8.6 | / 10 |
Users | 4.9 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
In a quaint French village during the late 18th century, Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman, finds escape from her ordinary life, and the advances of a boorish suitor, Gaston, by reading books. Meanwhile, off in a castle in the distance, a cruel young prince is cast under the spell of an enchantress who turns him into a tormented beast, while transforming his servants into animated household objects. In order to remove the curse, the Beast must discover a true love who will return his affection before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose. When Belle’s inventor father stumbles upon the Beast’s castle and is taken prisoner, Belle comes to the rescue and agrees to take her father’s place. With the help of the castle’s enchanted staff, she sees beneath the Beast’s exterior and discovers the heart and soul of a human prince.
Starring: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden StiersFamily | 100% |
Animation | 83% |
Adventure | 75% |
Fantasy | 62% |
Musical | 42% |
Romance | 20% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese on 3D disc only
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (3 BDs, 2 DVDs)
Digital copy (on disc)
DVD copy
Bonus View (PiP)
BD-Live
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.5 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
What makes an animated classic... well, classic? Is it the film's longevity? Its ability to speak to new generations of moviegoers? Its artistry? Animation? Story? Characters? Music? Family appeal? Profit margins and merchandising horsepower? Or is it something simpler? Something purer... something indescribable that stirs deep within the soul and whispers, "this, dear boy, is a bona fide classic." Beauty and the Beast has long been one of Disney's animated crown jewels, and for good reason. Critics have praised its hand-drawn grace, haunting love story and stirring music. It was nominated for six Academy Awards, and remains the first of two animated films to be nominated for Best Picture, the Academy's highest honor. Veteran filmfans have celebrated its effortless storytelling, absorbing fairy-tale aesthetic and enduring sincerity. And children of all ages have sat in stillness, eyes wide and mouths slightly agape, soaking in every rousing song, flourish of color and intense encounter it has to offer. But more than anything, Beauty and the Beast continues to resonate some twenty years after its debut, an accomplishment many modern animated marvels struggle and fail to attain.
Breathtaking 3D video awaits...
As stunning as the Blu-ray release of The Lion King 3D may be, it's Beauty and the Beast 3D that boasts the most complete and consistent 3D conversion, as well as the more technically sound 1080p/MVC-encoded 3D presentation. (If only be an extremely small margin.) Once again, I was taken by the intuitive quality of Beauty and the Beast's 3D transformation; as if the film were created with a future conversion in mind. Trees sweep past the foreground as forests and mountains plunge into the distance, the houses and carts lining the streets in Belle's picturesque French village retreat into the background while anxious villagers all but step out of the screen, the Beast's servants spin and leap through a startlingly three-dimensional castle, its hallways and chambers exhibit tremendous depth, and unforgettable scenes like the Belle and Beast's ballroom dance are as eye-popping and engrossing as any true fan of the film could hope for. The cinematic shots that rely on CG are particularly striking and, perhaps for the first time, the CG doesn't seem slightly out of sorts. It lovingly cradles the hand-drawn characters, lifting them up and out without drawing unwanted attention to itself. It's as if all of the various elements of Disney's 1991 classic have finally come together into one spectacular whole. I'll even go so far as to say that Disney's conversion and subsequent presentation are so brilliantly executed, the 3D so carefully implemented, that the majesty of the resulting image will convert many a skeptic and 3D holdout.
There aren't very many issues to speak of either. A hint of exceedingly minor ghosting is present (mainly during the "Be Our Guest" song-n-dance sequence), a bit of faint aliasing accompanies a handful of quick pans, and some negligible blink-and-you'll-miss-it banding appears in a pair of passing shots. However, and this is a crucial however, the oh-so-brief and fleeting hiccups that occur simply don't register. If I weren't scanning the image with an icy heart and a critical eye, I doubt I would have even noticed. My wife certainly didn't, and she's as quick on the draw as I am when it comes to random problems and split-second anomalies, no matter how trivial they may be. Beauty and the Beast 3D looks that good. Belle and her new friends have a roundness, a fullness to them that makes them so much more than flat characters springing to attention in a pop-up book. The same could be said of the Beast's castle, its grand halls, the surrounding forests and Belle's idyllic cottage; there's a volume and presence to each one that goes beyond mere depth to create the illusion of relatively real space and tangible environments. No small feat considering we're dealing with a hand-drawn animated feature. By its very nature, traditional animation relies on stacking elements one on top of the other and tricking the eye to reasonably convincing ends. But Beauty and the Beast's conversion accomplishes the seemingly impossible. It doesn't merely separate the elements into stacked plains, it lends each one its own mass and dimensionality. It's difficult to describe, honestly, but it's easy on the eyes and even easier to enjoy.
Artifacting, ringing, compression issues, print damage, restoration oddities, aberrant noise, flickering... nothing slithers into view that would warrant even a half-point reduction in score. And, lest we forget the untold beauty and immeasurable richness of the film's storybook palette, the film itself has never looked more vibrant, more alive. The silky sheen of a golden gown, the ethereal glow of an enchanted rose, the foreboding shadows of a moonlit forest, the warmth of an ornate ballroom, the startling flash of lightning; every splash of color, every vivid primary, every hearthy hue, every rosy cheeked face, earthy tuft of earthy fur and billowing cloak is immaculate. Flawless even. And detail? Not to lose myself to the siren call of hyperbole, but oh, the detail. The fine textures and brush strokes that lend the film's hand-painted backgrounds such personality have been impeccably rendered, the tiniest imperfections in the animators' lineart have been preserved and reproduced with care, and every nuance and subtlety is sharper, more refined and ultimately more satisfying than ever before. As remastered catalog titles go, I couldn't be happier. As 3D conversions go, I couldn't be more impressed. As 3D Blu-ray releases go, they don't get much better than Beauty and the Beast 3D.
Perfection is a lofty ideal and an even loftier pursuit. Be that as it may, Beauty and the Beast's invigorating, wholly enveloping DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track achieves sonic perfection. Dialogue doesn't squat in the center channel, it steps out into the center of the soundfield and plays with any effects and ambience in the fray. Voices are strong and sturdy, shouts and whispers are clear and stable, and every chiming clock, flickering flame, tinkering teapot and clinking dishware is masterfully prioritized. Moreover, LFE output is bold and weighty, yet agile and precise; the rear speakers are bursting with activity, transforming an already immersive experience into an absorbing one; directionality is aggressive, separation is excellent and pans are startlingly smooth; and dynamics make this one of Disney's most memorable catalog mixes. Close your eyes and listen as Alan Menken's music floods the soundstage. Note the clarity of Howard Ashman's lyrics, the swan song of each passing note and the grace of every run and crescendo. Now listen to the Beast's gruff growl as it tears through the silence of his castle, the soft tip-tap of Belle's footsteps, the rabble-rabble-rabble of an angry mob and the crack of thunder high above. It isn't often that an AV presentation wraps you in its arms and invites you into the world of a film, but Beauty and the Beast's marvelous DTS-HD monster does just that.
Be our guest, indeed. Disney treats children of all ages to nothing less than a supplemental feast. No, the 5-disc 3D edition doesn't bring anything new to the table, but with multiple versions of the film, a Picture-in-Picture storyreel presentation, an excellent filmmakers audio commentary, a sing-along track, a fantastic three-hour documentary, an hour of previously released material, more than an hour of new featurettes and deleted scenes, a pair of interactive games it hardly matters. There's so much here that it's almost overwhelming. In an even classier move, Disney has spread all of the special features across two BD-50 discs, meaning both versions of the film are given plenty of room to breathe. Oh, did I mention the vast majority of the content is presented in high definition?
Disney has done it again. The Blu-ray edition of Beauty and the Beast was already amazing; the 5-disc release of Beauty and the Beast 3D is nothing short of astonishing. Like its 2010 predecessor, it stands as both a must-have release and a solid contender for the studio's best Blu-ray release of the year. Yes, even though it's arguably a mere re-issue of sorts. Fans will be treated to three full versions of the classic animated film, two reference-level video transfers, an immersive 3D experience, a monstrous DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track, and hours upon hours of special features including a Picture-in-Picture storyreel presentation, a filmmakers audio commentary, a three-hour branching documentary and much, much more. Without hesitation or clarification, Beauty and the Beast 3D earns my unabashed recommendation.
Empty Case
1991
Diamond Edition | DVD Packaging
1991
Diamond Edition
1991
Gift Set Book
1991
Princess Music CD
1991
The Royal Wedding Collection
1991
25th Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1991
25th Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection | 32-Page Storybook
1991
Gold holiday edition
1991
The Signature Collection
1991
The Signature Collection
1991
30th Anniversary Edition
1991
Disney100
1991
Disney100 Edition with Collectible Pin
1991
Disney100
1991
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1959
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2010
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2013
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2016
1937
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2009
The Signature Collection | Ultimate Collector's Edition
1992
Rental Copy
1940
Diamond Edition
1950
2002
Ultimate Collector's Edition
2019
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1989
2016
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1953
2007
1995
60th Anniversary Edition
1951
1998
The Signature Collection
1940
2015