Beauty & the Beast DVD vs. VHS discussion

[Jules]

Perhaps because you realize deep down inside you're not so happy with the batb transformation after all?

Not, that's not it, and shame on you for trying to convince me of your views when I was experiencing a potentially hazardous emotional dilemma.

[jeremy88]

Well for myself, when I watch movies that have been "restored" I just watch them for what they are, and not how different the colors are. Which in my opinion are still generally the same, and if anything the movie just looks cleaner. It's not like they went ahead and made Belle's yellow dress pink or anything. To me, the movie is about the story, the music, the characters, and the whole ambience of the film and not how minutely different the color pallet is because at the end it's still Beauty and the Beast and not Beauty and the Radish .

[Lars Vermundsberget]

Julian you should really snap out of it. I was merely starting a discussion about a freakin' restoration of an animated film. You react as if we were encouraging a racial segregation.

BTW, you can argue your point without using CAPS LOCK.

Oh yeah, let's blame it on Julian now, shall we?

Seriously - it was just brought up that the VHS and LD were transferred from film and the DVD from the "digital source". I couldn't help but thinking that both approaches are "right" in different ways. So I'm happy to have both in my collection (LD and DVD, that is).

[rodis]

That's why I apologised in advance.

No prob.

Well ... I don't know. I'm not really that mad - I guess the text makes me seem madder. I myself am not sure what's gotten over me. I've never been so aggressive and quick-tempered on UD.

You should NEVER, EVER, let anyone get the best of you. No one on this board is worth it. Not even me.

Cheers, mate!

[Disneykid]

Okay, I was re-watching my Platinum Edition DVDs to prep myself for the upcoming Jungle Book release. While watching the IMAX trailer for Beauty and the Beast on disc two, I noticed that the video quality was pretty sharp and clean, and yet the color palette was different from the actual DVD presentation. Now, I realize that a) a trailer is hardly a definitive means of showcasing a film presentation and b) the trailer in question is obviously transferred from film, not CAPS. Still, the trailer is clean and sharp enough for me to think that it WAS transferred from CAPS before the IMAX tweaks were made, and then placed on film. Here are some screencaps from both the trailer and the film itself:

























I do honestly think the colors were altered specifically for the IMAX and DVD releases rather than being what was originally done in CAPS. My Art of Animation Book is the edition that was released to promote Beauty and the Beast, so half of it is devoted solely to the film. None of the images in that book resemble what's on the DVD, and this was a book that released concurrently with the original release in 1991. Also take a look at Aladdin. That film was released a mere year later, yet its DVD transfer isn't a wild departure from the VHS and laserdisc editions, nor publicity stills and footage. Same with The Lion King, and yet both of these were also tweaked for IMAX. My guess is since Beauty and the Beast had a darker, more muted color palette than the two films that followed it, it was deemed that the film needed to be brighter and bolder for the ultra-big screen.

Please note, though, that while I admittedly prefer the more earthy tone for the film over the pastel one, I don't consider the DVD an abomination or anything. Really, I've gotten used to the brighter colors, so they no longer bother me the way they first did back in 2002. The only thing that bothers me now is the plethora of compression artifacts that we won't see rectified until a Blu-Ray release in 2010.

[Disney Duster]

I've seen an interview about the restorations and one of the men told that they DID add colours and added brighter shades of pink etc. To make it more modern and interesting for the current youth.
So did they with Cinderella.

You know, I've read things along those lines, regarding Cinderella, more than once on the internet. I neverthought Beauty and the Beast had it too. I think Cinderella's change was way more drastic, and I think this is fact, not opinion. Regardless if the changes make it look more like the original or not, everyone must admit the DVD was a very drastic change from all VHS or laserdisc versions of Cinderella, and perhaps the most drastic "restoration" for any Disney film so far. But I noticed Cinderella looked more pastel, brighter, and I kiddier.

Disneykid, thank you for those. You know, I noticed the lines really do look thinner, mostly noticable on Belle's dress. This could be A) Because the trailer is more "zoomed-in", but not by that much so that's doubtful, B) The trailer also has some brightness issue, making things appear brighter which makes something bright widen it's glow and look bigger, but the darker outlines are thinner, too, or C) They made the lines purposely thinner. I think it's C, but that's not necessarily bad, because for IMAX, everything looks bigger, so they need to make the details smaller and finer. The problem is that when it went back to the small screen, those smaller lines were still small, and are less visible than the IMAX screens made them. Also, you and Marky both said you have books where the pictures match the VHS version. So...I think they tweaked it, and some people like it and some don't. I for one prefer the earthier, darker tones like you and Marky. Maybe the next time it's released, they'll offer the bright special IMAX version and the dark original version? I HOPE!

[JaceDisney91]

I'm actually quite embaressed to admit that I forgotten to get "Beauty and the Beast" on Special Edition DVD back in 2002. Though I still have the original video somewhere in my collection (watched it not too long ago on VHS in my spare time and still love that movie) and even if I don't have a DVD copy, I'm still just really happy I have it on VHS. Not only because it's obviously a great movie and it deserved the Oscar-nomination but for nostalgia value as well (same reason I have two versions of "The Little Mermaid", the special edition DVD and the original 1991 VHS).

Though if there's one thing I wasen't so keen on with the Special Edition DVDs Disney released before the mid-2000's was the fact that they shove in an extra song into the movie to see how it goes. I love The Lion King and thought the Special Edition DVD for that was perfect but they at least could of had the original version of the movie on the DVD too like they promised and not just the version with the "Morning Report" song (which sadly, I didn't like at all, it was good enough if you just hear it being spoken in the background). I'm glad now that they dropped that sort of thing now and just put the extra songs in the deleted scenes sections.

*phew* Very long post I just made! I'll stop now then. XD

- Eric.

P.S. It's great to be here!

[Escapay]

but they at least could of had the original version of the movie on the DVD too

It is. Simply go to the Set Up menu, select Film/Audio Options, and choose the audio options for the Original Theatrical.




As for the whole adding songs into the films, the only one I truly enjoyed of the three DACs they did it to (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas) was "If I Never Knew You".

Scaps

[blackcauldron85]

Simply go to the Set Up menu, select Film/Audio Options, and choose the audio options for the Original Theatrical.

Doesn't that just take out "Human Again"? The backgrounds are still changed (they're "clean" since the objects cleaned during "Human Again"), until a certain point, when the Beast messes up the castle again.

[Escapay]

Simply go to the Set Up menu, select Film/Audio Options, and choose the audio options for the Original Theatrical.

Doesn't that just take out "Human Again"? The backgrounds are still changed (they're "clean" since the objects cleaned during "Human Again"), until a certain point, when the Beast messes up the castle again.

He was asking about The Lion King, Ames. Unless, of course, Beauty and the Beast suddenly featured elephant graveyards and a hyena with a skull in their menus...

And yes, the OT for BATB does remove Human Again (along with the clean backgrounds).

Scaps

[blackcauldron85]

Oh. I had read his post earlier in the day...and the quote you posted from it was out of context for me...my bad.

[Disneykid]

Although if you reeeaaally want to get technical, Scaps, the theatrical version of The Lion King on the DVD is still the IMAX version, tweaked waterfalls, crocs, and all.

And if you reeeeaally want to get technical, blackcauldron, the theatrical version of Beauty and the Beast is on the DVD - 10 minutes of it, anyway. Everything from the end of "Something There" until Belle leaving the castle is the theatrical version (destroyed backgrounds and all), albeit with the IMAX color tweaks as seen in my post above.

Technicalities are fun.

[JaceDisney91]

but they at least could of had the original version of the movie on the DVD too

It is. Simply go to the Set Up menu, select Film/Audio Options, and choose the audio options for the Original Theatrical.




As for the whole adding songs into the films, the only one I truly enjoyed of the three DACs they did it to (Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Pocahontas) was "If I Never Knew You".

Scaps

Oh wow, this is wonderful! Thank you very much, sir!

[Escapay]

Although if you reeeaaally want to get technical, Scaps, the theatrical version of The Lion King on the DVD is still the IMAX version, tweaked waterfalls, crocs, and all.

And if you reeeeaally want to get technical, blackcauldron, the theatrical version of Beauty and the Beast is on the DVD - 10 minutes of it, anyway. Everything from the end of "Something There" until Belle leaving the castle is the theatrical version (destroyed backgrounds and all), albeit with the IMAX color tweaks as seen in my post above.

Technicalities are fun.

Quotename says it all.

Oh wow, this is wonderful! Thank you very much, sir!

No problem! Anything to make sure viewers DON'T see that horrid "Morning Report"! Of course, if I had it my way, they wouldn't be watching The Lion King at all, but that's something else entirely.

Scaps

[KubrickFan]

Couldn't anyone with the laserdisc post some screenshots from that transfer? So we could see the differences between the laserdisc and the dvd? I looked at the caps from the trailer, and the small differences didn't bothered me. Perhaps that would change with the laserdisc version of the film.

[akhenaten]

as per the new restoration, i like the color. but there's not a solid black to be found in the picture. only light shades of darkness. it makes the movie seem like its shot in a studio with artificial lighting ala mary poppins... lights coming from all sources ( which is a minor quibble i haf about mary poppins and other production from the 50s n 60s)