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Beauty and the Beast - Platinum Edition

Disney's animated version of the classic tale, "Beauty and the Beast," is every bit as enchanting as the "tale as old as time" that it tells, making its way into our hearts as well as motion picture history. Being the first film nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as six nominations altogether, Disney proves that it has what it takes to make an animated feature enjoyable for adults and children. I remember watching the film as a small child, and now, as an adult, is hasn't lost its luster, and everything is just as I enjoyed it before. ***

Through brilliant animation and song, as well as some terrific voice talents, the story of unexpected love comes to new and exciting life. Small-town girl Belle is forced to head into the woods once her father turns up missing, bringing her to a gloomy, secluded castle where she finds him and his captor, a vicious-looking beast. Of course, the beginning of the movie explains the beast's origins: he was once a selfish prince who, after turning out an old beggar woman, was transformed, given an enchanted rose, and told "if he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time." ***

This begins their rocky-turned-romantic relationship, as they begin to warm to one another. Meanwhile, the town brute, Gaston, has plans of his own, involving some sinister maneuvers involving Belle's father in hopes that she will agree to marry him. ***

Many have hailed this as the best of Disney's films, and they wouldn't be wrong in saying so, either. It's easy to see why the movie has become such a success: there are elements at work in this film, just as in every other Disney film, only they seem to have taken on a small degree of maturity with this film's creation. ***

The animation is some of the best and most believable I've seen for an animated film in a long time. Most of the scenes involving solely characters is the same as most of Disney's works, but there are scenes of pure life-like reality that have a special flare to them. The ballroom scene is one such scene: the camera angles sweep across a room filled with high-arched glass windows and a chandelier which looks as real as the words you're reading on this page. Some nice effects go into the creation of the castle as well, especially in the end once everything returns to normal. ***

The is one of the most moving Disney soundtracks to come along since that of "Cinderella" and "Pinocchio." It is clear that composers were striving to capture the feeling and influence of their previous score for "The Little Mermaid," and they truly succeed in doing so. The songs are delightful and will have kids and adults alike smiling and singing along. The score is the perfect underlining for scenes of romance as well as tension and suspense. In case you were wondering, three of the originally written songs were nominated for Academy Awards; that should say something. ***

This is one of Disney's most ambitious and successful projects, ranking alongside such cinematic achievements as the successes of "Citizen Kane" and "Gone With The Wind." Winner of the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture, as well as its Oscar nominations, "Beauty and the Beast" is a hallmark of a time when movies were something that everyone, young and old alike, could enjoy on the same levels. This is the best picture of 1991.

The picture has been remastered beautifully, capturing every tiny detail of the splendid animation without sacrificing other elements. The colors are absolutely astounding: the practically jump off the screen with sheer vibrancy and radiance that melts the eyes with visual elegance. There is one noticeable flaw, in the scene in which the Beast corners Belle in the prison tower; in the darker areas, his coat is riddled with pixelation, but as far as I can see, that's about it as far as blemishes are concerned. ***

The sound is stupendous in almost every field, registering in every channel pretty much throughout the entire experience. The score is the stand-out feature of the track, melding into the surrounds with such grace and elegance that the effect is nothing short of mesmerizing. The film is riddled with thunder in its more intense sequences, and each thunderbolt is felt by the deep bass it produces. The subwoofer is engaged on many occasions, most of which involves the score; the only thing I thought could have been improved upon were some of the sound effects, such as the Beast's roar. Don't get me wrong: the dialogue is perfectly centered in the center channel, but for the most part, his roar doesn't project into the lower channels as much as one feels it should. But considering the majesty of the track overall, it's hardly a problem.

Well, I have to say that this is one of the finest DVDs to come along since the beginning of the format. With this premiere DVD release of their famed hit "Beauty and the Beast," Disney has lived up to their promise in delivering the best in home entertainment with their Platinum Series, established last year with their exquisite release of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." Featuring a wealth of information behind-the-scenes, and some extremely interesting add-ons, this is one special edition that sets a new high for the term. ***

The first disc features not one, not two, but three different versions of the film, beginning with the newly-revamped special edition that was shown in IMAX theaters. There is a new song that is introduced to us here, "Human Again," which has been integrated into the picture as if it had always existed there. I'm not exactly big on reworking a classic, especially one as brilliant as this, but the efforts of the filmmakers are full of hard work and determination, as is apparent in the presentation of the new material. Also shown here is the work-in-progress edition of the movie, as seen by attendants of the 1991 New York Film Festival. To see the images play out, some in rough form, others fully finished, is a testament to the hard work and determination of the filmmakers, to say nothing of just how affecting the movie is in this ragged form. The original theatrical release has also been included here, and that is the version to see, considering the rebuff the technicians have given it in terms of image and sound quality. ***

And finally, rounding out Disc One is the interactive game "Maurice's Invention Workshop," in which you must answer trivia questions to obtain a passcode to some of the special features on Disc Two. The game is fun in its own way, and don't be surprised if you happen to answer one of the questions wrong (I made two slip-ups of my own). Creators of the "Harry Potter" DVD, take note: this is how you make a game that leads to features. ***

Disc Two houses an endless realm of special material that ranks as the year's most involving supplements. The primary menu gives you a choice between four different windows (be sure not to take too long in choosing, or you'll be scolded!). By selecting the window featuring Lumiere and Cogsworth, you'll be taken to a comprehensive gallery of behind-the-scenes featurettes and many other trinkets that relate the creation of "Beauty and the Beast" and its effects. ***

Within this section, the featurettes cover the origins of the movie, development, story, music, characters, production design, animation, computer animation, the release and reaction, the Broadway musical, and the new special edition of the film. One can either view these separately within their designated sections, or as one continuous featurette, which proves to be the better experience. Of all the facts and info available in this section, I found the material on the animation and computer work to be of extreme interest. Being one of the first animated films to use CGI work with hand-drawn animation, it's awe-inspiring to see the amount of work that went into scenes like the ballroom dancing sequence, which still remains the movie's most rewarding shot. The interviews with the various collaborators on the movie are of equal interest: from the cast lamenting on their characters and their experience with "Beauty and the Beast," to the directors, producers, screenwriter, composer, and animators, who go over the processes by which the film came to life, the viewer gains a completely new perspective on the movie, and a heightened appreciation for the efforts that brought it into existence. On a more personal note, I found the featurette "Howard Ashman: In Memoriam" to be very touching; Disney just hasn't been the same without him, really. ***

After learning about the movie's secrets and history through these featurettes, one can also explore the extensive promotional galleries, trailers and TV spots, animation tests, pencil version of key scenes, concept art and layout galleries, character design galleries, and much more pertaining to the designated subheading. The material proves to be every bit as engrossing and informative as that which accompanied the release of "Snow White." **

Moving on, the next window, Chip, takes us to more kid-oriented material, beginning with a collection of small featurettes (again playable as one) that give a concise look at the work done in the animation process, covering such aspects as sound effects and the various stages the images go through before reaching a finished product. It plays like something you'd see on the Disney Channel, but it's a nice little addition. This is followed by "Chip's Challenge," in which you must remember the order that certain musical cues play, and another music video, newly created by youngster group Jump 5, something better left out of the picture completely. ***

Then we have the window featuring Mrs. Potts, which takes us to more movie-related paraphernalia, including a reprise of the continuous making-of featurette seen earlier (now book-ended by host Celine Dion), and the music video by Dion and Peabo Bryson. There is also another interactive game included in which your personality is matched to the member of the castle who most closely resembles you. The crowning feature of this section is the small featurettes on Disney's most beloved fairy tales, hosted by the cream of the crop of Disney's voice talent. "The Story Behind the Story" is sometimes so interesting that one wishes it would go on a bit longer, but what has been presented here is very enticing. ***

And last but not least, there is The West Wing, for which you will need the passcode from the game on Disc One. Once you enter the castle, you must dodge obstacles and answer trivia questions in your quest to save the Beast's magic rose from becoming storm debris. It's a nice little game, and yes, it's even difficult in some places that require a lot of trial-and-error.