25 Reasons Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is Awesome 

As Disney celebrates 25 years of their animated classic 

, I thought it was the perfect time to put together 25 reasons why it is one of the best animated movies to ever exist.

The Songs – Let’s start with the wondrous music by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken. “Be Our Guest” and “Gaston” are the type of songs that can get stuck in our head, and tracks like “Beauty and the Beast” can melt our heart. We can’t imagine this movie without the songs.

The Dedication – This movie is so beautifully dedicated to lyricist Howard Ashman who passed away shortly after the film’s release. The end credits read:

“To our friend, Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul, we will forever be grateful. (1950-1991)”

. We can only imagine the music he might still be writing for Disney if he was still with us.

The Music – Let’s never underestimate the emotion of Alan Menken’s score. The soft magical music when Belle enters the west wing is so powerful and emotive. Thank goodness they’re still using his music for the live action remake.

The Animation – This is the film that always has me missing Disney’s 2D animation, and even the Renaissance period itself. The characters and fully realized and the backgrounds are to die for. I don’t need to tell you this, you already know I’m sure.

The Animator – Want to know how much a perfectionist animator Glen Keane is? He knew the emotional impact the transformation sequence would have and, after finding out he only had two weeks to do it, he went to producer Don Hahn who told him he could take as much time as he needed. His hard work really paid off. Watch his incredible pencil animation here.

The Effects – Speaking of the transformation scene, did you know the smoke in that shot was real? It looks amazing. Not to mention the CGI ballroom background (where the camera pans around with the Beast and Belle dancing) is just stunning work.

The Humor – After a hundred watches you tend to forget how funny the humor is. All I can say is that I still have memories of falling over laughing as a child when I saw the enchanted objects take on the villagers. The burping trunk and the man in the dress were a particular favorite of mine.The humor helps soothe the tone from the darker parts of the story.

The Darkness – I may have laughed at this movie as a child but I also got a little scared at the introduction of the Beast. This is why this movie deserves a lot of praise. It’s a family movie that isn’t afraid to explore the darker sides of the story (which you end up appreciating much more as an adult).

The Magic – It’s a true fairytale with heroes, villains and magic. The magic of this world, however, does not overtake the story or the characters, it’s in the background as it should be. It’s easier to suspend our disbelief this way.

The Castle – If I was asked what fictitious place I would like to visit, it would be the Beast’s castle. It doesn’t matter if I got to see it before or after it was enchanted. Both designs are stunning and it’s the perfect place to start an adventure.

The Library – This brings me on perfectly to the library in the castle. Tell me you’ve never wished for it to be real? Belle’s reaction was nice, but I would’ve been drooling.

The Voice Actors – Paige O’Hara’s strong and compassionate voice for Belle along with Robby Benson’s gruff yet gentle voice for Beast is a match made in heaven. Not to mention Angela Lansbury as motherly Mrs Potts, Jerry Orbach as suave Lumiere and David Ogden Stiers as stuffy Cogsworth. Everyone is perfect and I wish I could list them all.

The Supporting Cast – Probably some of the best side characters you’ll ever see in an animated movie. I think the idea of humans being enchanted into objects wandering about the castle is visually interesting itself, let alone that they also sing and dance for you as well.

The Directors – How can we praise this movie without mentioning the directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale for bringing it all together? Though

 will always be their Oscar winning masterpiece.

The Quotes – Has someone ever asked you “What shall I get her?” and you replied

“Flowers, chocolates, promises you don’t intend to keep?”

. It can’t just be me. Side note, that last phrase was ad-libbed by Cogsworth’s voice actor David Ogden Stiers. This movie has left us Disney fans with a great array of quotes, I’m sure you have a favorite too.

The Detail – There’s a few gems to discover in this movie if you really examine the backgrounds, paintings, ornaments and the décor. The best, in my humble opinion, has to be the famous “Girl with an Earing” painting in the background. Can you spot it below?

The Action – The original line when Gaston met the Beast on the rooftop was supposed to be

(it was changed because the original line wasn’t exactly ‘family friendly’). You can even see it if you mute the scene as the former line syncs better. The reason I mention this is because I would actually prefer the original line because it matches the intensity of the last action sequence. I really feel the threat on Beast’s life and it makes for some really interesting rooftop drama.

Sorry, how could I resist? The architecture in this movie is to die for. If you’ve never done a web search on “Baroque” do it now, you’ll have to shield your eyes from the beauty.

The Love Story – It took a while for Beast and Belle to fall in love, well, by Disney standards it did. They take time to get to know each other and you really believe their love. I’d take this love story over 

The Villain – Gaston should be up their with the best of the Disney villains. Just because he can’t turn into a dragon or make a poison apple, it doesn’t mean he’s not dangerous. In fact, I think he’s worse. His good looks stop people from seeing the true evil inside of him. He wants to kill a beast, who was once a man, to get the girl who he likes for her pretty face alone. If that’s not evil, I don’t know what is.

 is the most sophisticated of stories because the characters had to be developed and take time to fall for one another. She even had to adapt to the ever-changing storyboards used in animation but she always kept to the heart of the story. She definitely deserves our praise.

The Fandom – This movie has a much bigger fandom than I originally realized. Only when joining social media did I notice how much people love to mention that they’re watching

. All kinds of people too. Grannies, middle-aged men, cosplayers and children. This movie speaks to all.

The Heroine – Belle is the perfect role model for any age and gender. She loves adventure and seeks knowledge and escapism from books. She also knows her own mind and she isn’t “deceived by appearances”. How can you not love this character?

The Message – This brings me on to the movie’s message about never judging someone by how they look and that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It’s a very important message that speaks volumes even in today’s society.

The Legacy – Perhaps forgetting the direct-to-video movie sequels, this movie has bought us two glorious things. The stage musical – a stunning production – and a live action movie. The latter we have yet to see if it lives up to expectations, but I have a lot of faith in Emma Watson as Belle. Do you?

Will you be celebrating the 25th anniversary of ‘Beauty and the Beast’? Why do you love this movie?

Great post! But honestly my opinion of this movie lowered since I discovered the Jean Cocteau version. 😏😏😏

Completely agree! Beauty and the Beast is a treasure, and I have no idea what animation today would be without it.

Also, side note, Howard Ashman died several months before the film was released. He never saw it finished.

I’ve wondered a lot recently about how a girl would react if a guy gave them a library as a gift. Then, I read your “drooling” answer, lol!

Though this film is great (in it’s legacy), I never really loved it, or liked it for that matter. I love Lumiaire though. I personally prefer… how do I phrase this?

How did you cut this list to only 25 things? I love this movie for so many reasons, it just communicates “childhood” to me. I remember watching this as a youngster in my p.j.s wanting that “happily ever after” for the Beast and Belle.

Ahhhh reading this list really makes me want to watch one of my favorite movies all over again!! Sadly I don’t have a good copy but I cannot wait until September to get a special copy of it EEEEEEEEKKKKKKK I AM SO IMPATIENT!! Thank you for the beauty of this article I agree with everything!!

It definitely has one of the best supporting casts of the Disney features. One of the few polarizing aspects of the Renaissance features and in some films after that was how side-characters were turned into Genie derivatives (specifically in tone rather than making pop culture references all the time) and/or were just made to mostly be funny and hyperactive. This gives BatB a bit of distinctiveness among them, as it treated its side-characters with class.

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