Beauty and the Beast (Disney)
Sat, May. 8th, 2004 01:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
oyceterJust got the DVD from the store -- I haven't seen this for over four years or so. It used to be absolute favorite Disney musical (and possibly movie) ever, so it was a bit weird watching it this time. I used to watch it every year or so, and pretend to be Belle, etc.
I think it being my favorite had something to do with the fact that the heroine read (big points) and that it was a retelling of my favorite fairy tale.
It's strange because I can still remember almost every word of it, especially the prologue. I still love the stained glass windows and the music from the beginning.
My brain went through the nitpicks that I've been doing for the past, oh, ten years or so:
- the legend says that the last petal will fall off the rose when the prince turns 21, but in "Be Our Guest," Lumiere says something about "ten years, we've been rusting." So what, the fairy cast a spell on the prince when he was eleven? That hardly seems fair. Either that, or it's a figure of speech. Ah, I fanwanked even back then ;).
- the three girls who are always in the background mooning over Gaston (Pink, Yellow and Green) have their hair style change all the time. It's very annoying. Also, I used to correspond the original three hairstyles of the girls to the hairstyles of Ariel, Belle and Jasmine (what I always though of as the trilogy of Disney musicals). Ariel's floppy bangs, Belle's widow's peak, and Jasmine's part.
- the animation for Belle's face when her father wakes up after being rescued still annoys me, as does the animation for Belle when the strange contraption works for the first time.
I must have watched it so many times, because I don't even remember when I started noticing this stuff. Me and my sister and friends used to nitpick so much -- whose waist was bigger (it gave me an additional reason to dislike Jasmine because she had that teeny-tiny waist), who was more feminist/active, etc.
Some things don't age as well -- the overt cutesiness of the utensils, Chip's horrid twee-ness. Some things just always annoyed me. I never really liked Maurice or got the father-daughter bond. Mostly Maurice annoyed me, especially when he blames the horse for taking the direction he chose to take. And of course, the push-down-your-throat type feminism and the over-the-top chauvanism of Gaston.
Also, why does Belle go into the West Wing? I feel if I were the prisoner of a giant hulking monster, I would try to stay out of his way. That dratted curiosity is the cornerstone of the spirited/feisty/whatever romance heroine. Grr. I'm also still not impressed that she breaks her promise and runs out after one night. I feel something bad should have happened. It's a fairy tale. Promises and such are very important. And I like Cogsworth because I am just like him, very worried about the rules and doing things right. Plus, he always gets made fun of by the other characters =(.
I'm still jealous of the Beast's library. That was my idea of heaven as a kid. Actually, it still might be...
The movie doesn't really gain emotional weight until after the ball, imho. Before that, everyone happily has not mcuh depth to speak of. The only other part I found interesting before the finale was Belle and the Beast accusing each other ("You shouldn't have gone to the west wing!" "You should learn to control your temper!") because it actually made it seem like they were similar to each other with the tempers, and that Belle wasn't the perfect, wonderful, charming, lovable Mary-Sueish girl that she is for most of the movie. All the other times she is kind and gentle and etc.
My totally guh moment is when the Beast decides to let her go. And this is one part that I like about Disney's retelling, that the Beast doesn't tell her to come back after a few days, doesn't let her know that he is doomed to Beast-ness without her. I love the Beast's voice when he says, "I let her go." And the other lines said in total despair. Haha, even in Disney musicals I am a fan of total despair. That, and the disbelief in "You came back." I didn't realize that this horribly overwraught romance story I've had in my head for some time owes quite a bit to these scenes. Huh.
The other things that I think holds up well is Gaston as the villain -- unlike a good deal of Disney villains, he's not Evil and bent on conquering the world, or whatever. He's a caricature of misgyny, no kidding, but what's played for broad humor in the beginning suddenly becomes very scary when he makes the bargain with the guy from the insane asylum and especially when he rouses the village to kill the Beast. The selfishness that's kind of funny at first becomes more and more frightening with the things he will do to get what he wants. And I think the bit in which the villagers are manipulated with relative ease is scary as well, because isn't that what happens to us? I mean, they seem all friendly and nice to Belle in the beginning, even though they think she's weird, but it's so easy to make them go after something in blood rage. Reminds me a little of current events, sadly.
I think Lilo and Stitch may have just replaced BatB as my favorite Disney movie (Spirited Away and Pixar movies, imho, don't count as Disney movies) just because I adore the sheer weirdness of Lilo. But I still love watching this movie ^_^.
I think it being my favorite had something to do with the fact that the heroine read (big points) and that it was a retelling of my favorite fairy tale.
It's strange because I can still remember almost every word of it, especially the prologue. I still love the stained glass windows and the music from the beginning.
My brain went through the nitpicks that I've been doing for the past, oh, ten years or so:
- the legend says that the last petal will fall off the rose when the prince turns 21, but in "Be Our Guest," Lumiere says something about "ten years, we've been rusting." So what, the fairy cast a spell on the prince when he was eleven? That hardly seems fair. Either that, or it's a figure of speech. Ah, I fanwanked even back then ;).
- the three girls who are always in the background mooning over Gaston (Pink, Yellow and Green) have their hair style change all the time. It's very annoying. Also, I used to correspond the original three hairstyles of the girls to the hairstyles of Ariel, Belle and Jasmine (what I always though of as the trilogy of Disney musicals). Ariel's floppy bangs, Belle's widow's peak, and Jasmine's part.
- the animation for Belle's face when her father wakes up after being rescued still annoys me, as does the animation for Belle when the strange contraption works for the first time.
I must have watched it so many times, because I don't even remember when I started noticing this stuff. Me and my sister and friends used to nitpick so much -- whose waist was bigger (it gave me an additional reason to dislike Jasmine because she had that teeny-tiny waist), who was more feminist/active, etc.
Some things don't age as well -- the overt cutesiness of the utensils, Chip's horrid twee-ness. Some things just always annoyed me. I never really liked Maurice or got the father-daughter bond. Mostly Maurice annoyed me, especially when he blames the horse for taking the direction he chose to take. And of course, the push-down-your-throat type feminism and the over-the-top chauvanism of Gaston.
Also, why does Belle go into the West Wing? I feel if I were the prisoner of a giant hulking monster, I would try to stay out of his way. That dratted curiosity is the cornerstone of the spirited/feisty/whatever romance heroine. Grr. I'm also still not impressed that she breaks her promise and runs out after one night. I feel something bad should have happened. It's a fairy tale. Promises and such are very important. And I like Cogsworth because I am just like him, very worried about the rules and doing things right. Plus, he always gets made fun of by the other characters =(.
I'm still jealous of the Beast's library. That was my idea of heaven as a kid. Actually, it still might be...
The movie doesn't really gain emotional weight until after the ball, imho. Before that, everyone happily has not mcuh depth to speak of. The only other part I found interesting before the finale was Belle and the Beast accusing each other ("You shouldn't have gone to the west wing!" "You should learn to control your temper!") because it actually made it seem like they were similar to each other with the tempers, and that Belle wasn't the perfect, wonderful, charming, lovable Mary-Sueish girl that she is for most of the movie. All the other times she is kind and gentle and etc.
My totally guh moment is when the Beast decides to let her go. And this is one part that I like about Disney's retelling, that the Beast doesn't tell her to come back after a few days, doesn't let her know that he is doomed to Beast-ness without her. I love the Beast's voice when he says, "I let her go." And the other lines said in total despair. Haha, even in Disney musicals I am a fan of total despair. That, and the disbelief in "You came back." I didn't realize that this horribly overwraught romance story I've had in my head for some time owes quite a bit to these scenes. Huh.
The other things that I think holds up well is Gaston as the villain -- unlike a good deal of Disney villains, he's not Evil and bent on conquering the world, or whatever. He's a caricature of misgyny, no kidding, but what's played for broad humor in the beginning suddenly becomes very scary when he makes the bargain with the guy from the insane asylum and especially when he rouses the village to kill the Beast. The selfishness that's kind of funny at first becomes more and more frightening with the things he will do to get what he wants. And I think the bit in which the villagers are manipulated with relative ease is scary as well, because isn't that what happens to us? I mean, they seem all friendly and nice to Belle in the beginning, even though they think she's weird, but it's so easy to make them go after something in blood rage. Reminds me a little of current events, sadly.
I think Lilo and Stitch may have just replaced BatB as my favorite Disney movie (Spirited Away and Pixar movies, imho, don't count as Disney movies) just because I adore the sheer weirdness of Lilo. But I still love watching this movie ^_^.
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(no subject)
Sat, May. 8th, 2004 11:57 am (UTC)(no subject)
Sat, May. 8th, 2004 12:56 pm (UTC)Good lord, I know *exactly* what you're talking about in the second portion. You mean the bit where she does that weird hopping thing while doing something weird with clasping her hands, then shakes one over her head, right? I can't quite explain it, but it never went with the voiceover, and still annoys me. *g*
I could say a lot more, since this movie was very very important to me in childhood, but I'm hurriedly moving into my new apartment and will have to save it for later. :)
.m
(no subject)
Sun, May. 9th, 2004 12:53 am (UTC)Looking forward to the post, if you ever make it. Hope the pain subsides soon... I've only had a root canal done, and that was pretty terrifying in and of itself. Poor Rob =(.
(no subject)
Sun, May. 9th, 2004 12:55 am (UTC)This movie was so important to me as a kid! Just.. yeah.
Good luck with the move!