A Tale As Old As Time

Rating: 10/10 (20 March 2017)

I specifically aimed to post this review on the 17th since me and a friend will be seeing the new movie on opening night, but I couldn't finish the review in time. And I must say that for me, this ranks among the greatest animated films of all time. Everything about Beauty And The Beast is absolutely wonderful, from the animation to the music to the voices to the storyline itself. For example, I love that Belle is able to see past Beast's rough exterior and Beast (wonderfully voiced by Robby Benson) learns to control his temper. Plus, I think anyone can relate to the concept of being an outsider (as experienced both by Beast and Belle). It all starts when Belle rejects the advances of town hero Gaston until he vows to get revenge. Meanwhile, Belle's father Maurice gets lost on the way to the fair and comes across Beast's castle. Belle exchanges herself for Maurice and eventually begins to see Beast as a tortured soul. I'm not going to give anything away but this all finally culminates in the beautiful ballroom scene (I love Belle's dress in that scene). The side characters are also interesting and have several funny moments (I especially liked Lumiere). Then there are the songs. Be Our Guest is really catchy, Something There is very sweet, and Beauty and the Beast is just gorgeous.Very minor criticism: Does the beast have a name or is his name just Beast?