Last night while watching Grey’s, a commercial for Beauty & the Beast 3D came on. My heart fluttered. My pulse quickened. And then I smelled chocolate chips burning.
Beauty & the Beast is the first movie I can vividly recall watching in a theater. Or rather, it’s my first memory of sitting in a theater with one of my parents (I couldn’t tell you if it was Mom, Dad or a family outing). As the opening credits began and the music swelled with Bonjour!, the projection reel went crazy, the film stopped working, frames froze and a smell of burnt chocolate chip cookies filled the air. As it turns out, the man who was manning the film canister was making cookies, burned them and freaked out trying to save them, thus, ensuring I remember being 7 and attempting to watch a movie.
Theater personnel moved us out of the theatre and, I can only assume/hope, handed us vouchers as we left. I don’t remember the first time I sat down and actually made it past the first minute of the film, but it didn’t harness my love for the film. Being a not-so girly-girl growing up, I never really related to any of the Disney princesses. I thought they were cool, but that was about it. Mainly, I just liked those movies for the songs. But Belle was the first one I could relate to. All because she walked around “with her nose stuck in a book.”
The story, the battle, the sidekicks and of course Mrs. Potts ensured this movie left a mark on me. And it’s why I cannot wait to see it in 3D. Here’s to hoping the projection rooms don’t have Easy Bake Ovens…
Hanna (Non)Tana 