A revelation on IMAX

Rating: 9/10 (14 March 2002)

So many people have complained about the IMAX presentation of this film that I felt the need to set the record straight. I took my kids to see Beauty and the Beast at the nearest IMAX, a 2-hour drive away, and left feeling like I would never look at this film the same way again. This is a good thing, because I never had the opportunity to see the film on the big screen during its initial release. I will concede that IMAX does show up some of the flaws in the film's animation, but it also does something more important: it shows us just how much hard work goes into making an animated film, as well as how difficult it is to animate those tiny characters present in the background.
The main reason I enjoyed this presentation however, was the sound. Disney went whole hog and spiffed this puppy up with a full-fledged 5.1 presentation, which serves to amplify the emotions evoked by the film. I'm not ashamed to admit that this film still makes me weep, and that emotion was not diminished in any way by the IMAX presentation. Disney has made a gallant effort with this new presentation, and I look anxiously forward to getting this one on DVD as well as seeing the IMAX presentation of "The Lion King" next year, since it will look even better.