Beauty and the Beast: Special Edition 10/10

[inglourious basterd]

Beauty and the Beast: Special Edition 10/10
Voices by: Paige O' Hara, Robbie Benson, Angela Lansbury
Released by Disney: 1991, 2001

Plot: This is the Disney version of the classic fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. It is about a prince who was magically turned into a beast because of his rude and disrespectful behavior. When he meets a beautiful woman, he has the opportunity to break the spell, but will he be able to fall in love?

Theater: This movie was originally released in 1991 and was re-released in IMAX theaters in 2001 (for its 10 year anniversary). The IMAX theaters are known for its award winning documentaries and its Academy Award winning tools (they feature a 70x84 foot screen and a 15,000W speaker system). For this "special edition", six minutes of footage (including a new song called "Human Again") were added and the print was remastered in both sound and picture.

Review: I entered the theater expecting to see a movie that allowed me to relive my childhood. Instead, I saw an insightful film that was flawlessly done. Displayed on the 70x84 ft IMAX Big Screen ("big" was a huge understatement), the print featured amazing photo quality detail. The frame (although it was enlarged over 150,000 times over) was not lacking in either sound or picture. Instead, the meticulous attention to detail of the Disney crew was the one of the main features of the attraction. Perhaps I could have spared the technical detail by simply saying that the visuals and audio "kicked ass", but to say that would be understating the prodigious skills that were exemplified by the Disney crew.

If any of you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend checking it out. If this was something that you haven't seen for ten years, I extend the same recommendation. Before entering the feature, I had only a vague recollection of the events that unfolded. In fact, all I was expecting was the simple retelling of the ancient fairy tale. However, as soon the feature began, I quickly recollected that there was so much more to the film than its simple story. Packed into the story was some incredible character development, some insightful social commentaries, and intelligent dialogue. In fact, what really got to me this time around was the realization that Disney intended to make this film as much for the adults as they did for the children. (The last time I viewed it was as a child -- I was 9 years old)

The film had two obvious strengths: it was able to ingeniously intertwine its musical content with its dialogue. Furthermore, as a cartoon, it took full advantage of its medium. The engineers and cartoonists of Disney were able to do achieve feats in this cartoon that would be a cinematographer's nightmare in any live-action film. With its vibrant colors, realistic backgrounds, and complex facial expressions, the viewer often forgets that it is an animated feature. When seeing this on a seven-story screen, this illusion becomes even further magnified. By presenting homages to musicals that preceded it, the film never forgets its past; and with its depth in plot, its flawless animation, its incredible music, and insightful dialogue, it was revolutionary to all animated features that has since come out. This is definitely Disney's best film and it is one that has stood the tests of time. Experience it in the IMAX theaters while you still can. It was genuinely one of my best theatrical experiences to date.

This review and others can be found at www.kenc.cjb.net (I make no money off of traffic. It is mostly a suppliment to things I have posted on this site).



[This message has been edited by psudoazn (edited 04-08-2002).]

[The Other]

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991) Rating: 10/10



Wow, psudoazn, you hit the nail on the head. I was not expecting you to like this movie that much. I have not seen the Special Edition of it (I hear it will be included on the Platinum Edition DVD that's going to be released in October along with the original version and I'm GETTING it).

It's my all-time favorite animated movie and one of my all-time favorites period! Such a beautiful movie. The story, the songs, the characters, EVERYTHING.

I love how they began the movie...a beautifully animated scenery shot going back into the woods of where the Prince's castle is and then the opening scene of how he became the Beast is shown through pictures like the ones on church windows (as can be seen on the top left picture, the first one with the rose on psu's picture).

The movie came out in 1991 when I was 8 years-old and I remember getting scared when you first see the Beast coming up on Maurice (Belle's father). Then he became more likable has the story goes on obviously.

I agree about the social commentaries. It's pretty obvious, because the films first song has Belle walking through town reading her book and the townspeople sing a song of how weird she is because she reads books and because she won't marry Gaston. He's a dick and she's just not going to marry him or anything because he's good-looking and, well, because that's just what women are supposed to do at that time.

Belle's also not afraid to stand up to the Beast either. When she's trying to tend to his wound after she's run away, she wins the argument. Here's how it goes...

Beast: Ow! THAT HURTS!
Belle: Well, if you hold still it wouldn't hurt as much!
Beast: Well, if you hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened.
Belle: Well, if you hadn't frightened me I wouldn't have run away.
Beast: Well, you shouldn't have been in the West wing.
Belle: Well, you should learn to control your temper.

Then the Beast shuts up. I don't know, but that scene has always stuck out to me.

And what sets this film apart from your average animated movie is that this is not an animated comedy...it's an animated DRAMA.

Incredible movie...no wonder it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture (the first and only animated film ever nominated for Best Picture). And considering the weak competition that year, it should have won (It lost to THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (8/10)). It did win the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Comedy/Musical).

[This message has been edited by The Other (edited 04-08-2002).]

[inglourious basterd]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Wow, psudoazn, you hit the nail on the head. I was not expecting you to like this movie that much. I have not seen the Special Edition of it (I hear it will be included on the Platinum Edition DVD that's going to be released in October along with the original version and I'm GETTING it).[/B]</font>

I appreciate the response. I was beginning to think that no one was going to read my review. I will definitely buy the Platinum DVD, but I can tell you that it wont even come close to the IMAX experience (thats the reason I wrote such a detailed review). Instead of going on and on about my experiences, I will quote Roger Ebert:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Sitting in front of the IMAX screen, I was reminded again that the giant format is a major part of the experience[....] Disney pioneered this form of giant-screen re-release with its "Fantasia 2000" (1999). Seeing "Beauty and the Beast" again this way, I began to daydream about other classics that could be showcased on IMAX. The year 2001 came and went without a proper national re-release of "2001: A Space Odyssey," and although Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now Redux" got somewhat more exposure, imagine it on the giant screen. As the average American movie screen grows smaller and smaller, as palaces are phased out for multiplexes, why isn't IMAX the natural home for the great Hollywood epics?</font>

If that was not enough to get you up off your ass, then heres another quote from well-respected film-critic, James Bernadelli:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">As nice as the new material may be, the real benefit of going to a theater to see the Special Edition is to experience it on a four-story tall IMAX screen. (Disney pioneered the application of IMAX for a feature-length animated film with Fantasia 2000.) Never has Beauty and the Beast been so grand. Both the soundtrack and print have been restored to pristine condition, and seeing and hearing the movie in the IMAX setting has to rank near the top of my recent theatrical experiences. Disney plans to release Beauty and the Beast: The Special Edition on DVD near the end of 2002, but watching this movie in even the best home theater will not come close to approximating the IMAX experience. So, for anyone with a love of this movie, a trip to the nearest large screen theater is a must. </font>

[This message has been edited by psudoazn (edited 04-08-2002).]

[EDsoulsurvive*]

both of u have takin the words out of my mouth. I love beauty and the beast. 10/10

[inglourious basterd]

*bump*

If you guys truly love movies, this is one that you should experience this at your local IMAX right now!