Beauty & The Beast

Well it seems Pixar has really cornered the market with their current films with Disney. The stories are richer, and funnier than most of the animated classics, the visuals are really 2nd to none, but the music has kind of gone to hell. The days of Beauty and Beast, Lion King, and Little Mermaid vocal type tunes are really a dying art. Randy Newman is a decent writer, but he needs to stop singing (mumbling) his own tunes and now with bands like Rascal Flatts getting the lead vocal songs, times have changed.
So with that being said, I think the songs in this movie are well done. While the movie it’s self is OK. I remember as a girl the computer animation used in the ballroom dance sequence was considered ground-breaking, which today is almost easy to overlook. Overall, I’ve never been a fan of this story line, as I think it’s a bit mature for young kids (and the beast is pretty gruff/scary at times too), yet it’s almost too immature for most women (not quite a Romeo and Juliet concept here). It’s a good flick for girls around 8 years old to get into romance/role playing with and for mom’s to sit through with their kids, but by today’s standards the story and visuals seem lacking.

2.5 of 5 candle sticks