Beauty and the Beast

[Blankments]

This was the kind of direction Thor needed,

 

uhhh what

[DAR]

Because Thor needed a musical sequence in which anthropomorphic dishes sang and danced, duh

Edited November 12, 2013 by DAR

[mattmav45]

Enchanting as fuck.

 

My wife typically voices her displeasure whenever I curse in a review for a children's animated film.  Like any good husband, such displeasure is met with a concerted effort to do the exact opposite.  As one can see from above, such is very much the case here.

 

Marital banter aside, enchanting is likely the best word I can use to describe my experience watching this film.  As referenced above, I wouldn't argue if one made the statement that the film is simply enchanting as fuck at times.  I say this as a result of not really being that enamored with the love story on display here.  Thankfully, there were a couple of cinematic factors that allowed me to move past this indifference.

 

I'm not going to sit here and deny that as a 29-year old male I didn't wake up to the tune of "Something There" dancing in my head.  Opening up myself to ridicule or not, this is a fitting event as it was the music that I found most endearing about this film.  Despite not being fully invested in the love story, the music was used in a way that it acted as a bridge between my indifference to the love story and my affection for the tunes.  "Be My Guest" in particular was the highlight of the film for me.  Up to this point the tone and mood was somewhat more somber in nature, and this song served as the transition into a lighter and more period of the film.

 

Outside of the tunes on display here, the animation has to be the other stand-out aspect for me.  Vibrant and colorful, but most importantly in many ways it served as extra depth to the film.  Specifically I remember the scene in the woods where the Beast rescues Belle.  Thereafter Belle puts the Beast on the horse and the trudge back to the castle.  A great scene that is accentuated by that visual of Belle walking to the castle with the Beast draped over the horse.  

 

As for my general indifference to the love story, I have made no reservations about typically being a heartless bastard.  I honestly can't pin-point the way or manner in which this didn't work for me.  I will say my wife's affection for the love story overrode any problem I had with it.  Hell, in a vicarious manner I think she's the one who married the Beast last night.

 

It is a testament to how well-rounded this film is that I liked it quite a bit despite not being on board with its main calling card.

[cannastop]

This was not one of my favorites when I was growing up. Never saw a reason for Belle to love the Beast.

[Morieris]

I rewatched this last week in preparation for next year.

 

The music is among the best ever put out by The Mouse House, though I'm no music aficionado. I still have Belle, Beauty and the Beast, and Gaston on my Spotify (as well as Human Again). The only song I really don't like is Be Our Guest, more for the subject than anything.

 

I do think it's beginning to show it's age in the artstyle. It's easy to see that the older princess movies aren't so jarring, because they weren't a mix of computers and actual hand drawn animation - but a lot of times where Belle walks around the castle, specifically walks around, how she looks at her surroundings sometimes -  I was thrown by just how ... 90s it was? With the fuzzyness? It's hard to describe, but I really kind of felt it's age - but that's more of a personal quabble.

 

I think this is possibly the best paced and plotted ( plot holes aside...so...) story in the Disney canon. It always feels as if there was enough time for things to happen, nothing was rushed.

 

The backgrounds she doesn't interact with are detailed and enchanting. Human Beast is still ugly. The titular tune and it's sequence still makes me cry. But it's not a favorite. Technically everything is very solid, but it's not a movie i'd pick up willingly unless to simply sing along.

 

I was prepared to conclude this with "There's no way this live action one will be able to touch it." But now, personally, it may be my definitive version...if they keep Human Again. 

[Blankments]

Childhood films are often hard to analyze. For years, I've thought of Beauty and the Beast as a perfectly decent animated Disney movie, but certainly not one of my favorites. After returning to it for the first time in five years though after both performing in a stage version and seeing a live-action remake, I finally understand why this is great. A timeless love story constantly made anew thanks to gorgeous animation and legendary music. The music is staged just as marvelously as it is written, dynamically moving the characters and the "camera" around in a way that always engages. The Beast is clearly one of the greatest animated characters of all time, being ridiculously expressive and shockingly sympathetic throughout despite the admittedly awful way he acts for a lot of the film. However, Belle is truly the heart of the film, one of Disney's best leads.

 

The film moves at a perfect pace. The only thing the Broadway show and live-action remake added that actually is missed is a song just for the Beast (As a side note, "If I Can't Love Her" would certainly fit better with the pacing than "Evermore," although either would've been nice to been added in over "Human Again" for the Special Edition.) However, it is not fair to complain about an addition in later productions to be missing in the originator of it all.

 

Beauty and the Beast is often considered one of the greatest Disney films of all time, and I've always had trouble agreeing with that. Now, I completely understand why. Beauty and the Beast is one of the greatest movie musicals ever made, brilliantly utilizing fantastic songs to move forward its narrative full of memorable characters realized by superb animation. An absolute classic. A+

[Blankments]

"Oh, well! Guess it's not gonna work after all!"

 

LeFou is the best sidekick ever. The Beast is one of the best animated characters ever. Surprisingly emotional on the big screen. A spectacle that truly showcases the wonder and glory of traditional animation. A+

[John Rambo]

This was one of my all time favorite movies as a kid. I was very much scared of the beast and i always wanted to kill the beast when ever i watched this flick.

 

For me this one hasn't aged at all. Classic.

9/10

Edited September 25, 2017 by John Rambo

[aabattery]

1 minute ago, John Rambo said:

I guess im the odd one out!

Dint like this movie at all any day id prefer the animated version over this.

 

This movie was rich visually and set pieces were great but for some reason i was bored. 

4/10

 

 

This is the animated one my dude.

Edited September 25, 2017 by aabattery

[John Rambo]

27 minutes ago, aabattery said:

 

This is the animated one my dude.

Lol  I thought the recent one my bad  

[cannastop]

OK, I actually don't like the 1991 Beauty and the Beast that much, but it is pretty cool that if it weren't for Silence of the Lambs, it could have won Best Picture. I remember hearing a rumor that it was close.

 

As for why I don't like it, I just plain don't see why the Beast is lovable.

[Brainbug]

1 hour ago, cannastop said:

OK, I actually don't like the 1991 Beauty and the Beast that much, but it is pretty cool that if it weren't for Silence of the Lambs, it could have won Best Picture. I remember hearing a rumor that it was close.

 

As for why I don't like it, I just plain don't see why the Beast is lovable.

 

Bell was just into Beastiality.