- Starring
- Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Jesse Corti
- Writer
- Linda Woolverton
- Directors
- Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
- Rating
- G (Canada, United States)
- Running Time
- 84 minutes
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Beauty and the Beast was the first animated picture ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar at the 64th Academy Awards. At the time, the best picture category only featured 5 nominees and Disney was fighting for relevance during a period from The Little Mermaid to The Lion King. While the film is indeed a masterpiece, it it easy to imagine it was quite a shock to see an animated picture taking the spot away from the other prestige films of the time. But if there was a movie from that period that deserved the nomination, this was it.
Beauty and the Beast of course follows Belle (O’Hara), the daughter of an inventor who lives in a small town where every day looks the same. She is an avid reader and has a vivid imagination, and she wants more than anything to go away and see the world. When her father gets lost in the woods and ends up the prisoner of a Beastly creature, Belle offers herself to stay in his place. The Beast (Benson) is a recluse prince who was cursed by an enchantress, and he will only be free of the curse if he finds true love. At first, he and Belle do not get along, but over time they would start to open up to one another and eventually fall in love. However, that did not sit well with Gaston (Richard White), the uber male of the town who vows to marry Belle at any cost.
Beauty and the Beast got everything that was right about The Little Mermaid and then took it to another level. Just like Ariel, Belle is a girl who wants to looks for a different life beyond her boring existence. But Belle is far more active character than Ariel, even though she is was relegated to merely a witness in the third act. Meanwhile, the supporting characters are all endearing and hilarious, especially Lumiere (Jerry Orbach) and Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers), with Angela Lansbury bringing incredible warmth to Mrs. Potts. While Ursula was a more charismatic villain in The Little Mermaid, Gaston is so ridiculous that it becomes quite entertaining – and most interestingly, he becomes even funnier after growing up.
Besides the unquestionable qualities that Disney movies had from that period, probably one of the biggest reasons for the film’s success was Alan Menken. The music he created for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas are just unforgettable and catchy. It’s impossible to watch these films and not sing along every time a character bursts into song. Many of us practically know these songs by heart. Besides all of that, the film soars because the story works on every level. It is funny and compelling when it needs to be, it has a great villain, and it thrills us into a sense of adventure. It also works on a romantic level as Belle and the Beast are extremely charismatic characters with great chemistry, and we cheer for them right from the start.
At the end of the day, Beauty and the Beast is simply one of the best Disney pictures of all time.
still courtesy of Disney
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