Beauty and the Beast is widely considered the best animated Disney feature of the studio's 1980s/1990s renewal of the form. Based on th e classic French fairy tale\, it tells the story of Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara)\, an intelligent young woman scorned by her townspeople for being a bookworm\, weary of fighting off the advances of the arrogant Gaston (Rich ard White)\, and dreaming of escape. When her father gets lost in the woods and captured by the forbidding Beast (Robby Benson)\, a once-handsome prin ce turned into a monster by a witch\, Belle goes off to rescue him. Taken w ith her\, the Beast agrees to release Belle's father if she agrees to stay with him forever. Initially repulsed\, Belle soon finds much to appreciate in the Beast's hidden\, tender nature. The Beast's servants -- a clock (Dav id Ogden Stiers)\, a teapot (Angela Lansbury)\, and a candlestick (Jerry Or bach) -- see Belle as their salvation: if the Beast and a woman fall in lov e before his 21st birthday\, he will be free from the curse. The songs are first-class\, the tale is told with sincerity but not sentimentality\, and the characters of Belle and the Beast\, complex individuals who defy stereo typing and change over the course of the story\, are more three-dimensional than in most live-action movies. The eye-popping animation is beautifully rendered\, and Beauty and the Beast certainly deserves its place amongst Di sney's animated classics. In 2002\, a special 89-minute edition of the film was released in IMAX theaters with the addition of a newly animated song\, "\;"\;Human Again."\;"\; ~ Don Kaye\, All Movie Guide
\nFeatures Include:
\nAll-new digital restoratio
n with enhanced picture and sound
\nThree versions of the film:
\n-Original theatrical version
\n-Special extended edition
\n-
Original storyboard version
\nDisney sing-along mode Audio commentary