Tale as Old as Time

Once again, the Disney vault opens it's heavily guarded door and lets a classic sneak out and stretch its legs. Being mildly nostalgic, I couldn't stop myself from getting Disney's 30th full length animated feature, Beauty and the Beast (1991). Vault: 1, Me: 0. But beyond it's nostalgic appeal, the Academy Award winning Beauty and the Beast is a wonderful classic tale that wins the hearts of children and adults alike.

History and mythology are often embdied in beautiful art pieces, so what better way to captured the sad tale of the cold-hearted prince, but through stained glass? It's a lovely alternative to the more traditional storybook opening and so adds a certain uniqueness to the film. When you look closely, you notice the astounding detail in each glass image. The pictoral storytelling combined with the prologue narration and melancholy musical arrangements make it feel magical and mythological. Essentially, it is the Beast's story and this opening gives insight into his plight culminating in the desperate question "For who could ever learn to love a beast?" which is, of course, immediatly answered.

Belle's story opens in a small village in France. I appreciate that most of the signs are written in French and actually make sens. I did notice some were in English, like the Bookseller, but I'm assuming that was mainly for comprehension. The only sign I find odd is "Asylum de Loons". I think if the only word that is in French is "de", write it in English. I find the choice of words funny as well; you know you're going to a good place when the institution calls it's clients loons. The bookish beauty wanders the streets of her village wishing for something more, which is a rather common trait in most princess oriented Disney films. What is different with Belle is she wants something less tangible than the others. She craves adventure and someone to talk to and share her interests. Belle has a quirky eccentric feel to her, even in her voice brought to life by Paige O'Hara, and her passion for books singles her out amongst the rest. Most of the early princesses have events occur to them. Belle is part of a newer generation of leading ladies that are more proactive than reactive. She adapts quickly to her new settings and interacts with the Beast and the enchanted objects with an open mind. Her character is greatly shown in that she expects better behavior from the Beast, but adapts her behavior to meet him half way.

Since the Beast's castle was transformed along with the prince, it's wonderfully dark. In all this grim and gloomy backdrop, the rose stands out as a blip of beauty and color in a somber place. It also acts as the time keeper, reminding the Beast and the audience that time is slowly running out. It's a nice touch that all the statues that were once angels and cherubs became gargoyles and humanoid monsters. The Beast himself is made up of bits and pieces of various animals to create the tempermental and frightening being. However, as the film progresses, the Beast, who was animalistic and violent in the beginning, becomes softer and more human-like. He gradually begins to walk upright and wear more clothing. The more Belle becomes fond of him, the more he is seen in a positive light. The animation for the Beast carries a lot of range for it has to cater to the multiple facettes of his character, as he has to appear scary in some scenes and lovable in others. To attain these different tones, Robby Benson lends his voice which has both the big growly sound that you would expect for the Beast, but also a human quality that allows you to feel the prince underneath.

The transformation scene is both impressive for it's complexe animation and touching for it's emotional significance. The animation itself is inspired by various works of art by, amongst others, Michelangelo. The transformation is not only skin deep, it represents the extend of his emotional transformation inside. A lot of heart went into creating this sequence and aided by both computer generated and traditionnal animation, they gave a beast a soul. 

If the beast is the ugliness with beauty beneath, Gaston is the beauty with the ugliness inside. The excruciatingly burly and manly Gaston is the handsomest man in the village and is positively primeval. He is rude, egocentric and the perfect villian to attain the proper contrast with the Beast. It's interesting how Belle is the only person who seems to dislike Gaston. He is otherwise envied and loved by all the villagers. I really enjoy the fact that his trophy wall in the pub includes the head of an eagle. At Gaston's side, there is always Lefou. Lefou, who's name translates litterally as "The Jester", certainly honors his name and is truly the punching-bag of the film. His appearances are meant as comic relief to a suprisingly tragic, sad and sometimes frightening tale.

There is a very strong contrast between the fight scene involving Gaston and the Beast and the one between the villagers and the household objects. The first one offers a much darker drained of color fight drenched in the rain. The second one is very comical and colorful. It's adorned with slapstick moments and is a touch more cartoon-like than the rest of the film. This scene gives plenty of little highlight moments to many of the objects. Both scenes offer drastically different tones, but help the viewer to trasition efficiently within the two.

The animators faced yet another challenge: how to breath life into inanimate objects. It feels like the people were transformed into objects that not only reflected their position in the household, but also their personality. Lumière, who is voiced by Jerry Orbach, is a fiery seducer that always reminds me of Maurice Chevalier. Cogsworth, voiced by David Ogden Stiers, is the tightly wound head of household. The relationship between Lumière and Cogsworth is brotherly in the sens that they bicker constantly, but somehow they remain great friends. Angela Lansbury is perfect for the voice of the warm and comforting Mrs. Potts. Her voice has such a motherly touche to it. Many other objects find their way into our hearts, but some humans do as well. Maurice, Belle's Kooky father is a delightful character. Even though his background is never really explained in the film, being an inventor is consistent with the original story about a man who lost his fortune and is trying to make money for his family.

The original look and story for the film was much more anchored in the Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont version of the tale and Cocteau's film version La Belle et la Bête (1946). The DVD includes an alternate beginning that detailed Belle's story in an 18th century France setting. It shows a wealthy merchant, Maurice, rendered poor and forced to live in a farmhouse and work to survive. It also features Belle's other family members. Though the finished product has several differences with the original tale, it keeps the essential heart of the story, one that resonates in many different versions from all around the world.

The songs in Beauty and the Beast have one remarkable characteristic: the stage musical feel and structure of them. Alan Menken and Howard Ashman created wonderful songs that allow to further the plot and accentuate some character personality traits without slowing down the pace of the film. The stage musical attributes are perhaps why this film is so easily adaptable for the stage. Some of the songs have become classics, like "Beauty and the Beast" sung beautifully by Angela Lansbury. "Be Our Guest" is also a memorable song that showcases well the enchanted objects and brings to mind the big Broadway musical number. The song "Belle" is impressive in the sens that it integrates an enormous amount of story telling as well as entertainement to offer this tongue and cheek operetta style song. What I never noticed before is how this song is reprised several times in the film with different lyrics. "Gaston" is another hilarious song that is riddled with wit. "Human Again" was utltimately taken out from the final product, but it explores the objects' side of the story and how they deal with the magic spell. It's almost a shame that it didn't make the cut. Menken and Ashman managed to create beautiful music and songs that sometimes bring a tear to your eye and others keep you at the edge of your seat.

Since this film was made in a very short amount of time, there are some interesting mistakes and such that appear here and there. In an effort to cut corners as the deadline was approching, the end sequence with the prince and Belle dancing is "stolen" from the sequence in Sleeping Beauty and repainted to look like the characters. Another funny one appears at the end of the "Gaston" song after Maurice enters the pub. If you look closely at the bear rug behind Gaston's chair, it seems to have a life of it's own. Even with such a tight schedule, they managed to create a masterpiece that is loved as it is, all it's little hiccups included.
   

They definitely did not skimp on the special features on this DVD. It includes 3 verisons of the film including the original theatrical release, an extended edition and a work in process version that mixes the film with sketches, paintings and unpainted animation. A commentary track, deleted scenes, games, and documentaries delving in the making of the film and the creation of the memorable songs and music also adorn the DVD. Beauty and the Beast remains a tale that explores themes that transcend age and it's worth it to take a look at it again before it's sealed back in the vault with Disney magic and, you know, really good locks.