A worthy film to be a dedication, but probably not a true Disney masterpiece

Rating: 8/10 (4 January 2018)

This was another film my aunt possessed in her expansive and diverse VHS collection. At the request of my cousin Mikaly, we decided to view it following a good but brief and informal dinner. I came in expecting the music to be great and a lot of the other stuff to be top notch for Disney. So why don't I like this film as much as it seems it should be?
While the story was overall well written with a magically acted script, I feel like it didn't do that much to stand out from other fairy tales in the way that Disney adapts them. Sure, it is hilarious and supremely majestic at times, but even though I did overall enjoy the story, I really didn't think it was anything highly special. The characters are ones I am slightly surprised to be so iconic (specifically the servants), but I feel that they would deserve it anyway since they're actually pretty complex for characters of moderate importance to the plot. I personally don't believe in the Belle Stockholm Syndrome theory, because both times when Beast gives Belle the opportunity to depart the castle, she does leave, and she has other reasons to head back to the castle than ones typically symptomatic of Stockholm Syndrome. I found Belle's ability to reform Beast so spontaneously really impressive, and I also appreciated Belle's secondary motives, namely improving her family's reputation. The animation is absolutely among the best of any animated film from 1991, with believable yet fantastically detailed settings. One thing that I took note of was that while most Disney Princesses have a more balanced spread when it comes to their beauty, Belle is more reliant on her clothing than the usual princess. I thought that the combination of her eyebrows and the shading on her eyes might raise a few doubts, especially to those not as desperate as Beast or vain as Gaston. Anyway, while I highly do commend the animators for their work (Be Our Guest is probably my favorite scene), Belle's final dance with Adam (aka human Beast) was copied from Aurora and Philip's dance at the dénouement of Sleeping Beauty. I don't need to explain the music; it's Disney's composers at their best. I will never forget Alan Menken for contributing to movies like this.
Overall, I'm highly confident (not conceited, though) that this will turn out to be a movie you would enjoy if you view it. Sure, I don't think it's in the realm of films like Aladdin, but this is only my opinion; that's what the point of one's review is for, right? So, it's not highly likely to be one's favorite Disney movie, but they should still consider viewing it or listening to its stellar soundtrack (including the cut Human Again).