Belle's Magical World is a straight-to-video animated story set in the Beast's castle, which, as viewers know from the original Beauty and the Beast film, is under a spell until the Beast can learn to love. Starting with this familiar premise, it plummets into three disjointed episodes surrounding Belle's life as a captive in the castle. In "The Perfect World" a misunderstanding of words erupts between Belle and the Beast, made worse by a feigned apology. Fifi and Lumiere take the spotlight in "Fifi's Folly" when a romantic evening together becomes a chilling adventure inside a runaway sleigh. In "The Broken Wing" Belle entreats the Beast to act kindly toward a tiny songbird. Each tale offers a diluted moral message, yet the entire effort feels contrived and confusing. --Lynn Gibson The film that officially signalled Disney's animation renaissance and the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. It relates the story of Belle, a bookworm with a dotty inventor for a father; when he inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince whose heart is too hard to love anyone besides himself) Belle boldly takes her father's place, imprisoned in the Beast's gloomy mansion. Naturally, Belle teaches the Beast to love. What makes this such a dazzler, besides the amazingly accomplished animation and the winning coterie of supporting characters (the Beast's mansion is overrun by quipping, dancing household items) is the array of beautiful and hilarious songs by composer Alan Menken and the late, lamented lyricist Howard Ashman, (winning the 1991 Oscar for Best Song and Menken's score won a trophy as well). The downright funniest song is "Gaston" a lout's paean to himself (including the immortal line: "I use antlers in all of my de-co-ra-ting"). "Be Our Guest" is transformed into an inspired Busby Berkeley homage. Since Ashman's passing, animated musicals haven't quite reached the same exhilarating level of wit, sophistication and pure joy. --David Kronke (Review copyright Amazon.co.uk)
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Games![Belle's Magical World / Beauty And The Beast [1997]](http://www.listal.com/image/products/200/B00009KOXQ/dvds/-belles-magical-world-beauty-beast.jpg "Belle's Magical World / Beauty And The Beast [1997]")
