Beauty and the Beast
The always favorite tale of Beauty and the Beast has long enchanted the souls of Disney fans everywhere. The story of Belle capturing the heart of the Beast and releasing the enchanted castle and all dwelling within still carries the allure of the classic fairy tale we were all raised on. Despite the few flaws here and there visually, the story itself still hold the lovable and laughable appeal it did all those years ago.
Beauty on blu-ray
Having seen Beauty and the Beast an unimaginable amount of times since childhood, I was incredibly excited about seeing this film re-mastered in high definition. To my ever so slight disappointment the quality wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I will in no way say that it was a poor transfer I just feel like there were a few details that could have been a little better.
My first thought was, man this is one bright film! The extremely brilliant color scheme was almost to the point of distraction. After the opening scene things dimmed down a bit and the film once again turned into what I’ve always loved. The opening was just overwhelming full of sunset coloration. Meaning the red, orange and yellow tints were just out of control! Once the story moved into the castle and the real tale begins the colors transformed into a beautiful show of blues and blacks, which were very pleasing to the eye. The darker colors seem to even out the dominant yellow coloring more in the castle and evening scenes.
Along with the color being a little off there was something about the clarity of the film that just wasnt quite right. Everything close up was incredibly crisp and detailed, but it wasnt always the focal point of the picture that was being outlined and singled out. One thing that pops to mind is the wheel barrel of pumpkins in the opening scene. They seem to drag your attention from Belle, which is the focal point of the scene. The detail and sharp lines of specific objects mixed with the overwhelming splash of colors almost gives the film a feel of 3D. The duller unmoving background seems so far away from the bright moving front characters that it distorts the balance of depth. The way it is perceived almost gives the picture an illusion of blurriness.
The blurry effect may have had something to do with the white outlining the black on some of the characters. Gaston for example was one of the most distracting. It is really noticeable in the tavern scene and any darker scene he appears in. His body just seems to be outlined in white. Cogsworth (the clock) fell prey to the white outlining as well. I just found it a bit distracting throughout the film.
I honestly feel like the digital restoration is not as endearing as the original film was. There was too much focus being put on cleaning it up that a bit of its original enchantment may have been lost in the process. Yet, by no means do I love it any less. I know that may sound a bit of a contradiction, but the quality and clarity of the classic Disney stories were never what drew me in. It’s the passion in which the story is told and the film is created that draws in the devoted animation fan.
The sound was great! No complaints in that department. I loved the feeling of each scene surrounding me, especially the dramatic scene with Gaston and the Beast at the end of the film. The music is such a huge part of the classic Disney films so it was incredibly enjoyable to be surrounded by such a wonderful quality of sound.
The DVD version of the film wasnt quite as distracting as the blu-ray clarity wise, but the coloring was still just as off at times. If the picture setting on your TV happens to be on Cinema, the coloring is absolutely perfect! The slight dulling of colors gives it perfect balance and makes the viewing fantastic! The crispness of the picture really gets a chance to shine when not competing with the brilliant colors. Well, that may just be a personal preference but Im sticking to it! Its absolutely gorgeous in both blu-ray and DVD.
3-Disc Combo Pack and Special Features
Disc 1- DVD Feature Film + Bonus
-All-New Digital Restoration
-3 Versions of the Film
-Disney Sing Along Mode
-Audio Commentary
Disc 2- Blu-ray Feature Film + Bonus
-Features Disney Enhanced High Definition Picture and Sound
-All-New Digital Restoration
-3 Versions of the Film
-Composing A Classic
–Broadway Beginnings
-All-New Music Video
-Never-Before Seen Alternate Opening
-Never-Before Seen Deleted Scene
-Disney Sing Along Mode
-Audio Commentary
Disc 3- Blu-ray Bonus
–Beyond Beauty– The Untold Stories
–Enchanted Musical Challenge Game
–Bonjour, Who Is This? Game- Use Your Phone, Receive Secret Messages And Guess Players Identities Before They Guess Yours**
-Classic DVD Bonus Features
-And Much More!!!
There are a ton of special features in this combo pack! They are even a bit overwhelming to tell you the truth. They really get a little complicated at times and seem to never stop. Some are incredibly interesting while others are so so, but overall pretty outstanding. You really get the bang for your buck in bonus features.