My family and I recently received a copy of the new Disney release, Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition, to review.
Confession: somewhere out there, there is probably video of me dancing with the tea pot from Beauty & The Beast. Go ahead, laugh. It was our Homecoming theme our sophomore year, and I've never been one to shy away from my psychoticness - so I danced with the decoration at the Homecoming dance. I LOVED this movie!
As you can probably guess, I was totally excited to hear that Beauty And The Beast was being released for the first time on Blu-Ray. When we heard that it was being released in theaters too as a Sing A Long, we were THIS CLOSE to going - I was just afraid it would be too much. (Phoeey!) I'll be honest, I was kind of disappointed because I thought it would be a blast and I was totally not afraid to get into the whole singing and dancing myself. Then I thought about it, and remembered not only we have a rocking TV get up at home completely BEGGING to play Disney Blu-Rays with no overpriced unhealthy popcorn or other people's screaming kids necessary.
So I made movie night come to us. Snacks, check. Mommy's caffeine, check. Plush Belle, check. Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition, check! Bring on the magic!
This edition is actually digitally restored, and it's absolutely gorgeous on Blu-Ray. If you didn't already know, Diamond Editions are combo packs that comes with both the regular movie DVD and the Blu-Ray disks! You won't have to re-buy the same title in the Blu-Ray format down the road if you don't already have a Blu-Ray player or PlayStation 3. While these combo packs cost just about $10 more than just buying the regular DVD, you end up saving money in the long run. Plus, if you have a computer/laptop with DVD playing capability or portable DVD players, you can play the regular DVD disk on those. Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition also comes with a bonus third disk for the Blu-Ray (more on that in a moment).
Both of the versions (regular DVD and Blu-Ray) feature three different versions of the movie, including Disney Sing Along Mode. Yes, those of you who missed it in the theater this last week can also bring the sing-a-long magic to your home and dance the night away! You'll see the original theater version that you'll probably remember from VHS's, as well as an extended version, which features a little bit of extra footage. The regular DVD (let's call it disc one) also features some audio commentary about the movie.
The second disk - or Blu-Ray is where the magic happens. Not only do you have those three versions of the film, which I hate to keep repeating this, but it's true - are INCREDIBLE on Blu-Ray with the restoration and the sound - oh my gosh - the sound! Use a home theater with the speakers, it's just beautiful - but this DVD has even more extra bonus material. In fact, there's so much bonus material, that's why there's the disc three, full of bonus material! When Disney says they are opening up the vault for a new release, they aren't kidding and are totally opening up the red carpet on this one. If you love the extras on movies, this one is an avalanche of great little extras - you can sit there watching this set for HOURS. There is even a never before seen alternate opening!
The third disc also contains several games - the "Enchanted Musical Challenge" and "Bonjour, Who Is This Game?" (the only thing about this one is that it uses your phone to play, so you'll want to supervise and be sure your kids don't dial out to China or something accidentally!)
Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition is rated G (special features not rated, of course), and this movie is pretty much safe for all ages. While there are a few slight scary scenes for the very young, being an animated Disney movie, you're in the clear with no questionable scenes and moments.
Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition also contains Fast Play, which is a navigation utility that automatically starts the disc as soon as it's put in the player and pretty much remembers your viewing preferences. So if you have a kiddo that likes to play a certain scene over... and over... this comes in handy since it remembers that. ;)
If you're interested in purchasing Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition for your family's collection, there's a coupon out right now that will save you $10 off your purchase here. Do hurry though, as the coupon is only good through October 12th! By the way, if you're participating in the charm bracelet offer that started with the Tinker Bell movie that came out a few weeks ago, this DVD brings you another charm - a pretty rose.
Beauty And The Beast: Diamond Edition is available now for a limited time. (You know Disney and their vault!) The regular version of the movie runs 92 minutes long. The regular DVD edition will be available November 23, 2010, also for a limited time.
I received a copy of this DVD in order to write a review. No other compensation was given.
2 comments:
We got a great deal at Toys R Us. On sale for 22.99. Used the $10 off from Disney Rewards. The clerk offered us the deal currently running: Put down $5 on Toy Story 3and get ANOTHER $10 off Beauty and the Beast. Cost for B & B: 2.99. AND we can still use other deals on TS3 when it comes out.
That was a seriously great deal!
Post a Comment