20+ Years Later and it's Still one of the Best Disney Movies!!!

Rating: 10/10 (31 May 2012)

Beauty and the Beast is Disney's 30th full-length animated feature released in 1991. Following the successes of "The Little Mermaid" and the much underrated "Resucers Down Under," Beauty and the Beast succeeded all expectations and made motion picture history by becoming the first animated film to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1992 (it lost to Silence of the Lambs). Even though it didn't win Best Picture from the Academy, it's still a classic Disney film that is a favorite of many (including myself). It is the story of Belle (voice by Paige O'Hara), a beautiful young girl who, after her father is taken captive and imprisoned by the Beast (voiced by Robby Benson), goes to find him and take his place as the Beast's prisoner. While imprisoned, she meets a whole host of enchanted objects that were all once human but, because of the Beast's stubborness, he and the entire castle were placed under a spell that could only be broken if the Beast learned to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal on the rose fell. Some of the characters are: Lumiere the lovestruck candle (voiced by Jerry Orbach), Cogsworth the pompous clock (voiced by David Ogden Stiers who was also narrator), Mrs. Potts the kind-hearted teapot (voiced by Angela Lansbury), and Chip (voiced by Bradley Michael Pierce) who is your typical 8-year old boy. Every Disney movie has its antagonist (villain). Here it's Gaston (voiced by Richard White) an arrogant, heartless hunter who wants Belle at all costs. Once Belle falls in love with the Beast, Gaston's jealousy grows and Belle realizes that he's the true monster and Beast is more humane. This is a true classic: great story, great characters, great animation, and great music score/songs composed by Academy-Award Winning composers Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, who sadly died of AIDS six months before the film was released and never got to see how successful the film would become. I love the tribute to him at the end of the credits: "To our friend Howard, who gave a Mermaid her voice and a Beast his soul. We will be forever grateful." The song that will stick with you is "Beauty and the Beast," sung during the ballroom dancing scene (Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson did a good job singing it too). This is a movie that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of gender. I grew up loving this movie (and all the other Disney classics on VHS), and I'm a guy who loves sports! All that being said, this is definitely one of my top 10 favorite Disney movies!!! Rating: 9/10!!!