Beauty and the Beast 720p - (1991 Lang: English)

One of my all-time favourite movies.

The only animated movie to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, and it deserved it.

Magic from the opening prologue to the final credit, "Beauty and the Beast" is the last real classic to come from the Disney crew before John Lasseter came along. This was one of the few movies I happily paid to see twice in the cinema, and sitting in a sparsely-populated Friday night audience (I was living in Barbados at the time, and it was hardly the most artistic place on Earth... it was a crying shame that there was hardly anyone there while "Home Alone 2" went through the roof) the second time, the magic remained.

You all know the story, so apart from pointing out the movie's one flaw (the prince's spell had to be broken before he turned 21 or he would remain a beast forever; so if it was cast ten years before the events of the movie, wouldn't that mean he was 11 when the spell was cast...?), let's look at how well the movie works. You have a monster who's more human than the movie's medallion-man villain; you have a heroine who's PC but engaging with it; you have a supporting cast of magic utensils who wisely never upstage the couple at the centre of this love story (and despite the Disney animated trappings, it IS a love story); and you have a captivating story, beautifully told.

The movie's also got wonderful design of its French setting and characters, with the ballroom scene a standout (the tiny but appreciative audience were impressed by the sight of the Beast and Belle in their evening wear - the only time I've ever seen cartoon characters get wolf-whistled in a cinema); and Alan Menken's score is his finest work for the Mouse, with matchless lyrics from the late and much lamented Howard Ashman - how many musicals can you name where ALL the songs are brilliant? But ultimately it's the movie's very real heart that makes it a keeper; the cliche "You'll laugh, you'll cry" is all too true in this case. A lot of movies called 'classic' don't deserve that appellation, but this one does.

I'll be slaughtered by anime fans, but what the hell... one "Beauty and the Beast" is worth a thousand "Akira"s. And "Shrek"s. And, I'm willing to bet, "Treasure Planet"s. This is a truly adult animated feature that's also one for the entire family. Forget "The Silence of the Lambs" - this is the real best picture of 1991.

Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 30th Disney animated feature film and the third released during the Disney Renaissance period, it is based on the French fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, who was also credited in the English version as well as in the French version, and ideas from the 1946 French film directed by Jean Cocteau. Beauty and the Beast focuses on the relationship between the Beast (voice of Robby Benson), a prince who is magically transformed into a monster as punishment for his arrogance, and Belle (voice of Paige O'Hara), a young woman whom he imprisons in his castle. To become a prince again, Beast must learn to love Belle and earn her love in return to avoid remaining a monster forever. The film also features the voices of Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, and Angela Lansbury.

Walt Disney first attempted unsuccessfully to adapt Beauty and the Beast into an animated film during the 1930s and 1950s. Following the success of The Little Mermaid (1989), Walt Disney Pictures decided to adapt the fairy tale, which Richard Purdum originally conceived as a non-musical. Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg eventually dismissed Purdum's idea and ordered that the film be a musical similar to The Little Mermaid instead. The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, with a screenplay by Linda Woolverton story first credited to Roger Allers. Lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken wrote the film's songs. Ashman, who additionally served as the film's executive producer, died of AIDS-related complications eight months before the film's release, and the film is thus dedicated to his memory.

Beauty and the Beast premiered as an unfinished film at the New York Film Festival on September 29, 1991, followed by its theatrical release as a completed film at the El Capitan Theatre on November 13. The film was a box office success, grossing $425 million worldwide on a $25 million budget. Beauty and the Beast received positive reviews from critics; it won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and became the first animated film to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for its title song. In April 1994, Beauty and the Beast became Disney's first animated film to be adapted into a Broadway musical. The success of the film spawned two direct-to-video follow-ups: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (1998). This was followed by a spin-off television series, Sing Me a Story with Belle. An IMAX version was released in 2002 that included "Human Again", a new five-minute musical sequence. After the success of the 3D re-release of The Lion King, the film was reissued in 3D in 2012. In 2002, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". A live-action remake of the film was released on March 17, 2017.

In pre-Revolution era France, an enchantress disguised as a beggar arrives at a castle and offers a cold-hearted prince a rose in exchange for shelter. When he refuses, she transforms him into a monstrous beast and his servants into household objects. She casts a spell on the rose and the prince is warned that, unless he learns to love another and earn their love in return before the rose's last petal falls on his 21st birthday, he will lose his humanity forever.

Ten years later, Belle dreams of adventure and brushes off advances from Gaston, an arrogant hunter. Lost in the forest while traveling to a fair to present his latest invention, Belle's father Maurice seeks refuge in the Beast's castle. After Maurice befriends the castle's servants, however, the Beast imprisons him. Belle ventures out in search for him and finds him locked in the castle's dungeon. The Beast agrees to let her take Maurice's place.

Befriending the castle's servants, Belle is treated to a spectacular dinner. When she wanders into the forbidden West Wing, the Beast, enraged, frightens her into the woods. She is cornered by wolves, but the Beast rescues Belle and gets injured in the process. He begins to develop feelings for her while she nurses his wounds and he delights her by showing his extensive library.

Returning to the village, Maurice tells the townsfolk of Belle's predicament, but Gaston convinces the townsfolk to send Maurice to an insane asylum if Belle refuses Gaston's proposal again.

After sharing a romantic dance with the Beast, Belle discovers her father's predicament using a magic mirror. The Beast releases her to save Maurice, giving her the mirror to remember him with. Back at her village, Belle proves Maurice's sanity by revealing the beast in the mirror to the townsfolk. Realizing that Belle loves the Beast, Gaston has her thrown into her basement with her father and rallies the villagers to follow him to the castle to slay the Beast. With Chip's aid, Maurice and Belle escape and Belle rushes back to the castle.

During the battle, the servants fend off the villagers. Gaston attacks the Beast in his tower, who is too depressed to fight back, but regains his will upon seeing Belle return. He spares Gaston's life before reuniting with Belle. However, Gaston stabs the Beast, but he loses his footing and falls to his death.[a] The Beast dies as the last petal falls. When Belle tearfully professes her love to him, the curse is undone, repairing the castle and restoring the Beast's and servants' human forms. The Prince and Belle host a ball for the kingdom, where they dance happily.

Beauty and the Beast is an engaging movie with so much care and beauty fused into its core. Beauty is much more than just an influential animated classic. It is a grand and powerful fable, sugar coated with the best animation effort in a time where CGI was becoming a movie mainstay. In its finest moments, Beauty is a rousing musical, making your head move and getting caught up right in the mix. The score is unforgettable and the characters are so easy to get into. A movie that children and adults alike will love, Disney deserved its Academy Award nominations for creating such a joy.

Small town Belle longs for more than a local life, maintaining her imagination through books and taking care of her kind, yet eccentric father. But when their horse returns without papa, Belle sets out to find the awful truth in an enchanted castle.

You can see that so much time and care was spent in drawing this masterpiece. I cannot think of many other movies that show such meticulous background and animation. That such effort is woven effortlessly into its songs that make Beauty and the Beast the timeless classic Disney rightfully lauds itself over. 'Be Our Guest,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Gaston,' you will be humming these songs at one point in your your life! Kudos to Disney for creating a charismatic, attractive villain in Gaston. He would not be a villain if he was not such a jerk. You must watch this movie at least once in your life, in a comfortable sofa and with the sound turned right up for the Broadway scores. You will enjoy it!

One of Disney's Best!