Techtite DVD Reviews

The Film: Disney thrilled fans worldwide when they started releasing their films on DVD. They truly astounded them, however, when releasing Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in a so-called "Platinum Edition" two-disc DVD last year. The extras on that two-disc set --not to mention the digital remastered film itself-- was exceptional, and more than worthy of Techtite.com's "Golden Otto" for best DVD of the year. This year, they offer the next Platinum Edition in the series, Disney's Beauty & the Beast. Is it as good as the first? You bet.

Everyone knows the basic story here: Beauty meets Beast, learns to love him regardless of his outside appearance, and breaks the spell, turning him back into a handsome prince. However, much like their other, older animated classics, Disney truly outdid themselves, with enhancements that make this story decidedly "Disney." For one thing, Beast was not the only cursed member of his castle; his palace staff is cursed into the furniture and kitchenware! Mrs. Potts is now a teapot, along with her "teacup" son, Chip. Lumiere the butler is a candelabra, while castle coordinator Cogsworth is a small clock. As you can see, this is a very magical fairy tale, all animated with a top-quality, classical animation style that, sadly, not even Disney seems to be doing anymore.

Some people (definitely not me!) have complained about Disney's need to put musical numbers in a film. However, I doubt even they would complain about the music here, leading to a musical so perfect, it was made into a live-action stage play which is still going on strong as of the release of this DVD. Even the stuffiest of music critics will find it hard not to like the broad scope of songs here, from the romantic title song "Beauty & the Beast" (as perfectly sung by Angela Lansbury), the introduction of "Belle" (as sung by passing-by patrons of her village), and my personal favorite, the song about the conceited, nefarious "Gaston," as sung by his pals at the local pub. Whenever I think of the lyrics of that song --how he uses antlers in all his wall decorating, and his chest full of hair, and eating eggs until he's as strong as a barge-- I have to laugh.

What makes this film worthy of the #2 spot in the Platinum Edition line-up, though --right after Snow White-- is how it revitalized the Disney animation genre...even if only for a short while. This film is proof that, when properly motivated, modern Disney animators still have what it takes to make classic, timeless fairy tales. This animated Disney film was the first to win an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Let's put it this way; ever since this film's release, Disney places Belle on all Disney Princess related items, right next to Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Sure, in terms of semantics, she isn't a real princess, though so what? If you ask me, she more than deserves the honor...as does this film, when considered a Disney Classic. I consider it one of my all-time favorites. Having it on DVD only makes loving it even better.

The DVD: As I said, this is a Platinum Edition DVD, two-disc set, filled to the brim with extras. So, if you felt my review of the DVD extras of Monsters, Inc. dragged on and on, pack a lunch; there's a lot to cover here!

First of all, there are three versions of the film! First there's the regular version you saw in theaters (hopefully!) when first released. Version 2 is the IMAX version seen earlier this year (2002), with the new scenes (originally abandoned) re-integrated into the original film. Best of all, though is the "work in progress edition," originally only available on Laserdisc, which shows the half-finished film as shown to early-bird critics before the release of the film. This is an intriguing view of the film in that its occasional switch from final product to pencil sketches and rough drafts of certain scenes, shows the painstaking process it takes to make a show-stopping, fully-animated musical such as this.

There is also an optional audio commentary. This commentary is very nice from a technical standpoint, though it lacks the panache of the Snow White commentary, for reasons that aren't entirely Disney DVD's fault. For one, of course, the whole thrill of the Snow White commentary were the anecdotes from Roy and Walt Disney (the latter collated from interviews he participated in back in the day). That can't be possible here, of course, for a 1991 "Disney" film release. Similarly, while Paige O'Hara (Belle) and Robby Benson (Beast) were a major part of this film, it's unlikely that spending time in a sound booth will lead to many anecdotes, so they too are absent. Don't get me wrong; the producer, directors, and composer provide a worthwhile listen, yet not with the grandeur of Walt Disney himself, of course. As simple as the offering was, I was more impressed with the sing-along option, where lyrics of all songs appear when each song is played. Kids will love this feature!

Then there's disc two. The extras are divided into three sections, starting with Cogsworth & Lumiere's behind the scenes features. This covers every aspect of the film from start to finish, including: The origins of the Beauty & the Beast Story, it's slow transformation to cinema, the story adaptations, the music, characters, production design, animation, "tricks of the trade" (i.e., how early CGi was used to help animate the ballroom scene, among others), "release & reaction" (the release of the film, and its rousing praise), its transformation into a Broadway Musical, and finally, its recent special edition re-release in IMAX theaters.

The above is a lot of ground to cover --and we haven't even gotten to the other two bonus feature menus!-- though I'll single out what was most interesting, that can't be surmised from the above summary. The music section includes alternate versions of some musical numbers, includin a storyboard version of the Special Edition's song "Human Again" as it was originally intended in the film, plus an alternate version of the Academy Award Winning theme, "Beauty & the Beast." As a fan of animator Glen Keane's work, I liked how he himself is given a small featurette about his best work in this film; the transformation of The Beast back into a handsome prince. Another amusing featurette is a clip under the "characters" menu, showing the voice cast as they appear in real life, and the how and why they were perfectly chosen for the roles they were given. My overall favorite selection of featurettes, though, would have to be the "Release and Reaction" submenu, which includes everything from a memoriam to the late composer Howard Ashman, to the original 1991 "Beauty & the Beast" Music Video by C�line Dion and Peabo Bryson.

You may ask --and understandably so-- what's left for the other two bonus feature menus to cover? Well, the selections under "Chip" (the child teacup) are for younger viewers, which --and this is by far one the most brilliant of inclusions I've seen in a DVD set like this-- includes a thorough behind the scenes featurette made specifically for child viewers. While parents will of course be more interested in the more thorough footage mentioned earlier, this is a nice 7-part featurette that includes everything from animation to sound effects, all with the younger viewer in mind. The "Chip" features are topped off with an interactive game not unlike Dopey's diamond mine challenge in the Snow White DVD, which in this case involves "Chip's Musical Challenge." This menu also includes a modern, hip-hop music video of the "Beauty & the Beast" song as performed by Jump 5.

Then there's an additional menu of extras under "Mrs. Potts." Most of this might as well be called "Click me if you love C�line Dion," because she is the host of this entire section. However, I'm a fan, so I can't complain! The first offering is an alternate version of the extended featurettes in the Cogsworth/Lumiere section, which apparently originally was shown on TV as the behind the scenes special, "Tale as Old as Time: The Making of Disney's Beauty & the Beast." There is also another chance to see the music video by C�line Dion. There is also a character profile game that might prove as challenging to adults as the Chip's Challenge was for kids.

Last but not least is a "Story Behind the Story" collection, which answers the origins to some of Disney's most beloved stories. I never saw these clips before, though they play not unlike the short behind the scenes clips cable channels play in between movies that run overtime, so I presume they've been on The Disney Channel recently (?). Anyway, they are narrated by actual Disney voices, like Paige O'Hara (Belle), Jodi Benson (Ariel), James Earl Jones (Mufasa, The Lion King), Robby Benson (Beast), David Odgen Stiers (Cogsworth), Ming Na (Mulan), and Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts). While most of the voices narrating these "Where the stories began" clips are from Beauty & the Best itself, there is a lot of ground covered here, with no less than seven old and modern Disney classics covered here. This is an intriguing series and I hope to see additions to it, in later "Platinum Editions."

Of course, even the most meager of material added to this DVD would make it a must-sell. The film itself is flawless. Add to the mix three alternate versions of the film, A whole slew of extras, and even a few extras that Disney DVD didn't have to add yet added anyway (Those Story Behind the Story clips were really cool), and you have a great DVD. If you love Disney, you will regret not adding this to your collection.

	Final Rating : Deep Impact. One of the newest Disney Classics, sure to remain a timeless masterpiece for generations to come.
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Techtite's DVD Reviews!

Disney's

Beauty & The Beast

(Platinum Edition DVD)

A Techtite Review