Beauty and the Beast (1991) User Reviews

One of Disney's Best!

[Rex_Stephens · 9/10 · 23 January 2005]

Beauty and the Beast is an engaging movie with so much care and beauty fused into its core. Beauty is much more than just an influential animated classic. It is a grand and powerful fable, sugar coated with the best animation effort in a time where CGI was becoming a movie mainstay. In its finest moments, Beauty is a rousing musical, making your head move and getting caught up right in the mix. The score is unforgettable and the characters are so easy to get into. A movie that children and adults alike will love, Disney deserved its Academy Award nominations for creating such a joy.

Small town Belle longs for more than a local life, maintaining her imagination through books and taking care of her kind, yet eccentric father. But when their horse returns without papa, Belle sets out to find the awful truth in an enchanted castle.

You can see that so much time and care was spent in drawing this masterpiece. I cannot think of many other movies that show such meticulous background and animation. That such effort is woven effortlessly into its songs that make Beauty and the Beast the timeless classic Disney rightfully lauds itself over. 'Be Our Guest,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Gaston,' you will be humming these songs at one point in your your life! Kudos to Disney for creating a charismatic, attractive villain in Gaston. He would not be a villain if he was not such a jerk. You must watch this movie at least once in your life, in a comfortable sofa and with the sound turned right up for the Broadway scores. You will enjoy it!

A Transporting Experience

[jhclues · 9/10 · 11 December 2001]

Indeed, it's a tale as old as time, with a complex message that is as ageless as it is universal; but beneath all the layers it can be summed up very simply: love one another, and refrain from judging others who `seem' to be `different.' And leave it to Disney to present it in such a way that it can be embraced and understood by young and old alike as they have here, in one of their best animated features ever, `Beauty and the Beast,' directed by Gary Trousdale. When a young Prince fails the test of an enchantress disguised as an old hag, she transforms him into a hideous beast, as he is destined to remain until he opens his heart and learns how to love and be loved in return. And so that he'll know where he stands as time goes by, she gives him an enchanted rose, which will bloom until his twenty-first birthday, and he has only until the last petal falls from the flower to effect the change within himself that will be his salvation.

The beast, however, seems doomed, as he shuts himself away, alone in his castle, taking up a reclusive existence far from everyone and everything. Until, one day, a beautiful young woman named Belle shows up at his doorstep. Belle is searching for her inventor father, Maurice, who disappeared while taking one of his latest inventions to the fair; and his trail leads Belle to the castle of the Beast, where she discovers he is being held prisoner, having run afoul of the Beast by trespassing while lost during the night of his journey. Repulsed by the appearance of the Beast, Belle nevertheless strikes a bargain with him: If he will release her father, she will stay in his place. The Beast agrees, with the stipulation that she must remain with him forever. And as the Beast casts Belle's father from the castle and sends him on his way, Belle's fate seems sealed. The only hope now for either Belle or the Beast lies in the remote possibility that true love may somehow prevail before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls.

With the help of a richly textured screenplay (by Linda Woolverton) that invests the characters with a depth of humanity that is often lacking even in `non' animated films, and an Oscar winning score by Alan Menken, director Trousdale provides some real insights into human nature in this retelling of the familiar story of how true love can change even the darkest and coldest of hearts. There's magic in this film, which holds an enchantment of it's own, and the message is presented ever so subtly and with a sensitivity that draws you in gradually until you are so caught up in the story that you become immersed and totally involved without being consciously aware of it. It's a film that enfolds you and takes you where it will, and you go willingly. A beautifully rendered and realized film that successfully transcends it's genre, it is the first animated feature ever to be recognized and rewarded with an Oscar nomination for Best Movie (quite a feat in itself, as it received the nod over such films as `The Fisher King,' `Fried Green Tomatoes,' `Thelma and Louise' and John Singleton's `Boyz N the Hood' that year).

The talented cast supplying the voices of the characters includes Paige O'Hara (Belle), Robby Benson (The Beast), Richard White (Gaston), Jerry Orbach (Lumiere), David Ogden Stiers (Cogsworth), Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts), Bradley Pierce (Chip), Rex Everhart (Maurice), Jesse Corti (LeFou), Hal Smith (Phillipe), Jo Ann Worley (Wardrobe), Brian Cummings (Stove), Alvin Epstein (Bookseller) and Kimmy Robertson (Featherduster). There's a scene in this film that is so entrancing and so emotionally involving that it stands up against the best from any drama ever made: As Angela Lansbury (as Mrs. Potts) sings the Oscar winning title song, Belle begins to perceive the true nature of the man within the Beast; and it's no longer the cold-hearted Prince upon whom the enchantress cast her spell, because he has changed. And as they come together and the Beast takes Belle in his arms, sweeping her in dance across the elegant ballroom floor, it becomes one of those rare cinematic `moments' that are entirely transporting, and it does, indeed, take you away. It's a memorable scene that exemplifies the quality and craftsmanship of this film, as does the scene in which the Beast is at last transformed; that such emotion can be captured and expressed in an animated film is an exemplary accomplishment, and it's all a part of why `Beauty and the Beast' is one of Disney's all time greatest films.

One final note: Stay for the credits to hear Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's title song once again, this time performed by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. Hypnotically beautiful, this version has a magic all it's own and makes the perfect ending to an enchanting experience. It's all a part of the magic of the movies. I rate this one 9/10.

The cream of Disney

[marksul · 9/10 · 1 February 2005]

This is a classic movie. We have breakthrough films like Snow White and Fantasia, and we have other greats like Aladdin and The Lion King, but this definitely tops them all. There is so much here that is missing in other Disney classics. This film has emotion, incredible music and animation, characters that you admire, laugh at, and despise. This movie is a fun ride from beginning to end. We can all relate with the suffering of the Beast (being an outsider), and we all know a Gaston in our lives. The way we can identify with the characters sucks us into the story. Don't miss this classic...the only animated film to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.

Be our guest

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 24 November 2003]

Beauty and the Beast is without a doubt one of Disney's finest classics. The first animated film to ever be nominated for best picture and after you see it, you could understand and agree with it's nomination. Beauty and the Beast is going to be one of those films that will always be remembered, I know that it's a movie that I will show my children one day. It has unbelievably terrific animation, a beautiful story, lovable characters, and is just over all a perfect movie. I really love this film so much, I don't think anyone couldn't fall in love with it.

Bell is just a simple girl in her town in France, she reads books constantly and her father is an inventor. They are sort of the outcasts of their town due to their "oddness". But Bell is being pursued by the town hunk, Gueston, simply because she's the one girl he cannot have. One day when her father's inventions are about to be displayed at the fair, he gets lost in the woods and stumbles across a castle and is held prisoner. Bell goes after him and comes to the castle; it turns out that her father is being held by a beast who is cursed with this hideousness unless he finds a true love before a rose he has welts. Bell trades places with her father; the house also has living objects, a candle holder, a clock, a tea pot, all who are also cursed until the curse is broken. They look at Bell as the perfect opportunity for the beast to find a true love, but he must learn to be a gentleman, but Bell brings out the best in him and it turns out that this might be a happy ending after all.

This was actually the first movie that I ever cried in, the ending was just so beautiful and heart felt, you'll have to see what I mean. The songs are just so lovely and perfect for the scenes that they are performed for. Beauty and the Beast, the song, was just one of the most touching songs ever. This films is a major recommendation for me, it's one of my favorite Disney films of all time, it's a timeless classic that is just perfect and reached a new level of great animation.

10/10

One of my all-time favourite movies.

[Victor Field · 10/10 · 2 January 2003]

The only animated movie to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, and it deserved it.

Magic from the opening prologue to the final credit, "Beauty and the Beast" is the last real classic to come from the Disney crew before John Lasseter came along. This was one of the few movies I happily paid to see twice in the cinema, and sitting in a sparsely-populated Friday night audience (I was living in Barbados at the time, and it was hardly the most artistic place on Earth... it was a crying shame that there was hardly anyone there while "Home Alone 2" went through the roof) the second time, the magic remained.

You all know the story, so apart from pointing out the movie's one flaw (the prince's spell had to be broken before he turned 21 or he would remain a beast forever; so if it was cast ten years before the events of the movie, wouldn't that mean he was 11 when the spell was cast...?), let's look at how well the movie works. You have a monster who's more human than the movie's medallion-man villain; you have a heroine who's PC but engaging with it; you have a supporting cast of magic utensils who wisely never upstage the couple at the centre of this love story (and despite the Disney animated trappings, it IS a love story); and you have a captivating story, beautifully told.

The movie's also got wonderful design of its French setting and characters, with the ballroom scene a standout (the tiny but appreciative audience were impressed by the sight of the Beast and Belle in their evening wear - the only time I've ever seen cartoon characters get wolf-whistled in a cinema); and Alan Menken's score is his finest work for the Mouse, with matchless lyrics from the late and much lamented Howard Ashman - how many musicals can you name where ALL the songs are brilliant? But ultimately it's the movie's very real heart that makes it a keeper; the cliche "You'll laugh, you'll cry" is all too true in this case. A lot of movies called 'classic' don't deserve that appellation, but this one does.

I'll be slaughtered by anime fans, but what the hell... one "Beauty and the Beast" is worth a thousand "Akira"s. And "Shrek"s. And, I'm willing to bet, "Treasure Planet"s. This is a truly adult animated feature that's also one for the entire family. Forget "The Silence of the Lambs" - this is the real best picture of 1991.

Perfect mix of music and animation...a solid achievement...

[Doylenf · 3 October 2002]

I've not seen the newly added song sequence (Human Again) featured in the latest IMAX version so my comments are based entirely on the original theatrical and VHS release.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is Disney at its peak. From the stained glass window at the opening and the beautiful narration, the viewer is drawn into the story by the appealing music and clever lyrics ("Belle's Song") which gets the picture off to a bouncy start. The opening sequence showing Belle and the townspeople in song is masterfully handled and choreographed for maximum effect, setting the tone for the entire story.

The plot becomes thicker once Belle's father enters the castle grounds where the Beast resides. The castle interiors are brilliantly Baroque and the odd characters inhabiting the grounds are delightfully rendered by a perfect blending of art and voice talent. Cogsworth, Lumiere and Mrs. Potts are delightful creations, each with strong, consistent personalities. David Ogden Stiers, Jerry Orbach and Angela Lansbury cannot be praised enough for their contributions.

Two of the musical highlights are Orbach's dazzling job on "Be My Guest" (with French accent) and Angela's tender rendering of the title song, "Beauty and the Beast". Unforgettable movie moments. As Gaston, Richard White's robust baritone voice adds greatly to the effectiveness of his villainy.

It's no wonder the film was the first to receive recognition by the Academy with a Best Picture nomination. Outstanding in every department, including the end title song sung by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson in a more "modern" style.

Along with SNOW WHITE and SLEEPING BEAUTY, a top-notch fairy tale with its appeal evenly divided between adults and children--as well as the child in all of us.

the story ever told

[dys · 10/10 · 30 November 1999]

a great movie story done with wondrous animation and lovely music. the pacing was perfect, the music blended extremely well with the action, and each character was developed charmingly. the contrast between the mean but insecure beast plays very well against the lovely but bright and secure belle. the animation was top notch: even now, after disney has had time to develop better computer animation techniques, it still has beautiful color and flow. except for pinocchio, I don't know any disney movie more lovely. It's a movie that appeals to children of all ages, especially adults : )

enough of the "technical stuff" let's get on to my emotional attachment to the movie.

I remember the first time I saw B&tB so vividly; I was completely enthralled by the movie that all I could do on the way home was smile and cry. I've seen it many, many times, yet the ballroom scene still gives me goose bumps. Angela Landsbury as Mrs. Potts sings the title song with so much feeling that every time I hear the song, I'm swept away back to that ballroom.

I was also moved by Belle's strength of self worth and generosity. She is a heroine I'd love girls to emulate. She knows what she wants, but yet is sensitive to others in trying to achieve that goal. She also learns to apologize and to forgive, no small task.

I've loved this movie from the start, and it has grown into an obsession. I collect everything I can now, and watch it when I need a lift. So I know my opinion is strongly biased : ) but I hope you get a chance to see this film and judge for yourself. I realize it is difficult to get access to the videos or laser discs (check out the spanish version cover imdb is using in B&tB's page) but it is well worth the search. The first time is most magical. I envy you.

Plot is flimsy but the music is iconic, duh

[spencergrande6 · 7/10 · 22 April 2017]

I forgot how flimsy the plot of this is. Very little that happens in this adds up or makes sense when you stop to think about it. And the romance between beauty and the beast is thinly drawn and problematic. You are supposed to just accept it when the movie says so.

The songs and score are iconic for good reason; there's more soul and feeling in the lyrics and music than there is anywhere else (it is a musical after all). It all works, the animation is stellar, though personally this is a good not great film and its Best Picture nomination in hindsight is more than a little perplexing.

Breathtaking

[Chrissie · 10/10 · 10 April 1999]

When I saw the first advertising for Beauty and the Beast -- a cardboard stand-up in a movie theater -- I nearly burst into tears. Just the ADVERTISEMENT was hauntingly beautiful, tapping into some deep human reality. Hasn't everyone, at some time, felt like a hideous beast hungry for someone to love us as we are and in doing so, transform us into something beautiful?

The film itself more than delivered. Belle was the first Disney heroine who wasn't either boy-crazy or a doormat/victim. She has brains, heart, and above all, character. The Beast's transformation from monster to hero is believable and poignant. In a world where possessiveness has become the norm (witness the selfish custody battles of birth parents tearing children from the only homes they've ever known), the Beast's heart-wrenching insistence that he had to let Belle leave because he loves her is a breath of fresh air.

The music is perfection, the animation astonishing. Together they raise filmmaking of any kind to new challenges. The ballroom scene is heartbreakingly beautiful.

If you've been in a coma for ten years or have some other excuse for never having seen this gem of a movie, correct that omission as soon as possible. And have a hankie nearby.

Perfection.

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 13 October 2012]

This is, without a doubt, the best film Disney ever made. Now that's saying a lot, as the studio also made "Bambi", "Little Mermaid" and many other great films. "Beauty and the Beast" represents everything they could do right in a movie. The music is fantastic and couldn't be better (mostly because many of the songs had a great sense of humor), the characters wonderful and the story promoted some of the most wonderful values you could want. Belle is a completely admirable young lady--and I was thrilled that my own daughters could watch her and learn about her strength and integrity. And, the film is fun--yet will also bring a tear to the eye of even the most jaded viewer. Not surprisingly the film was nominated for Best Picture--it's just a shame that an animated film will probably never take home this Oscar. Well worth seeing and owning--a truly great film.

Did no one Making it see the Hypocrisy of the Story?

[fatcat-73450 · 6/10 · 27 October 2021]

Yes, this movie has excellent art and animation (certainly a contender for the best-looking 2D movie), some of the best songs in a Disney musical (and that's high praise considering their excellent repertoire), and the voice acting leaves nothing to be desired.

Most of the supporting characters have charming personalities.

The battle scene is thrilling despite the fact that it's basically a horror B-movie setup (a bunch of furniture in a castle attacking peasants). The development of the romance between Belle and "the Best" is also tastefully done.

In short, the film is a great achievement in cinema from a technical standpoint, but it's all mixed up in terms of the messages it sends:

1. It's about how people should look past shallow considerations when falling in love (particularly appearance). Belle falls in love with the Beast despite the fact that he's... well, a beast, so it's not shallow at all, right?

Wrong. Not only does he end up turning into a handsome man, but he appears to be fabulously wealthy and has a bunch of magical devices at his disposal. This completely unwinds any supposed moral high ground.

2. And what does Belle fall in love with anyway? She's shown to love books but the Beast doesn't seem to even know how to read. She implies she wants to see the wide world but by all appearanes the Best is a local boy who's tied to the castle. She doesn't like Gaston presumably because he's arrogant and aggressive but...

3. The Beast is extremely abusive, jailing a lost old man, kidnapping Belle, terrorizing her on screen throughout the beginning of the movie, and treating his servants as slaves. Not only that, but he got into the predicament he did for being shallow, entitled, and cruel.

Side Note: the servants apparently LOVE to serve. It's not just a job for them but their passion. I find it strange.

Disney's playing with fire here. The Beast is shown to be pretty rotten and now suddenly he meets Belle and becomes a nice guy why?

I'm surprised this story keeps getting retold and has survived so long unmodified. Morally, it's a dangerous mess. Logically, the plot doesn't add up.

Honourable Mentions: Shrek (2001). I'm sure the movie has its flaws, but it's basically the Beauty and the Beast story with most of the inappropriate hypocritical bits fixed.

Magical

[Monika-5 · 17 February 2000]

Who can resist this beautiful story? I love the fact that even though Belle hated Beast at first, she saw underneath that he was a kind and gentle soul, and didn't care what he looked like on the outside! And what girl hasn't known a Gaston in their lives? I thought it was so great how he was put in his place! All the voiceovers are amazing, especially Robby Benson as Beast. Another Disney masterpiece.

Be a Guest...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 11 October 2020]

... and be entertained with 90 minutes of mesmerising fairy tale telling at its very best. Feel as enchanted as the castle and its occupants as your spirits and emotions rise and fall then rise again. Rejoice in the spectacular finale, while relishing the craft of these incredible animators, musicians, writers, their genius and imagination but, above all, let the meaning and the message distil within you - avoid the shallowness of appearance, don't judge a book by its cover, we're all so much more than what we present.

entrancing above all

[luckycharm160 · 10/10 · 10 April 2005]

This is the most amazing movie i have ever seen. Everything about it is magnificent. The music goes perfect with the scenes and mood of the film, and the characters have personalities that go with the flow of the movie. Every event leads to another one and keeps you watching. I cant even describe the overall feeling after you watch it. It will make you feel every emotion there is. There are parts where you will be angry at the movie, but another when u are happy and over joyed and yet, sad and crying your eyes out.

The old story of a young girl finding the true beauty within from a beast is captured very well. It can be told anyway but Disney really makes it the best. The animation is still beautiful even now when they have higher technology. Overall even know it is still my favorite movie and i do watch it every time i get a chance. I am practically obsessed it is so good. I do have other favorites like the little mermaid and Tarzan and the lion king but nothing can compare to this.

Every time i see it i am taken away into it until the end. I always wish that this story could somehow come true and i could be there. It makes you dream and wish and hope. The strong scenes for me are: -when the prince is just transformed into the beast and with the rose as the camera zooms away from the castle. -after Gaston proposes to belle and she runs out of the house asking for a more "provincial life" and lays in the grass -the library scene -and definitely the ballroom scene just fills me with joy and tears at the same time -and lastly when the beast is dying and belle mutters that she loves him

What really makes it the best is the voices too. Just listening to hte music without the movie can make you feel the same way.

i am a real Disney lover but i would highly recommend this one above all others.

Disney, Why Can't You Make More Movies Like This!?

[alex979 · 10/10 · 3 October 2006]

I still remember watching this movie when I was very little. I did not appreciate it as much then, but now because I am older, I can cherish this blessed masterpiece. The music in this movie is one of the best film scores ever and contains the catchiest Disney tunes. Who could ever forget the ever-popular ballroom scene? This movie, in my opinion was Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's best! I also think that this is the best Disney movie made after the great Walt Disney passed away.

I had the opportunity of seeing the Special Edition on IMAX. What an experience! The scenes were breathtaking to see on such a large screen. I even found the new song "Human Again" very entertaining.

It's such a shame that Disney hasn't made a movie like this since "Mulan". "Beauty and the Beast" will be forever remembered as the epitome of modern-day Disney movies (and should have won the Best Picture Oscar instead of "The Silence of the Lambs"). Bravo to Disney!

One word=F-L-A-W-L-E-S-S!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 17 February 2009]

This movie is without doubt the best animated movie of all time. The artistry was perfect. I was spellbound at the animated sequences to the songs "Be Our Guest" and "Beauty and the Beast" especially. The characters were very well drawn, and because of the dark and colourful backgrounds, the film looked beautiful. The songs are fantastic. Another movie with great songs is "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"(which has the best beginning to a Disney movie). In fact, all the Alan Menken scores are brilliant, with the exception of Home On The Range, which is one of the weaker Disney efforts. My personal favourites, were the songs I just mentioned, and "Gaston" was great fun too. The incidental music was the best in any Disney movie, and that is the same with the other Menken scores. The music in the transformation of the Beast was phenomenal, as well as the animation, and reminded me of the last movement of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, which is really frightening. Another Disney with great incidental music is "The Lion King". The story is quite simply one of the best love stories ever, and the characters are wonderful. Belle was voiced beautifully by Paige O'Hara, who has a beautiful singing voice. I love Belle, she is beautiful, clever and strong, and is one of the best Disney characters for those reasons. Gaston was made into a complex villain, and quite narcissistic(great idea Disney). When he was nasty he was quite frightening, and Richard White can really sing. Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers were really entertaining as Lumiere and Cogsworth,(I just love how witty, elegant and debonair Lumiere is) and Angela Lansbury gives a brilliant rendition of the title song. The best voice over was that of the Beast, who was very frightening, and there were some parts that were truly sensitive. Why are some people fussed about him as a human? Remember, true beauty comes from within. In conclusion, an essential to your Disney collection with a very poignant ending. 10/10. Bethany Cox

A very popular Disney movie

[Atreyu_II · 7/10 · 24 July 2007]

The 30th animated Disney "classic" is, without a doubt, one of the most famous Disney classics, which is a good and a bad thing either, because its success tends somewhat to overshadow other very good Disney classics (often better than this). Or maybe what happens is that this movie gets the deserved attention, while others sadly do not have the same luck (such as "The Rescuers", "The Aristocats", "The Fox and the Hound", "The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh", "Robin Hood" and others). That is the worst aspect of this movie's success. So, as one can see, it's not all roses.

Nevertheless, "Beauty and the Beast" is one of Disney's most original movies. To a point, it is every bit as creative and imaginative as "Alice in Wonderland", except that it isn't as eccentric as that one.

One thing that is very obvious from the beginning is that this is a french tale. It's quite easy to understand that because all the characters have french names. Plus, they often use french words such as "Bonjour" (which means "Good morning" in french). Lumière even uses the word «Sacré bleu» once. However, it's not very clear the exact place of our story. All we know is that it's somewhere in France.

As much as I don't like all of the movie's characters, some of them are very charming. For example: Lumière (the candelabra), Cogsworth (a clock), Mrs. Potts (a teapot), Chip (the cute little teacup), Belle, Maurice (Belle's father, who is also an inventor) and Philippe (the horse). It's funny that a horse is named Philippe (Philip in french) - LOL.

Belle is one of Disney's most beautiful chicks, together with Jasmine, Ariel and the Blue Fairy. Belle is also classy, charming, carefree, nonconformist, conservative and nice. All of this makes her an interesting character and, above all, different from the rest of her village's population, who see her as a strange girl because she likes to read and also because she can't stand Gaston (unlike the rest of women) neither the idea of being his "little wife". Belle is appropriately named like that (her name means beautiful in french).

Gaston (who is considered the villain of the movie) is a character who's got no culture at all, being the epitome of pure strength and no brain (like Biff Tannen from "Back to the Future"). Gaston is a tall, muscled, vain, arrogant, snobbish and chauvinistic guy with a heart of stone.

On the other hand, Gaston's follower and helper, Lefou, is more of a goofy guy than anything else, nearly like a comic relief. No wonder he is named Lefou (which means "The Fool" in french).

Monsieur D'Arque is a strange man with a sinister appearance that makes him seem to come from a terror film. For some children, he might be a bit of a creepy character.

My favorite character is Chip (he is the cutest of all, besides, his natural sweetness and innocence helps). However, Lumière and Belle come incredibly close to Chip when it comes to my favorite characters of this film.

The soundtrack isn't entirely spectacular, but the romantic ballad "Beauty and the Beast" is beautiful. It has 2 versions. Angela Lansbury's version is good, but the original one by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson is extraordinary.

As for the cast, it is brand new comparing to older Disney films and most of them do well. Paige O'Hara and Angela Lansbury are among the best ones, but those who steal the show are Bradley Pierce as Chip and Jerry Orbach as Lumière. Jerry Orbach gives so much life and energy to Lumière, with such a convincing french accent.

The best part of the whole film is the famous ballroom dance sequence, which is wonderful, brilliant and very artistic (the graphics also make it look incredibly close to a live-action ballroom).

Generally speaking, this film has the main ingredients of an animated Disney movie: great picture quality (good designs, backgrounds, sceneries and colors), very good animation, creativity, originality, some charming characters, some romance, adventure, darkness, suspense, classic humor and so on...

The Prince (that is, the Beast as a human being) almost looks like Jean Michel Jarre with that long hair. That said, his change of heart during the movie is amazing. From a person who is spoiled, selfish, unkind and with an explosive temper, he becomes kind, gentle and even romantic.

Although the sequence "Human Again" was originally gonna be included in the movie, it was removed in the final version. It was recovered for the DVD. Yet, the version I consider the true one is the one without the sequence "Human Again", even if that one is not *officially* the movie's true version. But for me the true version is the one I know since 1991. It's the way I always knew it, so it makes perfect sense.

Decent adaptation of the classic fable

[grantss · 6/10 · 14 October 2015]

Decent adaptation of the classic fable.

A prince is turned into a beast by a witch. He is doomed to spend the rest of his days in that way unless he experiences true love by a certain age. Meanwhile, in a nearby village a beautiful girl, Belle, is being harassed by the local casanova, Gaston. Then one day her father is imprisoned by the Beast...

Sweet movie, though dull in spells. Part of the problem is that you know how it is going to end. There is some originality though - the animated pots, candlesticks etc - and these generally provide the most entertaining moments.

Unfortunately, it is a musical. No particularly good songs: some are okay, some are quite forgettable and some are even a bit irritating. You know things aren't going to go well when Celine Dion sings the theme song...

Kids should enjoy it. Adults can take it or leave it.

Delightful Disney romance

[Catherine_Grace_Zeh · 10/10 · 24 November 2005]

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, in my opinion, is a delightful Disney romance. If you ask me, Gaston (voice of Richard White) was truly diabolical. Still, in my opinion, he was very good-looking. On the other hand, the songs were truly superior. Well, despite the fact that every song in this film was good, I would have to say that the title song was the best. This was probably be because she did most of the singing. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say everyone involved in delightful Disney romance to all of you who haven't seen it. You're in for a good time, so go to the video store, rent it or buy it, kick back with a friend, and watch it.

Don't kill me please

[rickothan · 3/10 · 11 April 2022]

Look, I understand that this is one of the favorite animated movies in the public eye and I can mostly see why. However, I just don't feel the same way. Belle is a very bland character, her personality is just she like-a da books. She doesn't really have anything going on. The romance between her and Beast is extremely rushed and out of place, just like "haha stockholm syndrome now they kiss". Gaston is great, of course, as is his song, but the rest of the songs in this movie that DON'T include Gaston for some part of it are mid at best and annoying at worst. Be Our Guest gives me a headache with how little there is going on, and the animation has some spotty moments. The whole movie does in a way, some spots where you can tell the movie still has some of the old era of disney in it. Detailed backgrouns which clash hard with the simpler character designs, it just doesn't look good to me. It's obviously still lavishly animated, a good looking movie. I just wish this movie came a little later into the disney renaissance, the age in its animation shows more than I wish it did. Even outside of its age, a lot of the designs are slacking. LeFou is a whole topic on its own, but even outside of him some of the other background characters (AND EVEN HUMAN BEAST) look really bad. Don't wanna knock it for its visuals too much because it is quite fine in that department and it's not the movie's fault. There's one part of the movie that does genuinely exceed the rest, and that's the aforementioned Gaston. He's a perfect antagonist, contrasting with the story and characters in a way that makes him a threat and a perfect thematic match. I'm gonna rewatch the movie to see if the rest of the movie can match my thoughts on him, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Classy piece of animation

[bob the moo · 27 March 2005]

When an arrogant Prince turns away an old woman looking for shelter with only a rose for a gift, she warns him not to just take the surface appearance as being the all of a person; however he rejects her a second time – only for her to reveal herself as a beautiful enchantress. She casts a spell on him, turning him into a beast with the only hope of return being to fall in love with a woman and have her fall in love with him before the rose wilts and dies. Resembling a carpet stuffed with walnuts, the prince figures he has no chance and withdraws into his castle. When an elderly man wanders into the castle, the Beast holds him prisoner and only lets him go when his daughter, Belle, offers to replace him in the Beast's castle. With time running out, the Beast's staff hope that Belle will be the one to break the curse but the Beast cannot remember how.

Being quite a cynical, acerbic person I must admit that I prefer modern animated films that deliver lots of adult humour along with a good emotional story and often I struggle to enjoy films that take the more traditional Disney route. However with this film I was quite taken by how classy the whole affair was, with great effort being shown in every area from the animation, to the songs through to the emotionally involving story whose telling is touched with a nice sense of wonder throughout. The story doesn't really hit many bum notes (I thought Gaston's sidekick was a bit too obvious and half cooked) and it is interesting and enjoyable for the vast majority of the time. The story and comedy is aimed at both adults and children – but the stuff for kids is not basic pratfalls, nor is the adult material just a load of references or suggestive jokes. Instead the two are quite well blended with good physical comedy and plenty of wit. Again, it is the sense of spectacle and wonder that came through that I really appreciated.

The animation feels more impressive for the reliance on mostly traditional animation rather than computer effects – in fact the computer effects look a bit dated now, even if they do still produce the goods in some key scenes. Mainly it is the feeling that every frame has had a lot of effort and love put into it that makes the whole affair feel classy. The songs are also great and feature quite a few memorable songs that stick in the mind; meanwhile the choreography of these scenes is generally very imaginative (Be Our Guest was my favourite). The cast don't feature many big stars and perhaps this is good because the real people don't distract from their characters. That said, I thought that Benson, O'Hara, White and a few others were quite unremarkable even if they were good enough for the film. Orbach, Stiers, Lansbury and others provided comic work in the support characters and everything worked well.

Overall this is a really classy animated film that shows the effort and care put into it in many different regards. It does suffer a bit from cuteness and sentimentality but I didn't think this was a massive problem or something that was not to be expected from Disney and generally I really enjoyed the film and see it as one of the films that define Disney for people of my generation.

An exceptional, beautiful animated film

[dee.reid · 10/10 · 15 August 2011]

Anyone can tell you that 1991's "Beauty and the Beast," the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed animated film from that year, is a modern-day classic. "Beauty and the Beast" is a film I saw throughout my childhood growing up in the '90s (I was six when the film was originally released in 1991), and I often regarded it as just another Disney fairy tale movie.

Boy, was I wrong.

Yes, "Beauty and the Beast" is an animated Disney fairy tale, but it's an animated Disney fairy tale like no other. The film came out during a time that is often regarded in film history as the Disney Renaissance period, when the company was putting out top-of-the-line animated features that were of the highest degree of excellence after a nearly-30-year decline in quality, had stellar production values and animation, stellar star/no-name voice talent, and the films were just of overall better quality than in times past. As a result, Disney was beginning to see critical acclaim and box office profits that at the time were unprecedented in the company's history, or animated-film history, for that matter.

It supposedly began with "The Little Mermaid" (1989) and ended with "Tarzan" in 1999 (and I also don't want to forget about 1992's "Aladdin" or 1994's "The Lion King"; "Beauty and the Beast" is easily the best film from this time.

"Beauty and the Beast" is of course an adaptation of the classic French fairy tale, and the animation screenplay here (ultimately penned by Linda Woolverton and co-directed by Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise) is credited to no less than 11 writers. In the film, an unnamed and selfish young prince (Robby Benson) is transformed into a Beast by a beautiful young enchantress who had disguised herself as an old hag. This curse has not only transformed him into a monster closely resembling a humanoid lion, but it has affected his entire castle - turning it into a darkly ominous and Gothic house of horrors (that is obviously meant to match his inner turmoil, hatred, and contempt for the world) and turned his servants and everyone else in it into everyday household items like silverware, furniture, and other decorations.

In the nearby town, Belle (Paige O'Hara), the town beauty who is regarded as somewhat of an oddball and a goof - due to her love of books and gaining knowledge (my kind of woman, personally!) - is growing tired of her assigned lot in life and wonders if there's anything better out there. Still, she is generally pleased with what she already has, living with her eccentric inventor father Maurice (Rex Everhart). When Maurice leaves town to attend a nearby science exhibition, he gets lost and winds up at the Beast's castle. The angry Beast takes him prisoner, but agrees to let him go in exchange for letting Belle remain in his castle forever.

Although Belle is initially repulsed by the Beast, not so much by his looks but by his violent temper, she gradually begins to warm up to him and his kindly staff who begin tending to her every need. Underneath his horrid exterior, she begins to see that he is indeed a kind and gentle soul, and a very lonely one at that, and predictably begins to fall in love with him and vice-versa. Meanwhile back in town, forces led by the town's ultra-vain hot-shot alpha-male, Gaston (Richard White), are conspiring to get Belle to marry him at any cost, while also masterminding the Beast's downfall.

"Beauty and the Beast" is an extraordinary motion picture event, which had the distinction of being the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars (that was until Pixar's "Up" in 2010). It was also one of the earliest pictures to make use of hand-drawn imagery that was seamless integrated with computer-generated special effects. To me, while I usually detest musicals and even though "Beauty and the Beast" has some musical numbers in it, by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, the songs don't slow the film down at all. In fact, they actually enhance the film by actually continuing to tell the story (and they are in fact pretty catchy, which is a rarity in films like this - I might actually go out and by the soundtrack pretty soon).

Another aspect of the film that makes it so extraordinary is how dark it is, and also worth mentioning is the fleeting violence of the film's climax (which does include a slapstick showdown at the Beast's castle between the household staff and Gaston's goons, but I'm specifically referring to the climatic fight between the Beast and Gaston on the roof of his castle). And the Beast himself is actually quite scary, especially in the film's earliest moments. I'm quite surprised that "Beauty and the Beast" didn't receive at least a "PG" rating considering how dark this picture is, both in its subject matter and presentation. Notice how ugly and how drenched in darkness the Beast's castle is when the story begins. But the story is also about beauty, specifically the love of inner beauty. The film and Beast's castle begin to brighten up and come back to life once Belle arrives and begins falling for the Beast.

It may be rated "G," but it's still a mature-minded animated feature that doesn't play dumb to its audience and spoon-feed them crappy, sugar-coated moralistic messages about the true ugliness that is sometimes referred to as life.

"Beauty and the Beast" is very easily one of my favorite Disney animated films, very easily one of my favorite animated films of all time, for sure. I especially appreciated its message about inner beauty, a theme that has always been particularly of interest to me in the few love stories I actually like but has never been realized so brilliantly as it has been here.

A true Disney classic.

10/10

This film, to me, is one of the finest Disney films ever made!

[DorianWynHowells · 10/10 · 22 January 2002]

This film, from it's opening narration, to the end credits, is a beautifully animated adaptation of a well known classic.

When I first saw this, I was captivated by both the animation and the story. It's a nice tale, and as always, has something to teach us.

The songs are really great too. Every one in this movie, is beautifully sung and well orchestrated. Everyone knows the song "Be our guest" and it brings a smile to my face every time I hear/see it.

The villain of the piece is of course Mr Universe with his bulging biceps and pearly white teeth, and we as an audience can't wait for the inevitable confrontation between him and the Beast.

But to me, the real star of this film is Mrs Potts (Angela Lansbury). She sings THAT song wonderfully, and sends a shiver down my back, and brings a tear to my eye every time!!

This is, I must say, Disney at their best, they don't make them like this anymore, and it shows that when people care about something that they make, it'll all work out, and everyone will be happy ever after.

10/10

Enjoy!

Life Before and After "Beauty and the Beast"

[evanston_dad · 10/10 · 18 November 2008]

To date, my favorite animated Disney film.

In 1938, Walt Disney received a special Academy Award for producing "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and bringing a new standard to motion picture cartoons. Then in 1941, the Academy gave "Fantasia" a couple of special awards as another watermark animated film. "Beauty and the Beast" deserves to stand along side both of those films as one that changed animated films forever. For me, there are animated films before "Beauty" and after. Not since Disney's very first animated films ("Snow White," "Pinnochio") had one blended music and story so masterfully. But what sets "Beauty" apart from others is, strangely enough, the acting. The voice work is so perfectly matched with the way the characters are drawn that it's almost possible to forget you're watching two-dimensional creations.

An enchanting film.

Grade: A+

This Movie Should Be In The Top 20 Best Movies Of All Time On IMDb!!!

[tore019 · 10/10 · 24 June 2009]

This movie is beautiful. No other word can describe this film. It's the Shawshank Redemption animated. This movie is the greatest Disney movie ever, in my opinion. Lion King is very good but it's not even close to this. It will give you bumpers, it will make you laugh, smile and cry. It will change your life in some small way, but still it will do something to you. The music is amazing, the voice acting is fail free, everything about this movie is perfect! I will not give any spoilers about this film but it is a MUST SEE for everybody! Watch this movie and you'll know that it deserves better ratings! Beautiful, just beautiful!