Beauty and the Beast

Opening day, I saw Beauty and the Beast, the newest iteration of an ages-old story. This version is not, in my opinion, appropriate for young children as it’s too realistic thanks to all the animation and cgi. As a bedtime story, beautiful illustrations capture the essence of the action in individual artwork, but the reader adds the emphasis on the fairy-tale nature of the story. The storyteller can elaborate the beauty of the female character, the charm of the animated household items, and the coldness of the snowy setting. Accordingly, the story reader can downplay the beast until the crowning moment of the story, the waltz with the beauty in a gorgeous, full-skirted gown and the beast charming in a prince’s attire. Very few children want any story beyond the waltz, so a "... and they lived happily every after ..." is all a parent needs to say to a sleepy child.

In the most recent cinema release, however, the beast is very believable as a beast, which takes away the appropriateness for children who will be frightened by the character’s appearance and actions. The animated characters are charming from an adult’s eye, but I doubt most children have any idea that they are “real” people who have been enchanted by the spell cast on the castle and are fearful for their very lives. The fight between the castle-dwellers and the townspeople is far too violent for a fairy tale, and the scenes with the wolves may scare younger viewers into wanting to leave the theater. The fight to the death for the beast is also too violent for most children, but, fortunately, this comes at the end of the film and many of the younger children will have lost interest in the movie.

The settings, the costumes, the singing, the acting -- all are above average. The special effects and cgi are excellent, and the movie holds the attention of an age-appropriate viewer (and some of us who are way past "fairytale" age except as it applies to reading the classics to the next generation).

The summation of the film: young adults and older adults will enjoy this presentation, but children will be scared by it. For the parent who wants a child to know this fairytale, I recommend reading it to your children and saving the film experience for older children who express an interest in seeing the movie and will be able to recognize the difference between a fairytale and the realistic special effects of this presentation.