Ok, I'm gonna be honest here. I really like cartoons. I do! I like to watch 'em, draw 'em, and I even like to impersonate some cartoon voices, all of this being a product of a childhood rich with watching quality animated entertainment. That being said, I can confidently say that I can tell the good cartoons from, well, the crappy, kids' allowance sucking money making cartoons.
I am happy to say that Beauty and the Beast is not part of the latter. In fact, I am more happy to say that Beauty and the Beast is not only a good cartoon it is one of the best pieces of animation in the history of animated cinema.
Now, if you've never seen this movie, HA! Funny joke! Of course you've seen it, don't lie to your childhood! But seriously, if you haven't heard of it (for those of you who've lived off the land in Siberia for the last half-century) here's the rundown of the movie: a prince gets cursed by a enchantress, turning him into a beast and his castle residents into furniture and silverware; the curse is gauge by a rose, and if the last petal falls he is forever a beast and his living objects forever objects, and the only way to break the curse is to have someone love him; jump to the present, a girl by the name of Belle wants to get away from the boing life in her French town and from Gaston, a handsome brute who has a stalker-like affection towards Belle; low and behold, her father, who happens to be a crazy inventor, stumbles upon the Beast's castle and is swiftly imprisoned; Belle goes to rescue him, and in return for his release she becomes the Beast's prisoner; hi-jinks then ensue with the living objects, particularly with the candlestick and clock; and, eventually, the Beast and Belle grow fond of each other (I won't spoil the ending because, y'know, everyone here knows the ending).
Now, here's the real reason as to why I really wanted to watch this film (other than preparing myself for my upcoming auditions for our high school's production of the same show WISH ME LUCK). You see, rather than watching a movie for the first time, I went into watching this movie having seen it before. However, the last time I've seen this movie was, let's say, a decade ago, and my perception of this movie as a kid was very different as seeing it now as a young adult. Back then, my child-like wonder and imagination would have me completely absorbed in the magical worlds of these fantasy worlds, and depending on the movie there would be moments where I would remember specifically being very enchanted, scared, or utterly and completely happy. Re-watching movie like this now, I couldn't help but notice that those feelings were no longer present. But, rest assured, different feelings emerged. I felt a complete resolved feeling of appreciation for the animation, writing, and sense of captivation that Beauty and the Beast offered to me. It's hard for movies from my childhood to do that me, as the normal response would be feelings of nostalgia and nothing more. But the fact that this movie still holds up after nearly 20 years really means something not only for my inner child but also for my beliefs as an advent fan of quality cinema.
I give this movie:
10/10 for quality.
8.5/10 for watchability.
I hope you all enjoyed my review of Beauty and the Beast.
Fond regards,
~Grant Dunderman
November 2013
Film Studies Period 10
Nice job here, Grant. As usual, your voice is really nice and strong in the writing. I would have liked to hear more specifics and details about key moments scenes, drawings, editing, etc. I revisited this movie again recently as well, and it was complete nostalgia for me. In fact, I found the relationship between the Beast and Belle to be completely absurd, and kind of terrible. He basically emotionally abuses her the whole time, and then she comes around! I thought it was really weird from an adult perspective. Anyway, good job, and keep it up with the good posts.
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I really liked this film since it's your usual animated cartoon movie made by Disney. I haven't revisited this film in years since the last time I saw it. But from what I can remember, it was pretty good. You did a great review on it, keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteI watched this movie when I was a child but I have trouble imagining exactly every scene. I can only imagine a couple of images, and so this post makes me want to go and watch it again so I too can revisit my childhood. I've watched the musical online, but there's a certain magic and believability the anime brings. I'm very excited to be involved with the school musical as well and so that might give me a bit more incentive to go and revisit this movie. Once again, nice pick!
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