Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Original - United States, 1991
Special Ed - United States, 2002
U.S. Release Date: 11/22/91; 1/1/02 (Sp. Ed.)
Running Length: 1:24; 1:30 (Sp. Ed.)
MPAA Classification: G
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1

Featuring the voices of: Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury, Richard White, Jesse Corti, Bradley Michael Pierce, Rex Everhart
Directors: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
Producer: Don Hahn
Screenplay: Linda Woolverton
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman
U.S. Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures


Walt Disney's 1991 instant classic, Beauty and the Beast, is not only the finest animated movie ever made, but deserves a prominent position on any list of all-time greats. Although not the highest grossing Disney production, nor the best-remembered by most kids (those honors go to The Lion King), Beauty and the Beast nevertheless earned the most enthusiastic notices ever by the critics and was recognized with a Best Picture Oscar nomination (considering the weak competition, it deserved to win the award). The studio knew early in development that it had a winner. In an unprecedented move, Disney screened a 70% complete work print to a packed auditorium at the 1991 New York Film Festival months before the movie was finished. The astounding reception helped to build a sense of anticipation that was unrivaled since the days of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Beauty and the Beast also has a keen sense of film history. In addition to the already- mentioned debt it owes to Cocteau's classic, the movie pays homage to at least three legendary motion pictures. The opening shots of the Beast's gothic castle recall Citizen Kane. A scene of Belle racing across a grassy hill overlooking her village while singing the reprise of "Belle" echoes a similar moment with Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. And the march of Gaston's enflamed mob towards the Beast's castle is reminiscent of Frankenstein's finale.