Cast: Paige O'Hara as Belle	Robby Benson as the Beast
Richard White as Gaston	Jerry Orbach as Lumiere
Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts	Bradley Pierce as Chip
Directors: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

This marvelous new IMAX release of the 1991 Disney animated musical is a crowd pleaser, for young and old. It's a classic French fairy tale about a clever, interesting and lovely maiden who promises her allegiance to a hideous, terrifying, and lonely beast in order to save her father's life. The obvious moral of the story of course is not to judge people based upon looks and first impressions. The fallacy is revealed when the truer, inner beauty of the beast is uncovered through love, patience, and sacrifice. On the large format screen, it is more spectacular than ever.

This is not simply a blown up version of the 1991 original but was completely re-digitized in the IMAX format. There is also the addition of a new song, "Human Again," sung by the beast's colorful array of servants, who have been under a mischievous spell and are living as personified objects in the castle. No less important to the major predicament of Belle's unhappiness at her confinement are the sub-themes involving the folly of vanity in the person of the handsome but repulsive Gaston and the power of mob mentality. The villagers are persuaded that Belle's father is crazy when he asks their help in freeing Belle from the beast and that he must be locked up.

The new song was in the Broadway production but omitted from the film. Disney brought the original animators and cast of voices back into the studio to produce the totally new number. Together with the sparkling new format, these changes make the film a new experience. We feel as though we are actually lost in the forest, with the menacing wolves at bay as the giant screen seems to surround us. The interiors of the castle are particularly grand and enhanced by the new format. This is a childhood favorite, come to life.

Delightful for the whole family and more intricate than many Disney classics because of the wonderful story; the characters are more complex. The male conceit Gaston displays over his looks reveals him to be the true beast. His outward appearance does not change by the forces of enchantment, but rather through the malice he bears that distorts his face. The villagers are not evil, but they are imperfect, as is the Beast.

Beauty and the Beast deservedly was the first animated film (and only to date) to receive the best picture Oscar nomination from the Academy. Last year the Academy introduced a brand new category for best feature length animated film and owes a debt to Beauty and the Beast for bringing this popular genre into its own. Likely nominees will be Shrek and Monsters, Inc.

I can forgive the stereotypes of the village girls, gaga over the self-absorbed hunk, as it provides a great opportunity for parents to explore these very real issues in the context of a fantasy realm. The characters who inhabit the castle of the Beast are irresistible, especially Mrs. Potts and Lumiere, my personal favorites. The interiors of the castle are especially grand to look at and even more so in IMAX. This new version will satisfy as much as the original, but in a whole new fashion.