Guest Blogger: Nicole 2

In Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Prince Adam, a shallow and narcissistic man, finds himself cursed to bear the awful appearance of a furry beast and his servants transformed into household objects by an Enchantress when Adam refuses to provide her shelter from the cold. The only chance he has of breaking the spell and returning to normal is if he manages to fall in love with a woman that loves him in return. There is a deadline, however. On the Beast’s 21 birthday, the final petal will fall from the rose the Enchantress gave him, if he cannot find his true love by then, he is stuck as the Beast forever. A decade later, Maurice, an inventor living in a French village nearby, becomes lost and stranded in the woods and seeks shelter in the Beast's castle. The Beast, however, sees this as trespassing and imprisons him. Maurice’s daughter Belle - a beautiful bookworm that holds the attention of the village hunter, Gaston (who lacks some brain power and manners), and who the village people deem odd because of her dreams of far off places and adventure - finds him locked up in the castle’s dungeon and offers her place in exchange for his freedom. The Beast accepts so long as she remain at the castle forever. At first, Belle views him as little more than a monster, while he views her as difficult and stubborn. Is it possible, however, for their perception of each other to change and for there to be something more? Paige O'Hara, the voice of Belle, does a magnificent job in the role. Her voice is light and feminine but very stern when need be, O’Hara’s vocal expressions brig the role of Belle to life. In contrast, the Beast’s ,voiced by Robby Benson, is deep and masculine. Benson’s voice comes across as slightly terrifying sometimes and friendly in others, showcasing the Beast’s dynamic personality flawlessly and is described by Janet Maslin in her movie review of Beauty and the Beast as “so convincing that it eradicates all memory of his mild manner”. The contrast in the two characters, Belle and Beasts’, voices provides the movie with a compelling stylistic element in both their speaking roles together and duets as Belle tries her best to escape and the Beast tries desperately to make Belle love him. Janet Maslin goes on to describe Beauty and the Beast as “more darkly forbidding and at times more violent than the average animated children's fable” and I agree, but although the mood is very dark at times, the central theme that love looks not with the eyes but with the heart shines through even greater because of it. Beauty and the Beast remains one of my favorite movies of all time and I strongly encourage everybody to see it if they have not already.