Beauty and the Beast

Based on a fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast details the unexpected romance that eventually blossoms between a small town girl (Paige O’Hara’s Belle) and a nobleman trapped in the body of a monstrous Beast (Robbie Benson). Beauty and the Beast, armed with a vibrant, eye-popping animation style and several undeniably catchy songs, effectively hooks the viewer’s interest right from the get-go, with the appealing nature of the various characters perpetuating the film’s almost pervasively likeable atmosphere. And although filmmakers Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise do have a tendency to emphasize certain overly “cute” elements, the movie’s romantic storyline ultimately proves strong enough to compensate for a rather gimmicky midsection that revolves primarily around the exploits of Beast’s colorful servants (including Jerry Orbach’s Lumiere and Angela Lansbury’s Mrs. Potts). The inclusion of a few stirring musical numbers – ie the justifiably indelible title track – buoys the viewer’s interest through the film’s less-than-enthralling stretches, with the increased emphasis on Belle and Beast’s romance paving the way for a feel-good, thoroughly uplifting finale that allows the movie to conclude on an impressively positive note – which certainly cements Beauty and the Beast‘s place as an above average (yet far-from-flawless) animated endeavor.

*** out of ****