Bangkok--Dec 7--TriStar Buena Vista Films (Thailand)
In celebration of its tenth anniversary, Walt Disney Pictures' timeless animated classic, "Beauty and the Beast" makes its Giant Screen debut at theaters around the world with a large format cinema special edition. Adding to the excitement of this release is the introduction of a newly animated six-minute musical sequence that features the song "Human Again," written for the original film by Academy Award-winning songwriters Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. Working from the film's original digitally stored files, "Beauty and the Beast" has been meticulously and painstakingly reformatted one frame at a time to take full advantage of the Giant Screen. Led by the original filmmaking team - producer Don Hahn and directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale -- a group of Disney's top artists and technicians launched a major effort to remove dust and dirt, add detail and effects, and create new animation for this occasion. Nearly all of the original animators created the character animation for the new sequence and all of the film's stellar voice cast - including Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers and Jo Anne Worley - reprised their roles. The film's Oscar-nominated team of sound re-recording experts also lent their talents to this special release by remixing the original tracks to utilize the full range of acoustic dynamics offered by the large format venues. New film stocks and technological advances also contributed to making this release look better than ever.
"Beauty and the Beast" was only the second Disney animated film to be produced digitally. All of the film's original artwork and production elements were stored digitally on 8mm magnetic tape and subsequently transferred and archived on 9000 CD-ROMs. The latter became the source material for creating three different large format versions of the film that could play in IMAX and other Giant Screen venues. Special camera heads and film printers worked around the clock to reformat the original film for the Giant Screen and to create new prints (in 8 and 15 perf formats) that would provide an unprecedented level of clarity, dimension and superior sound quality.
Originally released in 1991, "Beauty and the Beast" proved to be a major success at the box office (the first animated feature to cross the $100 million plateau in its initial release), a favorite with moviegoers all over the world and an important milestone for the art of animation. The film became the first and only animated feature to ever receive a Best Picture Nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy/Musical. In all, the film received six Oscar nominations and took home trophies in 1992 for Best Song ("Beauty and the Beast") and Best Original Score (composed by Alan Menken). Additional kudos came from the music industry as the film garnered two Grammy Awards.
At the time of its initial release, "Beauty and the Beast" enchanted critics and played a major role in resurrecting interest in movie musicals. Additionally, the film also helped revive Broadway musicals and was launched as a stage musical itself in 1994. That production, which included new songs by composer Alan Menken (with additional lyrics by Tim Rice), is still playing on Broadway after more than 3,000 performances and has become the tenth-longest running musical in Broadway history. It was nominated for nine Tony Awards (and won in the Costume category). Touring versions of the show have played across the U.S. and in such countries as England, Germany, Spain and Japan.
No less than New York's most influential and powerful theater critic Frank Rich (of The New York Times) observed, "What is the best Broadway musical comedy score of 1991? Make no mistake about it, it is the score that Alan Menken and Howard Ashman wrote for 'Beauty and the Beast,' the animated Walt Disney movie that opened this week." He went on to note "Their goosebump-inducing accomplishment in 'Beauty and the Beast' …accentuates what is missing from the Broadway musical scene."
The late film critic Gene Siskel gave the film a "thumbs up," proclaiming, "The musical has been basically dead for the last 20 years in American film; this one brings it back alive with a great score. And they've even got the details right." The New York Post's Jami Bernard noted, "The most wondrous thing about this movie is the character animation and the sophisticated use of 'camera angles' - like the complicated shot where we swirl from the chandelier on down to two figures dancing in an empty ballroom." Most importantly, the success of "Beauty and the Beast" gave Walt Disney Feature Animation a tremendous boost and further fueled the creative resurgence that had begun two years earlier with the release of "The Little Mermaid" (which also included songs by Ashman and Menken). Animated features began to be seen as serious filmmaking efforts and new attention was focused on the art form. Disney followed this success with the release of such other animated musicals as "Aladdin," "The Lion King," "Pocahontas," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "Hercules," "Mulan," and "Tarzan."
Thomas Schumacher, president of Walt Disney Feature Animation and Buena Vista Theatrical Group, views the film's enduring popularity in this way: "There's something deep at the core of 'Beauty and the Beast'; something about the relationship between Belle and the Beast; and something about what the music says to people. Not only is it inviting and inclusive with songs like 'Be Our Guest,' but it also has a lot to say about the transforming power of love. Love is a healing force, and every single person who has seen the film or the stage play is profoundly moved by that. No matter what time we live in or what language you hear it in, that's an affirming message."
Roy E. Disney, vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company, admits, "'Beauty and the Beast' is my favorite movie of the past decade. It's just a wonderful piece of work. And there is this great family feel about it for everyone who worked on it. It was bigger than anything we had done before and the Oscar nomination made it very special for all of us. The film played at The New York Film Festival and in Cannes and got standing ovations all over the world. 'Beauty' was clearly a story we needed to do and Howard Ashman and Alan Menken brought this enormous sense of Broadway theatrical comedy to the process. It was in the canon of fairy tales and the tradition of what we had done before, but it had a freshness and originality to it that really engaged audiences the world over."
Commenting on the film's large format debut, Dick Cook, chairman of The Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, says, "The tenth anniversary of 'Beauty and the Beast' is really exciting because it gives us an opportunity to bring the film back for a whole new generation. Many of the moviegoers who saw it ten years ago now have children of their own that they can share the film with. This special edition presents the film bigger and better than ever and with a new sequence that was originally planned for the 1991 release. It's always been a magical film and seeing it on the big screen is exciting, fun and a great emotional experience. "'Beauty and the Beast' is the first full-length narrative feature to really be shown in the large format," adds Cook. "Instead of just taking a 35mm version and blowing it up for the Giant Screen, our team went back to the original digital source material and spent more than a year reformatting each frame, adding detail and effects, and fixing mistakes that were never noticeable before. Seeing this special anniversary edition is like seeing it for the first time. You'll see nuances they you've never seen before. The colors are more vivid and richly saturated than ever before. Kirk and Gary have gone through every scene of the original film to make sure that everything is exactly right. The Giant Screen presentation envelops you and makes you feel like you're a part of the film. From the opening scenes, you'll be convinced that the film was done in 3D because you're moving through the woods in that large format and walking through the village with Belle. The audience becomes observers watching what is happening all around them and that's something you don't get in any other format."
Producer Don Hahn adds, "This film was made for the big screen. You want to be able to see the Beast's castle and the ballroom with Belle in her beautiful ball gown six stories tall. What better way to exhibit the film than on these Giant Screens. It not only puts you in the presence of these characters but it actually puts you in the presence of the movie. You feel like you're not only watching it but you're there in the movie." "Beauty and the Beast" remains one of the most popular and enduring romantic adventures the world has ever known and provided a rich source of material for Walt Disney's 30th full-length animated feature. This classic fairy tale about a beautiful young girl and her encounter with an enchanted beast has long fascinated and intrigued storytellers, filmmakers and their audiences. With the artistry and imagination of the Disney creative team, an inspired song score by two Academy Award-winning songwriters and the contributions of an enormously talented vocal ensemble, this age old fantasy took on exciting new dimensions that were only possible through the magic of animation.
Set in and around a small French village during the late 18th century, "Beauty and the Beast" follows the fantastic adventures of Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman who finds escape from her ordinary provincial life -- and the relentless advances of a handsome but boorish suitor, Gaston -- by reading books. When her inventor father stumbles onto the castle of a hideous beast and is taken prisoner, Belle comes to the rescue and agrees to take her father's place. With the assistance of the castle's enchanted staff -- a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others -- she soon learns to see beneath the Beast's exterior to discover the heart and soul of a human prince. Meanwhile, consumed by rejection and jealously, Gaston reveals that he has the heart of a beast and leads a mob to the castle for a climactic confrontation. "Beauty and the Beast" was only the fifth classic fairy tale to be adapted as a Disney animated feature. The tradition began in 1937 with "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," which was based on the famous story by the Brothers Grimm. In the 1950s, Walt Disney and his animators successfully tackled two classic folk tales by French author Charles Perrault -- "Cinderella" (1950) and "Sleeping Beauty" (1959). Another famous purveyor of fairy tales, Hans Christian Andersen, was the source of "The Little Mermaid," Disney's 1989 release. Transforming "Beauty and the Beast" into a Disney animated feature was a challenging assignment that took over 3 1/2 years to accomplish and required the talents of nearly 600 animators, artists and technicians, not to mention over a million drawings and 226,000 individually painted cels. Heading up the team was producer Don Hahn, a 25-year Disney veteran, and two talented young directors, Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, who made their debut in that capacity on this film. This same filmmaking trio reteamed to create "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (1996) and "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" (2001). Ten supervising animators were assigned to specific characters and took on the task of bringing them to life with the assistance of an impressive group of character animators, clean-up artists and other key supporting players. Animators at Disney's satellite facility at the Disney-MGM Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida also contributed to the production. Using the timeless themes and basic elements of the classic fairy tale as a starting point, writer Linda Woolverton created a fresh and stylish screenplay which became the structural and emotional blueprint for the visual development and storyboarding phases that accompanied it. Executive producer/lyricist Howard Ashman also contributed greatly to the development and structure of the story from the earliest stages on. Roger Allers was in charge of story supervision while Brian McEntee and Ed Ghertner handled the art direction and layout duties, respectively. Lisa Keene supervised a team of 14 artists who created 1,300 backgrounds for the film. Sarah McArthur was the associate producer and John Carnochan ("The Little Mermaid") served as the film's editor.
Overseeing the creation of the new "Human Again" animated segment for the large format cinema special edition were art director Ed Ghertner and artistic coordinator Dave Bossert. The segment's artistic supervisors were John Sanford (Story), Mitchell Bernal (Layout), Alex Topete (Clean-up), Dean Gordon (Background) and Steve Moore (Special Effects). Marshall Toomey was the layout supervisor for the large format edition, with Lisa Keene overseeing backgrounds and Tom Baker guiding scene planning. Ellen Keneshea served as the editor for this special edition.
Woven into the fabric of the story are seven outstanding songs by the Academy Award-winning team of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, the songwriters responsible for Disney's 1989 animated musical blockbuster "The Little Mermaid" and the 1992 hit comedy, "Aladdin." Here again, Ashman's sophisticated lyrics combine with Menken's memorable melodies to provide songs that are not only enjoyable musical interludes but also serve as important story elements that advance the plot and contribute to the development of the characters. Menken, an eight-time Oscar winner, also provides an inspired underscore for this latest project as well. The untimely death of Howard Ashman in March 1991 (eight months before "Beauty" opened) deprived the world of one of the preeminent creative talents of our time, but his genius lives on in his beloved films for Disney and the musical theater.
Contributing to the creation of the characters from a vocal standpoint are a talented group of actors and actresses who provided the speaking and singing voices. Veteran stage actress and singer Paige O'Hara was selected to play the female lead, Belle, from among hundreds of top Broadway talents who auditioned for the part. Her sincerity as an actress combined with her fine singing skills made her the perfect voice choice for the independent, adventure-loving, romantic-minded heroine. Equally impressive in his ability to give the kind of well-rounded performance the filmmakers were looking for was actor Robby Benson, who was cast as the Beast on the basis of his winning audition. The actor brings a sense of humor and humanity to this hideous looking creature who must learn to love and be loved in return in order to break the spell he is under. Stage actor Richard White is the macho voice behind Gaston, a handsome and comically conceited character who is intent on marrying Belle. When things don't go quite according to plan, he reveals the heart of a beast beneath his handsome exterior. Through good times or bad, Gaston can always count on his faithful sidekick Le Fou, hilariously brought to life through the vocal performance of actor Jesse Corti. The late Rex Everhart, another fine stage actor, gave an inventive turn as Maurice, Belle's inventor father whose unconventional Rube Goldberg-like creations are ahead of their time.
Providing voices for the principal enchanted objects -- the maids and servants of the castle who were transformed at the same time that an enchantresses' spell turned the selfish Prince into a hideous beast -- are a first rate cast of performers. Angela Lansbury, a four-time Tony Award winner, acclaimed screen star and a television favorite, gives a bubbly performance as a perky teapot named Mrs. Potts who likes to spout motherly advice to her son Chip (voice of Bradley Pierce) and Belle. Veteran stage, screen and television star Jerry Orbach shines as the voice behind a hot-blooded candelabra named Lumiere, the former maitre d' whose charm and boulevardier personality turn an ordinary meal into a major event. Actor David Ogden Stiers is superb as the voice of Cogsworth, a tightly-wound mantel clock who functions as the head of the household and attempts to run things like clockwork. Rounding out the vocal cast is comedienne Jo Anne Worley, who lends her vocal talents to a wacky wardrobe.
The "Beauty and the Beast" story is indeed a "tale as old as time" with variations on the central theme dating as far back as Greek mythology. In 1550, Italian author Giovan Straparalo wrote the first account of the story as it is generally known. The tale grew in popularity during the 18th century with books by French authors Madam Le Prince De Beaumont and Madame Gabrielle di Villeneuve. In 1946, acclaimed French director Jean Cocteau used cinematic imagery and lyrical expression to bring this story imaginatively to the big screen ("La Belle et la Bete"). Other film interpretations have followed as well as a popular television show in 1987 which shifted the setting to contemporary New York.
"Doing your own version of 'Beauty and the Beast' is as much a tradition as is the story itself," says producer Don Hahn. "Part of the fun is that each generation and culture adapts this story to be its own. The themes, you can't judge a book by its cover and beauty is only skin deep, are as relevant today as ever." Screenwriter Linda Woolverton agrees, "The lessons of this story are truly timeless. It tells viewers to look beyond the surface and beyond materialism and that what is in their hearts and souls are the things that really matter."
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