This is another one of those Disney movies I was not looking forward to re-watching, but there is no way I could give this one a review from memory considering how long it has been since I last watched it. Beauty and the Beast is the story of a Belle, who wants more than what a small town has to offer, but ends up in the captivity of The Beast, a man under a curse for being too judgmental of appearances. He needs to fall in love and be loved in return to break the curse. Love has been a part of many Disney Movies before this, though I don't think that was ever the strong point of any of those movies.
With Beauty and the Beast, almost the entire focus of the movie is on the love story, which creates a big problem when it's one of the worst ones I have seen in a Disney movie so far. While there is plenty of room for the Stalkhome Syndrome jokes that have been made about the movie over the years (Kind of funny, but I don't think it works as a serious criticism) the real issue here is there is just no chemistry between the two. The idea that two people of such different upbringings, attitudes, and appearance being together certainly has a romantic charm to it, but there just doesn't seem to be anything binding these two characters together. As a love story, it just doesn't work for me on any level, and as a result, since that is the core of the entire movie it fails to capture me.
That isn't the only issue I take with the movie, the other one being the complete lack of character. Belle is such a strange girl because she.... reads and wants more out of life? That's what makes her so quirky and weird? Even Ariel from The Little Mermaid had more to go off of than this. Beast himself is pretty bland as well, and all the characters in the castle just feel like one-note comedy routines. There are some funny bits here and there, but none of them felt like they had much substance for me. That just leaves how into the love story you are, and if you don't feel it like me there is almost nothing in this movie for you.
I say almost because there is one shining light in this movie that I did not appreciate when I was younger. That is the most wonderful douche in all of Disney, the mighty Gaston. In some ways, I think he has more character than anyone else in the movie, and all of that character comes out in extremes. When he's sad, it's a rather extreme depression, or when he's showing pride is an over-the-top display. His anger is extreme, as the moment he learns of the Beast he whips up an angry mob and goes out for blood. And the funniest part is I don't think any of these things are connected. I never got the impression he wanted beast dead just to get Belle, he just saw a monster, and what minimal attention he has immediately shifts. When he is pulled out of his depression after Belle rejects him it's like he completely forgets about her for a moment and is just focused on himself. He almost seems like he's incapable of focusing on more than one thing at any given moment, he's just constantly full blast at whatever it is he is doing at any time.
And then you have his sidekick, and quite frankly the greatest best friend a man could ever hope to have with La Fou. He's constantly there to boost Gaston's mood and help him out. You never even get the impression he's doing it out of fear or obligation, he just really looks up to and idolizes Gaston. As the only part of the movie that feels like it has life and character, I weirdly find myself going 'You know what? At least compared to everyone else in this movie, Gaston is the man. You go dude, never change.'
That said as a villain he's kind of terrible. Just the reveal of 'The Beast' to the town could have gotten them to charge the castle of the Beast at the end, and the original cries of her father about a beast could have gotten him locked up even without Gaston interfering. He's kind of pointless to this entire affair.
I do not think this is a good movie. Outside of Gaston, the laughs are fairly infrequent, I find it one of the least believable love stories Disney has ever told, and while the animation is fantastic as always there isn't a lot in the movie that is that interesting to look at (Though the library does look fantastic). While it was a treat having Gaston follow throughout the movie, he can't save the rest of it.