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In 1989, when THE LITTLE MERMAID came out, it became more than one of the bigger hits of the year. It also reinvigorated what was once a staple for moviegoing audiences - the Disney animated film. While in their heyday, Disney was the biggest moneymaker of the studios thanks to their animated features like SNOW WHITE and CINDERELLA, they had fallen on hard times starting in the 60's from which they hadn't really recovered. They still put out animated films like THE FOX AND THE HOUND and THE RESCUERS, but they lacked the classic status of the earlier films, as they were crummier looking and seemed out of touch. LITTLE MERMAID changed all that, being better looking, but more importantly, better told than any animated film since the glory days. In 1991, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ensured Disney was back to stay.
One charge always laid at Disney's door - and part of the reason their films in general, and animated films in particular, fell out of favor - is that they were always too white bread, that God forbid anything that didn't push mother, apple pie, and country would be shown. This overlooked the very real darkness in films like BAMBI, or impish humor in films like ALICE IN WONDERLAND, but it is true there was nothing rebellious about them. Still, if they were well told, they could be quite captivating, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST certainly is that. The story, of course, is well known. Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara) is a bookworm who's more concerned about helping her eccentric inventor father (Rex Everhart) and reading everything and anything in sight than paying attention to the others in her village. Most of them view her, at best, as eccentric, although the impossibly vain Gaston (Richard White) wants her as his bride. Then her father, while going through the forest one dark and stormy night, becomes lost, stumbles onto a castle, and soon becomes the prisoner of its owner, the Beast (Robby Benson). The Beast is a former prince who was turned into a Beast by an enchantress because he exhibited many of the same "qualities" of Gaston. He can only break the spell (which turns permanent when he turns 21) if he gets someone to love him as he is now. So when Belle comes wanting to free her father, he makes her a deal; he'll let her father go if she'll become his prisoner instead. Wanting both to save her father and to get away from the increasingly pressing Gaston, she agrees. Naturally, she's the one to change the Beast, but will it be in time? Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article THE FAMILY WAY: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in Movies of the 90s is owned by Sean Gallagher. Permission to republish THE FAMILY WAY: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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