Walt Disney has been successful in making wonderful animated movies not just loved by the children but by other elders too. Disney succeeds in teaching our children a very vital lesson in life, how good looks and fame does not stand for true love. Beauty and the Beast, Walt Disney’s 1991 instant classic, I consider the finest animated movie ever made, deserving a prominent position on my list of all-time greats. I always knew that Beauty and the Beast was one of my favorite movies, but not until recently my conscience discovered the fondness for this movie. “Irresistible” appears to be an apt description of this film because every frame is imbued with an exceptional magic for any motion picture, animated or otherwise. As a child Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella contributed to be my favorite movies, but I guess Beauty and the Beast definitely changed my opinion.
On the contrary, now it has become a ritual or a passion to watch every weekend with my niece, bringing hilarity for my peers. My friends laughed and told me about my impulse for this movie. For some reason, I did not take their joke seriously at first until I realized how many times I have watched it with my niece. I remember this one time my friend, Alicia, having a guy problem. Her boyfriend, Jamie, often acted “high and mighty”, and Ali (Alicia) did not like that attitude a tad. She told me how her boyfriend mistreated one of her friends because her monetary status did not match with Jamie’s or Ali’s.
At that point, Jamie reminded me of the Beast, once a conceited young prince who turned away a beggar woman who came to his door for shelter from the storm. In return the beggar woman who turned out to be a beautiful enchantress placed a spell on the castle, and only when the prince learned to love and be loved the curse would break. When I correlated the Beast with Jamie, Alicia chuckled saying something about my itch for this movie which in reality made me ponder on her mock. Even though Alicia was not the only person to spot the remarks that I somehow relate to this movie, the thought of my obsession remained indigestible. Does relating little incidents with film’s concept in our life mean obsession with the movie? After that, for the last two years, for the Halloween dinner, I have been making my niece dress like Belle, the main character of the story. Consequently, last year her mother, apparently my sister, instantly said, “Ah, Belle from Beauty and the Beast must be your aunt Shiva ngi.” Right that minute I realized that maybe I do have a little craze for this movie.
Apart from the Halloween excuse, even the screen saver on my personal computer is of Belle and the beast downloaded straight from the Disney website, “supposedly” for my niece’s love for that movie. This brings to my attention that I used my niece simply as a scapegoat to hide my passion for this film. What makes this brilliant movie different? Why do I love watching it over and over again? Well this film seems different from those usual fairy tales where the prince rescues the princess, and they fall in love with each other. In this motion picture, Marian Belle, the main character of the narrative, lived with her father- a nutty inventor. Hence, that gave the town people the idea of Belle being a little out of the ordinary. Her name means beauty, and it is revealed by her magnificent appearance throughout the duration of the movie.
Gaston, the dignified warrior of the town, wanted by every girl, displays true love for Belle. Surprisingly, Belle sees right through his beauty and recognizes him as an unkind and conceited fool who does not know how to love. Meanwhile, when Belle’s father is locked in the dungeon by the hideous beast in his castle, Belle agrees to be a prisoner instead for the rest of her life. This shows the family values in her character, again teaching us the most important aspect of life: love. Further in the movie, Belle resides in the castle with no fear for the beast. She teaches him how to eat, live, act, and read like human beings which results in love between them.
At first Belle does not realize about the feelings developed in her heart for the beast, but the gruesome monster shows his love for Belle by releasing her from his imprisonment to go help her father. In the end, when the last petal of the rose given by the enchantress is about to fall, Belle confesses her love for the beast breaking the spell on the castle. This closure shows that love can convert an evil and unkind man into a generous loveable individual. My favorite characters in this movie consist of the three playful servants of the prince. Lumiere, the castle maitre d’, turned into a candlestick after the curse; Mrs.
Potts, the housekeeper, changed into a teapot along with her fun-loving son Chip, turned into a teacup; and last but not the least, Cogsworth was the castle’s butler changed into a clock. Mrs. Potts guided the enchanted beast on how to talk and deal with Belle’s emotions, thoroughly aware of the consequences if anything went wrong. Lumiere and Cogsworth always fought on silly comments each had and not failing to serve their master by guiding him how to impress Belle. In my opinion, these three characters played a vital role and contributed equally in their love story. This animated motion picture has various special editions, too.
For instance, Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas, an insertion into the story is about Belle deciding to organize a secret Christmas Eve party without the permission of the beast and how Belle’s love makes the master change his opinion about Christmas. Along with this, a recently released special edition of Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World is a full-length movie that brims with delightful stories and songs, and all my favorite characters and voice cast from the acclaimed and beloved movie masterpiece. From these versions, I discovered how true friendship and cooperation can turn a gloomy castle into an enchanted palace fit for a Princess like Belle. When I went to see these movies, I was amazed to know that I am not the only fan of Belle and the Beast.
After all these facts I honestly confess that, yes, I am a fan of Disney’s movie Beauty and the Beast. When I relate day to day conversations of my life with this movie, it just tells me what important place it occupies in my heart and mind. But nothing can now change my craze for this intriguing movie. I am sure from this moment my niece will not be used as an excuse to hide my obsession for this movie, and I will continue to watch this family movie. In fact, I plan to go buy the other two additional versions of the film for myself and not just for my six year old niece. According to my standpoint, this romantic tale teaches us that love can change ones attitude and conveys a significant message that inner beauty has more important than physical appearances for true love.
This ageless tale proves to be a family feature that someone over the age of eighteen can venture into without an accompanying child. I unquestionably find this movie irresistible and certainly continue watching it repeatedly.