Customer Reviews

Disney's Beauty and the Beast - The Enchanted Christmas [VHS]

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(24)

 

 

Like the other reviewer, I've seen this lovely little movie dozens of times, and never get tired of it. Angela Lansbury and Paige O'Hara are just as charming as in the original, and Bernadette Peters' Angelique will melt your heart. Her song, "As Long As There's Christmas," just might put a catch in your throat. The animation - especially the evil Forte - is eye-popping, just as you would expect from Disney. I would recommend this movie for all Disney-cartoon fans, as well as those who want a collection of cheery, heart-warming Christmas videos/DVDs. Get it ... You won't be disappointed. (FYI: Disney released a CD soundtrack that is just as much fun as the movie!)

THE ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS is a wonderful continuation of Disney's acclaimed Oscar-winning BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, which tells the untold chapter of the fateful Christmas where Belle stole the heart of the gruff Beast.

The best thing is the presence of the entire original voice cast; Paige O'Hara as Belle, Robby Benson as The Beast, Jerry Orbach as Lumiere, David Odgen Stiers as Cogsworth and Angela Lansbury as Mrs Potts. Joining them as brand-new characters are Bernadette Peters as Angelique, Paul Reubens as Fife and Tim Curry as the evil Forte. There is also Haley Joel Osment in the role of tiny Chip.

The story is heart-warming, and as someone who has grown up with the original movie (and it has to be my favorite Disney film), it was like seeing dear old friends again.

Do not miss it! The DVD transfer is gorgeous.

It's a little something for all Beauty and the Beast fans. It's sweet and enjoyable. The songs are nothing compared to the original animated feature but still it's worth a check. It revives Disney's magical tale that earned an Oscar nominee for best picture! Note: Unlike the Oscar-winning feature, this is something that will probably appeal more to kids- so based on a children's perspective (younger cousins) I give it a 5- but unlike the original feature that I gave a 5-star to, I give this a 2-3 star from an adult's perspective.

The tale revolves around the lovable cast celebrating Christmas a year after what you saw in the original tale. They all start to have an argument over who saved Christmas the year before. They then go back to the original tale but in more detail this time. There are more new characters and a whole new villain. The 'musical' villain serves as a friend to the Beast. He's quite jealous and his music helps the Beast relax. Watch how the characters plan, sing, destroy, and save Christmas!

The story is of coarse nothing compared to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Still with the characters returning to their objects and Belle singing around about 'stories', this feature is definitely worth seeing if you enjoyed the original!

We bought this DVD in hopes to add to our collection for holiday movies. My daughter barely made it through the first 1/2 hr. She seemed intersted in the beginning but as the movie went on it got very dark and for her a little scary. The beast was angry through most it. The reason for 2 stars, the beginning was fine as was the end. The majority of the movie was disappointing. Was not my idea of a good classical holiday movie. It still contained a good message, but it took too long to get to that message.

I got this movie for a birthday present when I was 7 (my birthday is right after Christmas). I totally loved it, and I still do, 5 years later, lol! It's a really cute movie and I think lots of kids would like it.

True, it's not as grand as what we saw in the first Beauty and the Beast, but the fantastic fact that all actors came back to do the sequel (if you can call it that) is great. The animation is NOT poor and is actually very pretty. The story is strong and it is a fitting and warm yuletitde DVD title. It has some great songs which people will love and they are sung by O'Hara as in the original. What most people forget is that this title doesn't have to conform to the tight, well known, fable that the original had to. The flexible narrative suits the subject - which is love, freindship, and seasonal spirit. I would defend this title and say it is great for all. I'm 21 and found it most pleasing. P.S: Don't you think the titles sound like Savana the soap opera show? Hmmm....

This is one of the best sequels I've ever seen! I am OBSESSED with Beauty and the Beast and this sequel allowed me to visit all my old friends (Belle, Lumiere, Chip, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth and the Beast) and introduced me to new ones like Angelique, Fife and the Ornaments! And Forte, the evil villain is STUNNINGLY animated and is a much better villain than Gaston! I *HIGHLY* reccomend this to everyone!

This movie is an absolutely perfect movie that teaches a lot of morals and has a lot of fun characters in there as well. All of them were wonderful and the entire thing was magical. The songs were beautiful and meaningful. It was just simply magical.

Compared to today's Direct To Video Disney, this 1997 "sequel" to Beauty and the Beast seems very high quality. The animation does not match the original, no DTV ever will, but luckily it lacks a lot of that flat feel that plagues many Direct To Video productions today. Perhaps because the colors are darker. The only problem is the lack of detail in the backgrounds at times, it's too simplistic. And the characters sometimes are very flat, with no depth like the original classic.

All the original voices return from the original (except Chip), which gives it good continuity. Tim Curry is excellent as the villain Forte. The songs are strong enough, better than anything I've heard in most of the other DTV's from Disney.

Now, to the big problem. Despite the entire movie taking place in two days, it's very hard to swallow that this entire new story took place within the first film. There was not enough time in the first film for this "lost chapter" to have taken place. Continuity errors arise when the Beast imprisons Belle for trying to escape (she was going to cut down a Christmas tree) after giving her word that she wouldn't leave. Problem is that Belle already fled once before in the original, when the Beast rescued her from wolves. And after that incident, the Beast and Belle began to get closer almost immediatley.

Even worse, it turns out (unless Belle and Beast wore the same outfits twice) that the ball room sequence in the original occurred during their Christmas celebration. C'mon, it was obvious that it was not Christmas during the original. It was winter yeah, but Christmas was the last thing on anybodies mind during the incidents that occurred in the original. Oh, and also the Beast hates Christmas becuase it turns out that he was turned into a Beast on the holiday. (Guess the narrator forgot to mention that in the original, didn't he?)

As far as trying to make this story fit within the original, I think a below average job was done. So why four stars? Because even though this does not hold a candle to the original, it is still a very good holiday movie, on it's own, for children. This is much better then those annual Mickey Mouse and Winnie The Pooh Christmas movies that Disney puts out, and I can gaurantee that parents will have an easier time sitting through this movie than those.

It is also vastly superior in terms of quality when compared to recent Disney sequels, just compare this to "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II" and you'll see what I mean. Just don't expect a Best Picture Oscar-calibre film like the original was.

This is a well above average sequel from the "Mouse house". The animation, while not quite up to the pedigree of the classic original, is pleasant enough to make for an enjoyable watch. The songs are also quite good. "As Long As There's Christmas" is without a doubt the best of them. "Don't Fall In Love" is not so good. Then again, considering it's sung by the villain of the piece, it's not supposed to sound good is it? The voice acting is excellent. That Disney was able to get all of the original voice talent back sets the sequel above average anyway. However, Paige, Robby, Angela, Jerry, and David are able to slip effortlessly back into their roles. The Special Edition DVD that I paid $30 for at B&N after placing it on a special order is a neat little package. Call me sappy, but I happen to like the poppy version of "As Long As There's Christmas" by Play. The "making of" featurette is cool, but not really what I would call in depth. The "Enchanted Environment" is a waste of disc space if you ask me. The video quality is awesome (1:33.1) full frame. I don't mind that though, because the movie was made that way. All in all, Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas is a pleasant holiday movie that the whole family can enjoy. If you can find this DVD for a better price than I did I would say pick it up.