प्लॉट

There lived a prince (Robby Benson), selfish & heartless even though he had everything his heart desired. On a harsh & bitter winter night, the prince is visited by an old woman seeking shelter with a gift of rose in her hands. The prince turns her away disgusted by her lack of beauty. The old woman warns the prince that appearances can be deceptive, and that true beauty is found within a person.

The prince dismissed her again, and the old woman turns out to be an enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late as she saw that there was no love in his heart. She conjures a powerful curse, transforming him into a hideous Beast, his servants into anthropomorphic household items, and the entire castle and all its surroundings into a dark, forbidding place, so that he will learn not to judge by appearances. The prince is given a magic mirror as his only mirror to the outside world.

The curse can only be broken if the Beast learns to love another and receives the other's love in return before the last petal of the enchantress's rose withers and falls. If not, he will be doomed to remain a Beast forever. The rose would remain in bloom until his 21st year. As the years pass, the Beast sits in his castle wallowing in despair, convinced that no one could ever love him.

Years later (Paige O'Hara), Belle lives in a nearby village with her father, Maurice (Rex Everhart), who is an inventor. Belle is a Bibliophilic young woman who seeks adventure and more than her provincial life in the village. Belle is seen as "odd" by the other townsfolk as she likes to read. Belle hopes to meet her prince charming, just like in the books. She is pursued by a local bully Gaston (Richard White) who wants to marry Belle & she positively hates him. Gaston is primeval in his thinking and wants Belle to give up reading. He and his sidekick, LeFou (Jesse Corti), openly mock her father's inventions and her love of books. Belle reveals her feelings of loneliness to her father, who promises her that his next invention, a wood-chopping machine, will be the start of a new life for them both.

Gaston sets up a wedding with Belle, even before proposing to her. Gaston is so handsome and has so many girls pursuing him, that it never occurred to him that Belle may not like him. Gaston proposes to her in front of the town. Belle attempts to politely decline when Gaston corners her against her front door and tries to kiss her. As she opens the door to move out of the way, he falls through the door frame and into the mud in front of the entire town. This serves as a hard blow to Gaston's ego and makes an enemy out of him.

On the way to the local fair, Maurice loses his way and is lost in the jungle. His horse Philippe (Hal Smith) bolts when wolves attack. Maurice is frightened and runs only to end up in the Beast's castle. One by one, the enchanted household items - Lumiere (Jerry Orbach) the kind-heart but rebellious French-accented Maitre D' of the castle who has been transformed into a candelabra, Mrs. Potts (Angela Lansbury) the housekeeper turned into a teapot and her son Chip (Bradley Pierce) the tea cup, the Wardrobe (Jo Anne Worley) the castle's authority over fashion and a former opera singer who has been turned into a wardrobe and Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers) the majordomo, the head butler of the household staff who has been turned into a mantel clock - welcome him. As an inventor, Maurice is amazed by the machines and tries to find out the contraption which makes them alive.

The Beast (Robby Benson), however, is enraged when he discovers Maurice and is about to throw him out, not caring that the wolves would eat him, when Maurice says he needs a place to stay. The Beast then decides to lock him in a dungeon in the castle tower.

Belle, who worries when her father's horse returns home without him, decides to seek out her father and reaches the castle. She finds Maurice in the dungeon & when the Beast catches her, she offers to remain in the castle forever in exchange of freedom for Maurice. The Beast reveals himself to her with his deep blue eyes, and although Belle is clearly terrified, she bravely refuses to back down from her offer. The Beast agrees and releases Maurice, who is taken back to the village in a walking coach before they can say goodbye. Moved by Belle's sadness, the Beast decides to give Belle a room in the castle instead of keeping her in the dungeon. The Beast gives Belle permission to go anywhere in the castle except the West Wing, refusing to explain why. Upon Lumiere's prodding the Beast invites Belle to dinner.

The Beast & the household see Belle as the opportunity to break the spell, but the Beast can't control his temper. Belle meets the enchanted objects and the Wardrobe and Fifi the Feather duster (Kimmy Robertson) who cheer her up, but she refuses to have dinner with the Beast. The staff advises the Beast to be gentle with Belle, and he makes another attempt to invite her to dinner. As Belle is adamant, the Beast again loses his temper. Enraged, he tells the servants that if Belle does not eat with him, she will have to starve, then shuts himself away in the West Wing. He sees Belle through the magic mirror, who angrily cries that she will have nothing to do with the Beast. Melancholy, he watches one more petal fall from the rose. Ignoring the Beast's orders, Lumiere, along with the other servants, welcomes Belle warmly and entertains her with an elaborate dinner and a show.

In the village, Maurice asks for help to rescue Belle from "a Beast", but no one believes him. When one of the villagers calls him crazy, Gaston thinks of a plan to get Belle to marry him. Gaston plans to declare him insane by bribing the asylum chief in order to force Belle to marry him in exchange for Maurice's release. Meanwhile, Maurice goes back into the jungle alone to find Belle, as nobody else would help him.

In the castle the magical staff takes Belle on a tour & she enters the west wing where she discovers an extremely disarrayed and desolate room, a slashed portrait of a handsome man with strangely familiar blue eyes. She also finds the enchanted rose, withering away. The Beast finds Belle in his room and is enraged. He frightens Belle who runs away from the castle. In the forest she is attacked by wolves & the Beast fights them off to save Belle but gets injured.

Belle carries him back to the castle on Philippe & nurses him back to health. Belle thanks him for saving her life. Over some time, the two start to become friends. The Beast even gives Belle "ownership" of his immense library as Lumiere knew that Belle likes to read. The staff sees this as their last chance to break the spell & turn humans again & spruce up the entire castle to create the magical moment culminating in a romantic dinner & dance between Belle & the Beast.

After dinner Belle is sad as she misses her father & the Beast helps her find him by using the magic mirror explaining that it will allow her to see anything she might desire to see. Maurice is lost & ill in the forest & Belle asks to go & rescue him. The Beast knows that she is his only chance to escape the curse but releases her from bondage & gives her the mirror as gift.

Belle hurries off, finds Maurice and takes him back to the village, where a mob gathers to take him to the asylum. Gaston offers to have Maurice spared if Belle agrees to marry him, but she still refuses. But Belle uses the mirror to prove that the Beast exists. Belle assures them that the Beast is kind and gentle, and that he's her friend. Gaston senses that Belle loves the Beast & rallies the village to kill him. He imprisons Belle & attacks the castle. The villagers force open the door, but Cogsworth and Lumiere leads the servants in defense of the castle. Gaston deserts the battle to search for the Beast. The servants eventually manage to drive the villagers out of the castle.

The Beast is so sad & forlorn that he refuses to fight back. Gaston shoots him with an arrow & has him cornered. Belle breaks free & arrives at the castle. The Beast is so happy that he defeats Gaston. Beast grabs Gaston by the neck and threatens to throw him off the roof. Gaston begs for his life, and the Beast relents, softened by his love for Belle. When the Beast climbs back up to the balcony where Belle is waiting for him, Gaston stabs him in the back, then loses his footing and falls into the deep chasm far below, signaling his death.

The Beast is about to die, when Belle proclaims her love for him just before the last petal falls. The spell is broken & the prince emerges. Belle recognizes him as the entire staff changes back into their human shapes. Belle & the prince get married & live happily ever after.