Beauty and the Beast
Movie, 1991, The Disney Renaissance, Set in 18th-century France
Beauty and the Beast is #3 of 20 in release order and #9 of 20 in chronological order in the Disney Animated Classics.
The story
Follow the adventures of Belle, a bright young woman who finds herself in the castle of a prince who's been turned into a mysterious beast. With the help of the castle's enchanted staff, Belle soon learns the most important lesson of all -- that true beauty comes from within.
Beauty and the Beast recap
A prince who turned away an old beggar woman is turned into a beast by an enchantress, and his servants into household objects; the spell will become permanent unless he learns to love and be loved before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose. Years later, Belle, a bookish young woman in a French village, refuses the vain hunter Gaston. Her inventor father Maurice gets lost and is taken prisoner at the Beast's castle, and Belle takes his place. The servants, led by the candlestick Lumiere, the clock Cogsworth and the teapot Mrs. Potts, help the two warm to each other. The Beast saves Belle from wolves, gives her his library, and they share a dance. Seeing in a magic mirror that her father is ill, she is allowed to leave. Gaston, meanwhile, plans to have Maurice locked in an asylum to force Belle to marry him.
Beauty and the Beast ending explained
Belle tells the dying Beast she loves him just before the last petal falls, and he turns back into a prince. To prove Maurice is sane, Belle shows the town the Beast in the mirror, and Gaston leads a mob to the castle. The servants drive off the villagers, and Gaston stabs the Beast before falling to his death. The spell breaks, the servants become human, and Belle and the prince dance.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is streaming on Disney+, fuboTV, and Bloodstream in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.0/10, Rotten Tomatoes 95%
Where it fits
- Release order: after The Rescuers Down Under, before Aladdin.
- Chronological order: after Pocahontas, before The Little Mermaid.
What to watch before Beauty and the Beast
In release order, the essentials before Beauty and the Beast (1991) are The Little Mermaid (1989) and The Rescuers Down Under (1990).
Cast
- Paige O'Hara as Belle (voice)
- Robby Benson as Beast (voice)
- Richard White as Gaston (voice)
- Jerry Orbach as Lumiere (voice)
- David Ogden Stiers as Cogsworth (voice)
- Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts (voice)
- Rex Everhart as Maurice (voice)
- Jesse Corti as Lefou (voice)
- Bradley Pierce as Chip (voice)
- Hal Smith as Philippe (voice)
- Jo Anne Worley as Wardrobe (voice)
- Mary Kay Bergman as Bimbette (voice)
Directed by Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise.