D52–Beauty and the Beast

If The Little Mermaid was the film that changed the face of Disney animation, Beauty and the Beast is the one that perfected it. Thanks to the success of Mermaid, Disney was invited to show the film at the New York Film Festival. Even in its incomplete state, filled with storyboards and raw pencil animation as placeholders, the film received a huge standing ovation. It was clear this film was something special even to the marketing department. While it still had a typical child oriented ad campaign, the company simultaneously ran a more adult focused one, including the above poster, to attract a more mature audience to this very worthy film.

Everything that was learned on Mermaid was elevated here. The music is richer and more deeply ingrained in the story. The animation is stunning throughout, without a hint of the rough or jerky movements of the ‘80s. In fact, the animation is so strong that the Beast’s transformation scene is still considered to be one of the pieces of 2D animation ever created. The pacing of the film is perfect throughout, and each character is instantly intriguing.

Beauty and the Beast was and remains my favorite of the Disney animated canon. Though it is now common, with the expansion of the category to ten nominees, for animated films to receive ‘Best Picture’ Oscar nominations, Beauty was the only animated film to receive a nomination under the old rules in the history of the awards. as well as the only animated film to receive a Golden Globe for ‘Best Picture (Comedy or Musical)’. These honours are richly deserved. This is a film that absolutely everyone should both see and be able to enjoy. If you’ve somehow missed it all these years, remedy that immediately.

Original 1991 trailer

Up next: Aladdin (1992)