Call me old-fashioned, but I still love the movie-going experience. We have a nice flat screen TV, with some comfy chairs in our living room to watch movies in. However, I don’t care how big the screens at home get, there’s nothing like watching a film in a good theater, on the big screen with great sound, fresh popcorn, a box of Jujyfruits and no distractions.
This was only a small piece of my reasoning for wanting to attend the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along Event this week. As most of you are probably aware, Disney is releasing Beauty and the Beast on a special Diamond Edition Blu-ray and DVD set on October 5th for a limited time only. It has not been available commercially since its Platinum Edition release in 2003. Personally, I can’t wait to see how this Blu-ray looks and I’ve got one on pre-order.
To celebrate this release, Disney has paired with NCM Fathom for a special two-date showing of the 1991 classic in 500 theaters nationwide. The showing I attended was this past Wednesday night at 6:30. The only other showing is tomorrow, Saturday October 2nd. Tickets are available at the box office or at Fandango.com and are roughly the standard cost of a movie ticket, which in my case was $12.00 for adults and $10.00 for the kids.
As soon as I caught wind of this event, I knew I wanted to go. Beauty and the Beast is certainly one of my favorite Disney films. Actually, it’s perfect. It’s a perfect film. That’s a strong statement, especially for me, but I doubt most people would argue with me. The music, the story, the characters, the voice acting and, of course, the truly outstanding animation all come together in one of the most amazing packages ever put together on the silver screen. I don’t have to sell this audience of readers on Beauty and the Beast, do I? The film and its reputation and place in Disney history is well secured. It’s a timeless classic and always will be.
One of the things I remember so fondly from my childhood was seeing classic Disney movies in the theater. I’m certainly too young to have seen the original releases of classics like Dumbo and Bambi or for that matter second generation classics like One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Jungle Book. My childhood was spent seeing re-releases at the movies. I can remember loading up the neighbor’s station wagon and going to the drive-in to see a Disney double feature during the summertime. Disney had a wonderful tradition of introducing the next generation of youngsters to their classic films by putting them into the theaters periodically. Once the home video boom took off and firmly cemented itself into our lives, this wasn’t deemed necessary any longer.
I’ve bought into this cycle just as much as the next person. I bought the 2003 Beauty and the Beast Platinum Edition, which of course replaced my VHS copy and now I’ll have the Diamond Edition Blu-ray next week. However, I readily admit that I miss seeing these films in the environment that they were created for, a movie theater.
One of the more important things about Wednesday night’s event, for me, was bringing my children to see it. My daughter, now 11, has watched the movie at home many times and has seen the Broadway play twice. She’s obviously never had the chance to see it on the big screen. My 8-year-old twin boys aren’t really familiar with the film at all. I’ll chalk that up to Disney marketing and the lumping of Belle into the Princess category. This effectively turned Beauty and the Beast and all the other “Princess films” into girl movies and, despite my persuasion, the boys have stayed away. So, this was a great opportunity for us to let our kids see a true Disney classic, the way it should be seen, and to introduce them to how my wife and I grew up seeing Disney classics.
Now as far as the event itself: I’m not sure I would even call it an event. I’m sorry for not having any photos to accompany this article. I was hoping there would be a banner or poster, or maybe even a big cardboard cutout in the lobby or outside the theater itself, but none could be found. There was nothing on the marquee, nor was there even any kind of signage at the box office. It seemed there was very little publicity for the showings in this area. I’m not sure how it was in other regions, but one would think that the New York City/Long Island area would have had some advertising. I have to say that if I weren’t the Disney fanatic that I am, I wouldn’t have even known this event was taking place.
That said, the film itself was preceded by some Disney trivia on the screen, a nice change from the typical Hollywood trivia, or refreshment stand solicitations. It helped get everyone in a Disney mood. There was a short segment hosted by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks which acted as an introduction to the sing along concept, followed by some “making of” Beauty and the Beast footage and the music video for Jordin’s version of the film’s title song. Segments of this piece were OK. There were interviews with stars of the Broadway adaptation such as Donny Osmond, Deborah Gibson and Christy Carlson Romano that were mildly entertaining. My wife and I both felt that too much attention was paid to the Jordin Sparks video. I’m not sure I needed to see behind the scenes footage of the making of her music video, but it was something extra to look at.
The sing-a-long part of the show never really took off. There were words on the bottom of the screen that had the familiar Disney-Sing-a-Long Home Video pixie dust look to them. I was worried they were going to distract me from the visuals, but I soon got used to it. Honestly, there wasn’t much singing in the audience. Some of the little kids sang quietly and most everyone sang along to “Be Our Guest,” but once again, very quietly. Quite honestly, I was more interested in hearing Paige O’Hara’s beautiful voice than the guy behind me, so it was just as well.
Visually this new HD print of the film is truly stunning. The colors pop out like never before. It took my eyes a few moments to get used to the intensity and the clarity of the screen. Once you do, it’s an animation fan’s dream come true. It’s as good as it gets, and in this writer’s opinion is better than anything you can find at the multiplex today. There’s a warmth to hand drawn animation that just can’t be duplicated. I could stare at the backgrounds alone all night and be amazed.
My wish is that Disney would make this a more common occurrence. Those of you that live on the west coast near enough to Hollywood have been lucky enough to benefit from Disney’s special screenings at their own El Capitan Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. In recent years, when a Disney classic was re-released on DVD, the El Capitan would host a limited run of the film. I realize that Disney owns the El Cap and they earn extra revenue from the adjacent Soda Fountain and Studio Store, but I wish they would pick a classic movie house in other major cities and release a limited run of their classics just like they do at the El Capitan. I know I’d be on line with at least 5 paid admissions and I’m sure other families would as well.
In the meantime, you’ve got one last chance to catch this amazing Disney classic in all its theatrical glory. Most regions of the nation have a showing tomorrow, Saturday October 2 at 12 noon. So, don’t wait to watch this on your 60-inch HDTV at home. Go see this classic on a giant modern movie theater screen and soak in all the wonderful details these brilliant Disney artists gave us. It may be your last chance for who knows how long. Besides, you know you’re like me and you’re going to buy the Diamond Edition next week anyway, aren’t you?
And speaking of just that, make sure to tune in for Tony Phoenix’s review of Beauty and the Beast’s Blu-ray debut next week to find out how this Disney classic has translated to the newest entertainment medium.
Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time. By the way, the boys loved it and I’ve since caught them digging through their toy box full of “Disney guys” and acting out scenes from the film with some Beast, Lumiere and Cogsworth figures left over from their sister. So much for the girly movie stigma. Now that I’ve broken that ice, I have to make it my mission to crack the rest of the so called “Princess films” on them.
The beautiful Beauty and the Beast lithograph portfolio from the 2003 DVD release. Photo By Chris Barry.
