BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: DIAMOND EDITION (2010, Blu-ray released September 21, 2010 – MSRP $39.99)
I recall seeing Disney‘s Beauty and the Beast twenty-years ago in the theatre and thinking that it marked a turning point in mainstream animation (I don’t recall if I missed out on The Little Mermaid or if it simply didn’t do it for me at the time) but in the ensuing years I’ve had my doubts about the observations of my youth. It’s been in the back of my mind to one day see Beauty and the Beast again, to investigate how near the mark I was in my estimations, those many, many years ago. And now, thanks to the new Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition Blu-ray disc, I’ve seen the film again and let me tell you, it’s quite astounding!
I understand that the quality of the film is somewhat due to the shifting studio structure at the time – Michael Eisner barreling his way into the captain’s chair, with Jeffrey Katzenberg at his side, charged with breathing new life into the aging, stale animation department – but I tend to believe that the backbone of the sheer awesomeness that is Disney’s Beauty and the Beast lies in the damn-near perfect songs of Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman.
Know this about me: I hate, hate, hate musicals and musical theatre. With great, profound passion. Hate. Hatred. Can’t stand them. And yet, I find myself not only enjoying the witty, acerbic songwriting of Ashman and Menken but believing it to be an essential ingredient to the success of the film. I can’t imagine Beauty and the Beast without it! Well, Disney’s animated incarnation of the story anyway. From the opening song, Belle describing her experiences walking through her town while longing for something more, to the classic “Be Our Guest” sung by Law and Order‘s Lenny Briscoe (the late Jerry Orbach playing a talking candelabra named Lumiere) to the lyrically brilliant and hilariously funny “Gaston” (featuring those classic lines “I’m especially good at expectorating” and “I use antlers in all of my decorating!”), damn near every song, every note of music in the film carries more than its fair share of storytelling weight while maintaining that classic Disney sing-song feel.
And that bridge from old to new seems to be critical to the success of Beauty and the Beast. It’s the only film from the studio that, in the last quarter-century or so, has managed to bring forward all the classic elements of Disney’s animated successes from times past and balance them with a more modern sensibility: Menken’s score is suitably timeless, character designs hold true to the spirit of the work of the nine-old-men, backgrounds are wonderfully lush yet not bogged down by overactive detail. It can safely and proudly stand beside decades old films like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty without feeling out of place, still holding its head up high as a contemporary piece of animated cinema. There’s a reason Beauty and the Beast was nominated for a best picture Oscar!
I’m not going to mince any words here – This Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray disc is absolutely stunning! If you love Disney film, old-school, hand drawn animation or are just a fan of the Blu-ray format you owe it to yourself to at least rent this disc, if you are, for some strange reason, unwilling to own it. Prepare to be blown away by the crisp, clean, colourful transfer (look at the brush strokes in the hand-painted backgrounds!) and the rich, robust and atmospheric 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack (listen to the cutlery dance about your head!). I could pick at inconsequential nits here, but this is pure demo-disc material, if you ask me.
This disc is worth picking up for the film alone, nevermind that it comes packed with a veritable cornucopia of bonus goodies! Not only does the main feature disc include both the theatrical and extended versions of the film but it also houses a picture-in-picture storyboard track, a commentary track from producer Don Hahn and co-directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale and a sing-along track. It also features a really great sit-down with Menken, Hahn and agent/historian Richard Kraft that feels off-the-cuff and genuine – a very refreshing 20-minute featurette! The disc is rounded out with a collection of deleted and unfinished scenes.
As if that bounty of extras isn’t enough, Disney has packed in another BD-50 disc of bonus content. Taking up most of the space on the disc is the worthwhile and exhaustive 157-minute interactive HD documentary “Beyond Beauty “, which allows the viewer to click through, at certain marked scenes, to view extended or branching content featurettes. It’s impressive to be sure, but not exactly my cup of tea. I don’t care to interact with a film. I would prefer to just sit back and watch. But maybe that’s just me. You’ll also find over an hour of standard-def content here from the original DVD, ported over so that you may safely get rid of your old copy of the film (I’m giving mine to my 4-year old niece). But that’s not all – there are a couple of interactive games for the kiddies, a Jordin Sparks music vid and more sneak peeks than you can shake a stick at.
Super-extra-awesome highly recommended!
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