#312 (no ads): Tales as Old as Time, Pt. 1 — Beauty and the Beast (1991) (Patreon)

Mamoru Hosada’s new anime BELLE is the latest take on a certain tale as old as time, one that was previously enshrined in the animated feature canon with 1991’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, one of the touchstones of Disney’s storied late-20th-century renaissance. This week we crack open the clamshell VHS case on Disney’s version, in particular its labored-even-by-Disney-standards development process, its unforgettable Ashman/Menken music, what made it stand out in the animation landscape back then, and how those same elements look compared to the film’s modern-day successors.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about either version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, BELLE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Works/Parodies Cited:

“Beauty and the Beast: The Purdum Reel”

“See My Vest”

“Bonjour, Girl!”

“Beauty and King Dork”

“‘Belle’ but the lyrics are what’s happening onscreen.”