Beauty and the Beast (1991)

 

A selfish, prideful prince scorns to aid a beggar woman by providing shelter from a storm.  Unfortunately for him, she is an enchantress in disguise, and curses him to be as ugly on the outside as he is within: the Beast is born.

Some years later, a young woman named Belle dreams of a more exciting life than that of her small, provincial village.  Preferably one far away from Gaston, a narcissistic bully who has set his sights on making her his wife.  She gets far more adventure than she bargained for when her father accidentally stumbles upon the Beast's castle and is thrown in the castle jail.  In order to secure her father's release, Belle agrees to become a prisoner in his stead.

Will the beautiful, idealistic young women soothe the savage Beast?  Well, of course she will.  I very much doubt this is a surprise.  The destination is not the point here, the journey is, and it's a great one from a golden era of Disney animation.  Lovely traditional animation (with some CGI backgrounds), great songs, and a snappy pace.  Definitely a far better film than the bloated and underwhelming (albeit massively successful) 2017 live-action remake.

This version of Beauty and the Beast is an excellently crafted film from top to bottom.  The only reason not to watch and thoroughly enjoy it is if you have a fundamental objection to animated films.  Which given how many excellent animated films there are, would be your loss, really.