The vault is opening!

Everybody, get pumped up! Disney is finally opening up that mean vault of theirs to let Beauty and the Beast out!! Yahoo!! I have been waiting forever for my favorite Disney movie to be released, and the wait is almost over! It will be available in October, and you better believe I've totally already pre-ordered my copy. The anticipation is killing me!

You see, I keep my eye on ol' Disney's vault like a hawk. I've made it my mission to collect all of the Disney classics as they are made available, so I'll have them on hand when my kids come around. I've got a pretty good jump start, so far, but my collection has always been lacking my #1 film. (And, also The Lion King.) I remember doing research way back in 2005, when Brad and I were first married, to see when I'd be able to have it in my possession and learning that it wouldn't be released until 2010! Man, that felt like an eternity away back then! But, five years has really flown by, and it's about time I can own it for myself!!

I can hardly wait! Beauty and the Beast is my very favorite of them all. I have different categories of Disney favorites (Old Classic: Cinderella, New Classic: Little Mermaid, Non-Princess: Lady and the Tramp, Boy Type: The Lion King), but my Favorite of all favorites is definitely Beauty and the Beast. The animation is simply stunning. The music is wonderful. The characters are so lovable. And I'm convinced that Belle is a Christian.

Well, I don't really know about that, but she's definitely down-to-Earth and not all spoiled like Tinkerbell. (No offense, Tink.) She's smart and reads books for fun; even books without pictures! (Gasp, Gaston!) She doesn't swoon all over the smarmy, conceited jerk just because all the other girls do and he throws himself at her. She loves her dad even though he seems silly, and she sticks up for him against the whole town. She bravely searches for him in the night, then sacrifices her freedom for his. She befriends all kinds of different things instead of running away from the unfamiliar. And she eventually falls in love with a Beast, for Pete's sake!

And she does all of it without compromising her character. She stays true to herself and her convinctions. She doesn't do what is nice just for the sake of it, or what everybody expects her to do or tells her to do just to please or appease them. She doesn't let the Beast treat her rudely, and she doesn't put up with his attitude, because she knows she deserves better than that. She's strong and brave and still gentle and kind. If my future daughter is going to look up to any of the Disney Princesses, I'd definitely want it to be Belle. I'm just sayin...

And besides, Beauty and the Beast is just such a great romantic, love story. A story about True Love that looks beyond appearances, deeper to the real heart of a person; a  True Love so genuine that it, alone, can redeem a character whose inside has grown as ugly as his outside because of the hardness of his heart. Beauty and the Beast just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You try watching the Ballroom Scene without getting goosebumps. I honestly don't know that it's possible.



What's your favorite Disney movie / princess? Are you as pumped about this release as I am? Don't forget to pre-order your copy, today!