MovieChat Forums > Beauty and the Beast (1991) Discussion > Damn it, why does this movie do nothing ...

Damn it, why does this movie do nothing for me?

posted 8 years ago by nine_inch_nailed
109 replies | jump to latest

People talk about how great it is, but every time I watch it, the same problems arise. I love the Lion King and pixar movies, I'm no joyless grump, but this movie does nothing for me.

Firstly, the music is bland. I'm sorry, it is. Cannot even hum a song after multiple viewings. Utterly forgettable.

Belle is a boring lead, her quirk seems to be that she likes books. That's it. We know very little of her background and her upbringing. Do we even know where her mother is?

The beast. This is my biggest problem. Why am I supposed to feel anything for this guy? He's an *beep* and rightly punished for it. Anger and intimidation are not things to admire or easily forgive. Just because Belle is able to hold her own doesn't excuse it. He holds her captive. I'm sorry, but right there I lose all compassion. If it wasn't for the curse, would this have turned into Joseph Fritzl: The Movie?

Every time I watch the film I hope for the beast to actually die at the end and give me something to think about. Instead we get a bland looking disney prince, and I guess the film really wants us to believe that the whole leopard and spots thing isn't true.

The animation is excellent, but it's the only positive I can give this movie. Can't find the magic, can't even raise a chuckle. Where am I going wrong? The whole film seems to be indoctrination for young girls to accept anger and threats. The "I can change him" excuse you hear from battered wives.

________
Armchair Critic Law 38:

If a film has a plot twist, over analyse.

[–] furienna 8 years ago

Firstly, the music is bland. I'm sorry, it is. Cannot even hum a song after multiple viewings. Utterly forgettable.

I can see where you're coming from here, actually. To be fair though, this movie is basically an animated Broadway musical. And that is what Browadway musicals sound like.

Belle is a boring lead, her quirk seems to be that she likes books. That's it. We know very little of her background and her upbringing. Do we even know where her mother is?

While I can't agree that Belle is boring, it is true that we don't know anything about her background. That would make an interesting prequel though.

The beast. This is my biggest problem. Why am I supposed to feel anything for this guy? He's an *beep* and rightly punished for it. Anger and intimidation are not things to admire or easily forgive. Just because Belle is able to hold her own doesn't excuse it. He holds her captive. I'm sorry, but right there I lose all compassion. If it wasn't for the curse, would this have turned into Joseph Fritzl: The Movie?

Well, we're not supposed to like him in the beginning. But he did go through some character growth, so we can see why Belle forgave him.

Intelligence and purity.

[–] number9-4 8 years ago

I feel the same way, OP. This is the type of movie I may put on just to forget my cares (because Disney movies in general are great for that) or in the background for noise while I'm doing something else, or for nostalgic purposes because my sister watched it a lot growing up. But it's never given me "feels," as they call it nowadays. Yet the vast majority of people seem to agree that this is one of -- if not THE -- best Disney movie.

Even the iconic ballroom dance to "Beauty and the Beast" registers with me on, like, an objective level as a nice moment with great animation, but it still doesn't touch my heart the way other Disney movies do. And I really don't know what it is.

I think it's just that their love story is underdeveloped, for me. It was like they went from hating each other to merely tolerating each other after the wolf thing, then they were madly in love (and most of this was conveyed through song, not dialogue). There should have been a scene where they have an actual conversation before they supposedly are in love (they finally started to do that with Jasmine and Aladdin -- that moment where they're both talking about their problems and say "trapped" together is great because you can see a legitimate connection between them). In BatB, it went from bare-minimum civility ("Thank you for saving my life" -- I guess that's supposed to be a romantic moment, but wouldn't literally ANYONE thank someone for saving them from a pack of ferocious wolves?) to this relationship we're supposed to be all aflutter over.

[–] Stratego 8 years ago

I think the compilation of moments right before and during "Something There" clearly shows the development of their "love story". They don't need to show a conversation for that, words aren't always needed for people to connect with each other. Also, I don't think that "Thank you for saving my life" was a romantic moment, it was just a turnaround in their relationship.

[–] number9-4 8 years ago

They don't need to show a conversation for that, words aren't always needed for people to connect with each other.

Well, that's your opinion. Personally, I've always found it strange how they go from finally just being civil to each other after the wolf incident to Beast saying he's never felt this way about anyone at the beginning of "Something There" and then giving her a library.

Also, without showing they have any kind of innate emotional connection, it appears as though Belle only falls in love with the beast because he saved her life, which is among the reasons people accuse their relationship of creepy Stockholm-Syndrome undertones.

[–] Stratego 8 years ago

Personally, I've always found it strange how they go from finally just being civil to each other after the wolf incident to Beast saying he's never felt this way about anyone at the beginning of "Something There" and then giving her a library.

Nothing strange about that. After the wolf incident they begin spending time together and he's starting to feel "something". He isn't talking about love yet, it's just that he never cared about other people before. He gives her the library to show appreciation and make her stay more pleasant. He's just being considerate. After that gesture we see moments of them growing closer.

Also, without showing they have any kind of innate emotional connection

Like I said, we see that connection before and during Something There. And also during and after the title song.

it appears as though Belle only falls in love with the beast because he saved her life, which is among the reasons people accuse their relationship of creepy Stockholm-Syndrome undertones.

Yeah, which is absurd. Those people clearly don't know what Stockholm syndrome is. After being saved (and her saving him) she makes clear she won't put up with any abusive behavior.

[–] number9-4 8 years ago

What time do they spend together between the wolf incident and "Something There"? Doesn't it go straight from that to the beginning of the song?

[–] Stratego 8 years ago

No, it doesn't. We first see the Beast watching Belle frolicking in the snow with a smile on his face and then giving her the library. Then there's also the porridge scene. And these scenes clearly show a passage of time and how their relationship has changed.

[–] NobodymournstheWicked 8 years ago

Would you count the scene that after Belle runs away and Beast goes to rescue her, and and when she brings him back to the castle and has a wash cloth to wash his wounds, and they go back and forth about her running away, and Beast saying you shouldn't have been in the west wing, and before Belle said you shouldn't have frighten me i wouldn't have run away. And then she says after the West wing, that you should learn to control your temper. And when she thanks him for saving her life, and he sys "your welcome" would you could this scene at all about him first starting to be nicer to her then before?

[–] Stratego 8 years ago

I see that scene as the turnaround of their relationship, but it's not a romantic moment. After that, they do grow closer and closer.

[–] number9-4 8 years ago

Not sure what frolicking in the snow prior to "Something There" you're referencing, but if it goes from that to him saying he's never felt this way about anyone and giving her a library, yeah, I still find that rushed and underdeveloped.

[–] Stratego 8 years ago

Then you have to watch the film again. And it actually first cuts to the village before going back to the castle, indicating a passage of time. We then see the Beast watching Belle while she's happily playing around with Philippe and the footstool, which shows that their relationship has changed with the wolf incident. There's no underdevelopment, it's actually the next step in the development of their relationship. Again, the Beast is not talking about love. It's like meeting a girl and liking her and finding her attractive, so you want to do something nice for her to show your interest and make her notice you.

Aladdin and Jasmine's relationship also changed amazingly quickly from her scolding him on the roof for lying to her to her wanting to marry him moments later.

[–] number9-4 8 years ago

Well, I'll give you that I'm not an expert on this movie, but this is just the impression the pacing of their love story gives me as a viewer. I guess different people just have different ideas of what makes a good love story.

I've seen some people say Flynn Rider and Rapunzel's romance is rushed, but theirs works for me because from the start they seemed very comfortable with each other, and then they had the scene where he opens up to her by the fire. I guess I just prefer my characters to have a good conversation (Ariel, Snow White and Cinderella's romances also don't move me, and that's the common thread in all four of them -- they barely speak or don't even speak at all and they're all of the sudden in love).

And, to be fair, you don't know that the Beast didn't mean he loved her over the library. It's not like they ever show him have an epiphany about loving her. There's that scene, and then after the dance, he says he let her go because he loves her.

[–] Stratego 8 years ago

I guess I just prefer my characters to have a good conversation

To be honest, all Disney romances are underdeveloped and have very little actual conversation as the movies also focus a lot on other aspects. I can think of several Disney movies that did it worse than BatB, but I can't think of many that did it better. Even Flynn and Rapunzel started out antagonistic and he rather didn't have her around. They didn't have that many moments that they connected, the campfire scene and the compilation scene in the kingdom, which isn't any different than the compilation scenes in TLM and BatB. The other scenes are all about comedy and action.

And, to be fair, you don't know that the Beast didn't mean he loved her over the library.

Ofcourse I do. The Beast doesn't utter the word love until after he lets Belle go. Like he and Belle later sing, there's just "something there". And before there's love, there's always "something". If it had been love already, he would've let her go instead of giving her a library

It's not like they ever show him have an epiphany about loving her.

Well no, ofcourse not, the whole story is about them slowly falling in love.

[–] louiseculmer 8 years ago

I think the beast saving her life is the beginning of Belle realising that the beast has his good side. then she sees more of his kind side when he is feeding the birds etc, and she develops warmer feelings for him. it is more of a development than you get in most Disney films.

[–] LeopardSpot1954 8 years ago

I can understand you not liking the movie, but it's hard to grasp your specific reasons for not liking it. I just can't believe anybody that takes the time to watch an animated Disney movie (you obviously like Disney animation to some degree) would actually think the music isn't awesome. The "fun" songs are super-catchy, and the rest of it (particularly the love song and the intro score) literally brings tears to my eyes. Granted, I'm an emotional person, I love music, and I'm biased toward Disney. But to think that is a complaint anybody has about the movie astounds me. It's certainly your right to that opinion...just hard to believe. I've never heard anything negative about the music from anyone. It's always one of the reasons people love it (including me) and I think it's far more memorable and beautiful than anything Disney itself can come up with today. "Let It Go" is a good song but it's not great (IMO) and I never understood the hype. Though I do understand and have to consider the fact that I grew up watching Beauty and the Beast and there is a nostalgia element to my love for it (but I have always loved it). Kids (particularly girls) born in the years surrounding Frozen's release may always have an attachment to that movie and its music. Still, when I try to compare the two Disney movies from the most objective mindset possible, Beauty and the Beast's music has Frozen beat. The Lion King is another classic with excellent music. I can't believe anybody would say it's anything but an asset to the movie. It's almost so hard to believe that I'm inclined to think some of these folks are trolls looking for a rise. But you don't seem like a troll. It seems like this is genuinely your feeling about the movie and that's okay.

Nostalgia plays a huge role in a lot of our feelings about childhood movies, music, and even places/experiences. I don't recall if you said you watched this for the first time as an adult, but if you did, you are viewing it for the first time through an adult's eyes and that's going to make a huge difference. I saw this in the theater at 6 years old. I was still too young to really understand the difference between live action and animation. Belle and the Beast were as real as anybody, as was the story. Another example:
I love Disney in general and I am obsessed with Disneyworld, but I've been going since I was 7. I find that others who went to Disneyworld first as children and had at least a decent experience then are obsessed as adults. I can 100% understand an adult not liking it at all if their first time going was when they were an adult. It can be a crowded, hot, pain in the ass if you have no "magical" memories to make up for it. It's better to go when you're a kid because you don't have to pay for it, you don't have to plan anything, you think all the characters and literally everything you see is real, and you create fond memories with family/friends on the rides and
attractions themselves (because as a grown-up, that *beep* can easily give you vertigo and a migraine). :) Sometimes there's no point in trying to find the magic and wonder of something that many only originally found as children.

I should also add that if you go to Disneyworld at too young of an age and do nothing but cry and scream the whole time, that's not
going to make for good memories either (if you have any at all), and as a result the parents aren't going to want to bring you back... so then you become an adult that's indifferent about going because you don't remember it (but if you go again you may not like it for the reason I've given above) or you're an adult who hates it because a giant guy walking around in a Beast costume scarred that experience for life (but you have no recollection of that being the reason). My point is that there is probably an "ideal" childhood age range to see and experience certain things so that those experiences are enjoyable enough to remain beloved and meaningful to you your entire life (and every time you re-experience you barely find any fault in it...i.e. us old Disney fans). I'm sure if Disney execs from the 90s could see this they would pat themselves on the back for a job well done. There are 30 year old Disneyphiles everywhere still spending some serious cash on Disney vacations and general Disney crap because of some great decisions made in the 80s and 90s.

[–] furienna 8 years ago

I can understand you not liking the movie, but it's hard to grasp your specific reasons for not liking it. I just can't believe anybody that takes the time to watch an animated Disney movie (you obviously like Disney animation to some degree) would actually think the music isn't awesome. The "fun" songs are super-catchy, and the rest of it (particularly the love song and the intro score) literally brings tears to my eyes. Granted, I'm an emotional person, I love music, and I'm biased toward Disney. But to think that is a complaint anybody has about the movie astounds me. It's certainly your right to that opinion...just hard to believe. I've never heard anything negative about the music from anyone. It's always one of the reasons people love it (including me) and I think it's far more memorable and beautiful than anything Disney itself can come up with today.

Well, surely you understand that music taste is subjective? No matter how much you love the B&TB soundtrack, everybody won't share that love. To give you myself as an example, I put myself between you and the OP: I like it well enough, but I don't love it as much as you do.

Nostalgia plays a huge role in a lot of our feelings about childhood movies, music, and even places/experiences. I don't recall if you said you watched this for the first time as an adult, but if you did, you are viewing it for the first time through an adult's eyes and that's going to make a huge difference. I saw this in the theater at 6 years old. I was still too young to really understand the difference between live action and animation. Belle and the Beast were as real as anybody, as was the story.

Well, it is true that I watched this movie once when I was a girl. And I still have a shorter version of the story on an audiocasette, which even had a book with the story and pictures from the movie as a companion (the book has unfortunately been missing for several years now). And I remember how my best friend at the time had a longer version of the story, and all the songs from the movie, on a CD! But still, I can promise you that my feelings for B&TB is more than just nostalgia from my childhood. For I really fell in love with it when I watched it as an adult, and Belle is my favorite Disney princess. But there will always be some people out there, for whom a movie just doesn't work, no matter how popular and critically acclaimed it is, or how much you and I happen to love it...

Intelligence and purity.

[–] taynted_lynx 8 years ago

Because it's massively overrated. The Little Mermaid handled the moralizing far better than Beauty and the Beast did with Vanessa and Ariel, and that movie wasn't even intended to have that moral. Plot problems are also a problem as well, including how the villagers would not believe Maurice's claims that there was a beast nearby when the Beast's castle was clearly just a few miles away.