European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A Beauty and the beast looks Good As oscars near by John Horn a entertainment writer it dazzled critics. Bowled Over children. Brought tears to adults. But can Beauty and the beast impress Oscar voters no animated film Ever has been nominated for the Best picture Academy award and a grated movie Hasni to won the top prize since 1969. Oscar voters tend to prefer serious politically Correct adult dramas such As Gandhi dances with wolves and driving miss Daisy. Nevertheless the Walt Disney co. A and much of Hollywood a believe the animated tale of a Beautiful girl and a charmed brute has a shot at a Best picture nomination. The nominations will be announced feb. 19. A whether or not we get nominated which is ultimately up to the movie gods it is really Gratifying to have outsiders and critics actually discussing it seriously a said Peter Schneider senior vice president of Disney a feature animation division. Ballots for the 64th Academy awards were mailed Friday and Disney mounted an intense Campaign to win votes. The studio sent the 4,966 voting members of the Academy of motion picture arts and sciences a copy of the Beauty and the beast soundtrack and a five minute videocassette highlighting the movies wizardry. In addition Academy members were shown a work in Progress version of the movie in october. And in Trade newspaper advertisements Disney urged votes for Best picture director adapted screenplay Art direction film editing original score original song score original song sound sound effects editing and visual effects. The actors who provided the voices for the animated characters arc ineligible under Academy rules. It is Likely one or both of the songs Beauty and the beast and be our guest will be nominated. Lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken previously won the Best song Oscar for under the sea from 1989�?Ts the Little Mermaid. One Factor in favor of Beauty and the beast 1991 was not considered a great movie year. Favourites for the Best picture nomination include the silence of the lambs bugs Juk the Prince of tides Thelma and Louise the Fisher King grand Canyon and Fried Green tomatoes. Beyond that though Beauty and the beasts chances arc murky and history is not in its favor. Snow White and the seven dwarfs the first feature length animated film received an honorary Oscar in 1938 for a a significant screen  the Academy presented a certificate to conductor Leopold Stokowski and his associates in 1942 for fantasia. More recently who framed Roger Rabbit a live action animation hybrid collected six nominations winning oscars for editing visual effects and sound effects editing. Oliver was the last grated Best picture Winner. There Are several theories Why animation gets Short shrift. One holds that Academy voters a whose largest Branch is 1,336 living breathing three dimensional actors a done to like voting for two dimensional drawings. Another maintains that animated movies of the last several years a such As Robin Hood the % arise cats the Black Cauldon and All dogs go to heaven a were so inept the whole genre was relegated to the backwaters of Hollywood. Then there a the Academy Bias for the a a serious movies. All the same there arc few limits to the popularity of Beauty and the beast. It already has made More Money than any other animated film in its initial release passing the $84.7 million record set by the Little Mermaid. It is on track to sell $130 million in tickets domestically company officials say. Film critics praised Beauty and called on Oscar voters to Bury it with Academy award nominations. Gene Siskel of the syndicated review show Sis Kcal amp Ebert said Quot its on a level with Broadway stage productions and its a legitimate candidate for Oscar consideration As Best picture of the  the Hollywood foreign press association which was to present the 49th Golden Globe awards on saturday nominated Beauty and the beast for Best picture. Unlike the oscars the Golden globes separate films into two categories drama and musical or comedy. Beauty and the beast involves a Beautiful teen Ager named Belle who is enchanted by a Prince trapped in the body of a wild looking animal. January 19, 1992 sunday a