Disney Beauty And The Beast (Special Edition) [1992] [DVD]

This is Disney's greatest achievement. From the first shot of the castle right on to the end view of the stain glass window it is funny, frightening, and powerful. Every shot is even more enchanting and fantastic than the last. Walt Disney would be very proud of this film.Howard Ashman and Alan Menken have done what most composers can only dream of. To create a "script" in every lyric and every note that is heard. This film is nothing short of spectacular.Every voice is flawless. Robby Benson in particular reminds us all that you do not have to be in front of the camera to give off a believable and touching performance.The film is Oscar worthy in every way. The viewer would be well advised to bring a box of tissues during some of the films more tender moments. The ballroom scene is an example of how seamless the animation really is. Other tearjerker moments include a fight between Belle and The Beast which ends with the Beast leaving the protection of his castle to rescue the one who could break the spell from a pack of savagely monstrous wolves, the transformation of a monster into a man, and a dedication to the late Howard Ashman. You too will fall instantly under the spell of this beautiful story. If there is ever anything you will miss out on don't let this movie be it.

There is a French girl in France who lives with her dad, who looks old enough to be her grandad. No mother is at home, it is not clear whether she is dead or has ran away but my money is on the fact she ran away when she realised she was married to an old man. Anyway they live in a village, in France, but all speak very good English and are very happy. There is this strong hunky bloke who loves or admires the girl, he also likes beer and hunting. The girl likes books. They are not compatible. Her dad, who as well as being old, is also an inventor, heads off to selll his wood chopping machine but because he is old gets lost in the woods and finds himself at an enchanted castle. The beast (not really a beast, but I'll come on to that) keeps him prisoner. The girl decides to go find him and somehow swaps places with her dad who legs it (slow moment for him and he film in my book). In the castle all the normal things like candles, clocks, teapots, cups and wardrobes move and talk - no really they do. As a result the girl is well looked after despite the beast being a bit grumpy. After a while he calms down, she falls in love with him and ooh la la la. But then the hunk from the village comes along with some pitch fork holding villagers and they attack the castle and the beast. He hurts himself, looks as though he is dead until the girl kisses him, and whoopydo the spell is broken, the beast turns into a Prince and the candle, clock, teapot, cup etc turn back into people. Lovely stuff. They all live happily ever after. Although I expect not for long as the dad is very old and will probably die before Beauty and Beast 2 hits the big screen. One other part, there is a footstool which acts like a dog, and then actually turns into a dog. Terrific.I have given this film five stars. It deserves more but the restrictions placed by Amazon means five is the maximum. I am a little sad about this.

A really nice edition of the classic Disney dvd. The outer case is made to look like a book and the design follows through the entire case. The bonus features are really entertaining and it gives you hours of extras to watch after the movie itself. The special features are all now available on blu ray and the picture quality is going to be better obviously. But if your buying it to add to a dvd collection this is the edition you want. More extras than the other versions and a lovely looking dvd for the shelf. If you have a blu ray player though I would go for the two disc version of that instead.

I absolutely adore this film for so many reasons but one of them is the immensely likeable cast. Belle is the perfect leading female for this film, and like all Disney 'princesses', she is gorgeous, has a wonderful singing voice, and is destined to live happily ever after! Paige O'Hara voices the character perfectly, from her rich speaking voice full of emotion, to that gorgeous singing voice which captures the innocence of Belle so well, and is now one of the iconic female Disney voices. There's nothing dislikeable about Belle, she's simply perfect and we love her all the more for it. In turn, Robby Benson voices the Beast, and his gruffness works so well with the softness of Belle, and he has a lovely singing voice too in 'Something There'. The fabulous Jerry Orbach voices the candlestick Lumiere, one of my favourite characters in the film, and is cast alongside the amazing Angela Lansbury as Mrs Potts... you'd know that voice anywhere, and she seems perfectly cast as the caring housekeeper-turned-teapot! Each of the cast take their turns in singing roles, and it all comes together to create one of the best Disney soundtracks.One great thing about this film is that there is no complicated meaning to find within it, it's just simply about teaching us that love can prevail when you look beyond the other person's appearance, as Belle is able to for the Beast. Beast is convinced that he is unloveable, and as such treats those around him disrespectfully and rudely. Belle is able to show him the error of his ways and through her attitude and friendliness is able to turn him around and show the gentle, loving side she knows is there. It's a tale of true love, and is extremely emotional to watch, even for an animated film. The gentle scenes involving Belle and Beast are so sweet, with the music accompanying them perfectly, and it is a joy to watch from start to finish. Yes, it's convenient that they start off hating each other and it turns to love, but that is part of the magic of Disney for me! Beast's lesson of learning to change for love is an important one - changing for the better, and as Mrs Potts sings... 'bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong' - I'm sure we could all take something away from that line.The songs in this film are just magical, and it won't take long for them to be embedded in your musical memory forever! I found myself singing along quietly in the cinema while the main songs in the film played, and I loved them just as much now as I did as a young girl. The movie opens with the brilliant 'Belle', a fairly long musical number introducing us to Belle, Gaston and her village. It's such a happy song, and very iconic for the movie. The wonderful 'Something There' is a duet between Belle and the Beast, with other singing by Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs Potts, I particularly love the sequence in the movie for this song, it really shows the change in relationship for these characters. My favourite song, and favourite scene in the whole movie is the absolutely perfect 'Beauty and the Beast', sang beautifully by Angela Lansbury (Mrs Potts). The moment those infamous piano chords hit and Belle emerges in the iconic yellow dress... wow, that is movie history right there, and the audible of the little girls in the audience just made it all the more precious. 'Be Our Guest' is the most uptempo of the numbers, involving the enchanted household objects, and is so wonderful to watch on-screen, full of action, colour and is mesmerising for young children and adults alike... try to avoid singing along to that one!The animation in the film was flawless, and both Harry and I really enjoyed watching the whole thing. It is the traditional style Disney animation, rather than the CGI of their more modern releases 'Tangled' and 'Cars', but it's perfect as it is. Harry had reservations that it was a film for girls, but afterwards told me he loved the Beast and how Belle fell in love with him at the end. Everything about this film comes together to create a cinematic masterpiece, and became the first animated movie to nominated for the Best Picture Oscar... rightfully so too. There's something magical about watching the beautiful girl fall in love with the Beast, and the magic surrounding them both... no matter how old you, you can't fail to be moved by the movie, especially that tear-jerker of an ending. Every little girl will want to be Belle after watching this, and I could watch that famous ballroom scene again and again. I loved everything about this movie, and the fact it is still so popular 22 years after it's release speaks volumes - amazing Disney at it's best.