Yes, My [Future] Kids Will Watch Beauty and the Beast

Let me go ahead and start by saying if you're part of the crowd that thinks Beauty and the Beast is a good case study for Stockholm Syndrome, go and ahead skip this week because this post is not for you. I still, at age 28, unashamedly love this movie more than most other Disney films, which probably stems from me being a toddler and asking my mom to rewind the VCR tape (oy) roughly 8 times a day so I could watch it over and over and over again. Belle really spoke to me because she felt like a kindred spirit - she looked more like me than the other princesses did with her brown hair and brown eyes, she was smart, she loved to read, she loved her horse, and Beast gave her the greatest gift any man has ever given any woman in history - the famous library, which still gives me chills when that scene comes on. TL;DR I will defend this movie to my last breath.

Beauty and the Beast was released in theaters on November 22nd, 1991 - just 2 years after her royal predecessor Ariel and 54 years after Princess #1 Snow White. Based on the French fairytale of the same name written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, this movie dominated at the box office and was critically acclaimed by just about everyone, especially for the ballroom scene which smoothly incorporated traditional animation with CGI thanks to the folks at Pixar. With a budget of $25 million and a box office of $440 million, the film became the first animated film ever to win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy as well as two Academy Awards for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (for Beauty and the Beast, of course). It can also be credited for being the first Disney animated film to birth a Broadway musical, which premiered in 1994 and has starred celebrities such as Hugh Jackman in the role of Gaston and Christy Carlson Romano in the role of Belle. And we can't forget the live action version, that I will say was actually halfway decent, that premiered in theaters in 2017 and starred Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as The Beast, and Luke Evans as Gaston.

This film, from start to finish, is magnificently beautiful to even those who aren't as biased as I. The animation style, the color palette, the voice acting, the music - all of it blends together to help make an enjoyable, emotional experience for everyone. Belle has the greatest sidekick squad of all time in the form of Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Chip. Gaston is a really excellent villain who has shockingly aged well - he's TERRIFYING because he's meant to represent a member of society whom everyone adores even if he's wrong purely so they can unite against a common enemy - someone different (Beast, Maurice, even Belle). Beast (because calling him Prince Adam just feels wrong) is such an awesome character who shows really amazing growth - the minute someone actually stands up to him and calls him on his bullshit, he starts to realize he's the biggest part of the problem and actively works to make himself better. Maurice is such a lovable Disney dad - he's a little bit of an eccentric goon, but he loves Belle more than anything in the world and never once tries to stop finding her even when he becomes gravely ill, and he always encourages her to be herself. But I can't hold it in any longer - let's talk about the real MVP, Belle.

From minute one, Belle is shown to be very different from everyone else in her life. She and her father clearly haven't lived in this town for too long, probably a couple of years at most, and everyone (including the asshole who claims to be "in love" with her even though he just thinks she's hot), at full volume no less, talks shit about how weird she is. They're pleasant enough to her face, for sure, because she's kind to them and positive energy is usually contagious, but as soon as she turns her back they talk about how odd it is that she likes to read so much. Homegirl never once lets that deter her from doing exactly what she wants to do, borrowing every book possible from the book shop owner and helping her father with his inventions. Now Gaston was right about exactly one thing: Belle is classically beautiful and she's probably well aware of that fact, but she really does not care because she knows her looks don't define her. She wants to make more of herself, leave that tiny town and explore and read other books and be her own person, which wasn't the norm for a woman back in rural 1760s France. She's also the first princess who goes on her own quest to save someone else when her father gets captured by Beast. Is she scared of Beast when she sees him the first time? Duh, who wouldn't be? But she never once backs down from her choice to take Maurice's place and be his prisoner. She's even resigned to living in that dank tower forever, looking Beast right in the eye every time he speaks to her and telling him exactly how she feels about everything going on. She immediately befriends Lumiere & Co. not just for personal gain (because she's low key scheming how she can escape the castle the entire time and you can't convince me otherwise), but also because she likes them and they're kind to her. She saves Beast's life when he comes to rescue her from the wolves even after he threw his temper tantrum in the West Wing and scared her half to death - she could've left him in the snow to freeze, but she somehow maneuvered his gigantic body onto Philippe and got him back to the castle, cleaned his wounds, and then shut his shit down for losing his temper on her instead of being reasonable. She starts to see Beast as a friend because he gets his act together and starts to behave like a normal person, and it's not until she gets home with Maurice after Beast frees her so she can save her father's life that she realizes she's in love with him. She and Beast/Adam deserve the happy ending they got. They're partners in their relationship - Beast doesn't treat Belle like a possession and Belle helps keep Beast grounded.

Music, music, music - Howard Ashman and Alan Menken went ALL OUT for this and it shows. This was actually the last film Howard Ashman wrote for before he passed away, and it serves I think as a wonderful tribute to his memory. I had a little trouble narrowing down my top 3 songs from the soundtrack, but I pushed through so here we go.

Be Our Guest by Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, & The Chorus of Beauty and the Beast (written by A. Menken, H. Ashman)

I think for most people, this is the song they think of when they think Beauty and the Beast even over the movie's title track, and rightly so. This song is amazing - it's so fun, it's energetic, Jerry Orbach (may he Rest In Peace) is amazing, and the animation in this scene of the film is phenomenal. I do have to give honorable mention to the live action film for this song as well - from the minute the casting decisions came out, the two actors I was most excited about were Emma Watson as Belle and Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, and Ewan did not disappoint in this scene - it was everything I hoped it would be.

Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test/Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie, and we provide the rest/Soupe du jour, hot hors d'œuvre, why, we only live to serve/Try the gray stuff, it' delicious, don't believe me? Ask the dishes/They can sing, they can dance, after all, Miss, this is France/And the dinner here is never second best/Go on, unfold your menu, take a glance and then/You'll be our guest, oui, our guest, be our guest

Something There by Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury, and David Ogden Stiers (written by A. Menken, H. Ashman)

It's honestly a crime that this is the only part of the movie that Beast gets to sing, but this song is super sweet. Getting to watch the two of them start to realize that they may have feelings for each other is super relatable to anyone who's ever fallen in love, especially with someone who was a friend first. Also, Belle wears the pink dress and cape during this scene which is my favorite apart from her signature golden ballgown.

There's something sweet and almost kind/But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined/But now he's dear, and so unsure/I wonder why I didn't see it there before/She glanced this way, I thought I saw/And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw/No, it can't be, I'll just ignore/But then, she's never looked at me that way before

Beauty and the Beast by Angela Lansbury (written by A. Menken, H. Ashman)

While I love Emma Thompson, Angela Lansbury IS Mrs. Potts and no one will ever be able to change my mind. This has been one of my favorite Disney songs for literally my entire life because Beauty and the Beast came out the week I was born, and it gained even morre significance for me a few years ago when the Celine Dion/Peabo Bryson version became my Father Daughter dance at my wedding. It's a beautiful scene and a beautiful song and will always be a Disney classic.

Tale as old as time, true as it can be/Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly/Just a little change, small to say the least/Both a little scared, neither one prepared, Beauty and the Beast/Ever just the same/Ever a surprise/Ever as before, ever just as sure/As the sun will rise

Thank you for attending my lecture on why Belle = Best. As with all the other Disney films I've discussed, go and watch the movie if you haven't in a while and fully immerse yourself in its greatness. See ya'll next week!