My all-time favourite animated movie.

Rating: 10/10 (13 April 2011)

Beauty and the Beast is probably the closest to perfection of any film I've ever seen. It's such a beautiful love story, full of suspense, humour and emotion.
The animation, as usual with Disney, is stunning. Every frame of the movie has very detailed, beautiful artwork. Special mention goes to the animation of Ms. Pots, Lumiere, Cogswarth, Chip and all the other objects who manage to move naturally without any limbs. And of course there's the Beast, who starts out very menacing and scary and gradually becomes more and more human by his posture and facial expression.
The voice actors also have exceptional talent. The actress who plays Belle has a very nice voice and is a great singer. Gaston has very deep, manly voice that suits his character perfectly. But if there was an Oscar for best voice-over performance, it would go to the Beast. He gibes such a powerful, tortured performance, that I really wish I looked up his name before writing this.
And also usual with any Disney movie, the songs are ridiculously catchy. I especially love that fun, energetic song about Gaston, and the very beautiful title song "Beauty and the Beast." The latter song is sung during a very beautiful sequence where Belle and the Beast are dancing in a CGI room. The CGI maybe dated, but it's still a timeless scene.
Another thing Disney also does greatly is mixing romance, comedy and suspense. The movie has lots of funny scenes, especially the parts with Cogsworth and Lumiere, but there are also very intense scenes that will keep you in suspense, like the exciting climax. And of course there are a couple scenes that will have you reaching for the tissues.
With interesting characters, catchy songs, nail biting suspense, a beautiful love story and stunning animation, I recommend this masterpiece to just about everybody who watches movies.