Belle, whose father is imprisoned by the Beast, offers herself instead and discovers her captor to be an enchanted prince.
The 3D conversion works well, especially during the lively song-and-dance numbers when the castle’s inhabitants spring into action – including Mrs Pots the tea pot (Angela Lansbury) and her teacup son Chip – but the real joys are ones of old-school craftsmanship.
Any excuse to put it back in cinemas is fine by us.
There's no doubting the craftsmanlike elegance of the film, summoning up with relish the spirit of classic fairytale Disney of the 50s and 60s; but seen through the prism of the Toy Story/Shrek brand of featherlight, self-ironising comedy, there's a unmistakeable heaviness about it now.
Even with a 3D brush-up, this 1991 Disney cartoon looks remarkably innocent after the advances in digimation over the last 20 years. And yet its charm and energy are quite undimmed: it's a minor classic of the genre.
The 3D revival sees this witty, dramatically inventive version of a familiar story wearing well.
It still enchants.
Unsubtle perhaps, but never fails to hit the right notes.
How we made: Don Hahn and Paige O'Hara on Beauty and the Beast
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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