Beauty and the Beast, The (MinaLima Edition): (Illustrated with Interactive Elements)

I'm buying every single one of these MinaLima illustrated editions because they are BEAUTIFUL. I've seen their art for the things they do with Harry Potter and their Instagram, so when they posted that the latest in this series was Alice in Wonderland, I sought out what else was available. I didn't imagine they'd be on amazon and didn't imagine they'd be cheap, but I got this for a little over $12. This is SO cheap and I would've paid more for it (but since I didn't, I bought two - also got the Little Mermaid at around $16).The whole book is filled with such magically amazing art to go along with the stories and it's entirely throughout. You hardly ever see two pages in a row without something. The interactive elements are fun...I'm not giving this to a child, but they're still whimsical, cute and appreciated. It's stuff like fold out maps, "doors" that you open with mirrors or other images inside.The pages themselves that it's all printed on are nice, smooth and thick. I just can't say enough good things about this book (or the series of them) and would recommend to anyone.

A beautiful tale- I love the pop-up illustrations. There’s nothing like an original text to tell a good story.I will give a fair warning (and somewhat spoiler) there is heavy use of fairy magic in the later half of the text. You’ve been warned. 🙃

These books are so much fun, and so beautiful! I bought the entire set of minalima illustrated books as a gift for a loved one who collects, and they're sure to be a hit! Absolutely stunning.

I was blown away by how beautiful this book was. The attention to detail and the interactive elements are simply amazing. I was more blown away at how affordable these books are. They are very tangible financially. I am just now starting to collect my favorite Disney books and items that have meant so much to me during my childhood- this authors prices make it so much more possible to collect a lot of their books without feeling guilty! I would definitely snag these if you can, they are so well made and timeless pieces to pass down through generations! ❤️

This original story by the original author, presents a different take on today's often told stories titled Beauty and the Beast. This story presents a convoluted history and background when the tale comes to a close. But it is no less endearing or enchanting as the contemporary stories, and in fact gives it a better three dimensional feel into the world and exploits of fairies themselves. A few spelling typos were a little annoying but overall the story is highly recommended.

I don’t know if I’ve ever read the full version of Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve’s The Beauty and the Beast. I’ve read a shortened version of it for sure, but this full version definitely brings new light to the Disney story I’ve come to know and love! I can definitely see why Disney had to make their magic happen over the story for some elements were definitely not child appropriate. I must say that illustrations and interactive elements by MinaLima were superb! I have the Peter Pan edition of this HaperCollins line as well, which was equally beautiful!The story is naturally, as old as time, we have a young girl who is willing to exchange her life and freedom for that of her father’s in the castle of a most fearsome beast. But oddly enough, Beauty is far from a prisoner here, it’s like she’s an exalted guest! She actually has very little interaction with the Beast except for a short conversation after dinner, though they do dine together as well. And every night the Beast proposes marriage to Beauty and every night she must refuse.Definitely some oddities there, but this is a fairy tale! The language was so rich, it kind of reminded me why I avoid classics these days. It gets really “rich” and it’s hard to remember what the characters are saying exactly. The language back then was definitely an art!It’s hard to really write a review over a fairy tale that we all already know, or mostly I guess. I feel like we all know the Disney movie more. The differences between the two were quite large! The characters are pretty different too, though Beauty does seem to be the same kind and caring person. Though here, there is definitely something more. The prince as well seems to have been a different person as well. He wasn’t necessarily the selfish and unkind man we all know about. Though ironically, he doesn’t have a name here either. Guess that’s why Disney went the way they did! LOL!I was actually surprised by a few other magical involvements in this one. Without getting into too much detail let’s just say that “Enchantress” definitely has a larger role in this one! And so much backstory to know about as well! Just when you think the “Happily Ever After” will come about, you find that there are three more chapters! It’s insane!It’s hard to really critique style and pacing and whatnot with this one, I mean it’s a classic! So yes, the language is different, the pacing is different! Just when you expect a happy ending you get three more chapters worth of backstory of how exactly the Beast came to be cursed and then another chapter worth of backstory for another character! It’s kind of insane, but a good kind I guess you could say.The illustrations were truly beautiful! I loved seeing them throughout the pages. Although there were a few instances in the last three chapters that the artwork was scarce and I felt like this made reading a bit more of a struggle since the lines were spaced so sparingly and again with the language being a bit of a struggle to adapt to. Also, very long paragraphs. I guess this was before formatting became such a bigger issue. But those are just small generalities that were disappointing, hardly enough to detract from the magic that is a classic fairy tale!Though there was one twist to the story I didn’t really see coming, and I’m like whaaaaaat? Definitely a different time my friends.If you’ve ever wanted to read the full and original story of The Beauty and the Beast I highly recommend this edition because the illustrations and interactive elements were truly gorgeous and a delight! And the cover itself is a beautiful sight as well! Makes for a perfect addition to my own classics shelf on top of the bookcase!Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

This book reads like the story from the movie, until the Beast is turned back into the Prince. Prepare for the story to have a bunch of twists and turns after that. I wish they would make another movie with this ending! It’s super surprising!

Great story aside, this book is beautiful! I love the inserts and the gorgeous cover.