Rating: 
Score: 8.5/10
Grade: A
Family-Friendliness Scale: Level 4 (Great)
Kids ages 5+
Disney movies have always been great, and it seemed about time they returned to fairy tales, even over two decades after Disney's death...
In the adaptation, Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara) doesn't fit in with the town she lives in, and while the local hunter and hero Gaston has fallen in love with her, she doesn't have the same feelings towards him. But when her father is kidnapped while trying to get shelter at a castle, Belle goes out to save him. But she only gets into more trouble as she makes a deal with the master of the castle, a selfish and cruel beast (voiced by Robbie Benson) to take her father's place as prisoner. While there, she makes friends with the castle's servants, a candleholder, a clock, a teapot, and others, all brought to life magically. But what she doesn't realize is that if the Beast doesn't learn to love and earn a woman's love in return, he and his servants won't ever be human again.
Positive Notes
The films' most prominent positive message is the ever-so-true statement that true beauty is found within. Belle is a strong role model, very independent, and certainly puts the needs of others in front of hers. Other morals include the importance of friendship, as well as bravery, self-sacrifice, and accepting oneself for who they are. The beast yearns for acceptance, and he learns to care and appreciate for Belle and in the process melting his hard heart. The voice cast, besides O'Hara (who is spectacular as the speaking and singing voice of Bell) and Benson, is great with Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, and Angela Lansbury being stellar as their characters. The music and songs would make Broadway proud, with a stellar score by Alan Menken and emotional and excellent song lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, with the stand-outs being "Belle", "Be Our Guest", and the title song "Beauty and the Beast".
For its' time (1991 was when it came out), the animation sparkles with exquisite penmanship and the backgrounds, characters, and camera shots are ahead of its' time. And while I haven't seen it in 3D, I have imagined some particular shots fitting the format well. And I will note this, the "Human Again" song sequence was animated into the film 10 years after the movie was finished, and they did a spectacular job making it look and sound like it was in the film the whole time despite the updates animation had gone through over that past decade.
Negative Notes
Not much in context. The romance is mostly subtle, but there are a few notable characters that wear form-fitting, low-cut outfits. Characters kiss and romantically sigh and gaze, Lumiere gives and takes lightly with a featherduster, Gaston brags about his manliness in a song sequence, and a wardrobe defends herself by swallowing a man up and then spitting him out with the man dressing a drag. The film has its' share of animated violence, with its' worst being when a sword is plunged into the beasts' side (offscreen, but we do see the sword being pulled out), wolves chasing and lunging after Belle and her father and a comical fight scene in a tavern. There is some magic, but the only on-screen use would be at the end. Alcohol (mainly beer) is seen a few times but no one is ever seen drunk. Language is non-existent, as the strongest we hear are one use each of "darn", "gosh", "screw", and "what the devil?".
Conclusion
Beauty and the Beast is like a Broadway musical come to life, with the excellent musical numbers not really seen much in todays' animations. The story is both fun and suspenseful, and the animation and characters sparkle with sincerity. The messages are shown clearly and for the most part, the film stays clean of anything that would be considered inappropriate for its' G rating. Considering everything said, Beauty accomplishes its' goal of being a timeless film, that new generations of families can enjoy over and over again.
