Movies Reviews

Beauty and the Beast 3D – Movie Review

By Anne Brodie Jan 13, 2012, 2:06 GMT

Set in and around a quaint French village during the late 18th century, Beauty and the Beast follows the fantastic adventures of Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman who finds escape from her ordinary life, and the advances of a boorish suitor, Gaston, by reading books. Meanwhile, off in a castle in the distance, a cruel young prince is cast under the spell of an enchantress who turns him ...more

Twenty years ago the animated fairy tale musical Beauty and the Beast won Best Picture over worthy live action films and became a classic.

It put the lock on pop culture with songs that are still hummed today (Be Our Guest, Belle, Beauty and the Beast, Something There) and deeply woven into the fabric of Disney’s image. Its rich look, fairy tale world with real world nuance and top notch storytelling make this one of the truly great animated films.

The landmark story familiar to audiences in various versions over the decades is simple – love is inside of us, even someone “different”, like a Beast,  is capable of love and being loved.  It’s a terrific message for children today who are bombarded with media images of what is accepted as the way to look in order to be happy. 

There are so many reasons to bring this treasure back, and another is that it’s been 3D’d, aftermarket, but it’s still effective and fairly seamless.

A “spoiled and unkind” prince opens the castle doors to find a wretched hag begging for shelter and food during a storm. He turns her away and she is transformed into a beautiful fairy princess. He begs her forgiveness but it’s too late –she turns him into a hideous beast and his household into furniture for his sins.  The Prince/ Beast retreats from the world inside his castle where he ponders where he went wrong.

Meanwhile, Belle, a beautiful, kind and good natured gal who lives in rural France charms the birds out of the trees.  She loves to read and learns about the world outside and develops a good grasp on reading people. So it’s no wonder she rebuffs Gaston, a big meaty muscleman who imagines himself to be catnip to every woman. 

He sets his sights her the only way he knows, with aggression, vague threats and a fake smile, none of which is lost on her.  Belle’s father is an eccentric inventor who is destined for lockup at the sanatorium when an experiment goes wrong.  So she learns that unconventional people can be scorned. 

They escape into the woods.  A storm hits and Belle and her father arrive at a dark and oppressive castle, where the horrible beast captures him.  She promises to stay with the beast if he will set her father free.  Thus begins a wonderfully rich and dramatic story about tolerance, kind hearts and love’s power.  

The film’s open hearted point of view doesn’t rule out intense sequences of danger and terror.  There are plenty of wind and rain swept cliffs, wild animals ravening in the woods, night terrors, fire, and evil people brutalizing others. 

These moments are just enough/not too much for small children in the Disney style.  Full drama and intense emotion are part of the package balanced by an overriding sense of humanity and universal love.

Songs by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman, some sung by Angela Lansbury who voices the Beast’s even keeled Teapot Mrs. Potts, are evergreen and its thrilling that a new generation will now know them.   And the artwork is nothing short of breathtaking. 

The detailed backgrounds of an idealized French countryside centuries ago, respect for nature and beautifully detailed interiors are gloriously storybook-like. Beauty and the Beast 3D is a triumph.

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35mm animated fantasy
Written by Linda Woolverton, Roger Allers and 11 others
Directed by Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Opens: Jan 13
Runtime: 84 minutes
MPAA: General
Country: US
Language: English/French