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Beauty and the Beast
Theatrical poster by John Alvin[1]
Directed by	Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise
Produced by	Don Hahn
Written by	Linda Woolverton
Narrated by	David Ogden Stiers
Starring	Robby Benson Paige O'Hara Richard White Jerry Orbach Angela Lansbury David Ogden Stiers
Music by	Alan Menken Howard Ashman
Editing by	John Carnochan
Studio	Walt Disney Feature Animation Silver Screen Partners IV
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s)	November 22, 1991 (1991-11-22)
Running time	84 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$25 million
Gross revenue	$377,350,553
Followed by	Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation which premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on November 13, 1991. The story is based on the fairy tale La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont, who was uncredited in the English version of the film but credited in the French version as writer of the novel^[2] and also uses some ideas derived from the 1946 French film^[3]. It centers around a prince who is transformed into a Beast and the beautiful young woman whom he imprisons in his castle.

This is the thirtieth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, and it is the third animated feature released during the Disney Renaissance, which began in 1989 with The Little Mermaid and ended in 1999 with Tarzan. It is the first of only two animated films to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture (the second was 2009's Up). Many animated films following its release have been influenced by its blending of traditional animation and computer generated imagery.

The film was adapted to an animation screenplay by Linda Woolverton and directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. The music of the film was composed by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, both of whom had written the music and songs for Disney's The Little Mermaid. It was a significant success at the box-office, with more than $145 million in revenues in the United States and Canada alone and over $403 million in worldwide revenues.^[4][5] This high number of sales made it the third-most successful movie of 1991, surpassed only by summer blockbusters Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. It was also the most successful animated Disney film at the time and the first animated movie to reach $100 million at the United States and Canadian box offices.^[6]

On November 11, 1997, a midquel called Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas was released direct-to-video. It was quickly followed by another midquel titled Belle's Magical World that was released on February 17, 1998. A theatrical production and a television spin-off series, Sing Me a Story with Belle, were also released.

Plot

In the film's prologue, an enchantress disguised as an old beggar woman offers a young prince a rose in exchange for a night's shelter. When he turns her away, she transforms him into an ugly Beast and turns his servants into furniture and other household items. She gives him a magic mirror that will enable him to view faraway events, and also gives him the rose, which will bloom until his 21st birthday. He must love and be loved in return before all the rose's petals have fallen off, or he will remain a Beast forever.

Years later, a beautiful but unusual young woman named Belle lives in a nearby village with her father Maurice, who is an inventor. Belle loves reading and yearns for a life beyond the village. She is also the object of unwanted attention from the arrogant local hero, Gaston.

Maurice's latest invention is a wood-chopping machine. When he rides off to display the machine at a fair, he loses his way in the woods and stumbles upon the Beast's castle, where he meets the transformed servants Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and her son Chip, and Cogsworth. The Beast imprisons Maurice, but Belle is led back to the castle by Maurice's horse and offers to take her father's place. When the Beast agrees to this and sends him home, Maurice tells Gaston and the other villagers what happened, but they think he has lost his mind, so he goes to rescue her alone.

The famous ballroom dance sequence.

Meanwhile, Belle refuses the Beast's invitation to dinner, and the Beast orders his servants not to let her eat, but Lumiere serves her dinner anyway and Cogsworth gives her a tour of the castle. When she finds the rose in a forbidden area, the Beast angrily chases her away.

Frightened, Belle tries to escape, but she and her horse are attacked by wolves. After the Beast rescues her, she nurses his wounds, he gives her the castle library as a gift, and they become friends. Later, they have an elegant dinner and a romantic ballroom dance. When he lets her use the magic mirror, she sees her father dying in the woods and, with only hours left before the rose wilts, the Beast allows her to leave, giving her the mirror to remember him by. This horrifies the servants, who fear they will never be human again. As he watches her leave, the Beast admits to Cogsworth that he loves Belle.

Belle finds Maurice and takes him home, but Gaston arrives with a lynch mob. Unless she agrees to marry Gaston, the manager of the local madhouse will lock her father up. Belle proves Maurice sane by showing them the Beast with the magic mirror, but Gaston arouses the mob's anger against the Beast and leads them to the castle to kill him. He locks Belle and Maurice in a basement, but Chip, who hid himself in Belle's baggage, chops the basement door apart with Maurice's machine.

While the servants successfully drive the mob out of the castle, Gaston finds the Beast and attacks him. The Beast is initially too depressed to fight back, but regains his will when he sees Belle arriving at the castle. After winning a heated battle, the Beast spares Gaston's life and climbs up to a balcony where Belle is waiting. Gaston follows the Beast and stabs him from behind, but loses his footing and falls to his death.

As the Beast dies from his injuries, Belle whispers that she loves him, breaking the spell just before the last petal drops from the rose. The Beast comes back to life, and he and the servants become human again. The last scene shows Belle and the prince dancing in the ballroom as her father and the servants happily watch them.

Production

Walt Disney sought out other stories to turn into feature films after the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Beauty and the Beast was one of the stories he considered.^[7][8] Attempts to develop the Beauty and the Beast story into a film were made in the 1930s and 1950s, but were ultimately given up because it "proved to be a challenge" for the story team.^[7] Peter M. Nichols states Disney may later have been discouraged by Jean Cocteau having already done his version.^[9]

After the success of The Little Mermaid in the late 1980s, the Disney team made more attempts to adapt Beauty and the Beast into a film, but an initial story reel was scrapped because it "did not work".^[7] Howard Ashman, Alan Menken, and Don Hahn continued with the project, with Hahn bringing in first-time animation feature directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale to direct the film. Ashman and Menken worked closely with the story team to create a "Broadway-style" score to help develop the plot and characters.^[7] Since the original story had only two major characters in it, the filmmakers enhanced them, added new characters in the form of enchanted household items who "add warmth and comedy to a gloomy story" and guide the audience through the film, and added a "real villain" in the form of Gaston.^[7]. These ideas were somewhat similar to elements of the 1946 French film, which introduced the character of Avenant, an oafish suitor somewhat similar to Gaston^[10] as well as inanimate objects coming to life in the Beast's castle^[11]. The animated objects were, however, given distinct personalities in the Disney script. In addition, "Beauty and the Beast" was also written in script form, a first and, at the time, an unusual production move for an animated film. Linda Woolverton wrote the script.^[7]

Producer Don Hahn mentions that the prologue of the film, which tells the story from the Beast's perspective, is different from other versions of the story. The use of stained glass windows in the prologue was done because the team wanted to have the "fairy tale classic Disney opening" without having to use a literal storybook because it had been done "so many times" in the past.^[12]

A barnyard scene from the opening number of the film was actually first conceived during initial work on the unproduced feature Chanticleer.^[13] Sequences were rewritten during the production of the film, even while some scenes were already being animated.^[14]

The film includes intentional homages to other films such as The Sound of Music (in a scene with Belle on a hilltop), and earlier Disney animated features.^[15]

Cast and characters

• Paige O'Hara as Belle - A bookworm who falls in love with the Beast and finds the kind-hearted human inside him. In their effort to enhance the character from the original story, the filmmakers felt that Belle should be "unaware" of her own beauty and made her "a little eccentric".^[7] Producer Don Hahn commented that they were "darn lucky" to have O'Hara with them and that she was "great for this role".^[12]
• Robby Benson as The Beast - A cold-hearted prince transformed into a beast as punishment, but later warms, with the help of Belle, and ends up being transformed back into a handsome prince as a reward. Chris Sanders, who was part of the film's story team, drafted the designs for the Beast and came up with designs based on birds, insects and fish before coming up with something close to the final design.^[12] Glen Keane, supervising animator for the Beast, refined the design by going to the zoo and studying the animals on which the Beast was based.^[12] Benson commented, "There's a rage and torment in this character I've never been asked to use before."^[16] The filmmakers commented that "everybody was big fee-fi-fo-fum and gravelly" while Benson's voice had the "big voice and the warm, accessible side" and that "you could hear the prince beneath the fur".^[12]
• Richard White as Gaston - A highly egotistical hunter who vies for Belle's hand in marriage and is determined not to let anyone else win her heart, even if it means killing her true love. He serves as the main antagonist of the film. Hahn commented that they had "big line-ups of good-looking men with deep voices" during the casting auditions, but that Richard White had a "big voice" that "rattled the room".^[12] In 1997, White mentioned in an interview that he was not sure if Gaston dies when he falls from the Beast's castle toward the end of the film, pointing out that the audience "never saw Gaston's body."^[17] In the 2002 DVD audio commentary, Wise and Trousdale point out that as Gaston "falls to his death" toward the end of the completed film, two frames showed skulls in his eyes. They go on to say that these skulls serve as "a harbinger of things to come", confirming Gaston's death.^[12]
• Jerry Orbach as Lumière - The kind-hearted but rebellious maître d' of the Beast's castle, he has been transformed into a candelabra. He has a habit of disobeying his master's strict rules, sometimes straining their friendship, but the Beast often turns to him for advice. Depicted as a bit of a ladies' man, as he is frequently seen with Fifi the Featherduster and immediately takes to Belle.
• Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts - The head of the castle kitchens, turned into a teapot, who takes a motherly attitude toward Belle. The filmmakers went through several names for Mrs. Potts, such as "Mrs. Chamomile", before Ashman suggested the use of simple and concise names for the household objects.^[12]
• David Ogden Stiers as Cogsworth - The castle majordomo and Lumiere's best friend, transformed into a clock. While he is as good-natured as Lumiere, he is extremely loyal to the Beast so as to save himself and anyone else any trouble, often leading to friction between himself and Lumiere. Stiers also provided the voice of The Narrator.
• Bradley Pierce as Chip - A teacup and Mrs. Potts' son. The filmmakers were so impressed by Pierce's performance that they created more scenes with Chip in them.^[12]
• Jesse Corti as LeFou - Gaston's bumbling and often mistreated sidekick, and a supporting antagonist.
• Rex Everhart as Maurice - Belle's inventor father.
• Hal Smith as Philippe - Belle's horse.
• Jo Anne Worley as Wardrobe - The former opera singer of the castle, turned into a wardrobe. The character of Wardrobe was introduced by visual development person Sue C. Nichols to the then entirely male cast of servants, and was originally a more integral character named "Madame Armoire". Her role was later expanded upon and ultimately taken over by Mrs. Potts.^[18] Wardrobe is known as "Madame de la Grande Bouche" in the stage adaptation of the film.
• Kimmy Robertson as the Featherduster - A featherduster and Lumiere's lover. She is named "Babette" in the stage adaptation of the film, and "Fifi" in Belle's Magical World.
• Frank Welker as Footstool aka Sultan the castle's pet dog turned into a footstool whom Chip seems to own as his pet.
• Mary Kay Bergman as Bimbette - A village girl with her eyes on Gaston.
• Kath Soucie as Bimbette - Another village girl who fancies Gaston.
• Tony Jay as Monsieur D'Arque - The owner of the Maison de Lune. Gaston bribes him to help him in his plan to blackmail Belle.
• Brian Cummings as Stove aka Chef Bouche - The hot-tempered castle chef, turned into a stove.
• Alvin Epstein as Bookseller - A friendly man whose favourite customer is Belle.
• Alex Murphey as Baker - A villager who shows little interest in literature.

In the Chinese dubs of Beauty and the Beast, the voice of the Beast is provided by Jackie Chan. He provided both the speaking and singing voices in these versions.

In September 2007, CCTV6 (a Chinese movie channel) aired a new dub version of Beauty and the Beast in which Beast's voice (by 王凯, Wang Kai) sounds younger. Together with this version, a translated version of Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson's Beauty and the Beast theme song was released, which was translated by Chan Siu Kei and sung by Nicholas Tse Ting-Fung and Mei Lin(梅琳, a newer Chinese singer).^[19] But this translated theme song was only separately released before the film started and not occurred in the film, which uses another translated version of lyrics, translated by Han Wen(翰文).^[20]

In the French version, the theme song is provided by Charles Aznavour. Two Spanish versions exist, one in Mexican Spanish for the Latin American market, the other in Castilian Spanish for the European market; in the Mexican version, the voice of LeFou is provided by the same actor who played the role in English, Venezuelan-American voice actor Jesse Corti.^[21]

In the Swedish version, the theme song is provided by Tommy Körberg and Sofia Källgren. Körberg also provided the voice of the Beast in the movie and Källgren the voice of Belle.

Music

According to Alan Menken, the first song that he and Howard Ashman wrote for the film was "Belle".^[12] The songs were recorded "live" with the orchestra and the cast in the room, which, according to Hahn and Trousdale, gave the songs "energy".^[12] The song "Be Our Guest" was originally supposed to be sung to Maurice instead of Belle, but Bruce Woodside pointed out that the song was in the wrong place because Maurice was not the focus of the story.^[12] "Human Again", a song that was removed due to story problems in the original release, was re-added to the film's Special Edition VCD and DVD releases after Menken made alterations to the song for the Beauty and the Beast Broadway production.^[7]

All songs were the last complete works for a movie by Academy Award winner Howard Ashman. Ashman died eight months prior to the release of the film. There is a tribute to him at the end of the film: "To our friend, Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice, and a beast his soul. We will be forever grateful. Howard Ashman 1950–1991". The songs "Beauty and the Beast", "Be Our Guest", "Something There", and "Gaston", "The Mob Song", and "Belle" were included in Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic box set. "Beauty and the Beast", "Be Our Guest", and "Gaston" were also included in the Disney's Greatest Hits CD set.

Beauty and the Beast has influenced the works of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. Keyboardist and composer Tuomas Holopainen cites "all the Disney classics" as among his favourite films,^[22] and the song "Beauty and the Beast" from their debut album Angels Fall First is a reinterpretation of the movie's plot.

Musical Numbers

1. Belle- Belle, Gaston, & Townspeople
2. Belle (Reprise)- Belle
3. Gaston- Gaston, Lefou, & Townspeople
4. Gaston (Reprise)- Gaston & Lefou
5. Be Our Guest- Lumière, Mrs. Potts, & Enchanted Objects
6. Something There- Belle, Beast, Lumière, Cogsworth, & Mrs. Potts
7. Human Again (released in the 2002 special edition)- Lumière, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Wardrode, Chip & Enchanted Objects
8. Beauty and The Beast- Mrs. Potts
9. The Mob Song- Gaston, Lefou & Townspeople

Release

The film was shown at the New York Film Festival in September 1991. Because the animation was only about 70% complete, the film was shown as a "work in progress." Storyboards and pencil tests were used in place of the remaining 30%. In addition, parts of the film that were finished were "stepped back" to previous versions of completion. This version of the film has been released on VHS, the September 1993 LaserDisc, and the October 8, 2002, Platinum Edition DVD.

Upon the theatrical release of the finished version, the film was universally praised, with Roger Ebert giving it four stars out of four and saying that "Beauty and the Beast reaches back to an older and healthier Hollywood tradition in which the best writers, musicians and filmmakers are gathered for a project on the assumption that a family audience deserves great entertainment, too." As of August 2008, the film had received a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes^[23] The visual effects have also been praised as "stunning early use of computer animation", referring to the spectacular ballroom sequence in which Belle and the Beast dance around a 3-D ballroom. (The filmmakers had originally decided against the use of computers in favor of traditional animation, but later, when the technology had improved, they decided they could use it for that one scene.)^[9] The sequence helped convince studio executives to look further into computer animation.^[24]

Smoodin writes in his book Animating Culture that the studio was trying to make up for earlier gender stereotypes with this film.^[25] Smoodin also states that, in the way it has been viewed as bringing together traditional fairy tales and feminism as well as computer and traditional animation, the film’s "greatness could be proved in terms technology narrative or even politics".^[26] Another author writes that Belle "becomes a sort of intellectual less by actually reading books, it seems, than by hanging out with them," but says that the film comes closer than other “Disney-studio” films to "accepting challenges of the kind that the finest Walt Disney features met".^[27] David Whitley writes in The Idea of Nature in Disney Animation that Belle is different from earlier Disney heroines in that she is mostly free from the burdens of domestic housework, although her role is somewhat undefined in the same way that "contemporary culture now requires most adolescent girls to contribute little in the way of domestic work before they leave home and have to take on the fraught, multiple responsibilities of the working mother".^[28] Whitley also notes other themes and modern influences, such as the film's critical view of Gaston’s chauvinism and attitude towards nature, the cyborg-like servants, and the father’s role as an inventor rather than a merchant.^[28]

Betsy Hearne, editor of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, writes that the film belittles the original story's moral about "inner beauty", as well as the heroine herself, in favor of a more brutish struggle; "In fact," she says, "it is not Beauty's lack of love that almost kills Disney's beast, but a rival's dagger."^[29]

Stefan Kanfer writes in his book Serious Business that in this film "the tradition of the musical theater was fully co-opted", such as in the casting of Broadway performers Angela Lansbury and Jerry Orbach.^[30]

The film was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.^[31]

In 2002, Beauty and the Beast was added to the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." In January of the same year, the film was restored and remastered for its January 1, 2002 re-release in IMAX theatres in a special edition edit including a new musical sequence. For this version of the film, much of the animation was cleaned up, a new sequence set to the deleted song "Human Again" was inserted into the film's second act, and a new digital master from the original CAPS production files was used to make the high resolution IMAX film negative. A 3D version of the film was scheduled to be re-released in theatres on February 12, 2010 in the Disney Digital 3-D format, but the project has been postponed until 2011 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the movie's release, allowing Disney to promote the film and create an event around its release.^[32][33] The film is currently scheduled for a Fall 2010 release on Diamond Edition Blu-Ray and DVD.

Home Video

The film was released to VHS and Laserdisc on October 30, 1992, as part of the Walt Disney Classics series, but it was for a limited-time only for it was dropped in print after it was put on moratorium. Beauty and the Beast: Special Edition, as the enhanced version of the film is called, was released on a 2-Disc Platinum Edition Disney DVD on October 8, 2002. The Special Edition DVD features the IMAX version, which includes the deleted song "Human Again", the original theatrical version, and the workprint version which was shown at the 1991 New York Film Festival. This 2-Disc Platinum Edition DVD went to the Disney Vault on January 2003 along with its follow-ups (Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Belle's Magical World). Disney has recently announced that a home video re-release is planned for Fall 2010 which will bring the film again to DVD and, for the first time, on Blu-Ray as part of the new "Diamond Edition" line.^[34]

For the VHS and laserdisc releases, the frames that showed skulls in Gaston's eyes as he fell from the Beast's castle were modified to remove the skulls. However, no such alteration was made for the 2002 DVD release.^[12]

Legacy

On Monday, April 18, 1994, a stage adaptation, also titled "Beauty and the Beast", premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre in New York City. The show transferred to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 11, 1999. The commercial (though not critical) success of the show led to productions in the West End, Toronto, and all over the world. The Broadway version, which ran for over a decade, received a Tony Award, and became the first of a whole line of Disney stage productions. The original Broadway cast included Terrence Mann as the Beast, Susan Egan as Belle, Burke Moses as Gaston, Gary Beach as Lumiere, Heath Lamberts as Cogsworth, Tom Bosley as Maurice, Beth Fowler as Mrs. Potts, and Stacey Logan as Babette the feather duster. Many celebrities also starred in the Broadway production during its thirteen year run including Kerry Butler, Deborah Gibson, Toni Braxton, Andrea McArdle, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Christy Carlson Romano, Ashley Brown, and Anneliese van der Pol as Belle; Chuck Wagner, James Barbour, and Jeff McCarthy as the Beast; Meshach Taylor, Jacob Young, and John Tartaglia as Lumiere; and Marc Kudisch, Christopher Sieber, and Donny Osmond as Gaston. The show ended its Broadway run on July 29, 2007 after 46 previews and 5,464 performances.

Awards and nominations

Academy Awards

Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's song "Beauty and the Beast" won two Academy Awards, for Best Music, Original Score and Best Music, Song. Angela Lansbury sings it in the film's famous ballroom scene, and Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson reprise it at the end of the film. Two other Menken and Ashman songs from the film, "Belle" and "Be Our Guest", were also nominated for Best Music, Song. This makes Beauty and the Beast the first picture to receive three Academy Award nominations for Best Song, a feat that would be repeated by The Lion King, Dreamgirls, and Enchanted. Academy rules have since been changed to limit each film to two nominations in this category.

The film was also nominated for Best Sound and Best Picture. It was the first and only animated film to be nominated for Best Picture, until 2010 with the nomination of Disney·Pixar's Up, owing in part to the widening of the Best Picture field to ten nominees. It lost to The Silence of the Lambs. Beauty and the Beast currently shares the record for the most nominations for an animated film, six, with WALL-E (2008).

Golden Globes

Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to win a Golden Globe for Best Picture - Musical or Comedy. This feat was repeated by The Lion King and Toy Story 2.

Grammy Awards

Other awards

In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten top Ten" lists of the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres based on polls of over 1,500 people from the creative community. Beauty and the Beast was acknowledged as the 7th best film in the animation genre.^[35][36] In previous lists, it ranked #22 on the Institutes's list of best musicals and #34 on its list of the best romantic American movies. On the list of the greatest songs from American movies, Beauty and the Beast ranked #62.

Merchandise

There are Disney versions of the story published and sold as storybooks and a comic book based on the film published by Disney Comics. In 1995, a live-action children's series called Sing Me a Story with Belle started on syndication, running until 1999.

References

External links

• Beauty and the Beast at the Internet Movie Database
• Beauty and the Beast at Allmovie
• Beauty and the Beast at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Beauty and the Beast at Rotten Tomatoes
• Beauty and the Beast at Box Office Mojo

From Wikiquote

Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 film about a young and beautiful French girl who falls in love with a hideous beast.

Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. Written by Roger Allers, Kelly Asbury, Brenda Chapman, Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Tom Ellery, Kevin Harkey, Robert Lence, Burny Mattinson, Brian Pimental, Joe Ranft, Chris Sanders, Bruce Woodside and Linda Woolverton.

Narrator

• [first lines] Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young Prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the Prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar-woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the Prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful Enchantress. The Prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart; and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous Beast --- and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the Beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a Beast?

Beast

• [growls] There's a stranger in here.

• So, you've come to stare at the BEAST, have you?!?

• Oh, it's no use. She's so beautiful, and I'm...Well, look at me!

• She'll never see me as anything...but a monster. It's hopeless.

• [To Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and Cogsworth] But she is being so difficult!

• [singing] She glanced this way, I thought I saw. And when we touched, she didn't shudder at my paw. No, it can't be. I'll just ignore. But then she's never looked at me that way before.

• [said while dying in Belle's arms] You... You came back.

Belle

• [singing] Little town, it's a quiet village. Everyday like the one before. Little town, full of little people, waking up to say...

• [singing] There must be more than this provincial life!

• [singing] Ohhh, isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part because, you see, here's where she meets Prince Charming. But she won't discover that it's him till chapter three.

• Gaston, you are positively primeval.

• [singing] I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell. And for once it might be grand, to have someone understand. I want so much more than they've got planned.

• [singing] There's something sweet and almost kind. But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined. And now he's dear and so unsure. I wonder why I didn't see it there before.

• He's no monster Gaston, you are!

• (crying over the Beast's dead body) I love you.

• (looking into the prince's blue eyes; recognizing him as the Beast) It is you!

Gaston

• [singing] Here in town there's only she, who is beautiful as me, so I'm making plans to woo and marry Belle!

• [singing] I'm especially good at expectorating... [spits]

• It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas, and thinking...

• I'd like to thank you all for coming to my wedding. But first I'd better go in there and propose to the girl!

• [singing] I use antlers in all of my dec-orating!

• [singing] When I was a lad I ate four dozen eggs every morning to help me get large! And now that I'm grown I eat five dozen eggs, so I'm roughly the size of a BARGE!

• Were you in love with her, Beast? Did you honestly think she'd want you when she had someone like me?

• It's over, Beast! Belle is mine! (it was originally "Time to die!" but they changed it to fit Belle back into the scene)

• What's the matter, Beast? [laughs wickedly] Too kind and gentle to fight back?

• [singing] And every last inch of me's covered in HAIR!

• [singing] Screw your courage to the sticking place!

• Take whatever booty you can find, but remember: the Beast is mine!

Lumiere

• Ma chère, mademoiselle. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite you to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents... your dinner.

• Zut alors! She has emerged!

• It's a girl!

• NOW!

• Master, correct me if I'm wrong, but [chuckles] that might not be the best way to win the girl's affections.

• Master, since the girl will be staying with us for quite some time, I think you might want to offer her a more comfortable room? [The Beast snarls at him] Then again, maybe not.

• Sacre bleu! Invaders!

Cogsworth

• Couldn't keep quiet, could we? Just had to invite him to stay, didn't we? [imitating Lumiere] "Serve him tea. Sit in ze master's chair. Pet de pooch!"

• As you can see, the psuedo-facade was stripped away to reveal a minimalist rococo design. Note the unusual inverted vaulted ceilings. This is yet another example of the late neoclassic Baroque period. And, as I always say, "If it's not Baroque, don't fix it!"

• Enchanted? He-he ha-ha! Who said anything about the castle being enchanted? Ha-ha-ha... [to Lumiere] It was you, wasn't it?

• As you were!

• [suggesting things to woo Belle] Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep...

• You what?

Mrs. Potts

• [singing] Tale as old as time, true as it can be. Barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly.

• After all this time, he's finally learned to love.

• But it's not enough. She has to love him in return.

• Now Chip, I'll not have you making up wild stories!

• Cheer up child. It'll turn out alright in the end.

• [To Villager] Up here, you scurvy scum! Now! [The tea cups dump scalding tea on Villager]

Chip

• Mama, there's a girl in the castle!

• See, I told ya!

• [about to break into the basement with Maurice's wood-chopping contraption] Here we go! [later, after doing so] You guys gotta try this thing.

• [last lines] Do I still have to sleep in the cupboard?

Babette

• [to Lumiere the candlestick] I've been burnt by you before!

The Mob

• [singing] We don't like what we don't understand, in fact it scares us, and this monster is mysterious at least...

• [singing] Here we come, we're fifty strong, and fifty Frenchmen can't be wrong...

• KILL THE BEAST! - [boom] - KILL THE BEAST! - [boom]

Dialogue

Gaston: [flicking through the pages of Belle's book] How can you read this? There's no pictures!

Belle: [laughs] Well, some people use their imagination.

Gaston: [tossing the book aside] Belle, it's about time you got your head out of those books and paid attention to more important things. Like me. The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts gettings ideas, and thinking...

Belle: Gaston, you are positively primeval.

Gaston: Why, thank you, Belle!

[Belle raises her eyebrows in surprise.]

[The Beast finds Maurice in the castle.]

Beast: Who are you? What are you doing here?!

Maurice: [frightened] I was lost in the woods and-and-

Beast: You're not welcome here!

Maurice: I'm sorry.

Beast: What are you staring at?!

Maurice: Nothing!

Beast: So you've come to stare at the BEAST, have you?!

Maurice: Please! I meant no harm. I just needed a place to stay.

Beast: I'll give you a place to stay! [grabs Maurice]

Maurice: No, please! No, no!

Gaston: When Belle and I come out that door...

LeFou: Oh, I know, I know! I strike up the band!

[The band plays "Here Comes The Bride" very rapidly.]

Gaston: [slams a tuba on LeFou's head] Not yet!

LeFou: Thorry!

Gaston: This is the day your dreams come true.

Belle: What do you know about my dreams, Gaston?

Gaston: Plenty! Here, picture this... [props his muddy boots on Belle's book] a rustic hunting lodge... [kicks off his boots and places his feet back on Belle's book; His feet are green, except for the big toe of his right foot] my latest kill roasting on the fire... and my little wife, massaging my feet... [flexes his feet twice; Belle notices Gaston's feet and shows some interest, but then plugs her nose when he mentions her massaging his feet, thinking his feet are stinky] while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs... [gets up] we'll have six or seven.

Belle: Dogs?

Gaston: [laughs] No, Belle! Strapping boys, like me!

Belle: Imagine that. [picks up her book, wipes it off, and puts it away]

Gaston: And do you know who that little wife will be?

Belle: [sarcastically] Let me think...

Gaston: You, Belle!

Belle: [backs up against front door] Gaston... I-I'm speechless... I really don't know what to say...

Gaston: [leans over her] Say you'll marry me!

Belle: I'm very sorry, Gaston...but...but I just don't deserve you! [she opens the door and Gaston tumbles out]

Belle: Papa? Papa? [Lumiere and Cogsworth go in] Hello? Is someone here? Wait! I'm looking for my father. I...That's funny. I'm sure there was someone. I-Is anyone here?

Maurice: Belle?

Belle: Papa! [grabs a torch and rushes to his cell door]

Maurice: H-How did you find me?

Belle: Oh, your hands are like ice. I've got to get you out of there.

Maurice: Belle, I want you to leave this place.

Belle: Who's done this to you?

Maurice: No time to explain. You must go! Now!

Belle: I won't leave you!

Beast: What are you doing here?!

[The Beast grabs Belle and turns her around, forcing her to let go of her torch.]

Maurice: Run, Belle! [torch goes out]

Belle: Who's there? Who are you?

Beast: The master of this castle. [roars]

Belle: I've come for my father. Please let him out. Can't you see he's sick?

Beast: Then he shouldn't have trespassed here!

Belle: But he could die. Please, I-I'll do anything.

Beast: There's nothing you can do. He's my prisoner. [starts to leave]

Belle: Oh, there must be some way I can...Wait! [The Beast stops in his tracks. Belle brings her face into the moonlight so he can see her.] Take me instead.

Beast: You?! [considers] You would...take his place?

Maurice: Belle, no! You don't know what you're doing!

Belle: [not listening] If I did, would you let him go?

Beast: Yes. But...you must promise to stay here forever.

Belle: Come into the light.

[The Beast does so. Upon seeing him for the first time, Belle gasps, scared.]

Maurice: No, Belle! I won't let you do this!

[Ignoring him, Belle gets up and stands before the Beast.]

Belle: You have my word.

Beast: Done!

[He releases Maurice, who rushes to Belle's side.]

Maurice: No, Belle, listen to me. I'm old. I've lived my life.

[The Beast grabs Maurice away from Belle.]

Belle: Wait.

Maurice: Belle!

Belle: Wait!

[Cut to the Beast opening the castle door and dragging Maurice out.]

Maurice: No, please spare my daughter. Please!

Beast: She's no longer your concern. [throws Maurice into the Pallenquin and shuts its door] Take him to the village.

Maurice: Let me out! Please let me out! Let me out! Please! Please!

[The Pallenquin slinks like a spider while Belle, watching from afar, cries.]

[The Beast returns to the dungeon after sending Maurice back to the village in exchange for Belle.]

Lumiere: Master?

Beast: [growls] What?

Lumiere: Uh, since the girl is going to be with us for quite some time, I was thinking you might want to offer her a more comfortable room?

[Beast growls louder this time and lumbers off without saying a word.]

Lumiere: [with a nervous smile] Then again, maybe not!

[Cut to the dungeon]

Belle: [sobbing] You didn't even let me say goodbye! I'll never see him again! I didn't even get to say goodbye!

[Beast hangs his head in shame.]

Beast: I'll show you to your room.

Belle: My room? But I thought--

Beast: What, you wanna stay in the tower?

Belle: No.

Beast: Then follow me.

[The Beast is leading Belle to her bed chamber with Lumiere lighting the way.]

Lumiere: [whispers to the Beast] Say something to her.

Beast: Huh? Oh. [to Belle] I, uh, hope you like it here. [Lumiere silently encourages him to keep talking] The castle is your home now so you can go anywhere you like except the West Wing.

Belle: What's in the West-?

Beast: [firmly] It's forbidden!

(They arrive at the bed chamber.)

Beast: Now if you need anything, my servants will attend you.

Lumiere: [whispers] Dinner, invite her to dinner.

Beast: You will join me for dinner! THAT'S NOT A REQUEST!

[He slams the door shut. Belle, clearly regretting her decision, leaps onto her bed and weeps.]

Gaston: [singing] Lefou, I'm afraid I've been thinking...

Lefou: [singing] A dangerous pastime...

Gaston: I know! [grabs Lefou]

Beast: [through clenched teeth] Well, where is she?

Beast: [to Belle, muttering] Will you come down to dinner?

Belle: No!

Beast: [to the objects] Hmm?

Cogsworth: Suave. Genteel.

Beast: [back to Belle, with forced calm] It would give me great pleasure, if you would join me for dinner.

Cogsworth: And we say please.

Beast: Please?

[The Beast catches Belle in the West Wing and stops her from touching the enchanted rose, afraid she might damage it.]

Beast: Why did you come here?

Belle: I'm...I'm sorry.

Beast: I warned you never to come here!

Belle: I didn't mean any harm.

Belle: Here now. Oh, don't do that. Just hold still.

[Belle puts a wet towel on the Beast's wounds. He roars in pain.]

Beast: THAT HURTS!!!

Belle: If you hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much!

Beast: If you hadn't ran away, this wouldn't have happened!

Belle: If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!

Beast: [triumphantly] Well, you shouldn't have been in the West Wing!

Belle: Well, you should learn to control your temper.

[The Beast initially opens his mouth, but says nothing.]

Belle: Now hold still. This might sting a little.

[The Beast widens his eyes and grimaces as Belle reapplies the towel.]

Belle: By the way, thank you...for saving my life.

[The Beast stops grimacing and looks back at Belle.]

Beast: You're welcome.

Monsieur D'Arque: I don't usually leave the asylum in the middle of the night. But he said you'd make it worth my while.

[Gaston tosses him a bag of money.]

Monsieur D'Arque: Ah! I'm listening.

Gaston: It's like this...I've got my heart set on marrying Belle. But she needs a little...persuasion.

LeFou: [laughs] Turned him down flat.

[LeFou laughs again, but Gaston decks him.]

Gaston: Everyone knows her father is a lunatic. He was in here tonight, raving about a beast in a castle.

Monsieur D'Arque: Maurice is harmless.

Gaston: The point is Belle would do anything to keep him from being locked up.

LeFou: [laughs] Yeah, even marry him.

[Gaston threatens to deck him again and LeFou puts his mug over his eyes.]

Monsieur D'arque: So you want me to lock her father in the asylum, unless she agrees to marry you? [Gaston and LeFou nod.] Oh, that is despicable. [laughs sinisterly] I love it!

[Cut to Maurice, who's back at his cottage, preparing to leave again.]

Maurice: If no one will help me, then I'll go back alone! I-I don't care what it takes. I'll find that castle and somehow I'll get her out of there!

[Maurice departs. Shortly afterwards, Gaston and LeFou barge in right.]

Gaston: Belle! Maurice!

LeFou: Oh well. [Laughs] I guess it's not going to work after all.

[LeFou prepares to leave, but Gaston grabs him.]

Gaston: They have to come back sometime. And when they do, we'll be ready for them. LeFou...[Throws him into a pile of snow]...don't move from that spot. Until Belle and her father come home. [leaves]

LeFou: But...but I...[groans]...aw nuts!

[LeFou hits the side of a wall and a pile of snow falls on top of him.]

Beast: [referring to Belle] I've never felt this way about anyone. [determined] I want to do something for her...but what?

Cogsworth: Oh, there's the usual things; flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep...

Lumiere: Ahhhh, no, no! It has to be something very speical. Something that sparks her interest. [Realizes] Wait a minute!

[Cut to the Beast with Belle]

Beast: Belle, there's something I want to show you.

[He starts opening the door, but then he closes it and turns back to Belle.]

Beast: But first, you have to close your eyes.

[Belle raises her eyebrow.]

Beast: It's a surprise.

[Belle closes her eyes. The Beast opens the door and leads her inside.]

Belle: Can I open them?

Beast: No, no, not yet! Wait here!

[The Beast opens two curtains to let the light in and Belle, still closing her eyes, smiles.]

Belle: Now can I open them?

Beast: All right. Now!

[Belle opens her eyes and sees that she has just stepped into the biggest library ever.]

Belle: I can't believe it! I've never seen so many books in all my life.

Beast: You...you like it?

Belle: It's wonderful!

Beast: Then it's yours.

Belle: Thank you so much!

Lumiere: Voila! [Sees that the Beast has been given ringlets] Oh, you look so...so...

Beast: Stupid.

Lumiere: Not quite ze word I was looking for. Perhaps a little more off the top?

Beast: I let her go.

Cogsworth: [chuckles] Yes. Splen- [realizes what the Beast just said] You, what? How could you do that?!

Beast: I had to.

Cogsworth: Yes, but...why?

Beast: Because...I love her.

[Cut to after Cogsworth tells the other objects.]

Objects: He did WHAT?!

Cogsworth: Yes. I'm afraid it's true.

Chip: She's going away?

Lumiere: But he was so close.

Ms. Potts: After all this time, he's finally learned to love.

Lumiere: [excitedly] That's it then! That should break the spell!

Ms. Potts: But it's not enough. She has to love him in return.

Cogsworth: Now, it's too late.

Belle: [Answering the door] May I help you?

Monsieur D'Arque: I've come to collect your father.

Belle: My father?

Monsieur D'Arque: Don't worry, Mademoiselle. We'll take good care of him.

[He backs away, showing a carriage to the insane asylum.]

Belle: My father's not crazy!

LeFou: He was raving like a lunatic! [to the villagers] We all heard him, didn't we?

Villagers: Yeah!

Belle: No, I won't let you!

Maurice: [comes outside] Belle?

LeFou: [teasingly] Maurice, tell us again old man. Just how big was the beast?

Maurice: He was....He was enormous. I'd say at least eight....No, more like ten feet.

LeFou: [laughs] Well, you don't get much crazier than that!

[The Villagers laugh.]

Maurice: It's true, I tell you!

LeFou: Get him out of here!

[Two men carry Maurice away.]

Maurice: Let go of me!

Belle: No, you can't do this!

[Monsieur D'Arque shrugs her off. Gaston appears.]

Gaston: Poor Belle. It's a shame about your father.

Belle: You know he's not crazy, Gaston.

Gaston: Hmm. I might be able to clear up this...little misunderstanding. If...

Belle: If what?

Gaston: If you marry me.

[A look of revulsion crosses Belle's face, realizing that Gaston orchestrated the whole thing.]

Belle: What?

Gaston: One little word, Belle. That's all it takes.

Belle: Never!

Gaston: Have it your way!

Maurice: Belle! [Belle runs back into the house as Maurice turns to his captors.] Let go of me!

[Belle runs back outside with the magic mirror.]

Belle: My father's not crazy and I can prove it! [To the mirror] Show me the Beast!

[The mirror reveals the Beast and everyone yelps in terror.]

Village Woman: Is it dangerous?!

Belle: Oh no-no, he-he'd never hurt anyone! Please! I know he looks vicious, but he's really kind and gentle. He's my friend.

Gaston: If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd have feelings for this monster.

Belle: He's no monster, Gaston. YOU ARE!

[Gaston becomes visibly enraged.]

Gaston: She's as crazy as the old man! [Takes the mirror from Belle and turns to the crowd] The Beast will make off with your children! [Crowd gasps] He'll come after them in the night!

Belle: No!

Gaston: We're not safe until his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill the Beast!

Villagers: Yeah!

[About the Beast]

Man 1: [singing] We're not safe until he's dead!

Man 2: [singing] He'll come stalking us at night!

Woman: [singing] Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite!

Man 3: [singing] He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!

Gaston: [singing] So it's time to take some action, boys! It's time to follow me!

Through the mist, through the woods,

Through the darkness and the shadows;

It's a nightmare, but it's one exciting ride!

Say a prayer, then we're there

At the drawbridge of a castle,

And there's something truly terrible inside.

It's a Beast! He's got fangs, razor sharp ones!

Massive paws, killer claws for the feast!

Hear him roar, see him foam,

But we're not coming home

'Til he's dead! Good and dead!

Kill the Beast!

Belle: No! I won't let you do this!

Gaston: If you're not with us, you're against us! Bring the old man!

[Guards throw Maurice into the cellar.]

Maurice: Get your hands off me!

[Gaston throws Belle in as well.]

Gaston: We can't have them running off to warn the creature. [slams the cellar door]

Belle: Let us out!

Gaston: We'll rid the village of this Beast. Who's with me?!

Mob: I am! I am! I am! [singing] Light your torch, mount your horse!

Gaston: [singing] Screw your courage to the sticking place!

Mob: [singing] We're counting on Gaston to lead the way!

Through the mist, through the woods,

Where, within a haunted castle,

Something's lurking that you don't see ev'ry day!

It's a beast, one as tall as a mountain!

We won't rest 'til he's good and deceased!

Sally forth, tally ho!

Grab your sword, grab your bow!

Praise the Lord and here we go!

Gaston: We'll lay siege to the castle and bring back his head!

[The Beast lays dying with Belle at his side. Meanwhile, the rose is down to its last petal.]

Beast: You...you came back...

Belle: Of course I came back. I couldn't let them... [hugs the Beast] Oh, this is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner...

Beast: Maybe...it's better...it's better this way...

Belle: Don't talk like that. You'll be all right. We're together now. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see.

[Knowing better, the Beast reaches up and touches Belle's cheek.]

Beast: At least...I got to see you...one last time.

(His hand falls and his eyes close.)

Belle: No. No! Please. Please! Please don't leave me! (Sobs) ...I love you...

[The last petal falls away, leaving Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts distraught.]

[Belle's admission that she loves the Beast breaks the spell and turns him back into a human, bringing him back to life as well; he turns around and sees Belle for the first time as a human.]

The Prince: Belle...it's me!

[Belle gazes into his eyes and recognizes him.]

Belle: It is you!

[The two of them kiss, which effectively breaks the spell on the castle and turns all the objects back into humans as well.]

The Prince: Lumiere! Cogsworth! Mrs. Potts! Look at us!

Chip: Mama! Mama!

[Chip and the footstool respectively turn back into a boy and a dog.]

Cogsworth: [shakes Lumiere's hand in truce] Well, Lumiere, old friend. Shall we let bygones be bygones?

Lumiere: Of course, mon ami. I told you she would break ze spell!

Cogsworth: I beg your pardon, old friend, [laughs] but I believe I told you.

Lumiere: No, you didn't! I told you!

Cogsworth: You most certainly did not, you pompous, paraffin-headed peabrain!

Lumiere: En garde, you-you overgrown pocket watch!

[The two begin fighting again.]

Cast

• Robby Benson — Beast (voice)
• Paige O'Hara — Belle (voice)
• Richard White — Gaston (voice)
• Jerry Orbach — Lumiere (voice)
• David Ogden Stiers — Cogsworth/Narrator (voice)
• Angela Lansbury — Mrs. Potts
• Jesse Corti — Lefou (voice)
• Bradley Pierce — Chip (voice)
• Kimmy Robertson — Featherduster (voice)

External links

Wikipedia has an article about:

Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)

• Beauty and the Beast quotes at the Internet Movie Database