Being trapped inside during the coronavirus quarantine is a great time to catch up on movies. And having a 3-year-old means I’ll be watching certain animated features more than once. This is one I’ve seen a lot over the last few weeks.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
Animation screenplay by Linda Woolverton
I had seen this classic a bunch of times already, as it’s my wife’s favorite Disney movies. But now, with the advent of Disney+ and its availability anywhere and everywhere at any time, I’ve been forced to watch it many many more times, as it seems to also be my daughter’s favorite Disney movie, as well (the FROZEN movies are a very close second, along with The Lion King).
The story of the beautiful but quirky Belle, a bookworm who wants more than the “provincial life” of living in a small French town, is a classic tale of discovering yourself and what you want out of life. Of course, getting entrapped in a giant enchanted castle by a prince who was cursed to be a beast. The Beast needs to find true love before the enchanted rose loses its petals.
It’s the curse that drives me a little crazy when I watch this movie. The timeline of the witch’s curse is a little fuzzy. The narration of the movie says that the Beast must find love before he turns 21. And in the lyrics to “Be Our Guest,” the enchanted household products say they’ve been trapped for a decade, which means the prince turned away the witch for being hideous at the ripe old age of 11! That’s a little bit of extreme parenting! Also, where was the prince’s parents when he was cursed? HE WAS 11!
Sometimes, you need to just let go of the little things, I guess.
Even with the minor quibbles, it’s a movie that I don’t really mind watching over and over. The voice cast is great and the music is catchy. I’m sure I will enjoy having it on every time my daughter asks to watch it.