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Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD
Disney / Buena Vista | 2017 | 129 min | Rated PG | Jun 06, 2017
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Video
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1 Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (less)
Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish
English SDH, French, Spanish (less)
Discs
Blu-ray Disc Two-disc set (1 BD-50, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Digital
iTunes, Google Play
Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing Embossed print
Playback
Region free
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Price
List price: $14.99 
Amazon: $14.99
New from: $8.47 (Save 43%)
In stock now
Movie rating
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7.3
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419 ratings.
Blu-ray review
| Movie |
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3.5 |
| Video |
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5.0 |
| Audio |
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5.0 |
| Extras |
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3.0 |
| Overall |
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5
0.5
4.0
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93% popularity
3046 collections
84 fans
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Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray delivers truly amazing video and audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
Disney's live-action version of their animated classic of the same name. For more about Beauty and the Beast and the Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray release, see Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on June 4, 2017 where this Blu-ray release scored 4.0 out of 5. Director: Bill Condon
Writers: Evan Spiliotopoulos, Stephen Chbosky, Linda Woolverton
Starring: Emma Watson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ewan McGregor, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Ian McKellen
Producers: Don Hahn, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Jeffrey Silver
» See full cast & crew
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray Review
A Tale As Old As Time Told Anew.
Reviewed by Martin Liebman, June 4, 2017
If there was any doubt that Disney is taking this animated-to-live-action trend seriously, there shouldn't be any now. With Beauty and the
Beast, the studio has taken what many (this reviewer included) believe to be its animated masterpiece and transitioned it to live-action with, of course, no
shortage of seamless digital aid. Unlike Maleficent, which retold the story of Sleeping Beauty from a different perspective, or Cinderella, which, while sharing some similarities with the animated
version, offered a different enough take on the classic story to become its own film, Beauty and the Beast takes the Jungle Book route, retelling the story with most all of the familiar arcs
and refrains
and characters and happenings from the animated film while mixing in some of its own creatively novel ideas to flesh out the story and extend the
runtime. The result is a film that never quite finds its own identity, that cannot decide whether it's nearly a shot-for-shot and song-for-song recreation
of the beloved 1991 film or something else entirely that expands on the story but dilutes that core Beauty and the Beast essence that made
the original an unforgettable, treasured classic.
Belle (Emma Watson) happily lives in a small French village with her father Maurice (Kevin Kline), a tinkerer. Belle is something of an outcast
amongst the villagers; she knows how, and loves, to read and has an independent streak about her. But that's not enough to deter Gaston (Luke
Evans), the
town's hunkiest bachelor who, even with the other available girls swooning over his every move, has his eye firmly fixed on the beautiful and
practically unobtainable Belle. One day, Maurice leaves town for a day but only his horse returns the next. Belle quickly discovers that he's been
taken
prisoner by a reclusive and repulsive Beast (Dan Stevens) whose only company are living odds and ends from around the house. Belle takes her
father's place as
prisoner and begins to learn Beast's story of a curse that has befallen him and his house. He has only a finite amount of time before the curse
becomes permanent, his only escape coming by way of true love in the arms of a woman who reciprocates the feeling.
The film is set in Rococoo-era France rather than a slightly more whimsical (but very similar) fairy tale world such as that of the animated version,
which
necessitates
that certain characters and situations be altered to fit the time period. The movie feels a bit more rugged, the famous bookstore scene from early
in
the original animated film is significantly reduced in scope and flair, and the biggest gain of the change comes in the expanded opening sequence in
which the prince becomes the Beast. These are not necessarily major changes and none that one might consider damaging to the story, but
they're part of a larger
flaw which results in, as noted earlier, the picture struggling with identity, playing it so closely to the vest, at times, to remain faithful to the
animated film while
at
others expanding to explore the greater world around the story. While a few of the film's additions – Belle's mother's fate and an exploration of the
Beast's selfishness, for instance – do logically expand on the story (not necessarily as needed but certainly in a flattering, accentuating way), the
result is a movie that occasionally feels cluttered and overlong compared to the masterfully timed and precisely assembled animated classic.
The film's visual robustness is a blessing and a curse. Gone are the more simplistic, and frankly believable, charms of the animated film. The
servant characters are clearly the largest struggle for this movie, appearing so anatomically correct and painstakingly complex and lifelike -- as
lifelike
as talking and singing clocks, candles, wardrobes, china, etc. can be -- that the characters lose much of that whimsical silliness and effortless
tenderness that
made them so adorable in the animated film. But it is live action, and with modern digital effects and without going the "invisible
servant" route of the Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve book on which the animated film is based, this is the inevitable end result, a hallmark
for visual effects to be sure but at the expense of the characters' simple vitality and appeal. The movie does look resplendent from the top-down.
Sets and costumes sparkle (even if there's some debate over how faithful they appear to the animated film, another point of contention in the saga
of whether the movie is following standard or forging its own path). Sets are marvelously detailed and expansive outdoor locations are beautiful.
Acting is quite good, too. Emma Watson may not necessarily look like Belle, but she captures the character's core spirit and the narrative journey
from fear to antagonism to acceptance to love for the Beast quite well. Dan Stevens portrays Beast well, particularly vocally, though, again, there's
room for legitimate complaint about how the Beast looks compared to its animated counterpart. The highlight of the film is unquestionably Luke
Evans as the self-centered Gaston, capturing, with uncanny precision, the physical demeanor and verbal cadence fans expect of the character.
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray, Video Quality
Beauty and the Beast graces Blu-ray with a splendid, practically flawless 1080p transfer. The image appears limited only by the available
resolution. The digitally photographed film is clean and resplendent, presenting with impressive depth for digital and the sharpness and color saturation
necessary to handle the movie's diverse locations and lighting conditions. One of the film's earliest musical segments features Belle running about
town. The image sparkles with a variety of intense, nuanced, and assorted colors. Each is resplendent, with various examples of brightly colored attire
sparkling and leaping
off the screen with natural intensity and incredible accuracy. Rolling green hills and vegetation are deeply saturated as well. Blue skies dazzle. Within
the darker confines of the Beast's castle, particularly early in his relationship with Belle and Belle's father, shadow depth proves excellent and low light
detail is fine. Blacks only rarely push to the edge of soupiness and indistinct depth. Flesh tones appear accurate. Fine detail is exquisite. Complex
clothing lines, various types of fabric, and intimate stitching details and adornments are easy to spot. Clarity is excellent throughout, even, again, in
lower light where the stone walls around Beast's castle take on an appreciable tactile definition. Woods and stone work around Belle's village are
equally strongly defined. There's not a smudgy edge to be found. Noise is kept to a bare minimum. This is a marvelous Blu-ray release from Disney.
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray, Audio Quality
Beauty and the Beast features a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack that captures both the movie's musical spirit and environmental
details with clarity and spaciousness. The opening ballroom dance sequence, new to this film, plays smoothly with a wide, enveloping posture.
Instrumental details are fine yet audible. Separation is magnificent and the sense of place and immersion is spot-on. Such carries through every song;
all of the popular tunes from the film are handled with care, presenting musically and lyrically alike with plenty of width and depth, firm positioning for
core instrumentals and lyrics in the center and excellent stage diffusion for the smaller, airier elements. Environments feel open and alive, whether
during song and the various effects that accompany them ("Be Our Guest") or the more beautiful focal-point songs ("Beauty and the Beast").
Environmental details are excellent, whether booming and rolling thunder or nighttime insects and distant howling wolves entering the stage with
realistic
positioning and volume. The larger action sequence near film's end offers a nice cluster of more intensive sonic details that carry the scenes with
chaotic
precision. Dialogue is clear and center focused with expert prioritization in every moment. This is a masterful soundtrack from Disney.
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation
Beauty and the Beast exemplifies the risks and rewards of these films. Comparison to the established treasures is unavoidable, and in the case
of Beauty and
the Beast the magnification seems extended. While the film gets plenty right, parts of it feel off-balance, whether some of the needless (but
certainly interesting) probing into some of the background elements or the manner in which the various servants, never mind the Beast himself, appear
and participate in the film. The complex digital work just doesn't lend itself all that well to the animated version's simplistic charms and ability to draw
the viewer into a fantastical realm of fairy tale make-believe. If anything this version feels too real, and that comes at the cost of the story's depth and
whimsical spirit. It's also too unfocused, trying at once to satisfy purists, expand the story, and dazzle with its visual effects to the point that the end
result is more
spectacle and less heartfelt love story; the animated film balanced those qualities perfectly. It's a good movie in all of those areas, but it's the
first of the live-action Disney films where the
animated films remains the clear-cut superior. The Blu-ray is unsurprisingly terrific, featuring world-class 1080p video and 7.1-channel lossless audio.
Supplements are fine though nothing remarkable. Recommended.
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