My friends have all been chatting on Facebook about the newly released live-action version of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast". They were going nuts over this movie, in fact, they love it! They had cried over this movie, they were praising the romance in this movie, they just love it! But, I didn't watch it, and I'm not going to. Not once. There is absolutely no point in watching that movie when we have the original to watch which is still one of the best-animated movies ever made. It's a perfect movie. One that never gets old over time. It's still as enjoyable and fun to watch now as it was to watch when it first came out.
The story is one I'm sure you've all heard before. An arrogant prince (Robbie Benson) lives in a shining castle but has a cold, unkind, and selfish heart. One day, he turns away an old beggar woman after asking for shelter from the cold offering only a single rose. But the beggar woman is really a beautiful enchantress who turns him into a hideous beast as punishment and also puts a spell on the castle and all who lived there. The only way to break the spell is from the Beast to fall in love and get her love in return before the last petal on the rose the Enchantress offers falls. Meanwhile, in the village, a bookworm named Belle (Paige O'Hara) dreams of something exciting and different from her boring life in the village. She is interested in nobody, not even the handsome hunter Gaston (Richard White) who wants to do anything to marry her despite being rejected. However, after Belle's father Maurice takes a wrong turn and accidentally gets locked up in the Beast's prison, Belle offers her place instead which the Beast accepts. However, over time, the two begin to bond and later begin the romance we all know and love.
I've read somewhere that Disney had tried to make the movie two times in the past, with both attempts failing to get past story development. The third attempt was definitely the charm as the movie is still perfect. The animation is beautiful, even the CG elements (the ballroom in particular) are still pretty nice. The story is memorable, it's the perfect example of a fairy tale done right. The music is fantastic, you all know the songs and they're still some of Alan Menken's best work to date. The characters are all great, you remember what the look like, what they're names are, what they say, and there personalities. I can go on forever praising "Beauty and the Beast". It's just so good.
This film is still amazing. It has all the charm and likability that you expect from a Disney movie. It's a perfect example of an animated classic. No doubt about it. So, if your friends are thinking that the remake is going to be as great as the original, remind them that the animated movie was the first movie in history to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards, an honor that is unbelievably rare to get. An honor it deserved. Even Disney marketed this film as "the most beautiful love story ever told." I certainly believe it, and so do others.
