Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray presentation of "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" offers a 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer that, while an improvement over previous DVD releases, is somewhat underwhelming. The film's 1.78:1 aspect ratio does not significantly impact the viewing experience, despite potential concerns over cropping from the original 1.33:1 format. The video quality reveals a range of issues, including weak and inconsistent contrast and muted black levels that often appear charcoal rather than inky. Primary colors lack vibrancy, diminishing the intended holiday atmosphere. Scenes vary greatly in quality, from dim and frosty to occasionally striking images. However, all CG-animated elements, particularly Forte, suffer from aliasing, pixelated edges, and other digital anomalies native to the midquel's source material.

Despite these drawbacks, the Blu-ray does provide a notable upgrade over standard DVD editions. Improvements are evident in color robustness, clarity, and line sharpness. The transfer is largely free of compression issues, noise, or significant anomalies, barring minimal banding that is fleeting and insignificant. Disney has evidently taken considerable care in preserving the film's pristine condition; there is no noticeable dirt or dust on the transfer. One sequence that stands out for its animation quality is an underwater scene, which showcases particularly striking colors. Overall, while some aspects of the video presentation fall short of Disney's usual standards, the Blu-ray transfer ensures a cleaner and more refined viewing experience than previous formats.

The Blu-ray release of "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" provides an engaging audio presentation, bolstered by its DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The voice performances are crisp and clear, with dialogues delivered impeccably from the front and center channels. The movie's songs and score swell beautifully across the soundscape, providing a lush auditory experience. Various directional and ambient effects such as crackling fires, huffing furnaces, and crunching snow are convincingly rendered, enriching the overall soundfield. Rear speaker activity and dynamics, particularly during more action-oriented sequences, offer a pleasingly immersive soundstage, despite some occasionally empty environments.

However, there is a noticeable imbalance in the LFE output. Evaluated in isolation, the low-end frequencies—particularly Forte's anguished organ chords—are commendably powerful and would generally be a positive attribute. Yet, within the context of the film’s otherwise light and airy atmosphere, these bass elements are overpowering and can jolt the listener unexpectedly. This discrepancy suggests suboptimal mixing that fails to fully harmonize with the movie’s tonal shifts. While this jarring bass can detract from the overall experience, it does not completely undermine the otherwise solid audio presentation. Ultimately, fans who approach the audio with reasonable expectations for a direct-to-video title should find much to appreciate in this respectable lossless mix from Disney.

The extras on the Blu-ray of "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" provide ample additional content for fans, despite their mixed quality. The Behind-the-Scenes Featurette offers a basic yet family-friendly look at the making of the film, covering voice actors, filmmakers, musicians, and animators. Disney's Sing Me a Story with Belle is a nostalgic, if somewhat dated, episode designed for younger viewers, featuring live-action segments and educational storytelling. For music enthusiasts, Disney's Song Selection and Sing-Along Track allow for an interactive revisit of the film's musical numbers. The quirky Enchanted Environment screensaver adds a touch of Christmas spirit with its thematic fireplace setting. Finally, the Music Video wraps up the extras nicely with a performance of "As Long As There's Christmas". These features collectively create a comprehensive addition to the Blu-ray experience.

Extras included in this disc:

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurette: Introduction to voice actors, filmmakers, musicians, and animators.
• Disney's Sing Me a Story with Belle: Live-action episode featuring Belle and storytelling.
• Disney's Song Selection: Navigate through the film's musical numbers.
• Sing-Along Track: Karaoke-style experience to sing along with the film.
• Enchanted Environment: Beauty and the Beast-themed fireplace screensaver.
• Music Video: "As Long As There's Christmas" performed by Play.

"Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" epitomizes the late 90s era of Disney's direct-to-video sequels—a period marked by numerous attempts to capitalize on their beloved animated classics. Functioning ambiguously as part prequel, midquel, and sequel, this film narrates Belle and Beast's challenging first Christmas together. The story interjects itself into the original timeline, filling in gaps that arguably never needed to be filled. Belle's determination to infuse holiday cheer contrasts starkly with Beast's aversion to Christmas, rooted in his transformation on Christmas Eve. Yet, this contrived narrative and characterization contribute little and can, at times, feel forced.

Technically, "The Enchanted Christmas" does not hold up to the high visual or narrative standards set by its illustrious predecessor. The animation is notably subpar, suffering from stiff movements and an overall budget-constrained appearance, with Belle herself appearing as a lackluster imitation of her original portrayal. The pseudo-holiday cheer is further dampened by the poorly executed songs that fail to leave any lasting impact. Additionally, the misguided integration of early CG animation, particularly with the character Forte the Evil Organ, disrupts the visual continuity rather than enhancing it.

While children and families with an insatiable love for Disney might find a modicum of enjoyment in this midquel's simplistic holiday charm, it is unlikely to earn high praise from those who hold the 1991 classic in high regard. The diluted magic and lack of narrative depth render "The Enchanted Christmas" a largely forgettable entry in Disney’s catalog. For most households, it will likely remain an average holiday filler rather than a beloved seasonal staple.

"Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas" arrives on Blu-ray, delivering a mixed experience that may appeal selectively. The video encoding is solid but unremarkable, ensuring a sharp and clean picture without achieving a mesmerizing visual presentation. This could be attributed to the source material’s limitations, revealing slight inconsistencies in animation quality and color grading. However, the DTS-HD Master Audio track stands as the technical pinnacle of this release, encapsulating the festive spirit with rich, immersive soundscapes and well-balanced musical numbers.

In terms of supplementary content, the disc falls short of expectations. While there are a few extras included, they do not offer significant value or depth. This lack of engaging bonus material might disappoint those hoping for an extensive behind-the-scenes look or additional insights into the making of the film. The core audience for this release will be diehard Disney aficionados and younger viewers who have a fondness for the original "Beauty and the Beast."

With "Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas," we get yet another direct-to-video Disney midquel/sequel on Blu-ray. Whether that excites you or leaves you shrugging your shoulders may depend entirely on who you share your house with, but those who enjoy Belle and Beast's first Christmas together won't complain. Much. Disney's video encode is technically sound but doesn't stand out, the movie's DTS-HD Master Audio track is the highlight of the disc, and its supplemental package is a wash. Diehard Disney completists will be satisfied, fence-sitters will be left sitting on the fence, and detractors won't be swayed. Proceed accordingly.