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Disney's Beauty and the Beast
directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

It's byline is "The most beautiful love story ever told." Whether this is true or not in general, it is definitely one of the most beautiful stories that Disney has ever put on screen when it first came out many years ago.

Recently re-released in Omnimax format to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the movie, I took the opportunity to see it again. And I can say that time has not diminished the story-telling ability of the movie.

The plot is well known: Belle, a girl who loves reading and lives, quote, "in a quiet village," yearns for more than what the village can offer. She is being pursued by Gaston, a hunk without much brain, who wants her as his wife.

Things change when her father, an bumbling inventor, gets lost in some woods. He stumbles on a castle and is held prisoner there by its master, a beast. The beast was once a man who was transformed into a beast by a enchantress whom he turned away when she asked for shelter (while in the guise of a old lady). The enchancement can only be broken if, quote, "he can love another and earn her love in return," by the time the last petal of a magic flower falls.

Belle offers herself in exchange for her father, which the beast accepts. As first, their relationship is tense. But after Belle tries to escape, is pursued by wolves and rescued by the beast, their relationship starts to change. The beast begins to hope that his enchantment can be broken.

But things may not turn out that way. The beast releases Belle when she discovers her father is ill; and Gaston learns about the beast and intends to kill him, knowing the beast to be his competitor for Belle.

How will it all turn out? Watch the movie to find out.

The Omnimax re-release has not changed the look of the film which was done in the early days of the integration of computer animation techniques with traditional animation. This, in my opinion, is good as it was my wish to enjoy the movie as it once was. Despite its age and occasional stiffness in some of the animation of characters and scenes, it stands up very well because of its strong storyline and emphasis on character development.

The re-release introduces a new sequence, "Human Again," where the various enchanted people of the castle (in the form of furniture and utensils) voice out their hopes of becoming human again. Fortunately, it fits into the movie and matches the mood and animation style of the rest of the movie.

A definite must-watch movie, for children of all ages.

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Disney's Beauty and the Beast directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Disney's Beauty and the Beast
directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise