Be our guest and fall in love again with Disney’s animated movie “Beauty and the Beast” on its thirtieth anniversary this November.
From the phrase “tale as old as time” to the song “Be Our Guest,” many people have heard of at least some references from Disney’s animated movie “Beauty and the Beast.” The animated fairy tale was first released in the U.S. on Nov. 22, 1991. Upon release, the movie grossed $145.9 million in North America and $331.9 million worldwide, which made it Disney’s most successful animated movie release at the time.
The film’s thirtieth anniversary is an extraordinary milestone since it remains a classic to this day in 2021. The critically acclaimed award-winning film has won various accolades including two Academy Awards, in addition to Golden Globes, Grammy’s and a plethora of other honors.
Disney’s animated movie “Beauty and the Beast,” focuses on a girl named Belle who lives in a small provincial town in France with her father, Maurice. Belle is tired of the small town she lives in since she has big dreams. She is especially tired of Gaston, a conceited man who was determined to marry Belle even though she did not care for him at all. Maurice is an inventor who is preparing a new contraption that will be entered in a nearby inventor’s fair. On his way to the fair, Maurice and his horse get lost in the forest and arrive at an old castle. The castle looks grand, but there is also an eerie atmosphere that looms through the castle, making anyone who encounters it feel uneasy.
To Maurice’s surprise, a lot of the furniture in the castle was alive. Long ago, an old woman asked the prince of the castle if she could seek shelter from the cold in his castle in exchange for a rose, but the prince was “repulsed by her haggard appearance” and turned her away. In a turn of events, the old woman was actually an enchantress who told the prince that she saw no love in his heart and that beauty is found within, so she put a spell over the castle turning all the people in it into magical pieces of furniture and turned the prince into a beast. The only way that the spell could be broken is if Beast learned to love someone and earn their love in return. Beast plans to hold Maurice captive for entering his castle, but Belle comes to take her father’s place. Belle becomes the prisoner and originally hates Beast, but as time goes on there must have been “something there that wasn’t there before” because Belle and Beast develop a connection that is unlike anything they had both felt before.
“Beauty and the Beast” is not only a tale of love and friendship, but one of self-discovery and confidence. The movie’s main theme is that beauty is found within, which is such a powerful message. This theme teaches children and adults alike to love one another because who we are on the inside is what makes us truly beautiful. A message as influential as this one, is part of the reason why this classic has lived on for so many years, and why Disney has even made a live-action version of the classic in 2017. The live action “Beauty and the Beast” film, stayed quite true to the animated movie’s plot and added a few extra details here and there to enhance the overall aesthetic. The film had a star-studded cast, in addition to musical performances from Ariana Grande and John Legend, as well as singer Celine Dion and music composer Alan Menken, who were part of the 1991 animated movie.
Hearing the intro music of the film gives off an uncertain but enchanting vibe, and hearing the narrator say the first words “once upon a time,” in a soft but serious tone, could give anyone chills and goosebumps. You feel as if you are being transported into this magical world of color and wonder as you are slowly brought through a serene forest. The impeccable use of color and ornate details on the stained-glass window mounted on the castle, are just some of the spectacular opening elements that reel the audience in right from the start.
The animated “Beauty and the Beast” was made using both traditional hand drawn animation and computer animation, which was quite new at the time. The way that the animators and artists were able to create a real sense of 3D and space in the shots, as well as make all the different detailed elements come together is awe-inspiring. When Belle first starts walking on the bridge on the way from her house and when Belle and Beast dance in the ballroom, a depth effect is created that makes the audience feel immersed in the world that is unfolding in front of them. The color palette, animation and so many other technical elements come together to make a real showstopper of a movie.
The storyline is interwoven into all the amazing footage and is cohesive and easy to follow. An audience member knows what the story is about and is not easily confused by what is going on because every element that is shown connects to the overall story and theme. Throughout the movie we see characters develop and grow. Beast is definitely one of the characters that has the most growth. Beast starts out seeming like the story’s villain and is portrayed as a cruel, heartless monster. With Belle’s help, Beast is able to change by finding himself and becomes a hero, thus saving himself and his servants from his past unkind ways.
Not only is the sense of sight appealed to, but the sense of hearing is too. The movie showcases beautifully written songs. Alan Menken, who has worked on many Disney films, composed the film’s music and Howard Ashman wrote the lyrics. The movie has songs of all different types of tempos, from uplifting and upbeat to slow and peaceful. “Be Our Guest” is a song that makes you want to get up and dance, just as all the silverware do in a magnificent display of gastronomy. Many people say how impactful the visual aspects of things in our world are today, but music is also such a powerful entity due to the strong emotional feelings that can be evoked from the auditory sense when encountering aesthetically pleasing rhythms.
I could watch Disney’s animated “Beauty and the Beast” time and time again, and still wonder what happens next. Disney’s attention to detail is stupendous and the audience can truly tell that a lot of love and effort was put into this project.
