Direct-to-Video Entertainment

Something that has become a distant memory for a lot of us is the “direct-to-video” era of entertainment. It began with VHS or “home videos”, that would be released to the public to buy or rent instead of having a theatrical release. According to Pacific Standard (2017), there are a couple reasons why a studio may decide to utilize direct-to-video instead of a theatrical release:

The film may include an actor who is well known internationally but is not anymore within the US, so they are affordable.
The concept may be very specific and not for the general audience to understand.
The budget for the film was small, so the focus is to make a profit.

Disney adapted this type of entertainment beginning with the very successful sequel to Aladdin: The Return of Jafar in 1994. It is one of the best selling home videos on VHS ever coming right after Shrek, bringing in $345,000,000. With over $250 million in profits, Disney continued with this form of release. They decided to stick with sequels, and on November 11th 1997, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas was released.

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

This film was the first project put out by the newly opened studios in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. Disney wanted to bring in more talent from animators in Canada, as well as be able to work on multiple projects at one time.

It wasn’t widely well received, as audiences felt like it was a watered down version of the original and was just an extra film for Christmas. It only received 13% on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviews saying it was “too scary for a Christmas movie”, and a “desperate attempt at a sequel”. It was rereleased in 2002 as a special edition, and then again in 2011 for Blu-ray.

Plot

The film isn’t exactly a sequel or a prequel, but rather takes place near the middle of the timeline in the original story. Being that it’s a Christmas special, it happens after Belle gets attacked by wolves and she takes care of the Beast back at the castle as it snows. Another way to think about it is it happens around the time “Something There” in the original film occurs.

“Something There” from Beauty and the Beast. Image from: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Something_There

The benefit to watching the film after the original is it gives you more insight into the Beast’s backstory and allows you to experience the vulnerability of each character more. The story is that Belle is wanting to celebrate Christmas at the castle, and the rest of the castle staff are all for it. The Beast despises Christmas and hasn’t celebrated it in years. The film then shows a flashback to the day the castle was cursed, which was on Christmas. It shows the Beast being extremely arrogant and rude to his staff about what gifts they brought him, as well as him dismissing the enchantress at his door. Having this plotline really solidifies why the enchantress took it as far as she did in the original film, as it was very clear that the Beast was self-centered and disrespectful to those around him.

Another benefit to the story from this film is it shows why Beast eventually came around to wanting to pursue Belle. In a scene that took place in the boiler room when Beast forbids Belle from having Christmas, she says:

“The only one that’s holding us prisoner here is you. Well I’m not giving up!” - Belle

This is the first time Beast comes to the realization that he is only sabotaging himself, and must come around to Belle if he wants a chance at love.

The Villain: Forte the Organ

The original idea for a Beauty and the Beast sequel was to have Gaston’s brother, Avenant, come back to avenge his brother and kill the Beast. Avenant is the name of the villain in the original story of Beauty and the Beast, but Gaston was picked up for the Disney version.

The idea for the villain was changed during production, and Forte, the castle organ, became the villain. His motive was to keep Beast from becoming human again and not break the spell. He is the only servant who wants this, as he realized he was more useful to the Beast as an organ rather than as a servant. Forte convinces Belle to run off into the forest to get a Christmas tree, making Beast think she’s escaping. He continues to sabotage their relationship and almost kills both of them with his power..

Your music is the only thing that helps me forget. - Beast to Forte

For no clear reason, the studio decided to make Forte a 3D computer animation, whereas the rest of the film was hand-drawn just as the original was. It could be that they were testing the waters for future films and felt it was safe to test on a direct-to-video format, or they wanted his character to stand out from the rest of the castle staff. Nevertheless, it is impressive for 1997 computer animation.

Forte. Image from: https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Forte

The Voice Actors

Most of the original voice actors from the first film came back to provide their voices for their respective characters once again. The only voice that was changed was Chip’s, going from Bradley Pierce to Haley Joel Osment. Chip had a much more prominent role in this film. His voice actor was changed once again for Belle’s Magical World.

Famous actor Tim Curry takes on the role as Forte, adding yet another villainous character to his filmography. He brings this computer animated organ to life and adds a tone where an audience can immediately tell who will be the villain in the story.

I think writers have a lot more fun writing villains. They’re just on the whole really very much better written, and therefore a great deal more fun to play. - Tim Curry

My personal opinion is that it’s definitely a background-type of movie that you could have playing while you decorate your Christmas tree. While some of Forte’s scenes may be scary for children, overall it is a light-hearted film that is easy to watch.

Reference List:

https://psmag.com/economics/beauty-direct-video-movie-jean-claude-van-damme-94009

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast:_The_Enchanted_Christmas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Return_of_Jafar

https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Forte

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W79wUUnEQQ4

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/beauty-and-the-beast-the-enchanted-christmas