Beauty and the Beast Discussion

[Disney Duster]

Dude, that is super cool!

[JeanGreyForever]

Farerb, what kind of merchandise is that magic mirror, and where did you get it?!

It's a real mirror and I got it way back from a third party seller on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X9B7GCY/re ... EEbKGPRE7A
Unfortunately it seems like no one sells it. Maybe there are some on eBay.

They used to also sell them at Hot Topic and/or Box Lunch. Not sure if they still do. I always meant to pick one up but I never got around to it.

[Disney Duster]

Oh. Well, I only collect merchandise from my top most favorite films, so that mirror, and the floating rose in the bell jar that I know also exists, would just be stuff I would only ever buy if I was rich, lol.

[JeanGreyForever]

The mirror was cheap, only $25 or so. Maybe even less but I can't remember. There's a great life-size replica of the Beast's rose which I actually do have. It was super pricey though, around $400 I think, but luckily I got a free $500 gift card from renting an apartment at a building by my university so I decided to use it on that. It's so gorgeous and movie accurate but for some reason, I can't seem to find the Ebay or Etsy listing for it anymore. It was super popular and a huge best seller so I'm not sure why it would be gone. Disney even commissioned the makers for several roses for an official BATB event and the makers even gave Paige O'Hara one. I think in one of the BATB featurettes from the Signature Edition (the Paige O'Hara centric one), you can see it in the background of her home.

[Escapay]

Hey guys, I know I haven't been around as much lately, but just wanted to drop a link to something I wrote for my blog: the story of Beauty and the Beast on home video. It's a mix of personal recollections and the history of the film's various home media releases since 1992. A couple stories in the piece can be traced back to some online discussions here (for example: a forum member suggesting I fly to Ft. Worth to buy a Platinum Edition of the film).

I started writing this around the time the 4K was announced, and hoped to have it finished when the disc streeted a few weeks back. Unfortunately, work always got in the way, but then thanks to quarantine, I had plenty of time and managed to finish it up last week. I forgot to post about it here until now, even though I had to consult a few old threads here for some details hazy memories.

Anyway, it's a lengthy piece so if you check out 1/3 of the way through, that's fine. It's mostly there for me to just capture my thoughts on Beauty and the Beast's different video releases, and some versions released weren't even listed (an activity kit from 1992, the bonus CD attached to the Platinum, Disney Movie Club's collector's box set, the UK's "Big Sleeve Edition," etc.), so it may even see updating in the future. For now, it's a 28-year journey through a film's legacy on home video:

Beauty and the Beast: A Personal History on Home Video

If reception is good, I may do similar pieces on Aladdin or Sleeping Beauty, but not until I acquire more copies of the film that I'm still missing out on (Aladdin's Mondo steelbook, Sleeping Beauty's 1986 Laserdiscs and 1997 Widescreen VHS). With digital and streaming likely being the future in the next 10-15 years, physical media is in danger of become an artifact of history rather than a continued presence, so writing about it helps me deal with its slow death and decline.

Alby

[blackcauldron85]

Whoa, you have the Work-in-Progress screener VHS!!! I know that the Work-in-Progress was screened even before it was released (which you mentioned), so I would have figured that it was released as the screener so people could marvel at it, but your explanation about piracy definitely makes sense. And what was the logo shown on the VHS/LD of the WIP?

I remember the long wait to get B&tB on video, too. I was lucky enough to see it in the theater, and I remember having to wait until Halloween the next year to get it!

Did the black clamshell deluxe version have different colors than the white clamshell Classics one?? (Or when you referred to another VHS having different colors, were you referring to the Platinum Edition?)

"I don’t have Disney’s Art of Animation, so I can’t speak for what the first half of the book contains."- I have the B&tB & Hercules versions of this book (the B&tB one I took out of the library a lot as a kid). It talks about the beginnings of the Disney Studio, with Alice Comedies, Oswald, and then the shorts, and then obviously the features.

Can you briefly explain CLV vs. CAV?

I'm not sure if at the time you posted here about your encounter, but OMG you got to talk with Don Hahn!!! <3 <3 <3

What is MovieNex?

Don & Paige & Robby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ooh, that's amazing!

That was a great read!! I haven't bought as many versions as you had, but I hadn't been down memory lane like that in a while!!!

[rodis]

I had a very nice read! Thank you.
Especially loved to read how you were first introduced to it and then at your aunt's...
Would love a chapter 2

[Disney's Divinity]

Random thoughts as I was reading:

I didn't know Jump5 was a Christian pop group. I always thought they were just some tweens Disney randomly put together.

It was interesting to read about your memories of first discovering the movie. I knew B&tB and Aladdin were your favorites, but I didn't know you liked Peter Pan very much, too.

lol @ the lost Enchanted Christmas tape.

I didn't realize VHS tapes were $30 back then... Then again, everything Disney has always been "highly priced" for as long as remember, since they were an elite brand name in movies. I have a new gratitude for my mother having bought all the animated films now.

I still remember all the discussions over the restoration with Marky fondly. You didn't mention it in the article, but I also go back to read that one poster whose whole existence was bashing The Enchanted Christmas as some pedo abomination, too, once in a blue moon. I think they had a Cri-Kee avatar or something like that? Aah, memories.

Yeah, I actually have a 3D copy of TLM against my will, even though I'll never be able to experience it as I don't have the player or TV that's needed. Same with 4K.

You've traveled so many places. I'm happy for you.

[Disney Duster]

Oh, what a lovely read, Escapay! It's like you took me on a great journey about Beauty and the Beast, too!

A couple things. I thought your VHS of Cinderella was a recording of a television presentation that had the ending missing?

I loved what you said about lines coming together, apart, and flowing, and how you decribed pencil animation.

I thought it was the Cinderella color debate that Marky said looked like Microsoft Paint? But you would remember what he said specifically about Beauty and the Beast better than me, so...?

I loved how you used the "Signature" part of the Signature Collection literally!

I caught a mistake, only one! In your paragraph, "The era of making these reissues an Event is unfortunately gone now. Throughout the 20th century, it meant putting a film back in theatres, for people to re-visit together as a community inside a darkened screening room. In the 90s and early 2000s, it meant upgrades to superior forms of home media, parents sitting down with their kids, reintroducing a classic from the comfort of their family room sofa."

You didn't have the "t" that I made large for you to see where it should go.

I am going to post a picture of my idea for a Beauty and the Beast poster soon. It would be cool if you checked here a few times in the next few days to see if I posted it and you can let me know what you think! Just if you want.

[Farerb]

Paige O'Hara reads Beauty and the Beast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyGW22dlCJI

[Disney Duster]

Aw, that was sweet farerb!

JeanGreyForever, I never posted back about your post about the enchanted rose prop! I actually had said somewhere I knew of that prop, and I know Escapay had one himself, though it broke, but maybe he got a new one. I hope he could. Anyway, it looks really awesome, thanks for sharing! It's so cool you have one. Be careful if you clean it, that's how Escapay's broke! Poor guy!

[JeanGreyForever]

Oh that's a shame for Escapay. They are really expensive but the makers seemed nice enough that if he reached out to them, maybe they would give him a replacement or at least not charge him full price. Assuming he could contact them now. I'll definitely make sure to be more careful with mine. It's sorta in a corner to be honest so it doesn't get much interaction luckily.

[Farerb]

Yeah the Enchanted Rose looks amazing. If I had a chance to get one, I would instead of the cheap Funko one I have. All the others don't look similar to the one in the film.

[Disney Duster]

It would be wonderful if Escapay and farerb can get those amazing Enchanted Roses! Well, in Escapay's case, get one again.

[DisneyFan97]

Why didn’t Jodi Benson end up voiceing Belle ?

[Farerb]

Why didn’t Jodi Benson end up voiceing Belle ?

They wanted someone more "Judy Garland", someone with more mature sounding voice since Belle is more mature than Ariel.

[Disney's Divinity]

Why didn’t Jodi Benson end up voiceing Belle ?

My understanding is they decided they wanted someone with a more classical voice, and Benson is very American-sounding.

[Escapay]

Thanks for the feedback, y'all! To answer some of the questions...

What was the logo shown on the VHS/LD of the WIP?

The official release uses the early "wreath" logo for the film, which was also used on the Beauty and the Beast preview included on the 1991 VHS of The Jungle Book. It's very "Faerie Tale Theatre meets Saturday Morning Cartoon" so I'm glad it wasn't used.

Did the black clamshell deluxe version have different colors than the white clamshell Classics one??

No, I was just referencing that the casing was in black as opposed to white. The tape in the Deluxe Edition is the same as the general release.

Can you briefly explain CLV vs. CAV?

CLV is Constant Linear Velocity, which means up to 60 minutes of video can be recorded on one side of a disc, however, it doesn't offer the different playback options as CAV (pause, rewind, fast-forward, frame-by-frame, slow-motion, etc.). CAV (Constant Angular Velocity) means that the video is transferred at a higher quality that allows for those playback options, but is thus limited to only 30 minutes per side.

So for an 84-minute film like Beauty and the Beast, it's split across 3 sides in CAV format, meaning two sides of one disc, and then one side of another disc. Disney used the fourth side on the CLV releases for extras, but most studios generally leave the unused side blank.

Another example is the Collector's Edition of Ben-Hur on CAV Laserdisc. It's a 4-hour film and so it takes up 4 whole discs because it's spread across 30 minutes per side (Sides 1 to . The fifth disc is for its documentary, in CLV format on one side (Side 9 overall), so Side 10 is blank.

What is MovieNex?

The Japanese equivalent of Movies Anywhere, essentially.

Would love a chapter 2

Started drafting notes for Sleeping Beauty a couple days ago!

It was interesting to read about your memories of first discovering the movie. I knew B&tB and Aladdin were your favorites, but I didn't know you liked Peter Pan very much, too.

Yeah, I don't talk as much about my love for Peter Pan, and in recent years it's kind of waned down because of my rediscovery of Sleeping Beauty, but I still hold it in high regard.

lol @ the lost Enchanted Christmas tape.

Honestly, if the new family in the house ever finds the tape, they can have it.

You didn't mention it in the article, but I also go back to read that one poster whose whole existence was bashing The Enchanted Christmas as some pedo abomination, too, once in a blue moon. I think they had a Cri-Kee avatar or something like that? Aah, memories.

Goodness, I was hoping to forget that but if anyone wants to read it: Click Here for the Nonsensical Dissertation and Click Here for the UD Thread

You've traveled so many places. I'm happy for you.

Thanks! I was supposed to go to Paris this summer but thanks to COVID-19, am rethinking those plans whilst the world rights itself.

A couple things. I thought your VHS of Cinderella was a recording of a television presentation that had the ending missing?

No, we had Cinderella on Black Diamond VHS. But after years of watching, it glitched after the ball (right at the line "I guess I forgot about everything, even the time.") and would automatically stop and start rewinding the tape. So until we got the DVD, we stopped watching the "ending" of the film around 1994 or so.

I thought it was the Cinderella color debate that Marky said looked like Microsoft Paint?

Honey, he thought everything on DVD looked like Microsoft Paint. I stopped caring about the nonsense he wrote around 2013. Life's too short.

I caught a mistake, only one!

[/quote][/quote]
I'll fix it eventually. Keeping it for now as a testament to imperfection.

Regarding my broken Enchanted Rose, I don't have any plans on fixing it or replacing it. It's been nothing but trouble and so I'm fine not having one for now. I've got plenty of other BATB stuff to keep me distracted anyway.

Albert

[blackcauldron85]

Thanks for answering our questions!

The "wreath" logo I had to go to YouTube to find: https://imgur.com/a/XbCs6cj (and the neat video I got it from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZwRrzRIvnI)
Very neat!!!

And nice laserdisc explanation- I appreciate it! Can't wait for the SB post!!!

*edit* I'm still watching the video I posted, and obviously Angela sang "he's our guest!"...how did the re-recording for the scene/reanimating of the scene happen? Like, they just came in for a short period, or were they doing other tweaks, needing everyone to come in (you know, how they have to come in numerous times to read)? I need to do some research on this!

*edit* This gives a little info:

Director Gary Trousdale points out that "Be Our Guest" was originally intended to be sung to Maurice. "The song had already been recorded and the sequence partially animated when we decided that it would be more meaningful if it was directed towards Belle," says Trousdale. "After all, she is one of the two main characters and the story revolves around her coming to the castle. We had to bring Jerry Orbach and all the other vocal talents back into the studio to change all references to gender that appeared in the original recording."

http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=6858 (via Wikipedia)

*edit*
I apparently haven't watched the great Platinum Edition documentary in forever; Don Hahn says that Howard Ashman did come back to spruce up the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dC-ZlsYSpo

And speaking of from your article, I should pull out my copy of Bob Thomas' "Disney's Art of Animation" book or my Tale As Old As Time book and see if they mention more about the re-do...

[Disney Duster]

Oh, so Escapay, you had the entire Cinderella before! Glad you did get to see the ending on first viewing (and many other viewings) after all! I'm surprised the film got watched a lot by you, to be honest. Lol about Marky, that's right.

Ok, well, as long as you are happy with your other BatB stuff, which you clearly are!