A genuine, bona fide animation masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2005)

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Sound format: 6-track Dolby Stereo
(35mm and 70mm release prints)
An unfulfilled country girl (voiced by Broadway star Paige O'Hara) falls in love with the owner of an enchanted castle (Robby Benson), a handsome prince transformed by witchcraft into a monstrous Beast...
Produced in the wake of Disney's smash-hit THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989) and helmed by debut animation directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST combines animated spectacle with vivid characterizations and exuberant musical numbers in a confection which ranks alongside the very finest 'golden age' Disney classics. Returning to the European folk tales which inspired many of their earlier animated features (SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, PINOCCHIO, etc.), scenarist Linda Woolverton leavens the essential romantic core of the film with exciting set-pieces and well-judged comic relief, and there are several stand-out sequences, designed and executed with breathtaking flair: A terrifying battle between the Beast and a pack of wolves; the spectacular and life-affirming 'Be Our Guest' number (voiced with remarkable dexterity by Jerry Orbach and Angela Lansbury); and the climactic assault on the castle, all of which are guaranteed to impress audiences young and old. The film - which is dedicated to the memory of co-songwriter Howard Ashman, who died before the film premiered in 1991 - was subsequently adapted to great acclaim for the Broadway stage, only to be sullied by an unnecessary TV series and a number of direct-to-video sequels. Stick with the original.
NB. A re-edited version was released to Imax theaters in 2001, restoring a musical number dropped from the original assembly.