I'll admit it. Beauty and the Beast is pretty incredible. I always liked Aladdin better growing up, and I think it had more to do with my being a boy than anything else. I just couldn't get past the fact that an awesome looking beast with super-strength wouldn't want to stay that way. He could take out a pack of wolves bare handed, he was like the Chuck Norris of Disney characters, and he wants to give up being awesome!? For a Girl!? And he looks like a girl when he's human?! What a let down!
After rewatching though, I can see what all the fuss was about; the animation is stunning, especially the stained glass prologue which is probably the best in the Disney canon. The castle fight scene is as thrilling as it is fun, and Gaston is a fabulous villian. I really liked the fact that the villain was the most popular guy in town. It's a nice message to kids that popular isn't the same as right. I had multiple flashbacks to my little sister reenacting the scenes by herself, with a melodramatic flourish as only a 6 year-old can, which was fun, because she would've been the best 6 year-old Belle ever. And although I know Robby Benson played the voice of the Beast, I can only picture Lt. Comander Worf from Star Trek whenever I hear the Beast talk,(for whatever that's worth).
I've heard some complaints that Beauty and the Beast encourages women to be with an abusive boyfriend who they can change. Not true! Beast saved her life, she brought him back and gave basic first aid. You know, the decent thing to do when someone sigle handedly saves you from a pack of wolves. Then he made the effort to be nicer. All she did was allow him to be nicer. She forgave him, he did the work. Her only crime was not being vindictive. Belle is one of the best female role models in Disney, so quit complaining.
Some things I do have questions about. Did you know that the Beast was ten-TEN when he was cursed? The curse lasts until his 21st birtday, and Lemure sings about laying around for 10 years. So in order for the curse to still be in effect without running out, he couldn't have been 11 yet. Who curses a 10 year-old boy? I mean I can understand cursing AT a 10 year-old boy, sometimes they ask for it, but mutating the boy and all his servants?? Seems like a bit of an over-reaction to me. I also question how no one noticed when a full castle with hundreds of servants turned into innanimate objects, but my wife said not to worry about it, so I won't.
9/10 (I gotta dock 1 point for the beast as a human. Seriously, there's no excuse for looking more feminine than your princess!)
Side note: I'm quite enjoying movies I haven't seen in a decade or more, so there will be a marked absence of Pixar movies. I hope you understand.
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