Belle encounters Beast in his lair
This had a great build-up of Belle steadfastly exploring the West Wing of the castle, despite Beast warning her against going there. She gets caught red-handed about to touch the enchanted rose, and all hell breaks loose...I've got a black & white publicity still of the bit just preceding this - where Beast appears at the balcony window and catches sight of Belle, and there's that little snort of breath that hangs there in the cold air for a second. I'd scan it for you but I framed it..
Belle - By the way.. thank you for saving my life...
Beast - (Surprised at himself) You're welcome.
After the Wolves
A pivotal moment came when Belle took pity on the wounded Beast and got him back to castle. He had just saved her life from a savage wolf attack in the surrounding forest, and she reciprocates by tending his wounds in front of the fire.The way the characters interact in this scene is excellent. It's a real turning point as Beast realises that for the first time someone is doing something for him out of kindness and thanks - not because of fear or intimidation. The animation is beautiful also - I remember reading Glen Keane's descriptions of the way Beast should react during this, and thinking that what an incredible amount of thought, work and observation went into it all.
'Tale as old as time...'
Pure Disney magic.The camera angles in this, particularly the initial drop down from the chandelier and that incredible pan around Belle and Beast: Yow wow! The digitally-modelled and rendered Ballroom is a perfect backdrop to the scene - so if you were thinking computer animation started with Toy Story, just take a look at this sequence and see how you can mix the oldest and newest media.
One day (soon) I hope someone builds a VR model of the Ballroom! In fact, the whole castle...
'Show me the smile...'
How many times have you felt like this before a first date? Well, OK, maybe not quite like this. If I were Beast, I'd be nervous too..Mrs. Potts - Straighten up, try to act like a gentleman.
Lumiere - Ah yes, when she comes in, give her a dashing, debonair smile. Come, come. Show me the smile.
(Thanks to Frank Pilhofer for this image)
'Social Graces'
The bath, the haircut, and you have to agree, a pretty cool jacket.. but this spoon business is a bit more tricky than it looks!