Los Angeles
Quite some time has passed since audiences have
seen the romance of Belle and the Beast, done
Disney-style. The original animated version of
"Beauty And The Beast" was released to box office
and critical acclaim in the winter of 1991. The
film garnered the first nomination for Best Picture
for an animated feature and spawned a successful
Broadway show. But since then, the film has only
been seen briefly on LaserDisc and VHS video, but
not in theatres. Recently, Disney decided to dust
off the computer files of "Beauty" for the large
format, otherwise known as 15-perf/70mm film, and
introduce it to a new generation of audiences in
large format theaters in January 2002.
Lucky delegates from the Large Format Cinema
Association (LFCA) were given a special sneak peek
at Disney's "Beauty And The Beast" in the large
format on May 17, 2001. The LFCA is an industry
group dedicated to the business and issues of the
large format industry, which includes IMAX, Iwerks,
Mega Systems, and other prominent companies.
The producer of the restoration and re-purposing
project, Don Hahn ("The Lion King," "The Hunchback
Of Notre Dame," "Atlantis: The Lost Empire") was
on-hand for the annual keynote address, as well as
the introduction of the 14-minute preview in the
California Science Center IMAX Theatre.
The audience was shown three segments from the
nearly completed re-release, which included the
"Prologue," the song "Belle," the newly animated
and restored song "Human Again," and "Beauty and
the Beast" ballroom sequence. In addition, they
were given a glimpse, minus the soundtrack, of the
song "Be Our Guest."
How does this intimate, yet epic film look in the
large format? One could say that this is a
different beast from the original. First, the
scenes were clear and sharp. As for the animation,
it remained true to its handrawn origins (the film
was first drawn by hand, then the animation cells
were scanned into computers). Much of the animation
in the opening "Prologue" was three-dimensional in
appearance on the giant screen. But when the song
"Belle" begins, the intimate film became very
immersive. The film took on a new perspective and
feel from the original 1.85:1 image seen in
theatres in 1991. Belle was now over six stories
tall. She was pretty much looking the audience
straight in the eye. Many of the elaborate moving
or "crane" shots in the film took on the motion of
a virtual ride. In other words, both Beauty and the
Beast are huge.
That said, the re-purposed film in the large format
should succeed at the box office. For some purists
of the film, the large format version may seem
overwhelming, maybe a little too much larger than
life. However, it's nice to see a classic film like
this on a big screen, even if it's six stories
tall. Depending on its success, the new version of
"Beauty And The Beast" should be an interesting
indicator on if future feature films can succeed in
the large format.
More than likely after the new large format version
of 'Beauty and the Beast' concludes its run, it
will appear on DVD. The possibilities for deluxe
edition disc set are many. Perhaps, with some
wishful thinking and letters to Disney, the set
could include the "Work-In-Progress" edition of the
film, storyboards, behind the scenes from both the
original film and re-purposed large format
restoration and isolated music tracks. Advice?
Start writing those letters and e-mails now!
Technical
Notes on "Beauty and the
Beast"
The film was originally released with 70mm
Six-Track Dolby Stereo prints. They were superior
in both picture and sound quality to the 35mm Dolby
Stereo prints. The film was released with a 1.85:1
aspect ratio. For the new large format version, the
original six-track Dolby soundtrack was remixed for
six-channel digital audio.
The film will be shown in both 8-perf/70mm and
15-perf/70mm large formats in both select IMAX and
Iwerks equipped theaters. The new aspect ratio will
be 1.66:1.
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