Beauty and the Beast

At last we’ve arrived at a “tale as old as time.”  Yes.  This week’s film is Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

 

There is so much to love about this film from 1991!  So much so that it was nominated for Best Picture in the 1991 Academy Awards.  (Note that it was nominated for Best Picture, not simply Best Animated Feature.)  This is not only one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, Beauty and the Beast on Broadway was also my introduction to Broadway and live musicals on stage!  My family and friends can attest that I am still very much a lover of musicals!  :)

 

This film is full of greatness!  A great story. ("Here's where she meets prince charming, but she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three...")  Great music. (From opening number to closing note, it's ALL wonderful!)  A great villain. (Who can resist a bad guy in love with his biceps?)  A great bumbling sidekick.  (Lefou=funny.)  Great humor. ("If it's not Baroque, don't fix it." Oh Cogsworth!)  Great creativity. ("Ask the dishes.  They can sing; they can dance!") Great romance. I could go on and on.  Beauty and the Beast gets Disney magic right in every category!

 

The film tells the tale of a selfish prince who refuses to help an old beggar woman who turns out to be an enchantress and as such turns him into a beast- his only hope to break the spell that has fallen on his entire castle is to learn to love another and earn their love in return before the last petal falls from his enchanted rose.  As the narrator intones in the first opening monologue,  "For who could ever learn to love a beast?"  Cue "Belle" - one of Disney's best opening numbers in the history of opening numbers!  The song introduces us to Belle, the films heroine, and the provincial town where she lives with her father, an inventor.  We also meet Gaston who is more in love with himself than anybody or anything else but has singled out "Belle" as the most beautiful girl in town, and thus he plans to marry her (without consulting her of course.)

 

I think one of the things that really sets this film apart is Belle herself.  To little (and not so little) girls around the world, Belle is so relatable.  She never quite "fits in" and she dreams of adventure in the great wide, somewhere.  As a society, we are constantly bombarded with messages to do this and be cool, and wear this to be the most beautiful, and like this because it's what everybody else likes.  It's so refreshing to have a heroine stand out from the crowd and flourish in a story all her own just by being herself.  And on top of all this- Belle loves to read! (I <3 the library too!)  Also, Belle has great character.  She is kind and resourceful, hard-working and compassionate and she doesn't "have it all."  She is not born to wealth and privilege, but she still has the story and adventure of a lifetime.  And really what girl doesn't want that? 

 

After meeting Belle and the village, we meet the Beast and his servants (who are under enchantment as animate household items) when Maurice (Belle's father) stumbles upon the castle after getting lost in the woods.  The Beast takes him prisoner, but exchanges his life-sentence for his daughter when Belle shows up to rescue her father.  Thus Belle meets the Beast, though in far from ideal circumstances.  The rest of the film tells the story of the pair as they grow and learn to change their minds and realize that there's "something there that wasn't there before."  I have quite literally riddled this post with direct quotes and paraphrases from the movie.  I could go on and on, but I don't want to give the whole story away in case someone reading this hasn't seen it yet.  In which case I say: See this film immediately!  It is a Disney treasure and an absolute must for any Disney fan, but really any film fan in general.  It's just plain good. 

 

The film's characters are endearing, comical, three-dimensional, and unforgettable.  You get to spend time with Mrs. Potts (the teapot), Chip (the teacup), Lumiere (the candelabra), Cogsworth (the clock), Maurice (the inventor), Gaston (the narcissist), LeFou (the fool) and the Beast (who just might be a prince in disguise).  Oh and Madame Bouche (the wardrobe)! 

 

The heart and soul of Beauty and the Beast though has got to be the music.  Great music tells a story, so when you have great music telling a great story- it's almost indescribably fantastic.  I've already mentioned the greatness of the opening number, but there are at least 3 other show-stopping numbers (and that's a conservative count!)  But since I'm trying to make this post shorter to read than it would take you to watch the movie, I'll just mention the three other BIG musical numbers in the film.  First up we have "Gaston" - Lefou's ode to Gaston's greatness to try and cheer him up after Belle's rejection - cleverly funny with a dash of ridiculous, yet still toe-tappingly great.  No Beauty and the Beast review could be complete without giving two big thumbs up to Lumiere's "Be Our Guest" number.  It features dancing cutlery, grand humor, candle tricks, and French entertainment at it's best!  Then finally we have the title musical number sung by Mrs. Potts and voiced by the lovely Angela Lansbury - "Beauty and the Beast."  SO.  GOOD.  This scene may also be the most beautiful animated scene of all time.  It is simply stunning artistry.

 

 

I'm not sure if you've realized, but in my humble opinion, Beauty and the Beast is the pinnacle of Disney greatness.  There is not a single thing I would change about the film.  It is funny and heartwarming, visually stunning, gorgeously scored with a FANTASTIC soundtrack.  It's simply wonderful. 

 

What else could I possibly leave you with but lyrics from the iconic "Beauty and the Beast?"

 

Tale as old as time, true as it can be

Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly

Just a little change, small to say the least

Both a little scared, neither one prepared, Beauty and the Beast

 

Tale as old as time

Song as old as rhyme

Beauty and the Beast

 

 

Coming Up Next Week: Aladdin