things totally change after you see Cocteau's version

Rating: 5/10 (27 November 2006)

I saw "Beauty and the Beast" in the theaters in 1991 and just interpreted it as a nice Disney movie. I now see that it started what seems to be a trend in animated features: the villain has a doofus sidekick. And ever since I saw Jean Cocteau's version earlier this year, it's been hard to take this one very seriously (his version seemed to be commentary on the very idea of fairy tales). To me at least, the main redeeming quality here is that "The Simpsons" spoofed "Be Our Guest" as "See My Vest", as Mr. Burns boasts of his clothes being made out of animals.
As for other things, it's surprising to see that Jerry Orbach was Lumiere's voice. I mean, who would ever imagine the "Law and Order" guy lending his voice to a Disney movie? Ditto David Ogden Stiers. Angela Lansbury is the only one who doesn't surprise me here, her roles in "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Harlow" notwithstanding.
So, "Beauty and the Beast" is OK for some brief entertainment, but it is a Disney movie.