The film that officially signaled Disney's animation renaissance (following The Little Mermaid) and the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. It relates the story of Belle, a bookworm with a dotty inventor for a father; when he inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince whose heart is too hard to love anyone besides himself), Belle boldly takes her father's place, imprisoned in the Beast's gloomy mansion. Naturally, Belle teaches the Beast to love. What makes this such a dazzler, besides the amazingly accomplished animation and the winning coterie of supporting characters (the Beast's mansion is overrun by quipping, dancing household items) is the array of beautiful and hilarious songs by composer Alan Menken and the late, lamented lyricist Howard Ashman. (The title song won the 1991 Best Song Oscar, and Menken's score scored a trophy as well.) The downright funniest song is "Gaston," a lout's paean to himself (including the immortal line, "I use antlers in all of my de-co-ra-ting"). "Be Our Guest" is transformed into an inspired Busby Berkeley homage. Since Ashman's passing, animated musicals haven't quite reached the same exhilarating level of wit, sophistication, and pure joy. --David Kronke --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Disney's Beauty & the Beast:
This will be a Christmas gift so I haven't actually watched it yet. However, I am pleased with the timeliness of the shipping. The dvd looks to be in great shape. The price was about what I expected. Overall, all has been great. I just couldn't give the 5 stars yet because I haven't actually watched it.
Great Movie, But Hard To Find Makes Expensive:
This is a Disney movie that is a must have, and if you can't wait until 2010 when it's re-released(including on Blu-Ray), then it is worth the money.
A Classic:
One of the best Disney movies, Beauty and the Beast (based on the fairytale of the same name) came during the golden years of the 90s where Disney could do no wrong. Along with the classic movie, you can watch the special edition (with a whole new animated song sequence thrown in almost seamlessly) or the in-progress edition which is self explanatory. My favorite extras were the character development sketches. It was amazing to see how much characters like the Beast, Gaston and LaFoo evolved from their... more info
Terrible Customer Service:
When I oreder this DVD I thought I owuld have a gift for my wife in time for her birthday. I even e-mailed this person to ask if I could pay additional fees fro a faster mailing service. The e-mail was returned. I went to the store front for this individual and it was closed. Amazon stood beside thier policy and refunded my money. After that the DVD cam in 10 days late. I had already ordered another DVD. I have it now unopened If you want the DVD back say so. I do not need it.
