Sid is a villainous character; he destroys toys for fun and is feared by all of the toys. Woody shows his great leadership again when he organizes the toys in a revolt against Sid, leaving him shaken and very scared. He is a very dark character and this is shown by his image, a black t-shirt with a skull on, scruffy hair and chipped, black teeth. His dog Scud is like a sidekick sharing Sid’s hate for toys, regularly chewing them to pieces.
The way in which the toys are represented is important as well, when there is humans around the toys are looked down on from a higher perspective. The toys were first seen as inanimate objects, Andy’s playthings. This changes when the toys are ‘alive’, they are looked at from their perspective or from what they are seeing. When Buzz is first seen in the bedroom the camera angle changes to give him a look of superiority and power, the camera looks at him from a very low view and then slowly reveals the rest of his body.
In the castle everything is very big compared to Belle to make her look smaller, when she is with the Beast you often see her from the Beasts point of view of from the side which makes her look smaller again.
The use of lighting is also important, Andy’s room is bright and colourful compared to Sid’s bedroom which is dark and gloomy. Andy’s room uses bright colours well such as the blue for the walls. Sid’s room has a dark green light on and appears to be black, there are lots of luminous posters on the well too. There is a clear contrast between the two characters and their environments.
Beauty and the Beast is similar, the prince/beast begins as the villain. He is represented as a dark character, evil looking and scary with a temper to match. The colours used for his clothes represent his royalty; deep purples are used for his robes. His surroundings are set in the same way; they are very dark and gloomy. His castle always had thunder and lightening and dark clouds around it before the Beast began to change. With Belle’s influences the castle and the Beast begin to change gradually, the Beast and the castle at its ‘best’ before Gaston arrives and after when the Beast had changed back. It is a lot lighter and Belle and the Beast’s clothing changes, Belle in a yellow dress and the Beast in blue robes. The changes in time are shown with the seasons changing, the petals falling from the rose and the servant’s change of attitude as they become more and more impatient.
Another villainous character is Gaston; he is the towns girls dream man. He is very confident, handsome and charming. Belle is the girl he wants though and is set on winning her hand in marriage. At the beginning of the film he comes across quite charming but begins to change. Towards the end of the film he is shown more as a dark character when he attacks the Beast’s castle and the Beast. The turning point in Gaston’s character was when he was set to propose to Belle but was turned down and embarrassed when he fell into the puddle of mud. This was slapstick comedy.
Many of the characters in Beauty and the Beast risk their own lives at one point in the film to save someone else’s. Belle’s father set out to save Belle knowing full well he could die trying, Belle then gave up her own life to save her fathers by promising to be the Beast’s ‘prisoner’ for the rest of her life. Similarly the Beast chases after Belle when she leaves the castle and fights of the wolves attacking her, this scene also changes our perspective of the Beast.
The plots differ as Beauty and the Beast is a love story, the Beast has to win Belle’s heart to gain his and his servant’s old life back, Toy Story is more about getting along with people and working as a team. At first Woody feels threatened and jealous of Buzz but learns that they can get along and work together as a team. They are similar as in both stories the characters have to go on journeys to learn about themselves. Woody’s and Buzz’s takes them around there town but Belle and the Beasts stays in the castle and its grounds. Both sets of characters learn a lesson by the end of the films. There is a lot more talking in Toy Story whereas in Beauty and the Beast things just happen or are told in song. Another similarity is that in both films, everything goes right at the last possible moment, Buzz and Woody getting back to Andy while they are on the way to the new house and Belle telling the Beast she loves him as he dies and the last petal falls.
The plots appeal to audiences because all though Toy Story is aimed at children it has lots of more mature jokes and scenes; these help it appeal to a wider audience. It has a lot more inter-texuality then Beauty and the Beast as well, with references to ‘The Exorcist’ among others. This is a very mature film, which shows they are aiming at an older audience. The idea of toys ‘living’ when your not there is one fantasy many people have dreamed of. It is very funny at the same time too. Beauty and the Beast is a romantic story and will appeal to the more emotional of people but children at the same time because of the horror and fantasy element of a Prince changed into a beast and his servants being turned into various household items.
The opening scene of Beauty and the Beast hooks the audience well, there is a spell cast over a castle and a prince turned into a beast which is very interesting. It then becomes very happy and cheerful with Belle breaking into a song for a period of time which interests the audience. The opening sequence of Toy Story immediately interests the audience with the living toys and the conflict between Woody and Buzz, Buzz being the new toy. The toys believe that Buzz is Andy’s new favourite toy and Woody is being replaced.
CONCLUSION
These films are very effective in what they want to do. Beauty and the Beast wants to enchant the audience with a tale of love, magic and horror, it has many songs in it which help the viewer become interested in the story. They feel more involved with the film and the music and songs add atmosphere. Toy Story wants to teach the audience a lesson about working as a team and helping yourself and others overcome problems. It does this well but without letting you knows it has. The meaning is there very clearly and you learn it but the way the film is presented makes it fun and humorous along the way.
Since Beauty and the Beast was made a lot has changed about the Disney image, they are not just making films for children anymore and are aiming at a much wider audience. The animation techniques have changed too, in Beauty and the Beast they used hand drawn frames and in Toy Story it is digitally animated using computers. This makes the whole process a lot faster and easier.
As a member of the Disney audience I enjoy the more recent digitally animated films then the older films but can still appreciate them for how good they are. I don’t believe my views are based on the look of the films but I prefer the plots and humour in the newer films.
