Beauty and the Beast (1991)

A prince cursed to spend his days as a hideous monster sets out to regain his humanity by earning a young woman's love.

Directors:

Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Writers:

Linda Woolverton (animation screenplay by), Brenda Chapman (story by)

Stars:

Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Jesse Corti

Won 2 Oscars. Another 30 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robby Benson	...	Beast (voice)
Jesse Corti	...	Lefou (voice)
Rex Everhart	...	Maurice (voice)
Angela Lansbury	...	Mrs. Potts (voice)
Paige O'Hara	...	Belle (voice)
Jerry Orbach	...	Lumiere (voice)
Bradley Pierce	...	Chip (voice) (as Bradley Michael Pierce)
David Ogden Stiers	...	Cogsworth / Narrator (voice)
Richard White	...	Gaston (voice)
Jo Anne Worley	...	Wardrobe (voice)
Mary Kay Bergman	...	Bimbette (voice)
Brian Cummings	...	Stove (voice)
Alvin Epstein	...	Bookseller (voice)
Tony Jay	...	Monsieur D'Arque (voice)
Alec Murphy	...	Baker (voice)

Storyline

Having lived a life in selfishness, young Prince Adam is cursed by a mysterious enchantress to having the appearance of a monstrous beast. His only hope is to learn to love a young woman and earn her love in return in order to redeem himself. Ten years later, his chance shows itself when a young maiden named Belle (Paige O'Hara) offers to take her ill father Maurice's (Rex Everhart's) place as his prisoner. With help from the castle's enchanted staff, Belle learns to appreciate her captor and immediately falls in love with him. Back in the village however, unscrupulous hunter Gaston (Richard White) has his own plans for Belle.

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Plot Keywords:

france | rose | castle | fairy tale | chauvinism | 

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Taglines:

The most beautiful love story ever told as it has never been seen before. [IMAX version]

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Right after Beast goes mad and leaves because Belle won't go down to dinner with him, you can see on the walls of the corridor "Girl With an Earring" by Johannes Vermeer and "The Laughing Cavalier" by Frans Hals.

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Goofs

When Gaston enters Belle's house to propose, his boots are clean. But as soon as he puts his feet up on the table, they are now dripping mud on Belle's book.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: 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 ...

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Crazy Credits

The opening prologue and end title appear within stained glass windows.

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Alternate Versions

When the movie was released on DVD in October 2002, it offered three versions of the film: The "Special Edition" (the 2002 IMAX re-release), the "Work-In-Progress Edition" (with Belle in the "Be Our Guest" sequence; the original work-in-progress cut featured Maurice in this sequence), and the "Original Theatrical Release". The "Work-In-Progress Edition" and the "Original Theatrical Release" are both actually identical to the 2002 IMAX/"Special Edition" re-release, except that it retains the original animation of the footage from the end of "Something There" until Belle's release from the castle (this includes the retention of Cogsworth's original animation in his conversation with the Beast after Belle is freed) and the original end credits sequence. All of the other edits that were made to the 2002 IMAX re-release (the cleaned-up animation, no stuttering Beast, etc.) are also present in this version.

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Connections

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 Bravest Animated Disney Characters (2019)

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Soundtracks

Beauty and the Beast
(uncredited)
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Performed by Angela Lansbury
Produced by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken
Arranged by Alan Menken and Danny Troob
Orchestrated by Danny Troob

User Reviews

Perfect mix of music and animation...a solid achievement...

I've not seen the newly added song sequence (Human Again) featured in the latest IMAX version so my comments are based entirely on the original theatrical and VHS release.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is Disney at its peak. From the stained glass window at the opening and the beautiful narration, the viewer is drawn into the story by the appealing music and clever lyrics ("Belle's Song") which gets the picture off to a bouncy start. The opening sequence showing Belle and the townspeople in song is masterfully handled and choreographed for maximum effect, setting the tone for the entire story.

The plot becomes thicker once Belle's father enters the castle grounds where the Beast resides. The castle interiors are brilliantly Baroque and the odd characters inhabiting the grounds are delightfully rendered by a perfect blending of art and voice talent. Cogsworth, Lumiere and Mrs. Potts are delightful creations, each with strong, consistent personalities. David Ogden Stiers, Jerry Orbach and Angela Lansbury cannot be praised enough for their contributions.

Two of the musical highlights are Orbach's dazzling job on "Be My Guest" (with French accent) and Angela's tender rendering of the title song, "Beauty and the Beast". Unforgettable movie moments. As Gaston, Richard White's robust baritone voice adds greatly to the effectiveness of his villainy.

It's no wonder the film was the first to receive recognition by the Academy with a Best Picture nomination. Outstanding in every department, including the end title song sung by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson in a more "modern" style.

Along with SNOW WHITE and SLEEPING BEAUTY, a top-notch fairy tale with its appeal evenly divided between adults and children--as well as the child in all of us.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

22 November 1991 (Canada)

Also Known As:

La belle et la bête

Filming Locations:

Walt Disney Feature Animation - 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$162,146, 17 November 1991

Gross USA:

$218,967,620

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$424,967,620

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV, Walt Disney Animation Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min 91 min (special edition)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (original release) Dolby Digital (special edition) DTS (special edition) SDDS (special edition) Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1