Beauty And The Beast Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
The most beautiful love story ever told.
The most beautiful love story ever told as it has never been seen before.[IMAX version]
Belle is a girl who is dissatisfied with life in a small provincial French town, constantly trying to fend off the misplaced "affections" of conceited Gaston. The Beast is a prince who was placed under a spell because he could not love. A wrong turn taken by Maurice, Belle's father, causes the two to meet.
| Robby Benson | Beast |
| Jesse Corti | Lefou |
| Rex Everhart | Maurice |
| Angela Lansbury | Mrs. Potts |
| Paige O'Hara | Belle |
| Jerry Orbach | Lumiere |
| Bradley Pierce | Chip |
| David Ogden Stiers | Cogsworth/Narrator |
| Richard White | Gaston |
| Jo Anne Worley | Wardrobe |
| Mary Kay Bergman | Babette |
| Brian Cummings | Stove |
| Alvin Epstein | Bookseller |
| Tony Jay | Monsieur D'Arque |
| Alec Murphy | Baker |
| Gary Trousdale |
| Kirk Wise |
7.90 out of 10 (47761 votes)
Visitor Reviews
One of the best Disney movies in my opinion
posted on 24 Aug 2009The story goes something like this: A prince is cruel, and rejects an old woman's rose in return for shelter. She's really an enchantress. She turns him into a beast, and placed a magic spell on everything and everyone in the castle. He then secludes himself in his home, with a magic mirror as the only view to outside the castle. The rose will bloom until he turns 21--pretty young for a prince, eh? He needed a girl to fall in love with, and get her to love him back, then it would be all good. And if not, he's doomed to stay as a beast forever and ever. The narration--by David Ogden Stiers, who plays Cogsworth--was great, and really like "...for who could ever learn to love a beast?" The next scene, we meet a young girl named Belle, a very beautiful but very odd girl, because she always likes to read, and is somewhat of an outcast, like her father, Maurice. The song 'Belle', which is a great song, really shows how much she's different from everyone else, and that she wants more out of life than just her small, poor French town. And really, don't we all want more out of life? A man, Gaston, the town 'hunk', wants to woo Belle, while his oddball sidekick, Lefou, doesn't think that she's the best of the best, as opposed to Gaston. Belle knows that he's handsome, but 'rude and conceited' as well, and not for her. As she gets home to help Maurice, who's working on what could possibly the weirdest machine made to chop wood. At least it works, and he takes it to the fair.He and his horse Philippe trot off to the fair, but they get lost. Men and their direction skills. That last statement was just a stereotypical thing, because we see it happen often. So they take the dark, gloomy road that Maurice wants to go, rather than the safe, light road that Philippe wants to take. Maurice should've listened to the horse. But of course, then there would be no story. Maurice then realizes that it's not right, and as usual, blames Philippe for it, because no one wants to take the blame for something that they did wrong. They get chased by a pack of wolves, Philippe gets away, and Maurice ends up in the castle where the Beast lives, but he doesn't know that. When he gets in, we get introduced to Cogsworth and Lumiere, the clock and candelabra, who are pretty much opposites, and Lumiere's welcome eventually wins over Cogsworth's attitude to get Maurice out. Lumiere makes him comfortable and Mrs. Potts and Chip, a teapot and teacup, serve him tea, and then the scary part comes. Enter the Beast. Maurice gets taken to a prison.The next day, Gaston tries to get Belle to marry him, but our heroine knows better, and works a way to get him out, and she finds Philippe, who amazingly tells Belle in some form or way that Maurice is gone. They try to find him, and immediately Philippe wants to leave, but Belle keeps him steady. She goes inside the castle to find him. As she searches, the servants in the castle see her, thinking that she's the one who can break the spell. Lumiere and Cogsworth try to remain inconspicuous, and Belle finds her father, and the Beast finds them. Belle then makes the sacrifice of her life: she takes her father's place, and promises to stay forever, after seeing the Beast. She feels terrible and without a goodbye, Maurice is taken back to the village. Belle is told that she can go anywhere in the castle except the west wing, because it's forbidden. She is told that she must join the Beast for dinner that night. She then finds out that everything is enchanted,and she is stunned. She decides she's not going to go to dinner. After finding out she's not coming down, the feud between the two of them grows. When Belle comes down to eat, Lumiere starts to sing 'Be Our Guest', and it is entertaining! After the number, Belle is taken by Lumiere and Cogsworth for a tour and Belle stumbles upon the stairs that lead to the west wing. She tricks them into taking themselves to the library, and ventures into the forbidden zone. She sees some peculiar things, but she then sees the most intriguing object of all: the rose. She wants to touch it, but is caught by the Beast, who scares her away from the castle. The Beast saves her from death by wolves.The Beast and Belle dance with Mrs. Potts singing 'Beauty and the Beast', and it makes their bond so much better. Belle realizes that her father is sick, and the Beast releases her, because he loves her. The town find out about the Beast, and try to kill him. The servants fight back, in a hilarious battle, while Gaston goes in for the Beast. The Beast and Gaston fight each other, and Belle returns for the Beast, but right as they reach for each other, Gaston stabs the Beast, but then karma gets back at him and he falls to his doom. Belle tries to keep the Beast with her, but it seems too late. She whispers to him, "I love you," right before the last pedal falls. The spell is broken, just in time. Sparks fall from the sky, and the Beast resumes his original form, and they kiss. The castle returns to normal, and it's all good.Deserved the Best Picture nomination and it is one of the best Disney movies in my mind.
Can Disney Make A Movie As Fantastic As Beauty And The Beast Again?
posted on 15 Aug 2009wow,this is amazing,and one of the best Disney's movies.I believe Beauty and the beast,Pocahontas and The little mermaid are the peak of all of the Disney's movies.how great it shows love,humanity,abomination and so on. And the songs are just wonderful,specially "Beauty and the beast".when this movie was made I was just 2 years old,when I watched this movie I was only 10 and now I'm 18 but still count it as my favorite movie. and this is the best dialog of the movie: Cogsworth: Well Your Highness, I must say everything is going just swimmingly. I knew you had it in you, ha ha! Beast: I let her go. Cogsworth: Yes, yes, - You... what? How could you do that? Beast: I had to. Cogsworth: Yes, but, but... but... why? Beast: Because... I love her.
I usually hate Disney films.
posted on 06 Aug 2009Even as a child, i found them irratating, pointless, annoying and unenjoyable. But this film is different. I have watched it countless times, and everytime i like it better. What i like about it is that it is one of those films that can be watched by both children and adults alike, and, as other users have mentioned before, some of its contents only adults can really understand. These are the kind of U-rated films that i like, a film that has something for everyone. The entire film is beautifully animated, with fantastic charactors and a timeless story line. Overall, it is definantly in my top 5 favourite films of all time, positioned at number 2. If you havent watched it yet, go out and rent it, or, better still, go out and buy it. I assure you, you wont be dissapointed.
My favourite of all Disney films
posted on 03 Aug 2009This is my favourite of all the Disney films, I just love all the aspects of the film- the music, the story, the characters and the animation.It has stayed a favourite of mine since I first watched it on video. Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favourite fairy tales and the film does justice to the spirit of the story. I really like the characters, I don't think there was one that I didn't like but my favourites have to be Belle voiced by Paige O'Hara, Lumiere voiced by Jerry Orbach and Cogsworth voiced by David Ogden Stiers.The songs also make the film what it is, they are so catchy and you can't stop yourself singing along to these wonderful, jolly songs.The animation is amazing and I know how so much has happened since the film came out and the technology has moved on considerably but it was breathtaking at the time particularly the ball room scene which has been talked about a lot and quite rightly.It is a good film to watch when you have had a bad day, it is sure to brighten your day up again.
Deeply beloved in every sense
posted on 03 Aug 2009I truly must say that this is one of Disney's best animated films ever. It has the awesome animation so typical of Disney and the story is so very deeply touching and heart warming. The 'Human Again' musical sequence was excellently done and a most welcome addition for the movie's special edition release. This is definitely one animated film that I could watch again and again without ever getting tired of it.
One of the most romantic films ever !!
posted on 16 Jul 2009And i mean that: this is a romance that you can't find any where, just in fairy tales and myths.I think the dancing scene is one of the most beautiful scenes in the history of cinema, combined with a dazzling music what else could we ask for.the animation adaptation is fantastic and Disney has always been great when it comes to animation.i really think that this movie deserved an Oscar nomination for best picture, for it will be doomed as i said one of the most romantic films ever.
More Than Meets The Eye
posted on 07 Jul 2009We all know that animations tend to get overlooked, as many believe that they are directed towards the children audience. Well, in some cases that is true, but this one is anything but. The Lion King is widely considered the best animation of all time, and it certainly is spectacular, but Beauty and the Beast elevates the level of animations to an unprecedented level. To be honest, it doesn't feel like a child's tale at all, with some themes being rather mature (although there is no inappropriate for a child). As with all Disney animations, imagery and symbolism is frequent, but in this case it works flawlessly. Characterization is utterly spectacular, and the characters themselves are perfectly designed. The music is enthralling, and the character songs are once again top notch. While children will certainly enjoy this, adults will be even more astonished at how masterfully crafted this animation is. To this day, it is the only animation to be nominated for Best Picture, and it should have won that as it truly was the best film of the year. Believe me, this movie is that good. If you haven't seen it, do so as soon as possible, because there are only a handful of movies that are actually better than this. Remember, this might be an animation, but if you look past its exterior, and absorb the message of the film, you will discover that it is something much more...it is beautiful.
the best disney animation pic
posted on 28 Jun 2009This movie may not match the popularity of The Little Mermaid, here in the Philippines, but this one is animation at its very best. The movements are so close to being human, that you may sometimes forget that these characters were drawn. This is evident in the dance hall sequence where the Beast dances with Belle. The wonderful musical score is a no-brainer for Disney movies: but who could ever forget the theme song? To stay true to the original material is really hard to do, but this one pulled it off with great success. What also makes this film different, is that it pulled in more adult audiences than kid audiences here in the Philippines. Certainly there are singing spoons and plates but taking into consideration the spell that the whole castle went into, adult audiences didn't have a hard time taking it hook, line and sinker. The thing here is not to enjoy, but to experience. Agree? Be my guest!
A nearly perfect film
posted on 11 May 2009This film could truly be the finest piece of work ever put together by Disney, which is certainly no small task. This wonderful movie literally has it all. A classic story, delightful songs, superb animation, among several more attributes. The opening narration, eloquently spoken by David Ogden Stiers, who also portrays Cogsworth, sends shivers down my spine, and the magic never lets up. A nearly perfect film that can be viewed over and over, no matter what age you are.
I love this movie!
posted on 30 Mar 2009Beauty & The Beast is one of the best Disney feature of all time! Belle is a girl that the locals think she's strange because she reads book. Her father is an inventor who is going off to the fair. He gets lost in the woods and finds shelter in a huge castle. The castle is home to a galore of household objects with a life of their own and a huge beast who holds him as a prisoner. Back in town, Belle is being hit on a local name Gaston, who wants to marry Belle. Basically, he wants Belle as a trophy wife. Belle finds her father at the castle being held as a prisoner by the beast. Belle wants to take her father's place as prisoner which the beast allows. Neither one can get along, mostly because the beast can't control his temper. Soon they get along and develop feelings for each other. This film earned an honor earning as Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It's sad that it lost to Silence Of The Lambs. I still give this film 10 out of 10!
This is Disney's best, and nothing can beat this one!
posted on 18 Mar 2009This was the very first film I have ever seen in my whole life. I remember my Mom taking me to the theaters in 1991 (I was four at the time) to see this movie. This is no ordinary family movie; in fact, I think that this is the best family movie ever made. I am always excited whenever I see this movie. Heck, in March 2003, I bought the DVD of this movie so that I can finally own my favorite old-school Disney movie! That's how much I love "Beauty and the Beast." I miss all the great stuff that Disney used to put out at the time; I spent pretty much all of my childhood growing up with this kind of Disney entertainment! Now, we have mostly dull stuff from 2002 onwards, but some of it (like "National Treasure," for instance) is still good! Please, make this movie your favorite Disney movie now!
IMAX is AWFUL!!!
posted on 06 Mar 2009DO NOT GO SEE THIS MOVIE IN IMAX!!! IMAX tickets are more expensive than regular film and this movie was never in intended to be viewed on an IMAX screen. The first five minutes of the film are incredible, because it is an entirely new sequence made just for the IMAX version and there are no moving animations just fades and zooms of still shots. The animation is choppy at best and flat out random images flashing on the screen at worst. It's so bad at times it will give you a headache. In the fight scene with the Beast and the wolves, all you saw were flashes of the Beast's body parts with wolves appearing and disappearing at random. It's like watching TV with your nose only an inch from the screen. What you can see is the lack of detail in the characters and almost monochrome appearance to all of the colors in the characters(i.e. all of the colors appear as a single shade there are no gradients). You can't see that in the regular film because it is much smaller.In short the film does not have enough resolution or the depth needed for the IMAX experience. Rent the video or wait for it on DVD; you'll be much happier.
Totally beautiful
posted on 03 Mar 2009This is a masterpiece of beautiful animation and top-class storytelling. It effectively combines humour and pathos in an effective blend of music, personality and pacing. It is one of my top ten all-time favorite movies!It is great to see the way the makers have combined elements of the old-style Hollywood movies; especially with the villagers attack scene, the wolves attack and Gaston's wooing of Belle. And with the modern fluid presentation of the "Be Our Guest" number (with elements very reminiscent of DUMBO's "Pink Elephants on Parade"), and the big ballroom title number.I love the way the personality of the characters comes through; especially Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs Potts, the Featherduster, Chip and Lefou. And the music really captures the feel of the story excellently. A truly masterful piece of high-quality entertainment that anyone can enjoy - both the original and large screen versions.
One of Disneys Best
posted on 22 Feb 2009I'm young enough to have seen this in the theatre and remember how wonderful it was. Now I also get all the funny parts that my parents laughed at and I didn't get. This movie is wonderful! This, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King were great movies--definitely the best since the era of Sleeping Beauty in the late 50's and early 60's. This is the kind of movie that made Disney what it is today! Songs are great, animation's great, voices are great, everything. I would definitely recommend this movie!
Oscar deserved.
posted on 20 Jan 2009Everyone knows and should guess that there had to be something about Beauty and the beast,seeing as it was the only disney film to ever be nominated for a best picture academy award! And it is. It has a message that only adults could really see and understand. It also has many senes filled with drama and gore that are also aimed at adults. This has got to be in the Top 3 best Disney films!!!!!
Incredible and Magical
posted on 15 Dec 2008Of all the movies I have ever seen in my life, none of them have affected me and moved me in a more positive way than Beauty and the Beast.The animation is beautiful, the music is stunning, and the story, which is really why this movie is so good, touches within each of us, an emotion that we can all relate to. Each of us in our own way wants to be loved and accepted, and the way that Belle and the Beast found each other, and how their relationship progressed is something that each of wish would happen to us at some level or another.I tried hard to find something wrong with this movie. I can't. It is one of the few movies I have seen that is flawless. I have always been a huge fan of animation because I believe it allows us to explore realms in our imagination that a live action film simply can't deliver because of its limitations. Animation has no limitations. The castle of the Beast could have never been as intimidating had it been a live action film. This is truly one of the finest movies of all time.
Greatest Movies of all time!
posted on 03 Dec 2008I loved this movie. Besides Aladdin, it is the best Disney film! I loved the animation of the dark castle mostly.The thing about the film was that there was some suggestive dialogue. Especially with that cocky Gaston. What a loser! Other than that10/10(1991) 99 mins. Rated: G CC.
The Second in the Nineties Golden Age
posted on 28 Oct 2008Film-Beauty and the Beast Rating-G Creator-Walt Disney Feature Animation Release Year-1991With it's classic story, memorable characters, dramatic songs, and under toned villain, this film is one that absolutely deserves it's place in Disney's coveted "Platinum" line of DVDs. Now come along with me as I explore these three sections of the film-the Villain, the DVD, and instead of comic relief, the Music.Gaston is the rude and conceited man who tries to get Belle to marry him through his achievements and looks, and as a child you wouldn't see that this man is the dramatic villain, until the final sequences. His song, "Let's Kill the Beast," truly captures his intentions, and to me, is what truly made this film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.The 2002 Platinum release of this title was dazzling. The disc offered three versions of the film, a beautiful making of feature, wonderful packaging, and of course, silly games for the kids. It's a DVD worth buying, yet maybe not buying to wait for it's upcoming new Platium release in the years to come.And now for probably the best part of this film, the Broadway style music. Composing the film is Alan Menken, the genius behind "The Little Mermaid (1989)" who brings this film to stunning style musically, with it's basis of theatrical dramatic songs, and having the range to do the silly songs as well. And then of course, there is the glue between film and music, the lyricist for the film, the late Howard Ashman. His witty style doesn't dumb down for any age. It's glamor when needed, and fun when wanted, is witty and catchy-these songs will forever stay in your mind. Howard Ashman test HIV positive in production of this film, and died a few months before it's release. Fans of his work know this as his last true film, although he contributed some work to "Aladdin (1992)" though the lyricist for that is mainly Tim Rice. All in all, Beauty and the Beast is a golden triumph among the Golden ages, and should not lose it's place in any home. With it's fabulous villain, magnificent DVD, and genius music, it's no wonder that so many fans find this their favorite Disney film.Walt Disney Pictures Beautiful Classic, Beauty and the Beast
Most Overrated Disney Film Ever Nominated for a Best Picture Oscar
posted on 30 Aug 2009When I was told that this was (and is, to this day) the only Disney animated film ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, I said to myself- "I have to see it again." By this point, I was obviously a Disney completest. So I bought it (on VHS), and watched it. What can I say? It's a joke! Let's try to take it, scene by scene. First, we are told of the story of the selfish Prince with no love in his heart. A beautiful, magical Enchantress turns him into a Beast (a furry animal, human-sized, with monster teeth and claws) when he dismisses her on the basis of what he perceives as her surface ugliness. Okay, good story. Makes sense. Decent set-up - "for who could ever love a monster?" the story asks at the end.Well, we're going to meet her (the One who could love a monster). Her name is Belle, and she is a misfit in her small provincial French town. She reads books all the time while the townspeople feel beautiful girls should spend all their time waiting for a handsome man to make them wives and mothers. So, next we meet the handsome man who wants to be her husband, Gaston. He's conceited and arrogant - a real jerk, but a fairly accurate product of the time, with less than ideal views on independent, free-thinking women. Which Belle is. This is an okay establishing scene. We're told a lot. The characters are definitely a little flat, but the only real problem is, perhaps, that the woman singing (and speaking) Belle's part has a sort of grating voice. I'm not kidding.So, her father is an inventor who gets lost in the woods on his way to a convention and after being chased by the unsavory creatures in the woods to the Beast's Castle, he is imprisoned by the Beast in his tower. Belle is lead to the castle by the father's runaway horse, and when she finds him, she meets the Beast, who is just the biggest creep in cinema history, once we know it's actually that selfish Prince. Nice to know being this Beast hasn't taught him a thing about humility. Belle begs for the Beast to release her father, but he refuses. So she offers to take her father's place and that... SUDDENLY melts the Beast's heart... A little. He agrees, the father is taken back to his home by a Spider Carriage, and Beast offers to give her a more comfortable room.Now, by this time is where we start to get really worn out by the huge plausibility and character flaws. Belle is the woman, who is given the film's title of being "so Difficult" (important to remember), but it's Beast who is the moody one. Which is understandable, since he was turned into a Beast. But isn't the least bit understandable, given all we've learned about Karma. If you are a bad person, bad things happen to you. Beast got what he deserved, and it's incredibly selfish of him to expect that the work he has to do to become human again will happen on it's own. But the filmmakers have convinced all the people who like this film that it's not a problem. Because they've FLUFFED it up, by just tossing it to the side and saying, "oh, he's just got a bad temper." What does that mean? It means, Beast is still a bad person waiting for Love to make him human. So in effect, he'll still be a bad person when he's human, only he'll be human.Perhaps I'm reading too much into it. Because Beast, over the course of the film, learns to love Belle and becomes a hero. But right from the get-go, we are not supposed to like Beast. Then, under some extremely disturbing circumstances, Belle is thrown into the Castle and through some lame musical numbers (again, I'm not kidding, these musical sequences are not up to the standards of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin), we are manipulated into believing "oh, look, they fell in love so quickly!" Another example of this type of insulting manipulation is the scene where Gaston is convincing the townspeople that the Beast is evil. He sings 1 stupid song and suddenly, everyone in the town is storming the castle, Frankenstein-style (big points for originality there).This film is just one big sappy, unconvincing mess. If anything, it offers some extraordinary colors, 1 funny song ("Gaston" has it's riotously hilarious moments - "and every last inch of me's covered with hair!"), and Jerry Orbach (yep, that crusty detective from Law & Order) is fantastic in his role as a Parisian candelabra, with an impeccable accent. But other than that, this movie just caters to girls and women, assuming that if you dumb it down for them, they'll love it. I hate seeing that happen, but it looks like the ladies (and some gay people) fell for it. Two Thumbs Down.