Beauty and the Beast (DVD, 2010, 2-Disc Set, Diamond Edition)

Incredibly Beautiful Film. Not to Be Missed
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.

Disc 2 has got to go
Beauty and the Beast was released in theaters on November 13, 1991. Beauty and the Beast mainly tell the story of a Prince who became a hideous beast because he scorned an old peasant who becomes a beautiful enchantress. The enchantress realizes that the Prince selfish, coldhearted and unkind and put a spell on the castle and the residents who live their as well. Several years have past and Belle enters his life when he takes her father captive. Belle agrees to live in the castle as the Beast prisoner in exchange for the release of her father. Over several months there grow to like each other and that is where I am going to end so I don’t give away the rest of the story. Unlike other reviews I have written I have given the time length on each one; this DVD is the exception to the rule. This DVD comes with three different versions of Beauty and the Beast: Work In Progress which was released at the New York Film Festival in September of 1991, Original Theatrical Release, and the Special Edition which has the song Human Again in it. My biggest beef with this 2 Disc DVD collection is Disc 2. There is so much repetitive and overlap it is way bother a second disc. The Pencil Version of Human again is play four times. When you get to Mrs. Potts section of the DVD where you The Making of Beauty and the Beast is just and edited version of Origins of Beauty and the Beast in Cogsworth & Lumiere’s Library section. Whoever put Disc 2 together must not have had it all there. The movie (all three) Beauty and the Beast is great for the whole family and gets and AAAAA+++++.Disc 1Scene SelectionSet Up1. Three Enchanting Versions of Beauty and the Beasta. Special Editionb. Original Theatrical Releasec. Work In Progress2. Spoken Languagesa. Englishb. French3. CaptionsBonus Material1. Three Enchanting Versions of Beauty and the Beasta. Special Editionb. Original Theatrical Releasec. Work In Progress2. Sing – Along Track3. Maurice’s Invention Workshop Game4. Audio Commentary (Special Edition Only)Sneak Peeks1. The Jungle Book II2. The Lion King3. Lilo & Stitch4. Beauty & the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas5. Sleeping Beauty: Special Edition6. Walt Disney World7. Winnie The Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh YearPlayBreak the SpellDisc 2Cogsworth & Lumiere’s Library: FOR THE ULTIMATE FILM FANOrigins of Beauty and the BeastDevelopment1. Bringing the Story To the Screen2. Early Presentation ReelStory1. Finding the Story2. Alternate Version: “Be Our Guest”3. Introduction To Deleted Song by Don Hahn: “Human Again”4. Deleted Song: “Human Again”Music1. Music Magic2. Alternate Score: The Transformation3. Introduction to Deleted Song by Alan Menken: “Human Again”4. Deleted Song: “Human Again”The Characters1. Strength of Character2. Vocal Heroes: The Voice Talent3. Character Art Galleriesa. Belleb. Beastc. Lumiered. Mrs. Potts & Chipe. Cogsworthf. Gaston & Le Foug. Maurcie & Philippeh. The Townspeoplei. Other Enchanted ObjectsProduction Design1. The Stage Is Set2. Concept Art Design3. Layouts & BackgroundsAnimation1. Animation2. Animation Tests, Roughs, & Clean Up3. The Transformation: Pencil Version4. A Transformation: Glen KeaneTricks of the Trade1. Animating With Computers2. Camera Move TestRelease and Reaction1. A High Profile Preview2. Release and Reaction3. Awards4. Howard Ashman: In Memoriam5. Trailers & TV Spotsa. Original Release Trailerb. Large Formal Release Trailerc. TV Spot #1d. TV Spot #2e. TV Spot #3f. TV Spot #46. Original Release Publicity Gallery7. Large Format Publicity Gallery8. Beauty and the Beast Music Video: Performed by Celine Dion & Peabo BrysonThe Broadway Musical1. Broadway Bound2. Broadway Musical Publicity Gallery3. Costume Design GalleryThe Special EditionChip’s Fun And Games: FOR THE YOUNG AT HEARTDisney’s Animation Magic: Go Backstage of the Disney Studio1. Play All2. Introduction3. Storyboard4. Character Design5. Animation6. Effects Animation7. Computer Animation8. Sound EffectsChip’s Challenge: Musical Memory GameBeauty and the Beast Music Video Performed by Jump 5Mrs. Potts’ Engaging Treats: FUN FOR ALL AGESThe Making of Beauty and the Beast1. Origins of Beauty and the Beast2. Bringing the Story to the Big Screen3. Finding the Story4. Musical Magic5. Strength of Character6. Animation7. Release and Reaction8. Happily Ever AfterMrs. Potts Personality Game: Which character from Beauty and the Beast do you most resemble?The Story Behind the Story: celebrity hosts reveal the stories behind Disney’s greatest classics1. Play All2. Introduction3. Cinderella – Paige O’Hara4. The Lion King – James Earl Jones5. Pocahontas – David Ogden Stiers6. The Jungle Book – Robby Benson7. Sleeping Beauty – Jodi Benson8. Mulan – Ming-Na9. The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Angela LansburyBeauty and the Beast Music Video: Performed by Celine Dion & Peabo BrysonThe Secret of the West Wing: FOR THE ADVENTURERBreak the Spell Adventure GameVHS EXTRASPreviewsI. Treasure PlanetII. The Jungle Book 2III. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted ChristmasIV. Lilo & StitchV. Sleeping BeautyBonus FeaturesI. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted ChristmasII. The Lion King – Imax VersionIII. Beauty and the Beast Performed by Jump 5

Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast has always been around, I ordered for my granddaughter she liked , she’s 8 and first time she’s watched it

Dreams
Classic and the music is top notch!!!

I absolutely adore this film for so many reasons but one of them is the immensely likeable cast. Belle is the perfect leading female for this film, and like all Disney ‘princesses’, she is gorgeous, has a wonderful singing voice, and is destined to live happily ever after! Paige O’Hara voices the character perfectly, from her rich speaking voice full of emotion, to that gorgeous singing voice which captures the innocence of Belle so well, and is now one of the iconic female Disney voices. There’s nothing dislikeable about Belle, she’s simply perfect and we love her all the more for it. In turn, Robby Benson voices the Beast, and his gruffness works so well with the softness of Belle, and he has a lovely singing voice too in ‘Something There’. The fabulous Jerry Orbach voices the candlestick Lumiere, one of my favourite characters in the film, and is cast alongside the amazing Angela Lansbury as Mrs Potts… you’d know that voice anywhere, and she seems perfectly cast as the caring housekeeper-turned-teapot! Each of the cast take their turns in singing roles, and it all comes together to create one of the best Disney soundtracks.One great thing about this film is that there is no complicated meaning to find within it, it’s just simply about teaching us that love can prevail when you look beyond the other person’s appearance, as Belle is able to for the Beast. Beast is convinced that he is unloveable, and as such treats those around him disrespectfully and rudely. Belle is able to show him the error of his ways and through her attitude and friendliness is able to turn him around and show the gentle, loving side she knows is there. It’s a tale of true love, and is extremely emotional to watch, even for an animated film. The gentle scenes involving Belle and Beast are so sweet, with the music accompanying them perfectly, and it is a joy to watch from start to finish. Yes, it’s convenient that they start off hating each other and it turns to love, but that is part of the magic of Disney for me! Beast’s lesson of learning to change for love is an important one – changing for the better, and as Mrs Potts sings… ‘bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong’ – I’m sure we could all take something away from that line.The songs in this film are just magical, and it won’t take long for them to be embedded in your musical memory forever! I found myself singing along quietly in the cinema while the main songs in the film played, and I loved them just as much now as I did as a young girl. The movie opens with the brilliant ‘Belle’, a fairly long musical number introducing us to Belle, Gaston and her village. It’s such a happy song, and very iconic for the movie. The wonderful ‘Something There’ is a duet between Belle and the Beast, with other singing by Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs Potts, I particularly love the sequence in the movie for this song, it really shows the change in relationship for these characters. My favourite song, and favourite scene in the whole movie is the absolutely perfect ‘Beauty and the Beast’, sang beautifully by Angela Lansbury (Mrs Potts). The moment those infamous piano chords hit and Belle emerges in the iconic yellow dress… wow, that is movie history right there, and the audible of the little girls in the audience just made it all the more precious. ‘Be Our Guest’ is the most uptempo of the numbers, involving the enchanted household objects, and is so wonderful to watch on-screen, full of action, colour and is mesmerising for young children and adults alike… try to avoid singing along to that one!The animation in the film was flawless, and both Harry and I really enjoyed watching the whole thing. It is the traditional style Disney animation, rather than the CGI of their more modern releases ‘Tangled’ and ‘Cars’, but it’s perfect as it is. Harry had reservations that it was a film for girls, but afterwards told me he loved the Beast and how Belle fell in love with him at the end. Everything about this film comes together to create a cinematic masterpiece, and became the first animated movie to nominated for the Best Picture Oscar… rightfully so too. There’s something magical about watching the beautiful girl fall in love with the Beast, and the magic surrounding them both… no matter how old you, you can’t fail to be moved by the movie, especially that tear-jerker of an ending. Every little girl will want to be Belle after watching this, and I could watch that famous ballroom scene again and again. I loved everything about this movie, and the fact it is still so popular 22 years after it’s release speaks volumes – amazing Disney at it’s best.

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