Beauty and the Beast

Extraordinary. It is not overselling anything to call this movie the apotheosis, the true ultimate expression of what the Disney studio was moving towards over all those years, from the earliest shorts through Snow White and Fantasia to The Little Mermaid. The latter is often cited as the beginning of the studio’s revival, and it certainly played its part, but this work represents a quantum leap up from everything that came before it. Yes, you can find a few minor quibbles in the production—a few characters are a bit grating—but those concerns hardly rise to a level that dims the praise. The main characterizations are spot on, the songs are terrific, and the animation is a wonder to behold from start to finish. We’re I not such a fan of Aladdin (the next film in the sequence, and the one which I have long considered the zenith of the Disney canon), I would have to bow to this piece as the pinnacle of the series. As it is, I will satisfy myself with giving this one Best of All status, the loudest PURR possible, and the highest of recommendations. An astounding achievement.