Beauty And The Beast [DVD]

Everyone has that special movie about which it is impossible to be objective. This is that movie for me. I saw it first when my son was seven and he brought it home when a schoolmate loaned it to him. It instantly became a favorite in our house. My son, my daughter, and I have a special bond that this film signifies to this day. From the moment Belle sings, "I want much more than this provincial life," you know you are going to have an experience that goes beyond the ordinary, and you get one that goes beyond your wildest dreams. This film goes into superlatives that leave you breathless.It is hard to list all the summa cum laudes in this film. Disney broke new ground in this film by using a UNIX workstation for the ballroom scene that enabled a three-dimensional representation of the dance sequence, showing Belle and the Beast dancing through the ballroom under the chandelier. The movie features the voices of Paige O'Hara (Belle), Robby Benson (Beast), Jerry Orbach (Lumière), David Ogden Stiers), Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury), Chip (Bradley Pierce), and Wardrobe (Joanne Worley). Alan Menken's musical score is outstanding; the title song won the 1991 Best Song Oscar. The combination of a winning score, superb animation, and an unusually magical depth that the cast manages to create -- the viewer will be too spellbound while watching it to be able to say what it is that captivates so totally -- makes this film one that is not to be missed by young and old alike.The story is a traditional tale of a prince turned into a beast by a spell cast by an enchantress. The spell can be broken only if, by the end of his 21st birthday, he falls in love with someone who will also love him. An enchanted rose blooms as a symbol of the spell, and the last petal will fall at the end of the spell.The beauty is a beautiful woman, Belle, in a small French village, who is very intelligent and reads voraciously. She spends much of her time dreaming of living in the worlds she reads about in the books, any place other than the provincial village life she knows. She lives with her father, Maurice, a rather eccentric inventor, and both of them seem to be regarded as odd and unconventional types by the village residents. Gaston, a handsome but arrogant hunter, hopes to marry Belle for no other reason than to be able to say that he has married the most beautiful woman in the village; it is a matter of ego more than feeling, because he admits to no real feeling for anyone other than himself.Maurice heads out for a fair but goes astray from the path and ends up at a castle. The castle turns out to be enchanted, and the ornaments at the castle turn out to be lifelike beings who welcome him. Cogsworth, the pompous clock, Lumière, the romantic candlelabra, Mrs. Potts, the motherly teapot, and Chip, the boyish teacup, all welcome him. All is well until the master, the surly, growling Beast, enters the room, shouting that Maurice is not welcome and takes him prisoner. At a later time in the film, when Belle comes looking for her father, Belle begs the Beast to let her take her father's place, so she becomes the Beast's prisoner.The clash of the high-spirited Belle and the ill-tempered Beast is inevitable, for when the Beast loses his temper with Belle and frightens her, she tries to flee him. Wolves try to attack her, and the Beast comes to her rescue. Somehow the incident draws them together, and the resistance slowly causes the two to start to relate to one another. Before long, the two have become very close. The Beast allows Belle to look into his enchanted mirror, and she sees her father is quite ill. When the Beast sees how distressed Belle is, he releases her.When Belle goes back to her father, she realizes that her feelings for the Beast have changed. As she and Maurice discover, Gaston, in an attempt to intimidate Belle into marrying him, have plotted to put Maurice into an insane asylum. When Gaston discovers that Belle has developed affections for the Beast, he leads the townspeople on a lynch to destroy the Beast.As the lynch mob approaches the castle, all the objects in the castle prepare for the onslaught. Furniture, kitchen utensils, decorations, virtually every object in the castle, turn on the townspeople, and defeat them in the battle. They rejoice in their victory in the end.The only persons left in the battle are Gaston and the Beast. The Beast is so depressed because he has lost Belle that he does not resist and lets Gaston assault him. Suddenly Belle appears, and the Beast rises up against Gaston, throwing him from the castle roof. The Beast is in Belle's arms, dying, as Belle tells him that she loves him. Suddenly, in those last moments, the last petal of the rose falls and the spell is broken. The Beast is transformed into a man. The objects again become human, and the movie ends happily.Somehow at all the right moments in the film, the songs come in to give the story a push forward. Whether it is the opening song that introduces Belle and explains why she can never be content with the life in her little viilage, the song of the conceited Gaston that tells why he can think of nobody in the world except himself, the song that signals the turning point in the relationship between Belle and the Beast, or the title song itself, the music graces the film in the most miraculous way. The film went on to become a Broadway hit as well, and one of the songs from the Broadway play, "Human Again," that was not in the original movie was added in later versions.Too often when the words "entertainment for the whole family" are used, the words mean "boring and awful." Many adults also think of animated films as too juvenile to be good. Such prejudices should be cast aside when viewing this film; it is pure pleasure from start to finish.

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney film and one of my all time favorite films. Disney really did an excellent job with this film. With great animation, a great story with humor and heart, a timeless message, fantastic songs and score and an outstanding array of characters, this film became an instant masterpiece and no Disney film (and many others) has ever topped it. Beauty and the Beast is a film for all ages and although it's only 19 years old, it will be an eternal classic for years to come. This new Diamond Edition makes Beauty and the Beast better than ever.Beauty and the Beast comes to Blu-Ray looking fantastic. I think no traditional-animated film has looked better. It looks brand-new with no dirt, no edge enhancement, no grain and no artifacts to be found in the print. You will be surpriused with the rich color palette that the film has and the huge amount of detail of the drawings. This Blu-Ray transfer does justice to the animators work in te film. The sound is equally impressive with a 7.1 HD sound that will rock your house. Dialogue is clear, the songs sound beautiful and the score is magnificent. This film presentation is absolutely like the movie itself. Simply astounding.As with the previous platinum DVD release, you have three versions of the film to choose: the theatrical 1991 version, the extended 2002 version (which is the version I prefer because Human Again is a fantastic number) and the Work in Progress version. Aside from the three presentations, you have a lot of bonus material (and I mean a lot!!).In disc one you have an audio-commentary, a conversation with legend compososer Alan Menken and a feature that's called Broadway Beginnings which features different stage actors that have been part of the Beauty and the Beast musical on Broadway. Rounding up Disc one is an alternate opening and a deleted scene (which are a little long but great to see).If you are still thirsty for more (and you should be), in Disc Two you'll find the inmmersive documentary Beyond Beauty. Just like the Hyperion Studios documentary in Snow White, this feaure covers everything that concerns the making of the film. You need a lot of your time to see everything here but is pelnty of fun and very informative. You also have some games and the Classic DVD Bonus Features ported from the Platinum DVD.A DVD copy is also offered. It also has the three versions of the film plus the audiocommentary and looks great for SD (better than the platinum) but it's a far cry from the quality of the Blu-Ray.Beauty and the Beast is a fantastic film and a must-own for everyone. This Diamond Edition is a no-brainer purchase or upgrade and you should buy it. An excellent edition for an Exellent film. Completely recommended.Note: You should know that this Diamond Edition as the Diamond for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, comes in two presentations: one in a Blu-Ray case and the other in a DVD case. However, both editions have the same content: Two BDs and 1 DVD. If you want the 2-Disc DVD-only edition you'll have to wait until Nov. 23. The DVD-only edition won't have the same amount of bonus features as the BD.PD: Some ads promoting Disney new releases look very exciting including:Tangled (in theaters Nov. 24)Toy Story 3(On DVD and Blu-Ray Nov. 2)Fantasia and Fantasia 2000: 2-movie Collection Special Edition (On DVD and Blu-Ray Nov. 30)A Christmas Carol (on DVD and Blu-Ray Nov. 16)Bambi: Diamond Edition (on Blu-Ray combo and DVD Spring 2011)The Lion KIng: Diamond Edition (on Blu-Ray combo and DVD Fall 2011)Dumbo: 70th Anniversary (on Blu-Ray and DVD Feb. 2011)Alice in Wonderland: 60th Anniversary (on Blu-Ray and DVD 2011)