Beauty and the Beast | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere

It is a stunning movie whose audiences might even try to keep from blinking, lest they miss a split-second of the exquisite wit and artistry. Beyond animation, the Disney version may even be the most appealing narrative musical since West Side Story.

A triumph of animation and a celebration of a great new music, it may be the most artful and satisfying cartoon feature from Disney since the golden age of Pinocchio a half-century ago.

Howard Ashman, the film's brilliantly lyricist, died of AIDS last March... While certain types of cleverness are exclusionary, Ashman's is the opposite, effortless effervescent and totally welcoming. We are going to miss his work. In fact, we already do.

This is the Ben-Hur of film animation, wildly more ambitious than Disney's last animated outing, The Little Mermaid, with nary a blemish, flaw or misstep during its carefully-thought-out 84-minute running time.

Directors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise show themselves to be world-class moviemakers. Their film is genuinely romantic, terrifically funny and unrelentingly diverting. These aren't just cartoons -- they're absolutely believable characters.