In this review, we take a closer look at Robert Sabuda’s pop-up classic Beauty & the Beast: A Pop-Up Adaptation. The work of Paper Engineer Robert Sabuda needs no introduction to pop-up book collectors. Sabuda, who won the 1998 Meggendorfer Prize with his pop-up debut The Christmas Alphabet, also created the most beautiful fairytale pop-up books like Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, The Little Mermaid and one of our favorites, Beauty & the Beast.
Artwork
The artwork that contains black outlines and colorful cut-outs reminds us of stained glass, that fits the theme of this love story perfectly. Vivid watercolors decorate and brighten every scene. The decors are stunning and the colors of the beast work beautifully in combination with the strong black outlines. This Sabuda heavyweight champion is one of our favorites because of the complex engineering and also because of it’s beautiful and magical artwork.
Paper engineering
Beauty and the Beast is a big one! It counts five main spreads and lots of mini booklets. The first spread also contains a nice surprise. Three harmonica tunnel pop-ups with scene’s from inside the Beast’s castle. If you pay close attention to the details, you can see the tail of the beast moving from left to right through the house. It’s a brilliant way of telling a story in movement and animation. Most tunnel pop-ups are static and have scenes build up in layers so this is a real treat if you like these kind of details.
The second spread houses the head of the Beast. It’s very impressive to witness it opening up in real life! There’s a lot going on like the horns that fold out in a spectacular upward movement. Meanwhile, his eyelids open up wide and his mouth reveals his sharp teeth. All of this happens in a beautiful composition of fur and it all comes together as the Beast’s head. This is one of those pop-ups that make you wonder how it all fits into a spread when you close it.
All spreads are beautiful and interesting in a different way. In the garden scene, there are pilars that rotate and land into a perfect formation and the last spread looks like the decor of a theater. This pop-up book is really packed and together with all the mini booklets, that also contain wonderful pop-ups, it’s easy to say that this belongs on the shelve of every pop-up book collector. This book is literally a beauty and a beast!
Order at Amazon: Beauty & the Beast: A Pop-Up Adaptation
Author: Robert Sabuda
Published by Little Simon
More pop-up books by Robert Sabuda
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Beauty!
Our Review
This pop-up by Robert Sabuda literally is a beauty and a beast!
