Some Observations of "Beauty and the Beast" on IMAX

[meeko_33785]

Saw Beauty and the Beast on IMAX today. It was wonderful. I had forgotten what a wonderful movie it is. I enjoyed it immensely. A couple of observations:
When I got there, they theater was sold out and had to wait until the next showing. Be sure to get there early if you want to get in (the showing I went to sold out as well).
“Human Again” was a great addition to the film. The animation was good and well placed in the film (if you had never seen it before, you might not have noticed the sequence was added a decade later). The only thing that was a little disappointing was the new sequence with Belle reading to the Beast. The animation on Belle was not quite as good as in the rest of the movie and the dialogue was not what I expected (really thought it would be the version from the Broadway show where she tells the Beast that she knows how it feels to be considered odd.) Oh, well.
What I thought was most surprising was that 10 lines seemed to be missing from the end of “Gaston”. The end is now like they end the song in the Broadway show. Am I crazy or did anyone else who saw this notice?
Lastly, I thought that the film did not really suffer from being stretched for the IMAX screen. For the most part, it looked fine. The one thing that sticks out in my mind is at the end when Belle is dancing with the Prince. For a long time there was a rumor that the animation on Belle and the Prince was reused animation from the finale of Sleeping Beauty. From it being blown up so much, I can say yes, it does look like Sleeping Beauty. The steps are as far as I can tell identical, they kissed at the end in the exact same was Aurora and Phillip did, and the Prince even looked more like Phillip for a few shots. Just one of the things I found interesting about the film seeing it that large. If you get the chance, defiantly see it.

 

[JeffH]

We just saw it today (Sun) at Pointe Orlando (1pm show), and I noticed how the prince's looks changed drastically when they were dancing.

 

[Braque]

Get your tickets early - and get in line early for the best seats.

I loved the Human Again sequence. I always wondered how the castle went from dreary, gray and dirty to a gleaming gold ballroom. Also, where was the poor horse, left outside kept? This answered questions and filled holes in the original movie, IMO. I liked how they blended the scene in from cleaning the castle to cleaning the Beast. The only thing I did not like was the impression that the Beast was illiterate. C'mon, he was a prince until he was a teenager - and never learned to read well?

The IMAX format was great - matinee prices a bit steep at $40 for a family of four - but worth it. The prince and princess kiss at the end was a bit disturbing at such a large scale, I mean, I thought the prince's mouth was open just a bit too much - could've sucked me in

 

[M.K. Poppins]

Caught B&B in Rhode Island this past Sat. and was tremendously disappointed by the abrupt ending of Gaston. The only thing I thought was maybe they cut it to accomodate the extra scenes? Who knows?! Also, looked to me like the Lion King is coming, don't know when, but I'm excited!! Anyway, it was a great experience, well worth the time in line and money!

 

[minijeanie]

Considered seeing B&B on Imax. But got a great postcard allowing me to buy tkts for B&B on Broadway for $50 each. Went for it. We are going this Sunday. Snagged orchestra seats in believe it or not Row A and B. My kids were thrilled. I had originally seen the show 7 years ago. I absolutely love it. I cannot remember though, does the onstage version mimic the new movie. I remember one new song but that is all I can remember. We are going to eat at the ESPN Zone in NYC . I am a DC member and I can get 50% off on the video games for the kids. So looking forward to going. I was considering going to ground zero and walking on the new platform they built for tourists. Many people have been putting flowers and writing notes. I wonder if it will be to sad for my kids. I kind of want them to see it and be able to always remember what happened to so many people on 9/11. Do you think I should go?

 

[Planogirl]

Is the "Human Again" portion much like the Broadway version? This was definitely one of the best parts of the stage show IMO.

 

[Buzz2001]

Beauty and the Beast Box Office Report
01-15-2002

(by digitalmediafx.com) In its first 13 days of release, Disney's Beauty and the Beast Special Edition has brought in $7.7 million in 68 IMAX and Big Screen theaters in the U.S. and Canada. Surprisingly, Beauty and the Beast Special Edition is not playing as well as Fantasia 2000 did in the year 2000. In Beauty and the Beast's second weekend, the classic animated movie grossed $2.1 million. However, Fantasia 2000 grossed $2.6 million in its second weekend and $3.1 million in its third weekend. Fantasia 2000 had a strong marketing campaign, while the marketing campaign for Beauty and the Beast Special Edition has been considered weak.

Fantasia 2000 scored over $49 million during its 2000 run in IMAX theaters. It also played in fewer theaters than Beauty and the Beast Special Edition.

 

[DisneyPro]

I'm sorry, but I've seen Beauty & The Beast at least 100 times with my kids on video and had read about the supposed cutting of the Gaston song and was specificly listening for a difference in the IMAX version and there is nothing different.

 

[Beast]

Also, looked to me like the Lion King is coming, don't know when, but I'm excited!!

[COLOR=dark-blue]I just saw on the OFFICIAL Disney web site that they'll be releasing "The Lion King" next New Years like they just did for "Beauty and the Beast". I like B&B but LK has been my favoriite. But now I think ENG is quickly rising to the top.[/COLOR]

 

[Xevious]

I drove two hours to catch Beauty and the Beast in Memphis in late January. You can imagine my disappointment when I noticed the sound was off from the animation. Not by much, mind you, only a fraction of a second behind. But it was enough to make every scene change choppy because the dialogue cut off so abruptly. Being a huge, huge (not to mention giant) fan of the movie, I about went crazy. I had no idea if this was an easily corrected problem or not, but I mentioned it to the theater workers none the less. Since I was planning on seeing it at least two or three times while I was in town I kept my fingers crossed as I re-entered for seconds. My complaint didn't work. Same problem as before. Didn't stick around for the third show. *Sigh* When I got back home I had to pop the tape in the vcr to get my fix.

I must be a glutton for punishment because I'm going to suck it up and give it another go at the end of the month. This time I'm keeping my fingers AND toes crossed.