What really impressed me was the scope of the movie, with the forests and the. It also has a French feeling to it through the architecture, like in the castle or the village where Belle lives. Speaking of places, the backgrounds are what impressed me the most! They really are beautiful to look at with the detail being perfect and having a fairy tale feeling, especially with the architecture of the Beast's castle. Glen Keane's animation on the transformation sequence just blew me away and is probably one of the best sequences in 2D animation I've ever seen, next to the dance sequence! The use of computer animation in the ballroom also impressed me, even if it may look really dated compared to others (in 1991, it would've been a marvel to look at) with the sweeping angles in the dance sequence being amazing to look at. The animation is just stunning & it just makes me wonder why 2D animation has died down in recent years!

Characters: I don't think I've ever seen such an amazing cast of characters with three dimensionality, personality and memorability. First, there's Belle, the oddball of her village because of her love for reading and wants to experience adventure. Also, unlike other Disney Princesses at the time, she doesn't fall prey to what the men around her tell her to do, is intelligent, and doesn't listen to what anyone says about her. She's also open minded as she starts to have feelings for the Beast and cares deeply about her family, and you genuinely feel like she's lost everything when she agrees to take her father's place as the beast's prisoner. The Beast is also likeable, as he believes he could never be loved by anyone because of his looks, and he's not really sure as to how courtship works with Belle. Personally, I think he could be the best Disney character ever written for his complexity. Yes, I adore Belle, but I find his character arc being more interesting as he starts to have feelings for Belle and becomes a kinder person for her. Gaston, the villain, wants to marry Belle just so he can have a trophy wife and for his reputation as the town hero, and wants to kill the beast because he thinks he's in the way of what he wants. I like that he's more realistic . The household objects like Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs Potts also have funny and distinct personalities, with Lumiere being a Casanova love expert, Cogsworth being the punctual and bossy clock, and Mrs Potts being the kind and motherly teapot! I love that they don't force Belle and the Beast to get together, but let them take time to fall in love. Belle's father Maurice is also a great character, I love how loving he is to his daughter and can also be a bit eccentric at the same time, being an inventor. LeFou, Gaston's lanky can also be funny when commentating on the action going on and whenever he helps Gaston try to accomplish his goal of marrying Belle! This is probably the best aspect in the film next to the plot, as the characters in this helped see Disney from a new perspective, especially with how they represented women through Belle!

Songs: This movie has often been considered by critics as the best Broadway musical on the silver screen at the time of it's release...and they're right! Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's work is incredible, and unlike The Little Mermaid, it has a more Broadway feel to it and is much more consistent. The score is very enchanting and magical, fitting the visuals perfectly. Songs like Be Our Guest, Gaston or Belle are big showstoppers and have fun and catchy tunes are well as some funny lyrics, with the visuals fitting them perfectly. Even the small ones like Something There or the reprise of Belle are rather sweet and still have a purpose as they progress the character development or the romance between Belle and the Beast. I'm also going to go over Human Again since that was added into the movie in the DVD I have, and I love how it shows the curse from the household object's perspective, being a fun Broadway style number which surprisingly integrates well with the rest of the movie (I know it was in the Broadway version & that was why they put it back in!) But it's obvious which one's the best. I know it, you know it and Disney knows it: Beauty and the Beast! It's such a sweet and romantic song with amazing visuals, and Angela Lansbury just nails it with her singing! It brings a tear to my eye every time I watch it! Alan Menken & Howard Ashman's work is probably the best I've ever seen next to The Little Mermaid & Little Shop Of Horrors, this movie is the perfect farewell for the late Howard Ashman in terms of music & lyrics!

The best word to describe this movie is beautiful. Beauty and the Beast is a gem of a film with a heartwarming and romantic story, amazing animation, unforgettable and endearing characters and songs which will get stuck in your head! This is a perfect watch for Valentine's Day for all you lovers out there, and even if you're single, you can just girl out to how adorable it is! Children will also enjoy this as much and well, it's actually perfect for all the family no matter how old you are! Personally, I think this is Disney's most perfect telling of a fairy tale ever! It's not only one of my favourite Disney movies, it's one of my favourite movies period, and I can understand why it got that Best Picture nomination & Golden Globe win! I love watching it now and will continue to do so in the future, it's simply perfect!
Story: 10/10
Animation: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Songs: 10/10
Overall: 10/10