Poster
Description: Beauty and the Beast is
written in gold, above Belle and the Beast. They wear their ballroom outfits,
with Belle in her golden gown and Beast in his blue and gold jacket and white
shirt; they hold hands and gaze into each other’s eyes. The enchanted staff,
Mrs. Potts the teapot, little Chip the cup, Cogsworth the clock, and Lumière
the candelabra, watch on with big smiles.
On the 22nd of November, in 1991, Beauty
and the Beast changed everything for Disney. It became the first animated
film to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, and won the Oscar for
Best Score the following year, among many other well-deserved accolades.
So, what made me choose Beauty and the Beast for
a revisit? Louis Theroux: Into the Manscape last month got me thinking
about a particular Disney character; one who had always frightened me as a girl
without truly understanding why. Let’s see if you can guess who it is.
I originally wrote a review for the film in 2012, upon
its 3D re-release, so expect those thoughts to be highlighted in blue with
a bit of grumbling about the unnecessary use of 3D.
2012: Let’s be honest, it was only a
matter of time before this absolute classic was re-released on our cinema
screens, with that dreaded money-making scheme of 3D, and look, here it is!
The story starts with your stereotypical fairy-tale
beginning. Once upon a time…
2026: Traditional Disney films use the
gilded books to start us off, but Beauty and the Beast uses stained
glass windows like a storyboard. They are visually dramatic, and the narrator
has a lovely, deep tone which pulls you in. The voice belongs to David Ogden
Stiers, who also voices Cogsworth later in the film.
2012: …[A] selfish
prince is cursed by a beautiful enchantress, after refusing to offer her
shelter from the bitter winter, having believed she was an ugly, old woman…Because
of this, she turns him into a hideous beast, and tells him that if he cannot
find someone to love him for who he is truly is…he will remain that way
forever.
2026: To add on the pressure, the
enchantress gives him a rose which wilts with each passing day, like the
world’s saddest clock. Every petal that falls is another step towards the
prince staying as a beast.
2012: Meanwhile in a
nearby town, a young woman yearns for adventure…Her name is Belle, and though
she is beautiful, the townspeople consider her an oddity, because of her love
for books, and her eccentric inventor for a father.
2026: The film’s first musical number,
simply called “Belle” offers both her perspective of her hometown, and the
residents’ opinions of her. It’s a belter of an introduction, and the balance
of “show and tell” throughout the whole sequence is great fun. The bustling
town, the individual personalities, and the use of colour really sets Belle (Paige
O’Hara, Enchanted) apart as she wanders through the town with her
nose in a book. Honestly, what a mood. But what kind of book-lover lets a sheep
eat a page? Shudder.
Most of the people we see in the song are dressed in
dull, autumnal colours, almost blending into the buildings, while Belle wears
soft white and blue like the sky. It’s a nice nod to her yearning for bigger,
better horizons, confirmed in the song’s reprise:
“I want adventure
in the great, wide somewhere…”
Yup. It wouldn’t be a 90s Disney film without a
beautiful, “I want…” song!
it took me this long to realise the animators designed
Belle’s father, Maurice after Albert Einstein. Maurice is a bit of bumbling
fool, but kindhearted, and what the chemistry between him and Belle feels warm
and genuine; likewise, his interactions with the Beast’s servants.
Side note: Phillipe the horse has so much personality
in the few scenes he’s in. Not as much as Maximus in Tangled, but the
potential remains.
In contrast, Chris Kline’s version of Maurice came
across as a bit cold, and difficult to sympathise with. Even if the whole thing
about stealing the rose is true to the original fairy tale, it still seemed
like a stupid, thoughtless thing to do, after running away from an enchanted
cup!
2012: Nevertheless, the
town’s local arrogant beef-cake, Gaston, is determined to marry [Belle].
2026: For Richard White, Gaston is his
only role listed on IMDB – and what a role! Gaston is handsome with incredible charisma…and
he knows it. As demonstrated in the song, “Gaston,” the whole town is enamoured
with him, which I always found fun. The decision to make Gaston in the 2017
remake a deluded loser was a choice that him less intimidating and compelling
to hate. Nevertheless, his crony Le Fou paying people off to sing the song made
me laugh! If there’s two things the original Le Fou is missing, it’s his
redemption arc, and Josh Gad’s lovely singing.
In the original, we don’t know any of Gaston’s
backstory, and what might have made him so intrinsically entitled. He simply
is, all while wearing the Awesome Disney Villain colours of red and black. Belle’s
book provides a great prop for demonstrating Gaston’s total disregard for her feelings
and interests; he intrudes into Belle’s home, puts his feet on the table, on
top of the open book there. As a girl, I experienced my first frisson of fear in
this scene, which I didn’t entirely understand: the large, intimidating man in
a woman’s safe space. Fortunately, Belle holds her nerve, and her parting shot
of “I just don’t deserve you,” can be interpreted both ways. Belle can better,
and Gaston needs to lower the bar! Sadly, like so many examples of toxic
masculinity, Gaston is all charm until someone tells him “no.”
2026: Less
so, these days…
2012: Who is the
monster, and who is the man? Ooh, it gives me goose-bumps just typing it…
To begin with, the monster in this case is the Beast
(natch). He looks the part, for a start, with the obvious fur, fangs and
generally selfish nature…
2026: Not to mention his short temper.
Benson conveys animalistic anger, and gentle vulnerability, without losing the
Beast’s personality. The animators’ decision to have the Beast run his fingers
through Belle’s hair before he lets her go is a masterstroke in tender, human gestures.
Voiced by Robby Benson, the Beast’s character design
is this incredible amalgamation of a ram, a lion, and a bear. If the filmmakers
had gone along with their initial ideas, we could have had a Beast who looked
closer to a praying mantis! Jeffrey Katzenberg (the Disney Chairman at the
time) was so worried about Glen Keane (the Beast’s supervising animator)
drawing a design that resembled Benson, Katzenberg banned Keane from seeing him!
The same Katzenberger also set up a whole other animation studio to spite
Disney when things went south, so he is nothing but over-the-top.
The Beast’s yearning to be human again is somewhat overshadowed
by that of his servants’ desire. With names like Lumière (Jerry Orbach, Dirty
Dancing), Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers, Pocahontas) and Mrs. Potts,
the Enchantress has her word cut out for her, transforming them into household
objects!
Lumière and Cogsworth bicker like an old married
couple, but they come together with the rest of the staff to help the Beast woo
Belle. It’s all very endearing as we see the enchanted staff in a song
originally cut from the film. “Human Again” (later restored for the 2002 DVD
release) offers the staff’s perspective of the Enchantress’ curse and what they
miss now. Watching the mops cleaning the ballroom floor is satisfying, the
Wardrobe fantasizing about having hair again is sweet, and her subsequently
yeeting herself into the fountain from multiple storeys is a perfectly chaotic
way to finish the musical number.
Likewise, Dame Angela Lansbury had the daunting job of
singing the film’s titular song. On top of the incredible animation, “Beauty
and the Beast” is a gorgeous ballad. Belle’s dress inspired my first girlie Disney
moment, because it is so iconic and beautiful. Emma Watson’s gown in the remake
just looks like a pathetic, bargain-bucket attempt.
(Also, as much as I love Emma Thompson in the role, Lansbury’s
voice has always reminded me of one of my grandma’s, so I have a soft spot for any
role she plays).
Alan Menken wrote the
score for the film, while Howard Ashman wrote the lyrics. Sadly, Ashman passed
away before he could see the finished work on the screen.
2012: The final song,
simply named ‘The Mob Song’, is what nicely sums up [Gaston’s] dramatic
personality change. He is now fixated on killing the Beast, rallying the men’s
townspeople into believing he is a deadly threat to their wellbeing, and must
be vanquished, when, actually, the Beast has done absolutely nothing wrong…
2026: Knowing now that Ashman was
dying from AIDS while writing the songs, the lyrics of “The Mob Song” carry a
whole load of pathos I didn’t appreciate as a child.
“We
don't like what we don't understand
In fact, it scares us
And this monster is mysterious at least
Bring your guns! Bring your knives!
Save your children and your wives
We'll save our village and our lives
We'll kill the Beast!”
It reminds me of that chilling advert, “Don’t Die of
Ignorance” that only succeeded in scaring the s*** out of
everyone from 1987.
Gaston rallying the townsfolk to “kill the Beast” only
makes his death that more satisfying – and again, it’s like Frollo’s in Hunchback
of Notre Dame. But what isn’t satisfying is the Beast’s human form. He
looks ethereal and weirdly hairless. Why couldn’t the animators give him a
beard, at least?
In conclusion, the older I get, the more Gaston feels
more chilling as a villain. Not just because he stabs the Beast, and threatens to
put Belle in an asylum to get her to marry him; that’s bad enough. What makes
him so frightening is because he believes he is right, and should get what he
wants. Whatever happens. And only death can stop him.
2012: [Beauty and the
Beast is] a stunning, musical masterpiece that will stand the test of time.
2026: No arguments here. The remake,
on the other hand? Not so much. Just stick with the original.
2012: 5 STARS OUT OF 5
2026: 5 STARS OUT OF 5
My Sources:
Beauty and the Beast poster - https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/fVf2YzecYSjY19hXkd2RhrEL7mI.jpg
When was Beauty and the Beast released? - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414
Beauty and the Beast awards - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101414/awards/
Who was the narrator? - https://www.bustle.com/p/who-narrates-beauty-the-beast-the-new-film-makes-some-changes-to-that-iconic-prologue-44525
What is Belle’s “I want…” song? - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(1991_soundtrack)
Paige O’Hara’s filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0641314/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_7_in_0_q_paige%20o
Who voices Gaston? - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0925369/?ref_=tt_cst_t_9
The Beast’s character designs - https://animated-animals.fandom.com/wiki/Beast
Who plays Lumière and what other roles has he played?
- https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001583/?ref_=tt_cst_t_6
David Ogden Stiers’ filmography - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001773/?ref_=tt_cst_t_8
“Human Again” - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Again_(song)
What’s the name of the Wardrobe? Oh…- https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Wardrobe
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