Reflections on: Beauty and the Beast
It is a tale that is old as time. True as it can be. If you grew up in the 90s and were a Disney fan, you knew which movie this was from. That classic film is “Beauty and the Beast”. It was one of the most successful animated films of the decade. Not only was it successful at the box office and with critics, but it was the first animated film to be nominated for best picture. With the live action adaptation, out, I figured it would be time to do a reflection piece on it. Because despite it being one of the few that I watched the least growing up, it is one of those that had a profound effect on me. One that I didn’t realize until a few years ago.
The tale begins when I was a young child. I remember that me and my sister had numerous forms of entertainment. My mom and dad would buy us several Disney VHS tapes. You know the kind. The ones that came in those clam shell cases. Those were so bulky. The movies ranged from live action to animation. We even had some of the Disney princess movies, which included “Beauty and the Beast”. I remember watching it as a kid, but like I said, we only watched it briefly.
I think one of the reasons we didn’t watch it that much was because my sister was a tomboy. She wasn’t a fan of the Disney princesses. Instead we watched some more classics which included “Aladdin”, “The Lion King”, “The Fox and the Hound”, “Toy Story”, and “Oliver & Company”. Films like “Beauty and the Beast” got pushed back on the shelf and collected the most dust. Because of this, the movie got pushed more and more out of my mind as I entered those dreadful teenage years.
“Beauty and the Beast” didn’t enter my mind again until I started college. This was around the time that I got my Facebook profile and started to discover all the various apps. Does anybody else remember the flixster app? It was an app in which you could rate movies and write mini reviews. You could see how your friends rated movies as well. “Beauty and the Beast” popped up on my list of films to review. My cousin, the one whom I mentioned in the Madonna blog, gave it a perfect score. That really surprised me because I didn’t think he would enjoy that kind of film given the subject matter.
The second time “Beauty and the Beast” came back into my life again was in 2012. This was during the 20th anniversary, and Disney decided to re-release it in the theaters. It was an event, because it was going to be in 3D and would feature some new songs that were not included in the original version. As a film fanatic, it peaked my interest. Sadly, I missed out on seeing it in the theaters. I guess it was because I didn’t speak up and was more worried about other things. It’s one of those times in life where you can use the cliché saying, “Life Happens.”
The third and final time it came into my life and stayed was in 2014. I had just graduated from college, and entered my first relationship. My ex was a Disney fanatic, and had a good collection of Disney movies. There was a routine we had where every Saturday night, we would watch a new Disney movie. Naturally, I noticed “Beauty and the Beast” in the collection. But curiosity got the best of me and I decided to purchase it myself.
Watching the original in 2014, I had a sense of nostalgia come flow over me. It was like watching it for the first time all over again. I came to admire not only the story, but the animation as well. In today’s world of CGI animation, I almost forgot what traditional animation looked like. I even enjoyed the songs featured in the film. Probably my favorite of the songs was “Be Our Guest”. I mean, you can’t deny Jerry Orbach. I even forgot some of the much darker scenes, such as the scenes with the wolves and the creepy person that oversaw the mental asylum.
But to me, the best aspect of the film were the characters. Belle to me is the best Disney Princess there is. I think she is the best because she is searching for something else that life has to offer her, and doesn’t care what others think. The Beast was fascinating because he started off shallow, and thought no one would love him for his outward appearance. As someone who grew up self-conscious, that really hit close to home.
I even liked the fact that the film took its time with Belle and the Beast as well. They didn’t fall in love right away. Just by the montage of scenes, you knew that they had to take the time to get to know each other. As a viewer, we don’t know how exactly this time took. It could have been weeks, or even months. Unlike other Disney movies, when the characters fell in love after three days or so, this was a breath of fresh air. Overall, I came to love this version and now it is one of my favorite Disney movies.
I think why this one has influenced me the most over other Disney movies is because it brings up differences. Belle is seen as different than what the other girls are in the town are supposed to be. She doesn’t fall for Gaston, and really doesn’t care what others say about her. The Beast goes through the most character development, because he starts off selfish, and because of the curse, he must learn to love one that has inner beauty. This is a great message to show people because beauty is inner. I think in today’s world, we judge way too much on outer beauty, but forget to focus on inner beauty. That is a wonderful message that should be out more. At least that is what I took from the movie.
I saw the new one recently. I was initially skeptic because I felt that this was just going to be a cash grab of all the remakes of the animated classics. “Maleficent” I thought could have been better. “Cinderella” was a good one, but I think it played too safe. “The Jungle Book” was entertaining in many ways. “Beauty and the Beast” I must say, I was impressed by how this new one turned out. It was much better than what I thought it was going to be.
Emma Watson was perfect as Belle. At least to me, she embodied the character of Belle perfectly. Dan Stevens as the Beast was excellent. As soon as the movie started, I had a big smile on my face and it didn’t leave my face until I left the theater. The musical numbers were wonderful in their own ways as well. It felt like I was a watching an actual play come to life. Although if someone were to ask me ten years from now which one I preferred, I would stick with the animated version.
Overall, this is what “Beauty and the Beast” means to me. It is more than a movie to me. It influenced me on how I view the world and even relationships. I hope to find a woman who differs from the norm, and follows her own heart. To me, what’s on the inside is where the true beauty lies. Because as they say, it’s a tale as old as time.
It is a tale that is old as time. True as it can be. If you grew up in the 90s and were a Disney fan, you knew which movie this was from. That classic film is “Beauty and the Beast”. It was one of the most successful animated films of the decade. Not only was it successful at the box office and with critics, but it was the first animated film to be nominated for best picture. With the live action adaptation, out, I figured it would be time to do a reflection piece on it. Because despite it being one of the few that I watched the least growing up, it is one of those that had a profound effect on me. One that I didn’t realize until a few years ago.
The tale begins when I was a young child. I remember that me and my sister had numerous forms of entertainment. My mom and dad would buy us several Disney VHS tapes. You know the kind. The ones that came in those clam shell cases. Those were so bulky. The movies ranged from live action to animation. We even had some of the Disney princess movies, which included “Beauty and the Beast”. I remember watching it as a kid, but like I said, we only watched it briefly.
I think one of the reasons we didn’t watch it that much was because my sister was a tomboy. She wasn’t a fan of the Disney princesses. Instead we watched some more classics which included “Aladdin”, “The Lion King”, “The Fox and the Hound”, “Toy Story”, and “Oliver & Company”. Films like “Beauty and the Beast” got pushed back on the shelf and collected the most dust. Because of this, the movie got pushed more and more out of my mind as I entered those dreadful teenage years.
“Beauty and the Beast” didn’t enter my mind again until I started college. This was around the time that I got my Facebook profile and started to discover all the various apps. Does anybody else remember the flixster app? It was an app in which you could rate movies and write mini reviews. You could see how your friends rated movies as well. “Beauty and the Beast” popped up on my list of films to review. My cousin, the one whom I mentioned in the Madonna blog, gave it a perfect score. That really surprised me because I didn’t think he would enjoy that kind of film given the subject matter.
The second time “Beauty and the Beast” came back into my life again was in 2012. This was during the 20th anniversary, and Disney decided to re-release it in the theaters. It was an event, because it was going to be in 3D and would feature some new songs that were not included in the original version. As a film fanatic, it peaked my interest. Sadly, I missed out on seeing it in the theaters. I guess it was because I didn’t speak up and was more worried about other things. It’s one of those times in life where you can use the cliché saying, “Life Happens.”
The third and final time it came into my life and stayed was in 2014. I had just graduated from college, and entered my first relationship. My ex was a Disney fanatic, and had a good collection of Disney movies. There was a routine we had where every Saturday night, we would watch a new Disney movie. Naturally, I noticed “Beauty and the Beast” in the collection. But curiosity got the best of me and I decided to purchase it myself.
Watching the original in 2014, I had a sense of nostalgia come flow over me. It was like watching it for the first time all over again. I came to admire not only the story, but the animation as well. In today’s world of CGI animation, I almost forgot what traditional animation looked like. I even enjoyed the songs featured in the film. Probably my favorite of the songs was “Be Our Guest”. I mean, you can’t deny Jerry Orbach. I even forgot some of the much darker scenes, such as the scenes with the wolves and the creepy person that oversaw the mental asylum.
But to me, the best aspect of the film were the characters. Belle to me is the best Disney Princess there is. I think she is the best because she is searching for something else that life has to offer her, and doesn’t care what others think. The Beast was fascinating because he started off shallow, and thought no one would love him for his outward appearance. As someone who grew up self-conscious, that really hit close to home.
I even liked the fact that the film took its time with Belle and the Beast as well. They didn’t fall in love right away. Just by the montage of scenes, you knew that they had to take the time to get to know each other. As a viewer, we don’t know how exactly this time took. It could have been weeks, or even months. Unlike other Disney movies, when the characters fell in love after three days or so, this was a breath of fresh air. Overall, I came to love this version and now it is one of my favorite Disney movies.
I think why this one has influenced me the most over other Disney movies is because it brings up differences. Belle is seen as different than what the other girls are in the town are supposed to be. She doesn’t fall for Gaston, and really doesn’t care what others say about her. The Beast goes through the most character development, because he starts off selfish, and because of the curse, he must learn to love one that has inner beauty. This is a great message to show people because beauty is inner. I think in today’s world, we judge way too much on outer beauty, but forget to focus on inner beauty. That is a wonderful message that should be out more. At least that is what I took from the movie.
I saw the new one recently. I was initially skeptic because I felt that this was just going to be a cash grab of all the remakes of the animated classics. “Maleficent” I thought could have been better. “Cinderella” was a good one, but I think it played too safe. “The Jungle Book” was entertaining in many ways. “Beauty and the Beast” I must say, I was impressed by how this new one turned out. It was much better than what I thought it was going to be.
Emma Watson was perfect as Belle. At least to me, she embodied the character of Belle perfectly. Dan Stevens as the Beast was excellent. As soon as the movie started, I had a big smile on my face and it didn’t leave my face until I left the theater. The musical numbers were wonderful in their own ways as well. It felt like I was a watching an actual play come to life. Although if someone were to ask me ten years from now which one I preferred, I would stick with the animated version.
Overall, this is what “Beauty and the Beast” means to me. It is more than a movie to me. It influenced me on how I view the world and even relationships. I hope to find a woman who differs from the norm, and follows her own heart. To me, what’s on the inside is where the true beauty lies. Because as they say, it’s a tale as old as time.