Yar, you be here: Beauty and the Beast (Disney Special Platinum Edition) > Customer Reviews

Beauty and the Beast (Disney Special Platinum Edition) Customer Reviews (10 - 12 of 78 Reviews)

This Is A Good Disney Movie!
Beauty and the Beast is a good animated Disney movie and I like this DVD with it's different versions of the movie! My favorite is the original theatrical release version but I also liked watching the Work in progress and special edition versions and I think Disney did very good with the DVD though I think they did a better job with the special features on their Snow White DVD but I do like that the movie is shown in widescreen on the DVD and not the edited pan & scan! Now I just have to get the Cinderella DVD and hopefully the little Mermaid DVD will come out soon!

Beauty and the Beast
This story is something much different than most other "princess" movies. Belle comes from a humble home and is seen as an outcast because she is not conventional like most girls. She avoids Gaston's (most eligible bachelor in town) flirtations and marriage offers. She instead chooses to read and help her father with his inventions instead of preparing herself for marriage, but it understandable the latter part is difficult for her to do without the presence of a maternal figure.

However, her relationship with her father is strong, so strong that she is willing to brave haunted and dark woods to find her father. Belle seeks refuge in the castle of a prince who was cursed into being a beast. They have a rough time trying to get along, but over time they begin to get to know each other better based on each other's personality and not looks.

The animation and characters in this film are pleasant and delightful; I loved the dining entertainment dance number with Lumier and Cogsworth because of the arrangements and the welcome feeling that radiated in the dining hall. The dance hall scene made me catch my breath at how graceful the couple could be despite the Beast depicted as a hulking menacing figure. Of course Disney had to have the "happily ever after ending", but through all the struggles that the Beast had to go through with the curse and Gaston's attacks, he deserved that happy ending.

Amazing movie - less-than-perfect DVD treatment.
As Beauty and the Beast is my all-time favorite movie, it hurts me to have to take away a star from this review. However, I have a few problems that keep me from giving it a full 5 stars.

By now, we all know the story of this beautiful film. We know the songs by heart, and it doesn't need to be mentioned that this is still the only animated movie to recieve an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. However, this DVD offers THREE versions - the "original theatrical version" which is the "Special Edition" but without the Human Again song that's in the "Special Edition" and a new version of the Work-In-Progress edition, previously available only on laserdisc and VHS in the deluxe box set Disney released in 1992. If you get a chance, please watch the Work-In-Progress edition.

This DVD also includes a plethora of bonus features for kids and adults alike. Games for the kids, and serious behind-the-scenes materials, trailers, TV spots, galleries, etc. for the adults.

However, I have some gripes about the transfer - namely edge enhancement. Cramming three versions of the movie onto one disc was a bad idea. In my opinion, the Work-In-Progress edition should have been on disc two. Also, I'm not too happy with how the film has been lightened up. The film was intended to have dark, muted colors. However, despite these flaws, the movie still retains all the beauty and charm I fell in love with nearly 15 years ago. And I love the newly added song, Human Again. Now, the original theatrical version feels empty to me.

I'm also not too happy with how the bonus features sometimes appear in more than one spot, such as the Celine Dion music video appearing in two spots and having two versions of the making-of docu...one substantially longer, having more material, etc. It makes it look as if Disney padded this disc so it'd look like there were more bonuses than there are.

However, I can't NOT recommend this DVD, but that's only because I'm absolutely biased. Unfortunately, it is now out of print, and copies tend to be expensive on eBay and Amazon Marketplace. However, it's definitely worth it, especially if you can get it used for a good price, and if a disc doesn't work, call 1-800-72-DISNEY, and for a fee of about $7, you can have the discs replaced through Disney's Disc Replacement Program.

In conclusion, please don't hesitate to get this if you're willing to pay a good amount of money for it or if you're willing to risk buying it used. It's a gorgeous movie, and the bonus features are good. Despite my few gripes, it's worth the price.

Previous Page

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Next Page