Twenty years ago I sat in a dark movie theater with my four year old daughter watching Disney Pictures' Beauty and the Beast. The animation, the musical score and the timeless love story were mesmerizing to the both of us. We were not alone. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award. It held the honor until 2009 when the Best Picture field of nominations rose from 5 to 10 and Pixar's Up received a nod. When the VHS tape was released almost a year later (so many things wrong/outdated with that sentence) it was quickly added to our home collection. My little girl, like so many of her friends, wanted to be the book-loving, kind soul Belle for Halloween. I sewed her a beautiful yellow confection of a gown. Of course, she wanted the $19.99 store bought dress. Fast forward to 2012. Disney recently released the timeless classic, newly remastered in 3-D. This time I went to the theater without my girl in tow. (She was at her grown up teaching job). Again I was captivated by the film. I walked away wondering where the last two decades have gone. The girls in the photo are college graduates and career women now. They spent their childhoods watching movies with strong and beautiful and often motherless (that's a topic for another essay) heroines. They've had educations and adventures and have dated prince charmings. Yet, I have a feeling that when I invite them to see the movie with me this weekend, they will once again be the girls wearing the yellow gowns.
2 comments:
I too saw it with my now grown daughters. Beautiful post.
Love the photo.
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