Beauty and the Beast is a timeless fairy tale that has gone through many incarnations. Arguably the most popular and well-known is the 1991 Disney film Beauty and the Beast. This movie is the only animated feature ever to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, and it inspired a musical which has gone on to be one of Broadway's most successful shows. This family-friendly film features a wonderful heroine: Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara) is smart, sensitive, loyal, and thoughtful. Great actors like Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach voice the charming and unique objects in the Beast's castle who provide Belle with friendship and comfort. The transformative power of Belle's love for her father and the Beast, as well as the loving relationship between Mrs. Potts and her son Chip make this film a favorite of parents and children alike. There's plenty of comedy and action to keep less sentimental viewers entertained as well. From the arrogant bluster of brutish Gaston to the constant bickering of the Lumiere, the candlestick and Cogsworth, the clock, there are witty jokes that will engage the adults as much as the children. The musical score by Alan Menken with lyrics by Howard Ashman is considered to be among the best of any Disney move, standing with Aladdin and The Little Mermaid as the trifecta of movies that had Disney on top of the heap in the late 1980s and early '90s. If you are looking for Beauty and the Beast on DVD, you will have to turn to auctions or other venues for used copies, as Disney is not currently offering it for sale. Disney often puts their movies into "The Disney Vault," taking them out of retail outlets for intervals of 10 years. Beauty and the Beast went into the vault in January of 2003, so fans won't be able to buy it new until 2013.
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