Beauty and the Beast: SE

With the release of The Little Mermaid in 1989, Disney was finally hot property again. After decades of average films and poor to lukewarm box office returns, Ariel and company began to change the perception that Disney's animated output was solely for kids. In 1991, Beauty and the Beast confirmed that perception. It was another family film that most parents could enjoy too, unlike much of Disney's product in the '70s and '80s...

Beauty and the Beast follows the classic Disney formula to a T. It's a sanitised version of a European fairy tale. Its heroine is virtuous, flawless and oh-so-pretty, while the villain is a nasty character who is sure to get his just desserts. A collection of cute anthropomorphised offsiders (usually animals, but in this case household furniture and crockery) add the madcap comic relief. The characters burst into song and dance routines at any opportunity. Frantic action setpieces and vaudevillian comedic turns are combined with the occasional heart-wrenching dramatic scene. Lessons are learnt and righteousness triumphs. And the girls have waists with the diametre of a twenty cent piece.

Surely there's no need for an extensive plot synopsis: howzabout "beautiful bookworm Belle is imprisoned by a hideous monster in a forbidding castle occupied by singing and dancing crockery and furniture. Slowly she begins to see under the beast's hideous exterior, and learns that beauty is only skin deep. But will her townsfolk, including aggrieved would-be suitor (and egotistical lunkhead) Gaston, agree?"

It's interesting to note that this is the first Disney film that was actually made with a script! Previously the animators just collaborated on storyboards and then began animating, but the constant revisions and wasted work inherent with this process finally convinced the producers to nail down a screenplay first for Beauty and the Beast. Of course, many other big-budget Hollywood films are still being produced sans scripts (cough cough Pearl Harbor cough Mummy Returns cough cough)...

The film was the first animated feature film to be nominated for an Academy Award, and deservedly so. The animation is as stunning as anything that Disney has released since, the story is compelling (if simplistic from an adult perspective), and even the songs are quite entertaining. It's a beauty!

Now this is disappointing. Disney have a pretty much flawless record when it comes to their animated releases, but somehow the ball has been dropped with Beauty and the Beast. There is a distracting amount of MPEG artefacts on display here, giving the delicate linework a horribly blocky edge. It really boggles the mind that this got through the system, especially considering the fanfare accompanying this release, the pride that Disney normally lavish on these films and the fact that it carries the THX stamp of approval.

It's such a surprise that I felt that I had to test the disc on a few different systems just to be sure.

That said, the colours are gorgeous and the pixelation isn't quite bad enough to really spoil the film for this reviewer. Others feel differently though, as evidenced by a letter sent to DVDnet from an understandably aggrieved purchaser.

Dolby Digital 5.1. Very crisp, very clear. Surround channels used effectively and often. Songs sound glorious (if that's your cup of tea). Perfect lip synch. All up, tops.

Good Lord. LOTS to talk about here...

We get the original theatrical release as well as the extended edition. The difference? The latter has a previously unfinished song re-inserted into its running time: Human Again, a tune sung by the castle's metamorphosised inhabitants. It's a decent enough song, accompanied by some typically lush animation that flows seamlessly with the rest of the film.

The Work in Progress edition is a rough cut of the film that was screened at the New York Film Festival shortly before the official release. A combination of finished animation, pencil tests and storyboard panels mixed together, it's an interesting insight into the creative process, but few punters will persevere for the entire duration. It's introduced by producer Don Hahn.

The audio commentary by Don Hahn (producer), Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale (directors), and Alan Menken (composer) is an unexpected gem. Expecting a saccharine and overly polished dialogue (in keeping with some of the later featurettes), this crowded commentary is a lot funnier and more informative than it should have been.

A Sing-Along Track involves the lyrics for the songs appearing at the bottom of the screen for the kids (or adults, I guess) to let loose with their karaoke stylings.

Maurice's Workshop Invention Game won't do much for the over-six crowd, but the tots should enjoy this simple trivia challenge. Ditto for Chip's Musical Challenge Game, Mrs. Potts' Personality Profile Game and the Break the Spell Game.

There are ten short behind the scenes featurettes that can be accessed separately or played as a group. About 50 minutes worth all up, they cover the entire process from story development to release and reaction, as well as discussing the ensuing Broadway musical and the creation of the Special Edition. The content ranges from illuminating (like the section concerned with the making of the ballroom scene, a still-impressive early combination of 2D characters and a computer-generated 3D background) to exceedingly dull (the typically fluffy cast-and-crew interviews: "I loved working on this, it was a dream come true and everyone was soooooo lovely").

Several Art Galleries give you a look at the evolution of character and set designs. Fascinating stuff for the afficionado.

Disney's Animation Magic is a basic 14-minute overview of the process that's more kiddie-friendly than the aforementioned documentaries.

The Making of Beauty and the Beast is a 28-minute doco that covers much of the same ground as the other featurettes, and is hosted by Celine Dion. Yup, Celine Dion. Enough said.

There are two music videos: the original theme song, as sung by Dion and Peabo Bryson, and a jazzier cover version by Jump 5 (strictly for the tots only). Neither are my cup of tea, but to each their own...

Beauty and the Beast is a must-buy for anybody with youngsters who'll need distracting during these Christmas holidays, as well as grown-up fans of classy animation. It's a classic of its type that, despite containing a little too much sugar and shmaltz for some cynics, can be enjoyed by youngsters and oldsters alike. The disc boasts sadly flawed video, great audio, and a stunning collection of extras.