Parents' Guide to

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Belle's musical holiday tale is unexpectedly dark and scary.

Movie NR 2011 72 minutes
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 11+

Based on 8 parent reviews

Janelleam
Janelleam Adult
December 30, 2013
age 8+

"A bit dark" is a huge understatement. NOT for preschoolers.

"A bit dark" is a huge understatement. Much of the movie was the very creepy, scary and evil organ talking with the nasty and ill-tempered Beast. Even the parts with Belle are filled with either the Beast yelling at her or near death experiences. On top of all of this, they organ says things along the lines of "being in love is hell," "they can't fall in love if they're dead" (as he tries to kill them) and tries to persuade the Beast to turn himself into a Beast forever in a scene that is very reminiscent bullying people into suicide. Terrible movie for kids under 8, and not really good even if they are older.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
2 people found this helpful.
Purplecat12
Purplecat12 Adult
August 20, 2020
age 9+

Not like the cover, dark view on Christmas and more abusive Beast.

This is the most misreable Christmas movie I have seen for children. The Beast is more abusive then ever, Belle almost dies over getting a Christmas tree then punished for her idea by getting locked in a dungeon. Constantly stresses 'its no use hoping for Christmas/Christmas to be good' and the organ is nightmare fuel, kids could be tramatized by it. He sings about how love is bad, says "it's hell" and a weird line about not being able to love if they are dead? Dark depressing, and like watching an abuse documentary. Please skip unless you want to ruin Christmas. Promotes putting up with abuse too much...

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
See all 8 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Belle (voiced by Paige O'Hara) tries to prepare the castle for the Christmas season despite Beast's (Robby Benson) disinterest in holiday cheer. But while most of the enchanted figures are excited to help Belle, a mean-spirited pipe organ named Forte (Tim Curry) enlists his small pal, Fife (Paul Reubens), to foil the possibility that Belle could break the curse. Forte convinces Belle to trek into the dangerous Black Forest to get a Christmas tree, which Belle believes will make Beast happy. Forte, however, pretends that Belle has abandoned Beast.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (8):
Kids say (4):

Nothing could compare to the original Beauty and the Beast's splendor. But once audiences lower their expectations to meet the level of direct-to-DVD films, THE ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS is an amusing if unnecessarily dark installment in the "tale as old as time." The musical numbers are catchy and the story compelling, but it doesn't always feel like an actual Christmas movie.

The focus on Forte's mission to stop Beauty and the Beast from falling in love takes away from the holiday spirit that permeates the rest of the movie. But on the bright side, Curry is always pitch-perfect playing evil characters, and his desperation to remain BFFs with the Beast is upsetting but surprisingly understandable. O'Hara's Belle is lovely to behold, whether she's dancing around with Chip or telling Beast she just wants him to be happy. She's the heart of the story, and her loving charm makes every Beauty and the Beast ultimately enchanting.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's message about friendship. Was Forte a true friend to Beast? What motivated him to deceive both Beast and Belle?

  • What is the movie's Christmas message? Why did Belle risk her safety to retrieve the tree?

  • How does the movie fit into the story of the original Beauty and the Beast? How do the new characters compare to the ones depicted in the original?

Movie Details

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