The Belle in this version is so beautiful! I like the fact that she's thoughtful and intelligent, which is really captured through her facial expressions. In a way, she reminds me of Lucy from the 1979 animated version of the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Thoughtful but curious. Innocent but wise. ♥
This segment captured my imagination when I was a kid and it still does now. I wish I knew more about the creative process behind it. With its solemn Beauty, abundance of darkness, greyish colors, vivid glowing blues, long stretches of quiet, and its terrifying, alien-looking Beast, it's all rather nightmarish, yet also unique and compelling. The Disney version's understandably better-known, and this one isn't perfect, but it's still very good, especially given its budget and length. I wonder what a higher-budget 20-minute version would've looked like.
In all seriousness, this Beast did a better job earning Beauty's love than the Goodtimes warthog did. And I cannot get enough of this surreal animation!
I love how the animation seems to be influenced by the illustration on Hillary Knight and The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. Not to mention the depiction of The Beast is very much like a werewolf.
He reminds me more of a demon over a werewolf, though the lycanthropic influences are present. Resembling a demon makes more sense with how wild and chaotic the castle appears, lacking any seeming order in structure despite how sturdy it is.
Oh my god you're right I never noticed that the end drawing of them embracing is a direct reference to The Kiss. Good eye. I've had this animation in my DVD library since I was 6 or 7 and return to it once in a while and never noticed that!
I quite like this adaptation. I love the gothic look to it. If it was a 40-50 minute movie and went more into detail, it would’ve been really good I feel