Original Beauty & The Beast Stars Explain Disney Film's Unique Production
The stars of Disney's original animated Beauty and the Beast have recently opened up about the film's unique production. As many fans know, 1991's Beauty and the Beast tells the tale of a prince cursed to spend his days transformed into a monster, and can only regain his human form if he finds true love. The film is certainly a classic amongst Disney's iconic animated features. Beauty and the Beast was helmed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise and starred Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson and Angela Lansbury.
Beauty and the Beast was a landmark film for Disney animation. Not only was it part of the group of films produced from between 1989 to 1999 known as the "Disney Renaissance," but it was also nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, making it the first animated feature to ever be nominated in that category. This was equally impressive, as at the time there was no Best Animated Feature category, so it was rare that animated films were recognized at all besides in the music categories (for which this film was nominated four times). Being such a standout film in the world of animation, it comes as no surprise that Beauty and the Beast had a unique production process.
In a recent interview with THR to discuss the film's Oscar legacy ahead of the upcoming 2022 Academy Awards, stars O'Hara and Benson have discussed the unique recording process the film implemented. According to O'Hara, the two would record their lines "standing right next to each other." This is not standard practice for audio recording, as actors are normally separated into sound-proof booths. O'Hara has stated that this made the process take longer, but was worth it as it made Belle and Beast's relationship "so much more poignant." Benson has described the recording sessions as being done as if they were "shooting a feature." According to him, this was done to help bring the characters to life. See their full quotes below:
"Robby [Benson] and I would record our lines standing right next to each other. They don’t usually allow that because it’s technically more complicated and more expensive. It takes more time. But the outcome was certainly worth the time, as they all admitted later. The relationship between Belle and Beast was so much more poignant." - O'Hara
"We played it as if we were shooting a feature. Even though it was an animated feature, these characters were very real to us. I know how actor-y and silly that might sound, but we wanted to bring these characters to life." - Benson
While the process may have taken longer and been more complicated for the recording engineers, the final product is plain to see. Audiences 30 years later are still finding themselves swept up in the romantic relationship of Belle and Beast when ever they pop Beauty and the Beast on for a rewatch. It isn't hard to believe that the chemistry heard in the voices goes all the way back to the recording studio. It also certainly proves that the Oscar the film won for Best Sound was well deserved, as it is impossible to tell that the voices were captured using unorthodox methods.
Overall, Beauty and the Beast seems to certainly be standing the test of time, and it is all due to the hard work the crew put in to make the film something special. This is not, of course, the first time the story of Beauty and the Beast has been adapted to screen. The film even got a live action remake starring Emma Watson back in 2017. However, most viewers still agree that the 1991 animated version of Beauty and the Beast is still the quintessential telling of the tale, and it is easy to see why.
Source: THR