Having just rewatched the original film, this straight to video sequel (of sorts) is a jarring plummet in quality. Despite a largely returning voice cast, the animation is terrible, and the stories are worse.
Setting itself as a midquel, the film consists of three stories that take place during the time that Belle (Paige O'Hara) is becoming friends with the Beast (Robby Benson) but before Gaston's assault on the castle. In the first, Belle and the Beast fall out, and an attempt by the staff to reconcile them only makes it worse. In the second, on their anniversary, Fifi (Kimmy Robertson) comes to believe that Lumiere (Jerry Orbach) has eyes for Belle, rather than her. Finally, an injured bird teaches the Beast about forgiveness and letting go of the things he loves.
There is apparently a fourth story on certain DVD releases, but the Disney plus version only has these three that made up the phenomenally successful VHS release in the aftermath of the beloved originals success. As became a frequent feature of these sequels, it's actually three episodes of a failed spin-off show crudely pasted together and passed off as a film. They didn't even have the grace to animate some new wraparound bits this time.
Despite the return of Paige O'Hara and Robby Benson, and Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers Belle's Magical World is up there (... down there?) as one of the worst, cheapest looking and most boring garbage fires that I've seen on this alphabetical run through Disney Plus. The stories are nonsensical, and the characters feel inconsistent with the ones we met in the actual film.
It's sad that the success of this video encourages Disney into a decade long cycle of cheap, lazy sequels rather than either maintaining the sanctity of their classics, or producing proper returns to their magical worlds.
Setting itself as a midquel, the film consists of three stories that take place during the time that Belle (Paige O'Hara) is becoming friends with the Beast (Robby Benson) but before Gaston's assault on the castle. In the first, Belle and the Beast fall out, and an attempt by the staff to reconcile them only makes it worse. In the second, on their anniversary, Fifi (Kimmy Robertson) comes to believe that Lumiere (Jerry Orbach) has eyes for Belle, rather than her. Finally, an injured bird teaches the Beast about forgiveness and letting go of the things he loves.
There is apparently a fourth story on certain DVD releases, but the Disney plus version only has these three that made up the phenomenally successful VHS release in the aftermath of the beloved originals success. As became a frequent feature of these sequels, it's actually three episodes of a failed spin-off show crudely pasted together and passed off as a film. They didn't even have the grace to animate some new wraparound bits this time.
Despite the return of Paige O'Hara and Robby Benson, and Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers Belle's Magical World is up there (... down there?) as one of the worst, cheapest looking and most boring garbage fires that I've seen on this alphabetical run through Disney Plus. The stories are nonsensical, and the characters feel inconsistent with the ones we met in the actual film.
It's sad that the success of this video encourages Disney into a decade long cycle of cheap, lazy sequels rather than either maintaining the sanctity of their classics, or producing proper returns to their magical worlds.