Belle's Magical World (1998)

Belle's Magical World comes to life in three (four in the DVD release) charming fantasy adventures presented like chapters in a storybook. In The Perfect Word, the servants' clumsy attempt to mend a silly misunderstanding between Belle and the Beast leads to a lesson in forgiveness. Then, in Fifi's Folly, a romantic evening for Lumiere and Fifi snowballs into a thrilling plunge down the mountain in a runaway sleigh. In Mrs. Potts' Party, the only episode absent from the original release but added for the DVD release, bad weather makes Mrs. Potts feel under the weather so Belle and her friends plan a surprise party for her, but petty infighting puts their noble attempt to make their friend feel better in jeopardy. In Broken Wing, Belle urges the Beast to free a tiny songbird as an act of kindness. The film is enriched with gentle lessons, and short original songs seamlessly fold one tale into the next. —James Drury