A masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (11 October 2006)

"Beauty and the Beast" truly represents a bygone era in animation. Remember when animated films were unabashedly charming and big hearted before becoming obnoxiously glib, crude, and cynical ("Shrek", "Chicken Little")? And remember when just the right actors were carefully chosen to give voices to the animated characters before every animated film became a hollow, "guess the celebrity" game ("Robots", "Shark Tale")? "B&tB" is filled with emotion, heart, and spirit. The biggest star in the movie was Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts), yet "B&tB" will remain a classic long after "Madagascar" and "Open Season" are forgotten. Not to mention that it has the most engaging and likable of the "Disney Princesses". Belle isn't a passive ninny like Snow White, a pushover like Cinderella, dull like Aurora, or a reckless fool like Ariel. She's smart, kind, assertive, brave, and resourceful. She owns up to her mistakes, looks out for others, and knows her own mind. You all know the story: Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara) is the daughter of the eccentric inventor Maurice (Rex Everhart). Her love of books causes her to be labeled as strange by the narrow-minded citizens of the tiny French village in which she lives. Belle is understandably lonely and bored with her "provincial life". It doesn't help that she's pursued by town celebrity Gaston (Richard White), an insufferably pompous, trigger-happy, chauvinistic nitwit and his ankle-biting sidekick LeFou (Jessi Corti). Gaston has the classic, sexist mentality that "no" means "yes", and that Belle will marry him without so much as courtship or a proposal, leading to a hilarious scene where Belle gives Gaston the humiliating rejection he so richly deserves. One day Maurice disappears on his way to an inventor's fair, and when Belle goes out to search for him, she discovers he's being held prisoner in an enchanted castle ruled by a horrifying Beast (Robby Benson). Belle nobly takes her father's place as prisoner, at first devastated at losing her freedom, but is soon comforted by the palace's delightful residents: Mrs. Potts (Lansbury), a maternal teapot; Lumiere (dynamically voiced by Jerry Orbach), an amorous candlestick; and Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers), an anal retentive clock. What Belle doesn't realize is that the Beast was once a human prince whose cruelty to an enchantress in disguise caused him to be transformed into a monster as punishment (and everyone else in the palace suffered the consequences as well, becoming household objects). And the Beast now must earn someone's love before an enchanted rose loses its final petal (what is it with Disney and deadlines?). There is friction between Belle and the Beast at first (she thinks he's heartless, he thinks she's difficult). But when Beast saves Belle from wolves after she attempts to escape, a bond forms between them. Beast, tired of being a monstrous animal, begins to soften under Belle's kindly influence. Love starts to blossom, but when Belle is forced to leave when Maurice falls ill, it seems Beast's hopes of regaining his humanity are dashed. And it doesn't help that Belle's feelings for the Beast awaken the green-eyed monster in Gaston. A happy ending almost doesn't seem possible...
It's easy to buy into all the "Beauty and the Beast" parodies, but when you look past all the Disney trappings, there is something so much deeper. We see a romance develop not due to physical attraction or plot requirement, but because of, well, development. Belle and the Beast spend time together, get to know each other, and share each other's interests. Beast really becomes a terrific guy: he gives bookworm Belle his massive library as a gift, learns to control his temper, and even learns proper table manners (Beast must have earned hundreds of wistful sighs from female audience members). It's a film about transformation in general. We don't have some vacuous Prince Charming, but a complex, anguished male protagonist who could easily be labeled as a villain in the beginning (he does throw poor old Maurice into the dungeon for no good reason). Once the Beast learns to let go of his self-pity and rage can he become more human. Gaston is a creep from beginning to end, but he is loved by all because of his looks. We see him as a harmless jerk, until his jealousy of the Beast winning Belle's love changes him from dumb jock to a murderous bastard. Even dopey Lefou undergoes a transformation, from token goofy sidekick to a demonic little creep capable of doing much damage. And how about that music? Not one song feels gratuitous, and every one is blessed with clever, poetic lyrics (sadly, the brilliant lyricist Howard Ashman died shortly before "Beauty and the Beast" was released). "Belle" is one of the best character songs ever written, and "Be Our Guest" is a lyrical and visual extravaganza, as well as a reminder of what a hell of a singer Jerry Orbach was. The ballroom scene is a masterpiece of cinema magic. With sweeping camera movements, glowing lights, and spellbinding special effects, it's truly a visual stunner. Enough of my hyperbole. You owe it to yourselves to see this "tale as old as time"...