Film Facts:
Date: 1991
List of Characters: Beast, Lefou, Maurice, Mrs. Potts, Belle, Lumiere, Chip, Cogsworth, Gaston
Raking in Animated Feature Films: #30
Interesting Trivia:
Angela Lansbury, the voice of Mrs. Potts, thought that another character would be better suited to sing the ballad "Beauty and the Beast". The director asked her to make at least one recording to have for a backup if nothing else worked, and that one recording ended up in the film.
Belle is the only person in her town who wears blue. This is symbolic of how different she is from everyone else around. Later, she encounters the Beast, another misfit, also wearing blue and with blue eyes.
The majority of the sculptures seen in the castle are different earlier versions of the Beast.
Paige O'Hara sobbed real tears while recording Belle's mourning of the Beast. Her performance was so intense that the director asked her if she was OK, upon which O'Hara immediately dropped out of character and said "Acting!"
All songs were the last complete works for a movie by Academy Award winner Howard Ashman. Ashman died eight months prior to the release of the film. The film is dedicated to Ashman; at the end of the final credits, you can read the dedication: "To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul, we will be forever grateful."
Beauty and the Beast was the first animated movie ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
The prologue was written about 200 times before filmmakers finally landed on the one you see in the final version
The final dance between Belle and the Prince was actually reused animation from Sleeping Beauty which sees Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip ballroom dancing. It was reportedly because animators were running out of time during post-production.
When Gaston falls at the very end of the film, Walt Disney never actually confirm that he dies, they only allude to it with the skulls that flash up in his pupils.
What I like about the film:
Strong female protagonist: Belle is arguably one of Disney's strongest female characters, she is intelligent, strong willed and wishes for a life of adventure and a means of escape from her provincial town. She does not, as I imagine most would, shy away from the Beast instead she faces up to his awful temper and cruel nature which ultimately is how she wins him over. I would argue, even more so than the previous Disney film released The Little Mermaid, that Beauty and the Beast really saw a progression in the way women were portrayed in Disney films through Belle and it is one of the reasons I love this film so much- not to mention that Belle has her priorities sorted as all she does is read!
The moral message of the film: The message behind Beauty and the Beast really is 'as old as time' and is all about prejudice and making up judgements about people/ things before you really get to understand them. I think the moral of Beauty and the Beast is incredibly important for people of all ages to be exposed to, not just children, particularly with the way the world is at this current moment in time. Not only is it a tale of 'judging a book by its cover' but I think that this story is, at its core, about accepting who you are and allowing people to love you for exactly that- a message I think a lot of people could learn from.
The enchanted castle: The enchanted castle in Beauty and the Beast is potentially one of my favourite settings from a Disney film. It is such a classically magical Disney touch and adds so much fun into the film. Through the cursed servants and the dark secret rooms ( the west wing) and the breathtaking library I wouldn't complain if I had to spend a night there- especially if Mrs Potts and Lumiere were serving me and singing 'Be our guest'!
Music/ Songs: Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, two Disney legends from the Renaissance period, composed the score for this movie and produce some of the most iconic Disney songs of recent years. I love how the songs in this film have a classically Disney feel to them in terms of melody and harmony- I feel 'beauty and the beast' and 'Belle/ Belle reprise' both evidence this. However songs such as 'be our guest' were new and innovative like the songs from The Little Mermaid had been.
What I dislike about the film:
A quick disclaimer: There isn't much I actually dislike about this film since it is one of my favourites and the points I make I think will be rectified in the 2017 remake ( which I currently haven't seen!).
The lack of Belle/ Beast's backstory: We never find out how Belle and Maurice ended up in this provincial town. Where's Belle's mother? What happened to her? How long have they lived in this town? Where are Beast's parents? How come no-one remembers that there is a castle/ monarchy hidden in the forrest? These issues isn't really all that pressing but still these are questions I would like answered and as I said I think the 2017 live-action remake will address these questions.
The story in the castle is cut short?: I feel like Belle and Beast's story is cut short somewhat. It feels as though half the film they hate one another, then after Belle saves Beast their relationship starts to develop but then all of a sudden she is leaving to save Maurice and they are in love. I am probably just complaining because I want to see more of these two together but still.
My favourites:
Song: "Belle (reprise)"
Character: Is it wrong to say Belle? But I also love Cogsworth!
Location: The meadow where Belle sings "Belle (reprise)" or the library
Moment: When Belle is tending Beast's wounds after the wolf fight and they have that back and forth (I feel like it sums up their relationship perfectly). Or if you've seen the extended version with 'human again' there is a part in that where Belle reads Romeo and Juliet to Beast which is really sweet!
Quote: Okay I have two: 1) "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell". 2) Beast: "I want to do something for her. But what?" Cogsworth: "Well, there's the usual things. Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep."
コメント