DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Reviewed by Sam Hatch
Most people consider The Little Mermaid to be the film that put Disney back on the map as the definitive source for beloved animated classics. But it was this movie (an interpretation that gives nods to the Cocteau source film while forging its own path) that really felt like an instant classic upon first viewing. The songs are magnificent, and Belle, the Beast and the obnoxious paramour Gaston are some of the best characters in the Disney canon. David Ogden Stiers, Jerry Orbach and Angela Lansbury all lend voices to unforgettable anthropomorphized household items that try their best to steer Belle and her surly captor into companionship.
As a magical tale of the Stockholm Syndrome it works wonders, and seeing it anew in a remastered IMAX print is a revelation. There's a new song addition that may not be needed but nonetheless does nothing to hinder the film. If there is any problem, it's that the tightly framed drawings are hard to focus on once blown up to multiple-story dimensions. The sound mix is deafening, and while it may leave small children with ringing ears, it brought a smile to my face. So be a good guest and try not to giggle at the homoerotic undertones of Gaston's assertion that you ‘Grab whatever booty you can, but the Beast is mine!'