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AICN Reader Wallace Wells Sees The 3D Conversion Of Disney's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!!
Merrick here...
Interestingly, Disney's re-release of 1991's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (with 3D now added!) hasn't gotten much notice or play on the Geek circuit. Original plans called for the film's 3D issuance to happen this year in the United States, but word is this re-release was pushed back domestically...until next year...to coincide with the picture's 20th anniversary.
Despite this domestic postponement, BEAUTY 3D is now playing in some theaters overseas - Australia and New Zealand are among places that have the film. Wallace Wells, an AICN reader from Down Under, took a look at the the movie's 3Dimensionalization, and sent in some thoughts. Is it a travesty and desecration? Or, did The Powers That Be get this particular conversion right?
Read on...
Here's Wallace Wells...
I'm sure you'll get plenty of people writing in about this, but just in case... this morning I got a chance to see 'Beauty and the Beast' in 3D. For some reason, it has been given a special engagement release in Australia from today onwards, so only at a few cinemas. Why we have it first, I'm not sure. Anyway, I was there at 10am for the first session to part with my hard earned cash and see what they had done.
'Beauty and the Beast' has been one of my favourite films for pretty much my entire life. I was 4 or 5 when I first saw it (I was so determined to see it that I went regardless of the fact that I was so sick I vomited all over the steps of the cinema). I even saw the stage version with Hugh Jackman playing Gaston! I'd missed the IMAX version, so I wasn't going to miss this 3D rendering. I could wax lyrical for hours on how amazing a film I think it is, one that puts most live action films to shame, but that's not what you're most interested to hear!
The question is: how does the thing look? To be blunt: incredible.
The level of care and detail that has gone into this version is probably the most impressive and moving thing about it. Nothing of the original film has been changed to accommodate for the change to 3D - in fact, this version is more accurate than the 2001 Special Edition. They have chosen to render the original theatrical version, including all the sound and animation mistakes that had been fixed for the DVD. As such, 'Human Again' isn't included. Rather than using the 3D as a gimmick, they have used the format to give the film an incredible depth of field, with great use of distance and perspective. This is most obvious in the landscape shots, such as Maurice heading to the Fair. Think of it like the next step in the multiplane camera process Disney invented in the 30's. It also allows the incredible detail in the background art to come out, and gives greater shadow and detail to the castle in particular. At times, this background detail is so startling that the foreground animation seems very cartoonish, but that is never a problem once you get used to it.
Some sequences stood out in particular. Obviously 'Belle' and 'Be Our Guest' were fantastic, and the ballroom sequence was staggering (particularly the 'helicopter' shot from the roof). I actually burst into tears! The opening is beautiful, as is the final shot of the stained glass window. Probably the biggest surprise though, was the jail scene, where Belle finds Maurice and she takes his place. The shaft of light that Belle and the Beast move in and out of is so well rendered that you can see the moving dust particles in the air. It actually made me and my friend gasp. It looked incredible, and that might be the great triumph of this version - that every little detail has been looked at to make sure the film looks as good as possible.
In terms of how the picture looks in general, I hope this is what we get for the Blu-Ray release. I was a bit funny with the Platinum Edition restoration. It got rid of a lot of the great shadow textures in the original film, and made it look too clean in general. While the animation is still as sharp, it seems the shadow detail is mostly retained, such as in the Beast's first appearance to Maurice. This may be because they have gone back to the theatrical version, I'm not sure.
The other great advantage of seeing it in a cinema again is the excellent sound, which in particular brought out Alan Menken's score more so than I've ever heard before. It really showed just what amazing work it is, and how well it works with the film.
Overall, I can't praise this 3D version enough. It does help that the original film is practically perfect to begin with, but rather than a simple money-making gimmicky exercise, Disney have put a lot of care into making sure this masterpiece is given the respect it deserves. For a film nearly 20 years old, it really hasn't aged a day, and this version brings it to life for a whole new generation to enjoy. In fact, most of the audience were young children who wouldn't even be old enough to have seen the Platinum DVD release, and they didn't make a peep! It would be great to see other 90's classics like 'The Little Mermaid' 'Aladdin' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' rendered in 3D, but because of the small scale of this release, I doubt it would happen.
I do hope you guys in the States get to see this, because it is seriously worth the time, far more successful an enterprise than this old 'Beauty and the Beast' fan could have hoped for!
If you decide to use my review, you can call me Wallace Wells. Is that a dorky nick name? Probably!
I'm sure you'll get plenty of people writing in about this, but just in case... this morning I got a chance to see 'Beauty and the Beast' in 3D. For some reason, it has been given a special engagement release in Australia from today onwards, so only at a few cinemas. Why we have it first, I'm not sure. Anyway, I was there at 10am for the first session to part with my hard earned cash and see what they had done.
'Beauty and the Beast' has been one of my favourite films for pretty much my entire life. I was 4 or 5 when I first saw it (I was so determined to see it that I went regardless of the fact that I was so sick I vomited all over the steps of the cinema). I even saw the stage version with Hugh Jackman playing Gaston! I'd missed the IMAX version, so I wasn't going to miss this 3D rendering. I could wax lyrical for hours on how amazing a film I think it is, one that puts most live action films to shame, but that's not what you're most interested to hear!
The question is: how does the thing look? To be blunt: incredible.
The level of care and detail that has gone into this version is probably the most impressive and moving thing about it. Nothing of the original film has been changed to accommodate for the change to 3D - in fact, this version is more accurate than the 2001 Special Edition. They have chosen to render the original theatrical version, including all the sound and animation mistakes that had been fixed for the DVD. As such, 'Human Again' isn't included. Rather than using the 3D as a gimmick, they have used the format to give the film an incredible depth of field, with great use of distance and perspective. This is most obvious in the landscape shots, such as Maurice heading to the Fair. Think of it like the next step in the multiplane camera process Disney invented in the 30's. It also allows the incredible detail in the background art to come out, and gives greater shadow and detail to the castle in particular. At times, this background detail is so startling that the foreground animation seems very cartoonish, but that is never a problem once you get used to it.
Some sequences stood out in particular. Obviously 'Belle' and 'Be Our Guest' were fantastic, and the ballroom sequence was staggering (particularly the 'helicopter' shot from the roof). I actually burst into tears! The opening is beautiful, as is the final shot of the stained glass window. Probably the biggest surprise though, was the jail scene, where Belle finds Maurice and she takes his place. The shaft of light that Belle and the Beast move in and out of is so well rendered that you can see the moving dust particles in the air. It actually made me and my friend gasp. It looked incredible, and that might be the great triumph of this version - that every little detail has been looked at to make sure the film looks as good as possible.
In terms of how the picture looks in general, I hope this is what we get for the Blu-Ray release. I was a bit funny with the Platinum Edition restoration. It got rid of a lot of the great shadow textures in the original film, and made it look too clean in general. While the animation is still as sharp, it seems the shadow detail is mostly retained, such as in the Beast's first appearance to Maurice. This may be because they have gone back to the theatrical version, I'm not sure.
The other great advantage of seeing it in a cinema again is the excellent sound, which in particular brought out Alan Menken's score more so than I've ever heard before. It really showed just what amazing work it is, and how well it works with the film.
Overall, I can't praise this 3D version enough. It does help that the original film is practically perfect to begin with, but rather than a simple money-making gimmicky exercise, Disney have put a lot of care into making sure this masterpiece is given the respect it deserves. For a film nearly 20 years old, it really hasn't aged a day, and this version brings it to life for a whole new generation to enjoy. In fact, most of the audience were young children who wouldn't even be old enough to have seen the Platinum DVD release, and they didn't make a peep! It would be great to see other 90's classics like 'The Little Mermaid' 'Aladdin' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' rendered in 3D, but because of the small scale of this release, I doubt it would happen.
I do hope you guys in the States get to see this, because it is seriously worth the time, far more successful an enterprise than this old 'Beauty and the Beast' fan could have hoped for!
If you decide to use my review, you can call me Wallace Wells. Is that a dorky nick name? Probably!
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I haven't seen it yet, so I'll wait to see it with her next year...
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Im in
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i want this shit now, before i'm shipped out.
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Now make Black Cauldron, Lion King and everything else in 3-D. I'll pay.
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Thsi just sounds greedy to me. I can't WAIT for this 3D trend to come to an end. I'm getting sick and tired of paying $16 for a movie since so many of them are using this gimmicky 3D thing to make more money. It's disgusting. And now they're "converting" previously released movies into 3D? What the hell?!? I'll never pay for it.
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Regardless of how you feel about the movie (I actually liked it), tell me it's still not one of the best LOOKING Pixar movies. The scenery is damn near photorealistic. Imagine how the scene where Lightning and Sally "go for a drive" will look with the added depth. Or better yet, the speedway wreck at the beginning of the movie. Hell, if someone did a 3D conversion of just those scenes I'd pay to see it.
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I wonder if things have roundness and such detail like that, instead of just being flat, but "layered" in 3D.
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They rereleased EVERYTHING so I could see it in the theater. If I someday get to take my twin daughters, now 18 months old, to a 3D Fantasia, Great Mouse Detective, or Alladin I'm all for it.
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I will check this one out when we get it.
When we get it. -
Cars would be excellent in 3D. And I also don't get the hate. Yeah, it's toyetic; so it Star Wars and Batman.
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Good for you for referencing "The Great Mouse Detective"! Woot!
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Sep 02, 2010 11:06:34 AM CDT
They've been working on this conversion for 5+ years.
by little_lebowski
OMG, the reaction to AVATAR has grown so mighty it's now influencing executives' decisions from well before its release! *rolls eyes*
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Would make PERFECT sense before Cars 2 opens next summer. If they haven't started already, I wonder if there's enough time to get it done.
Get it done RIGHT, I mean. -
HAHAHAHA what a pussy.
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Not BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ... The Choppah's song. I feel that BEAUTY is overrated, actually. I'll take ALADDIN or THE LION KING any day if we're talking about modern Disney classics.
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Hell, I would DEFINITELY have vomited all over theater steps for a chance to see that!!!! Seriously, I'll...probably see B & B in 3D when it opens in the States. Damn good movie, for one thing. Not as technically impressive as some of Uncle Walt's best, to be sure, but a good story makes up for a lot. And if the 3D does actually enhance the film...well, there goes the last of my reservations. Nice to have something in Disney 2D to look forward to. Might help wash away the bad taste left by the lackluster Princess and the Frog...
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Heck, that'd probably rock. Imagine the wildebeest stampede in 3D..all those crazed horned beasties coming right AT you...awesome...
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All that incredibly detailed water coming out of the screen...and you talk about beautiful backgrounds and lavish detail..whew...in 3D...pray excuse me, I must have a lie-down now...
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what were the animation/sound mistakes in the original theatrical release?
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Or Betty Boop.
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They hate it cause of NASCAR, Larry the Cable Guy and Owen Wilson. It was Pixar's gift to mouth breathers.
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CARS would look incredible in 3D. I'm sure my love of the West and the lore of Route 66 colors my feelings for it, but it's at the top of my personal list of Pixar toons. Hey, how many movies can there be that I and my 4-year old granddaughter can watch together over and over and never tire of it?
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As homoerotic as it could get, that scene was the only one that had the slapstick hilarity and blunt honesty that showcases what it's like to be the dude that every other dude in the room wants to be.
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Anyway I'm sure I'd like this. But then I loved subrock 3D and virtual boy pinball and warioland. Ya know? Cause an experience is an experience and then it's over forever.
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Way to generalize a very diverse group of people there, Marmot. NASCAR fans are ALL mouth-breathers the way geeks are ALL basement-dwelling, virginal social retards.
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Stories about vomitting and bursting into tears.
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not sure people wanna see that priest's boner hit them in the face.
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Then they didn't see the movie. Racing has very physical presence in the movie. As for the other two points -- okay, people don't like Larry the Cable guy, and Mater is the closest Pixar has ever come to committing the animation sin of modeling a character after the actor. But Owen Wilson? Really, who'd even know it was him?
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then Wilson and Larry are easily offset by Paul Newman, Tony Shaloub, and George Carlin.
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I wouldn't normally correct my typo, but that's an important one.
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is a hunk of shit compared to the (real) Angela Lansbury version.
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Disney had just started to realize the potential of their product with an older crowd after "The Little Mermaid", and so they had special presentations on my college campus to drum up interest in this release. It was one of the first films my future wife and I attended together.
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And anybody who doesn't have any interest in seeing the late 80's and early 90's Disney pictures (or the vast majority of the classic library) in 3D is a soulless bastard.
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but it is hardly an original production. Fact is, I'm not a fan of NASCAR or car racing or heck, even automobiles in general (to me, they are merely a tool to get from Point A to B). But really what I think makes this a slight effort on The House that Buzz and Woody Built is that "Cars" is that the storyline is largely just a rehash of the Michael J. Fox comedy, "Doc Hollywood": Full of himself doctor is on his way to California to be the next big thing when he finds himself having to pay off a debt to the small down that he caused damage to. He finds a love interest, yet finally makes it to California. He is discontent and returns to the small town where he is happy. Sounds familiar, eh? No, "Cars" is very pretty to look at...one of the best rendered CG films I've seen...but then so is "Avatar"...pretty to look at, but nothing original to say.
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I would love to see "Beauty and the Beast" back on the big screen...and in 3D!
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There will never be a 3D version of that. And about 80% of Aladdin was also traditionally animated.
I doubt we'll ever get ( or need ) a 3D version of that.
It is interesting bit of serendipity that Pixar can basically reissue all of their movies as perfectly rendered 3D. -
Thy name is PLANT.
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it it mesmerizing.
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...the workprint of "Beauty and the Beast" back on the big screen. Re-release the workprint shown at the 1991 New York Film Festival!
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Ariel and Jasmine get more geek boners going just via their bare bellies, but Belle is just STUNNING. A shame we never got a good look at her legs in the movie...
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back in '92 when i worked at eurodisney. it was all fantastic to look at, but everyone was speaking french, so i didn't know exactly what the fuck was going on...but enough about my job at eurodisney, 'what about the movie?' i hear you ask
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thanks.
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bush on un-tampered laserdisc before you were born kid. Belle is hotter though I agree
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I'm thirty-six, pal.
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... Film i ever saw at the cinema, was eight years-old and it left a lasting impression on me, so much so that the girls i go for are very 'Belle-ish' in appearance and character... I actually get a bit choked up just thiking about taking my current missus to see it when it arrives in the UK
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pal!
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Sep 02, 2010 5:52:17 PM CDT
Are Belle's boobs 3 dimensional?
by harryknowlesnonexistentinceptionreview
If not, not interested.
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resonated with me as a metaphor for my relationship with my girlfriend at the time. Little did I know that she would pull a switcheroo and morph into the beast instead of the other way around.
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B&tB had one digitally animated scene and a bit of the "Be our guest" song was supplemented digitally. Don't see why Alladin is much different. If they wanted to do the daggummed 3-d whatzit to Alladdin, I reckon they could pull it off.Dang. Oldness strikes again.
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in the theaters. While you are there, I want you all to tap you foot along when Gaston is singing.
These are the demands & sayings of buffywrestling. -
And that is real talk.
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No one japes like Gaston!
No one goes troucing around like an ape like Gaston!
"I'm a crimminal worth investigating!"
That is our boy, Our Gaston! -
From what I've been following they didn't just take the 2-D animation and make the 3-D foreground, middleground and background, they also tried to give the characters and clothing and other things proper depth and roundness and stuff so the 2-D animation actually looks like it is 3-D animation. I for one can't wait to see the results for myself, it's gonna be trippy!And for teh record, the reason Disney decided to convert B&B is because it was done using a lot of digital content and they still had all the digital info etc. for the traditional animation cels, so this film was easier to do than going any further back in the catalog. But if there's money to be made in converting the old stuff then Disney will no doubt put in the extra effort.After this I'm hoping for some Japanime to be converted into 3-D. Akira, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, even new stuff like Takeshi Koike's REDLINE would be so insane I'd probably drop dead from developing epilepsy. If the 3-D will give 2-D animation a boost because the theater going yokels can't tell the difference, then I'm all for it! Some of these talented people need work!
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Nothing released or to be released via current 3D tech has 'roundedness'. It looks like cardboard with depth because it's two layers of two dimensional images. Particles and small objects look fine because there's little depth to such objects in the first place, but check out any movie (filmed natively in '3D') during a simply composed shot - ms/mcu with a shallow dof - and it looks retarded.
3D as it stands right now holds no attraction to me. -
I'd definitely go see this in a theater if it gets rereleased...but only if I get to see it in normal film, not so-called "3D".
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Practically all CG animation can have 'roundness' and proper depth, it's all right there for the computer to calculate if the studio took the trouble to plan for 3-D beforehand. The same goes for Avatar which was all also mostly CG and had that roundness in practically all those scenes and even some very stand out live action shots. I agree for the most part that some live action filmed stuff doesn't always hold up. Also it doesn't help that most shit has been rush-converted, not shot in 3-D. Also keep in mind that the 3-D depth can also be toned down or even turned up and a director can choose to de-emphasize 3-D depth on something if it's too overbearing or whatever. So they can also turn up the depth of field in post that a 3-D camera captures and if the camera hasn't got it right, they can alter it to look more natural and rounder. For B&B, interviews with the staff say that they are going to emphasize the roundness and depth on the 2-D animated characters, I guess we'll see how well the conversion went.
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October 5th DVD release date. Brief Sing-a-long run at El Capitan later this month. An increasing tendency of Disney revivals not to play stateside. All things that suggest to me that the 3D version of Belle's song shown at d23 is the closest I'm getting to BatB3D. :(
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I went to disneyland a couple of weeks ago. made me nostalgic for this period of disney. your review sold me on seeing it. the 3d is impressive. it has volume (not just planes of cardboard cutouts), but it generally works better for the backgrounds than on the characters. great animation, story and song.
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