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Beauty and the Beast:
The Enchanted Christmas
Studio: Walt Disney
Year: 1998
Rated: G
Film Length: 72 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame (1.33:1)
Subtitles: English
I have never really thought much about Disney's
direct-to-video sequels that never quite match
the artistry of the originals. In fact, I never
really understood the concept of bypassing theatrical
release until someone informed me that Walt Disney
Pictures claims to have a policy against theatrical
follow-ups to their "animated classics." If this is
the case, why The Rescuers Down Under? In
any case, it is quite evident that these direct
to video releases have become quite successful for
the studio, letting them cut production costs while
still earning a substantial profit.
What better a film to make a sequel to than the
Beauty and The Beast, a film that made $140
million at the box office, and the only animated
film to be nominated for "Best Picture."
A rather satisfying sequel could never have been
made without the reunion of the voices from the
original film: Paige O'Hara (Belle), Robby Benson
(The Beast), Jerry Orbach (Lumiere), and most
importantly, Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts). They
are all here in a brand new adventure that begins
with the characters in humanized form as they look
back at a previous Christmas when they had all
still been under an enchanted spell.
The story is rather simple: The Master has forbidden
Christmas since it represents the most unhappiest
of times for him. Belle enters the scene proclaiming
that no one can "forbid" Christmas. With the help of
her old friends -- Cogsworth, Chip, Lumiere and Mrs.
Potts -- Belle is trying to make Christmas come
back to the castle.
But what story is a Disney story without a villain?
In this case, that villain is Forte (Tim Curry), a
gigantic evil pipe organ who tries to destroy not only
Belle but everything that she is trying to do to
bring hope and love back into the Beast's life.
As a direct-to-video effort, The Enchanted
Christmas isn't too bad. Though the lower
production value is somewhat evident here, the
animation doesn't seem to suffer too much, resulting
in very smooth detailed computer generated
sequences. The five new songs included in this
film are easily forgettable.
How is the transfer?
Because this film was produced in 1997, and was
a direct-to-video release, the transfer was full-frame.
I was quite impressed with this technicolor transfer
that looks mostly sharp, with a bright and vivid
color palette. I didn't notice any compression
artifacts, and overall, the print is clean without
any noticeable blemishes.
I was particularly impressed with the DTS mix
which is extremely aggressive for what you
would expect from a title like this. Sound is
extremely fulfilling here with excellent direction
across the channels. Dialogue is firmly placed
in the center channel with very distinct stereo
separation across the fronts. The rears do a
remarkable job with effect noises. There are
times that sounds just travel across the room such
as in a skating sequence where Fife the flute spins
across the ice. The hollow innards of the castle
provide some nice echo effects in the rear channels.
One of the most impressive sequences involves Maistro
Forte the pipe organ. His anger and destruction
provides some deep LFE response that managed to send
some noticeable vibrations across the floor.
Special Features
It's nice to see that Disney has rereleased this
feature to DVD and included a nice assortment of
supplements for younger members of the family.
'Click The Mouse' Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
is a featurette with branching capabilities. Yes,
you read that right. On the surface, this is a
12-minute look at all the talent behind the film
including Director Andy Knight, the cast of voices
(Robby Benson, Paige O'Hara, Jerry Orbach and Tim
Curry), the storyboard artists, the animators and
the musicians. As you watch this featurette, an
obtrusive Mouse Ears logo appears on the screen
that invites you to click and branch out to
additional interviews with the talent.
Enchanted Environment is one of the
lamest features I have seen in a while. Imagine
looking at two Christmas Yule logs as you dissect
the audio, playing either just the music portion
or the effects portion of the display. This held
my interest for mere seconds, and I imagine it will
have the same effect on your kids as well.
Forte's Challenge Game is a simple little
game that challenges you to save Christmas by
watching a song demonstration and repeating the
musical keys on a mini-organ. It's not as easy
for kids as one would think, and having experience
reading simple sheet music really helps.
There's an included Music Video, As long
as there's Christmas, performed by Play. There's
also a menu that let's you directly access any of
the six songs in the film including the option to
have words pop-up on the screen so you can sing
along with all your favorite songs.
Finally, there are loads of sneak peeks at
upcoming theatrical and Disney DVD releases.
Final Thoughts
Though easily skippable by adults, Beauty and
The Beast Enchanted Christmas is a quality
sequel and a satisfying experience for any of child
who is a fan of the original movie.
Be sure to include this DVD as a stocking stuffer!
Release Date: Now
