04/26/06 Beauty And The Beast

Beauty And The Beast (1991), directed by Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise

watched w/ Leslie; VHS (personal copy) @ home; Leslie's birthday

Call me a curmudgeon. Go ahead, because I didn't really like this movie. Watching purely for the sake of my love, who's birthday it was today, to enjoy. We may both be the perfect "Beauty And The Beast" duo. Her with her intelligence, beauty, grace and literary tendencies. I with my temper, brashness, fuzzy facial hair and moody behavior. Does that about cover it? Always touted as one of the Disney classics, this was again one of the middle-era of films I never saw...but lived during the oversaturation of it into pop culture. I mean, c'mon, this film was nominated for a Best Picture award at the Oscars in a time when animated films didn't even have a category let alone nominations! That is saying something. However, I just think the story failed to live up to the hype or the magic that I remember of earlier fairy tales, like "Snow White" or "Cinderella." We know my stance on needless musical numbers, but this one was only saved by the well-known "Be Our Guest" tune (mainly because the dishware and furniture sang it). The classic story was rushed through (even for typical animations) in this short feature. Belle plays a dissatisfied girl in a quaint French village, who tired of misplaced affections of arrogant Gaston, escapes through the books she reads. The Beast is originally a selfish prince who didn't know of love, and is banished by a curse to live as a monster until love breaks the spell. Upon a chance encounter, Belle and the Beast meet; he forces her to remain with him at his castle, she fights his temperament, he learns to be civil, they fall madly for each other, villagers want him dead, there's a ballroom dance number, yadda yadda. I think the technological advances in the animation were all of one whirlwind scene, but it was impressive. I'm just amazed that this average film was taken with such praise. It must have been a slow year in Hollywood in 1991. This seemingly dark-tinted tale was glitzed up so much that it didn't seem scary at all...but I guess that's what Disney does best. I'm a curmudgeon at heart, but I love my girlfriend very much.

3 out of 5 stars