Beauty and the Beast
Academy Award × 2·National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
Follow the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman who finds herself in the castle of a prince who's been turned into a mysterious beast. With the help of the castle's enchanted staff, Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all -- that true beauty comes from within.
What critics thought
One of the most acclaimed animated films ever made, Beauty and the Beast earned near-universal rapture for its romance, music, and the then-groundbreaking computer-animated ballroom sequence — though a handful of critics found the Beast himself underdeveloped and the film less emotionally deep than Disney's golden-age work. The minority dissent has barely dented its reputation over the decades.
“Beauty and the Beast recalls "an older and healthier Hollywood tradition in which the best writers, musicians, and filmmakers are gathered for a project on the assumption that a family audience deserves great entertainment, too”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“a near-masterpiece that draws on the sublime traditions of the past while remaining completely in sync with the sensibility of its time”
Hal Hinson·The Washington Post
“a zesty charmer with a solid story and hip filigree”
Michael Sragow·The San Francisco Examiner
“adequate holiday entertainment for children”
Dave Kehr·Chicago Tribune
“although the film delivers nearly everything one would want and expect from an animated Disney film, Beauty and the Beast lacks the heart and yearning of earlier efforts”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
Genres
Animation, Family, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
DirectorGary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
StarringPaige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers
ComposerAlan Menken
Beauty and the Beast
Academy Award × 2·National Film Registry
Follow the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman who finds herself in the castle of a prince who's been turned into a mysterious beast. With the help of the castle's enchanted staff, Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all -- that true beauty comes from within.
What critics thought
One of the most acclaimed animated films ever made, Beauty and the Beast earned near-universal rapture for its romance, music, and the then-groundbreaking computer-animated ballroom sequence — though a handful of critics found the Beast himself underdeveloped and the film less emotionally deep than Disney's golden-age work. The minority dissent has barely dented its reputation over the decades.
“Beauty and the Beast recalls "an older and healthier Hollywood tradition in which the best writers, musicians, and filmmakers are gathered for a project on the assumption that a family audience deserves great entertainment, too”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“a near-masterpiece that draws on the sublime traditions of the past while remaining completely in sync with the sensibility of its time”
Hal Hinson·The Washington Post
“a zesty charmer with a solid story and hip filigree”
Michael Sragow·The San Francisco Examiner
“adequate holiday entertainment for children”
Dave Kehr·Chicago Tribune
“although the film delivers nearly everything one would want and expect from an animated Disney film, Beauty and the Beast lacks the heart and yearning of earlier efforts”
Owen Gleiberman·Entertainment Weekly
Genres
Animation, Family, Fantasy
Cast & Crew
DirectorGary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
StarringPaige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers
ComposerAlan Menken
Rent/Purchase