One Piece Film: Gold

Musicals are the "it" thing this year and even the anime game is getting in on the action with the release of Funimation Films...One Piece Film:  Gold!  The opening montage is complete with a Swinging Big Band, showgirls, kick lines and pirates ships.  The Gran Tesoro, where most of the action is set, reminds me of a golden version  The Venetian Hotel on the Vegas strip.  Aboard the Gran Tesoro, where it rains gold upon a golden river, The Straw Hat pirates become enamored with their VIP status and 300 Million dollars line of credit.  However, deception is king and the crew soon discovers that all that glitters is NOT gold.

Based on the wildly popular hit anime manga and television series, One Piece Film: Gold  follows the Straw Hat pirates to the big screen in an all-new high-flying adventure. The Batman-like graphics, slot machine sound effects and high-octane music keep the energy of this entertaining flick moving and grooving.

Originally a Japanese manga series, One Piece was adapted into a television series by Toei Animation (Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Digimon) that has since aired over 760 episodes. As of August 2016, the original manga series has more than 380 million copies printed worldwide – the best-selling manga series in history.

The new film One Piece Film: Gold is a standalone film that does not require new audiences to be familiar with previous content to enjoy the thrill of this new adventure.  Do the Straw Hat pirates luck turn them into billionaires?  Or,  are they turned into gold slaves?  You can find out for yourself when On Piece Film:  gold begins its North American Release begins TODAY  through January 17th.   Click Here to Grab Tickets to One Piece Film: Gold

Moonlight Takes Over Gotham

The IFP Gotham Awards were handed out at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City last night, and A24’s Moonlight was off to a good award-season start, taking home Best Feature and Best Screenplay to go with its previously announced special jury ensemble award. Casey Affleck won Best Actor for Manchester by the Sea, and Isabelle Huppert took Best Actress for Elle besting out award doyens Natalie Portman and Annette Bening. Check out the full list of winners below.

Here is the complete list of winners at the 26th annual Gotham Awards:

BEST FEATURE

Moonlight
Barry Jenkins, director; Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, producers (A24)

BEST ACTOR

Casey Affleck
Manchester by the Sea (Amazon Studios)

BEST ACTRESS

Isabelle Huppert
Elle (Sony Pictures Classics)

SPECIAL GOTHAM JURY AWARD

Cast Of Moonlight
(A24)

BEST DOCUMENTARY

O.J.: Made in America
Ezra Edelman, director; Caroline Waterlow, Ezra Edelman, Tamara Rosenberg, Nina Krstic, Deirdre Fenton, Erin Leyden, producers (ESPN Films)

BINGHAM RAY BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTOR AWARD

Trey Edward Shults
Krisha (A24)

BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR

Anya Taylor-Joy
The Witch (A24)

BEST SCREENPLAY

Moonlight
Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney; Screenplay by Barry Jenkins (A24)

BREAKTHROUGH SERIES – LONGFORM

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Rachel Bloom & Aline Brosh McKenna, creators; Marc Webb, Rachel Bloom, Aline Brosh McKenna, Erin Ehrlich, executive producers (The CW)

BREAKTHROUGH SERIES – SHORTFORM

Her Story
Jen Richards and Laura Zak, creators (herstoryshow.com)

LION

I don’t know about you, but one of my greatest fears growing up is that I would somehow become separated from my parents and never see them again.

As a little girl in Hawaiit, on a typical grocery day, my Mom let go of my hand to grab something off a shelf.  By the time she turned around to put it in the cart I was gone.  As my parents frantically searched throughout the store, my Dad saw a woman in the parking lot with me in tow heading toward her car.

I don’t have to tell you,  My Daddy lost his mind.  He proceeded to verbally go off on this woman, snatched me away from her and headed back inside the store.  Needless to say, my parents were mortified that at the blink  of an eye I was almost never to be seen or heard from again.

Little did I know on the other side of the world, Saroo (Dev Patel), out on a night excursion with his brother Guduu (Abhishek Bharate), becomes separated and spends more than 22 years away from his family before reconnecting.

In Lion, five-year-old Saroo (Sunny Pawar) gets lost on a train traveling away from his home and family ending up thousands of miles away, in chaotic Kolkata, India. Somehow he survives living on the streets before ending up in an orphanage that’s not exactly a safe haven. Adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman and David Wenham), Saroo finds love and security growing up in Hobart. As an adult,  his emotional need and hope of ever finding his lost mother and brother are becoming nearly flashback memories. But, a chance meeting with some fellow Indians reawakens his buried yearning. Armed with only a handful of memories and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, Saroo sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home in India.

As if I weren’t already a fan of Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, his performance in “Lion” has made me a “superfan”.  It’s always a thin line when one  portray’s a character based on a real person that is still living and breathing!  I can tell you that Patel is crushing his performance so hard you forget he’s sharing a screen with Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman.  We will most certainly be hearing alot from him this awards season.

Kudos to Garth Davis for keeping the Indian culture authentic by using actors from this country to communicate this amazing story. At the Q&A following the AFI Film Festival Screening, a few little known facts were revealed by Saroo and Nicole Kidman. First, the actor that plays Young Saroo doesn’t speak English…at all, which is unbelievable.  This kid (Sunny Pawar) is adorable and absolutely astonishing.  The depths of emotion and vulnerability he displays hasn’t been seen since such child actors like Dakota Fanning and Haley Joel Osment.

Saroo was misprouncing the name of his town, which resulted in his not being found for nearly two years after being separated from his brother, Guduu.  Guduu, by the way, didn’t abadon Saroo, but got hit by a train on his way back to scoop him up.

Watiting in the lobby, I ran into Saroo.  He is such a charming, put-together young man with manners and respect for others that sorely lack in today’s digital age society.

Lion is the type of film that proves one truly has to pay attention to those “gut feelings”  we so often ignore and that as Lin Manuel Miranda says “Love is Love Is Love”.  It will make your heart swell and give you faith back in humanity.

Lion can be seen nationwide by The Weinstein Company TODAY.

DON'T LOOK DOWN

I have to admit, didn't know much about Richard Branson other than the fact he owned Virgin America Airlines or how he came to acquire that except for an interview I saw on The Oprah Show some years back.  Neither did I recognize he was  the dude who signed major rock stars ranging from the Sex Pistols to the Rolling Stones, making Virgin Records the biggest independent labels in the world.  To date, there are more than 100 Virgin companies worldwide, employing approximately 60,000 people in over 50 countries.  Can you say over-acheiver...lol??

After screening Don't Look Down, I surmised Richard Branson is fascinating.  He's a ridiculously rich man, who wants nothing more than to be an explorer and get credit for those accomplishments.  To say that he is a daredevil or one who takes great risks is an understatement.

Were his thrilling desires really work the risks?  Branson has challenged himself with many record-breaking adventures, including the fastest ever Atlantic Ocean crossing, series of hot air balloon adventures and kite surfing across the English Channel.

Daniel Gordon’s documentary Don’t Look Down, which screened at Tribeca,  centered on Branson’s daredevil balloon flights across the Atlantic and the Pacific.  In regards to the Atlantic trip, Branson says, “Six tried before us. Five had died,” and what “could go wrong, went wrong on that flight.”

Don't Look Down will give you a bird's-eye view of this dramatic untold story straight from his collaborators, family, never seen archival footage from inside the hot air balloon capsule and the most intimate thoughts on all of this from Branson himself.

The capsule footage is fascinating, as you learn that although being in a hot air balloon may look like a beautiful and etherial it made me personally never want to attempt that adventure ever in life!

What is even more fascinating is the fact that his collaborators on this adventure Don Cameron has a heart of gold and nerves of steel, which made him the perfect dude to be thousands of feet in the air with Richard Branson.

“We shouldn’t be here to tell the tale, but it tells for a gripping film,” says Branson. Submarine Entertainment is handling both U.S. and foreign sales for Don’t Look Down.

DOCTOR STRANGE

Benedict Cumberbatch is exchanging those serious Oscar nominated roles like Alan Turing in The Imitation Game and the BBC's Sherlock for  neurosurgeon turned sorcerer in Marvel's Doctor Strange.

This latest Marvel installment may be just what the franchise needs to reinvigorate itself.  I spent a majority of this film with my mouth dropped from witnessing  the most amazingly eye-twisting visual special effects I have ever seen.  They were simply marvelous, yet mind-bending to watch.

Of course, I would be remiss in not addressing the controversy that has swirled around the casting of Tilda Swinton as The Ancient One, a role depicted in the comic as one of Asian descent.

While the studio, the writers, director Scott Derrickson and even Swinton herself have spoken out about the upcoming changes in the film, it continues to be a topic of discussion among many. 

In a recent interview with Out, the actress once again addresses the controversy surrounding her character and states that the Ancient One was never written as a Tibetan man, as portrayed in the comics.

“There is little for me to add except to say that anyone speaking up for a greater accuracy in the representation of the diversity of the world we live in has me right beside them,” she says. “As someone who has worked from the beginning as an artist within a queer aesthetic, the urgency of that voice is always going to be welcome.”

It goes without saying that clearly the Asian community is sick of exclusion, as are people of color, Latinos and Native Americans.  Who can forget not too long ago the casting of Jennifer Lawrence as Catniss in The Hunger Games franchise, when in the book Catniss is Native American.  One of these days, Hollywood will get it right.

Anywhoo, back to Doctor Strange.  I loved it!  The cinematic aesthetic is off the charts thanks to Ben Davis and Scott Derrickson.  The action keeps you engaged to the point when the film is over...you are totally not ready for it to end.

Both McAdams and Cumberbatch reached into their lighter side to make Christine and Stephen engaging, charming and comedic without being over the top.  It was wonderful to see Chiwetel Ejiofor cross over to the dark side (smelling a sequel) and watch him leap into his superhero lane making a departure from his more serious work as well.  Controversy aside, Tilda Swinton is fantastic as The Ancient One.  Kinda hate that she...oops don't want it spoil it for you guys:)

However, the real star of this film was the "cloak of levitation".  It truly was a character all unto itself without skipping a beat.

Marvel really out did itself on this one.  The credits for the digital crew and special effects listed at least more than 100 people for everything ranging from CGI to Sound.  Bravo!  Can't wait for the sequel!!

Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange opens in theaters Friday, November 4th!

Click HERE to watch the trailer

KICKS

The obsession over sneakers in a documentary Sneakheadz and getting the latest "kicks by any means necessary is real.  Many kids have been killed, beat up even harassed over the type of sneakers they are wearing. With a debut earlier this year at the Tribeca and LA Film Festivals, KICKS takes it to a whole new level, by putting this controversial subject to a narrative centered around three urban teens.  When one of them is jacked for his Jordans, he and his friends find themselves on a journey to recover the shoes, but not without consequences and repercussions.

Fifteen-year-old Brandon longs for a pair of the freshest sneakers that money can buy and assumes that having them on his feet will help him escape the reality of being poor, neglected by the opposite sex and picked on by everyone -- even his best friends.

Working hard to get them, he soon finds that these shoes have made him a target after they are snatched by local hood, Flaco.  Flaco has his own issues  that will are revealed when Brandon goes on a mission to retrieve his stolen sneakers with his two best friends in tow.

Produced by the same team that brought us Morris from America, boasting an amazing soundtrack of both hip-hop classics and Bay Area favorites, Kicks creates an authentic and original portrait of a young man drowning in the expectations of being grown and standing his ground for what he believes.

With an impressive screen debut, Jahking Guillory is perfection as Brandon.  Mahershala Ali is having a great year and his portrayal of Flaco is chilling, yet compassionate as a gang-banger Dad with a heart.

Kicks is  a modern-day Boyz in the Hood Air Jordans as the centerpiece.  I could have done without some of the more graphic scenes, but guess they seemed necessary in order to give this film authenticity around its storyline..

As a first time director/screenwriter, Justin Tipping does an admirable job in creating a magical urban tale about friendship, honor and life in Oakland.

Kicks rolls into a theatre near you on September 9th by Focus films.

TALLULAH

Have you ever done what you knew in your heart was wrong for all the right reasons?  So has Tallulah.  A homeless girl who has not been dealt a full deck within the card game of life, Tallulah finds herself in a situation where she makes a decision that ultimately affects not only her...but many others.

Tallulah and her boyfriend Nico (Evan Jonigkeit) are wandering through life trying to figure out what their next move will be.  Will they go to abroad or stay in New York?  One never knows, but Nico decides that he is done with Tallulah and leaves.  While trolling through floors at a hotel/apartment building, she stumbles upon a woman who is clearly troubled and with a toddler. This chance meeting will turn out to change Tallulah in ways she didn't even see coming.

Having debuted at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, this Chris Columbus produced dramedy is one of the best films I have seen yet this year.  Kudos to Bernie Telsey and his casting associates for gathering such a stellar cast.

Although Ellen Page (Tallulah) and Allison Janney(Margo) are turning in some outstanding performances, this film belongs the insatiably, sadistic Tammy Blanchard (Carolyn).  Since bursting on the scene as a 2011 Tony Nominee for the second revival of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Blanchard, those who have watched her star ascend knew it would be only a matter of time before all of her true talent would be showcased.  Her performance in Tallulah is only to be rivaled by that of Oscar winner Cate Blanchett in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine.

Ellen Page is a task master at portraying young woman with no real moral compass.  She's brilliant at it actually!  Her presence brings the much-needed comic element to Tallulah and she never disappoints.  Ellen Page is the only actress I can think of that makes you want to slap her and hug her all at the same time.  This is certainly the gift of skills she bring s to the role of Tallulah.

Allison Janney is better and better with each film she appears in.  As an awkward, socially inept woman on the verge of divorcing her gay husband. Janney conveys all the colors and layers necessary to pull off the character of Margo.  Her attempt to seduce the doorman is hysterical and incredibly sad all at once, as well as, her anger burst toward her future ex-husband are outstanding moments.

It was nice to see David Zayas and Uzo Aduba, as well as, John Benjamin Hickey and Zachary Quinto on-screen in one film.  Each of them spectacular in their respective roles.

Director/Writer Sian Heder has honed his skills in the world of dramedy on such hits as Orange Is The New Black and Men of a Certain Age, but it's safe to say that Tallulah will be the breakout film garnering major attention for him and Blanchard this awards season.

Tallulah debuted on Netflix July 29th and is available for streaming now.

ROOTS 2016: Slavery Saga or History Lesson

There is a lot of talk about Roots today and will be for the rest of the week and the other episodes hit the airwaves  For those of you who are not award, please let me educate you and make you think.

Alex Haley's Roots inspired millions of Americans (not just people of color) to look into their ancestry as a means to discover the origins of their family history.

In my own personal quest, I connected with  and remain close with a cousin who now lives in Japan, discovered some historic info about my family and learned that some of my relatives made their living as bee keepers.  All as a result of searching my own "roots".

Historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. even had a show on NBC called "Who Do You Think You Are", in which numerous celebrities had their ancestry researched and aired on national television.  Some results were downright stunning.

Genealogy is the origin from which Roots was born and inspired from, so it is very difficult to listen to masses of people complain about it being a story about slaves.  Slavery is definitely at the forefront of the story, but NOT the main subject.  Roots is a story about how despite the odds, Kunte Kinte, a Mandinka warrior snatched from his homeland, rose above adversity to create a positive legacy for his family.  A family that included Alex Haley.

So, on the subject of slavery, Ima need folks to calm down!!!

Do you hear people of Jewish descent complaining about a holocaust film every other year?  No. Why?  They understand that for history NOT to be repeated one needs to be aware and remember its existence.  There are actually some schools in this country that are trying to rewrite slavery in America calling it a "migration of Africans to America seeking a better life". Really???!!!  I think not!  This is simply a bold-faced lie.  A migration would suggest Africans were NOT chained like animals on a ship, branded and sold as property.  Let there be no mistake about it...Slavery was anything BUT a migration.

I was one of the 130 million that watched Roots the when it aired on ABC all those years ago.  Back then, you couldn't re-watch it on a DVR, live-stream or even catch it on the internet.  If you didn't see it in real time...you simply missed out.  When I tell you,  going to school the next day was one of the most uncomfortable days in my life...is NO exaggeration.  Roots was the talk of every workplace, school and social settings, just as it is now.

The only difference now is simply the internet.  After the first episode aired last evening, the "twitterers" and internet were buzzing with opinionated reviews of Roots.  Here's my opinion and before you get you pants in a wad...remember this is just that..an opinion.

Roots, which aired its first episode last night simultaneously on A&E, Lifetime and the History Channel pulled in 8.5 million viewers.  The original, which aired on ABC pulled in 130 million viewers.  Not only that, but Roots single-handedly birthed a new genre of television in the 70's (Lonesome Dove, The Thornbirds, Rich Man - Poor Man).

The new look at Roots, which begins with the abduction in Africa of Kunta Kinte (Malachi Kirby) and spans decades to include the American Civil War, is unfolded over four consecutive nights, with a different director helming each night, including Phillip Noyce, Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter and Bruce Beresford.

In an era dealing with young black men randomly being gunned down, Black Lives Matter and Donald J. Trump promising to build a wall to "keep the Mexicans/illegals" out  of American, films like Nate Parker's The Birth of a Nation,  WGN America's Underground and the reboot of Roots are more timely than ever.

Shot in various locations including South Africa and Louisiana, you heart can't help but break when Kunta Kinte is being whipped for refusing to abandon his Mandinka name for the slave name "Toby".  That one scene clocks in at four minutes.  Four minutes of watching  blood splatter to the ground, skin being burst like over ripe fruit, others slaves, overseers, etc... looking on yet turning away in horror and in silence.  Seeing this scene now, with so much life experience behind me than when I watched as a teenager, stirred up feelings that had been suppressed for decades.  I pray that this generation of people watch and watch intently to learn of a history that is slowly disappearing from America.  A history that should never be forgotten.

The first episode felt a little slow in some spots, but was still compelling mostly due to the performances of Malachi Kirby and Forrest Whittaker.  The producers (Mark Wolper, LeVar Burton and Will Packer) make a point in stating a disclaimer reminded viewers that there is "intense language of the time period" involved.

I trust that LeVar Burton (the original "Kunte Kinte" actor who was an unknown when shooting the 1977 miniseries) will treat the legacy Alex Haley left with the dignity, honor and respect it deserves.  Will 85% of households be watching this time? No, but this time around Roots will have a different impact.  Roots is not just about slavery, the "N-word" or pain.  It's about the courage and survival of a group of people who are resilient.

Please watch with your family, friends and every young person you can gather.  Make sure they know now that slavery, just like the holocaust and Pearl Harbor are events that should always be remembered.  If you missed last night, no worries...each episode will re-air right before the current one

Keep your eyes peeled for Emayatzy Corinealdi and Anika Noni Rose in the future installments. These young women are forces to be reckoned with and will no doubt re recognized for their brilliance along with their co-stars Malachi Kirby and Forest Whitaker.

Don't be silent on this one.  Le me hear from you and what  you feel.  Let's keep the conversation going for the next generation.  Remember I will respect and honor your opinion in the same manner in which you have allowed me to express mine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxmw4gccqnA

Tribeca Film Festival 2016: Audience Award - The Return

[embed]https://youtu.be/zcXTs4EYuI0[/embed] Many of us know someone, have a relative or have accidentally met an individual who has been incarcerated.  There are fewer of us who know someone who has had "three strikes" and even fewer who have had someone released as a result of the passing of Prop 36.

In 2012, California voters passed Prop 36 to reform Three Strikes - the first time in American history that citizens shortened sentences of the currently incarcerated. Overnight, thousand of lifers became eligible for release

The Return gives a bird's-eye view of two newly released lifers as they attempt to avoid the usual pitfalls of released prisoners back into a society and familial relationships that are drastically different.  Their struggle not to succumb to old triggers, insecurities and restoring the relationships is real, raw and heartbreaking.

Bilal Chatman and Kenneth Anderson were both lifers.  Chatman wanted a second chance to turn his life around and spend more time with his ailing mother.  Anderson wanted a second chance at being a business person, father, grandfather, husband and drug free.

Chatman was freed  by the people who fought for Proposition 36, which requires eligible non-violent drug offenders to serve their time in a drug treatment program instead of in prison. After The Return's screening at Tribeca, Bilal (who recently celebrated 33 years clean and sober) spoke of not allowing mistakes nor the people who hurt him in his past, to define his present life.

Kenneth Anderson was released and moved back in with his family after well over a decade. With a 25-to-life sentence over a purse snatching,  Anderson's last blunder included a struggle with drug abuse brought on by stress over his failed janitorial business.

Welcomed back by his ex-wife, now-adult children and several grandchildren he’s never met, he’s fortunate — but still encounters insurmountable hurdles.

Bilal Chatman had no spouse or children to return to. After 11 years’ (his “third strike” was selling $200 in drugs to an undercover agent), he headed straight from prison to Home of the Loving Father Re-Entry Facility, a halfway house in San Jose.

Their "second chance" journey is different - yet similar.  Both have no desire to return to the life conditions of their former selves, yet both men face a fate in society that will never let them forget their past.

The filmmakers also follow the release petitioning for Lester Wallace, a diagnosed schizophrenic who became California’s very first “Three Strikes” conviction after an attempted car-stereo theft. We never actually hear from Wallace, only a  glimpse him in court as his case is being  argued. Wallace's case was argued as him being raised in a frequently homeless, drug-addled family, which made him the perfect candidate for what Director Michael Romano says was too often “the solution for a generation” to problems of poverty, addiction and mental illness: Lock ’em up and throw away the key.

Prop 36 gave men like Chapman, Wallace and Anderson a new lease on life and allowed them all an opportunity to be placed in rehab programs to kickstart their new life.  Often times, these men, regardless of their crimes, are released from prison with a paper jumpsuit, $200 dollars in their pocket and no real plan for the future.  This is the major reason so many of them find themselves back behind bars.  They are released into a society that has no empathy for ex-cons and many of them spend the rest of their lives trying to prove they are changed and reformed men or women.

The Return is a lesson for all that everyone is capable of making a mistake, but should that mistake be thrown up in your face  and follow you for the rest of your life?

For more information of drug rehab services through Prop 36, click on  http://www.caldrug.org.

The Return won the Audience Award at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and will make its debut on PBS.

#FLASHBACK FRIDAY: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch

It won a Pulitzer Prize, made Gregory Peck a superstar, instantly became an American classic and made it's author infamous.  To Kill A Mockingbird in many ways was the pre-cursor to John Gresham's "A Time to Kill' starring Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey.  Centered around lawyer Atticus Finch, the audience is educated as Finch defends a black man in southern America circa 1963.

Based on Harper Lee's novel of the same name, you can only imagine the controversy stirred by this prolific tale. Crafted brilliantly and told through the eyes of  six year-old Scout, who can forget Boo Radley or the famous words spoken by Atticus,  "You never know someone...until you step inside their skin and walk around a little."

Just as in 1963, Harper Lee caused a stir once again when she announced a prequel she had kept under wraps would be published.  Fans lost their minds!!!  Just a few months later Lee would pass away at the age of 89.

The film received numerous Oscar nominations, taking home the gold for Horton Foote, Gregory Peck and for Best Art Direction/Set Direction.

Take a look back at a 56-year-old classic...To Kill A Mockingbird

https://youtu.be/KR7loA_oziY

#TBT Beauty and the Beast

Susan egan as belle in broadway's beauty and the beast

Toni Braxton as Belle on broadway in beauty and the beast

When Grammy winner Toni Braxton went into the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, I, for one was ecstatic!  Toni is one of my favorite vocalists and she seemed a perfect fit for the hit show.  However, this would not be my first run in with a Belle.  I happened to be at a voice-over audition with the Original Susan Egan (who is absolutely adorable) and is the living embodiment of Belle. )

Before Toni and Susan took this classic to the stage it was a Disney animated film that featured the voices of Robby Benson and Paige O'Hara in the title roles.  Benson, was a 70's heart-throb mostly know for the film Ice Castles and O'Hara a "Broadway Baby" having played such roles as Fantine in the hit musical Les Miserables.  Both make a very good living as  animated voice-over artists these days.

For those of you who have been under a rock for the last 20 years, this Disney classic tells the story of Belle.  Belles' father is imprisoned by the Beast and she offers to switch places with her Dad not realizing that the Beast is really a handsome Prince.  Sound familiar?  It's a lovely story and the title song is sung by Angela Lansbury in the film and was made into an R&B hit with Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson.  Beauty and the Beast won two oscars...both of them going to Alan Menken, whose name has become synonomous with Disney through Aladdin, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Newsies, Tangled, Hercules,The Little Mermaid and the list goes on.

Beauty and the Beast went on to become a television series a few times and a feature film and this week celebrates its 25th Anniversary.  Take a trip back and experience the Disney magic of Beauty and the Beast.

On May 9th, The Oscars hosted pre-screening discussion celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the first animated feature film to be nominated for Best Picture, featuring voice actors Angela Lansbury, Richard White, Paige O’Hara and Robby Benson, producer Don Hahn, director Gary Trousdale and supervising animators Andreas Deja, Mark Henn and Glen Keane, key story artist Brenda Chapman. Presented in nostalgic 70mm as it was originally shown in its premiere engagements.

https://youtu.be/IekzVSf1AUs

https://youtu.be/xD5pcGp62ec