A Summary and Review of Beauty and the Beast

Story Overview

"Beauty & The Beast", released in 1991, is an engaging story of a young woman who encountered a remarkable amount of experiences. It all began one evening when an elderly woman knocked on the door of a beautiful castle. The door was answered by the King who was spoiled and selfish. The elderly woman asked the master to accept a rose in exchange for shelter from the cold. When the master banished the woman from his property, she began to transform into a beautiful enchantress. She placed a powerful spell onto the castle, transforming the master into a beast and the servants into various household objects. The rule was that the master had to learn to love by the time the final rose pedal fell from the flower. The next morning, young Belle returned home from a trip to the local bookstore. Maurice, Belle’s father, is working on his latest invention which seems to have malfunctioned. However with the assistance of Belle, Maurice’s invention would eventually work properly. A pleased Maurice would then leave for the town’s invention fair to enter his wood chopper into the contest. Leaving Belle at home alone, Maurice proceeds to the fair on his horse, Phillipe. As day faded and evening rapidly emerged, Maurice gets lost in the woods and runs into a group of werewolves. As Phillipe runs away, Maurice escaped the wolves only to run into an aged castle. In need of shelter from the cold, Maurice walked inside and was greeted by the servants, who were transformed into household objects. The servants took great care of Maurice, much to the disapproval of the beast. The beast locked him in the castle’s dungeon as punishment for intruding.

     Meanwhile, Gaston, who befriended Belle and took a romantic interest into her, set up a wedding ceremony outside. He proceeded to ask Belle to marry him at the last minute. When Bell refused, Gaston attempted to change her mind by leaning to her for a kiss. Bell would then move out of the way, causing Gaston to fall into the mud outside. This would be the start of a psychotic obsession on the part of Gaston. Soon after, Phillipe ran as fast as his four legs would take him to get Belle. Phillipe lead Belle to the castle in which she was led by Lumere, the talking candlestick, to her father. Bell begged the beast to release him, but he made it very clear to her that Maurice was his prisoner. Belle immediately offered to take Maurice’s place in the dungeon, which the surprised beast accepted. However, instead of the dungeon, the beast offered Belle a bedroom, as he could see that she could be the one to break the spell. Throughout her time in the castle, Belle grew to love the servants as well as the beast. The beast grew feelings for Belle to a point in which he released her from the castle to help her sick father. Meanwhile, Gaston has formed a plan to kidnap Maurice unless Belle agrees to marry him. When she refused for the second time, Gaston threw them both into an insane asylum truck. A jealous Gaston then proceeded to the castle in an attempt to kill the beast. Gaston was winning the fight until Belle, who had escaped the truck, showed up. The beast would then throw Gaston off a cliff to his death below. The wounded beast was happy to see Belle one last time, as was Belle. The beast then told Belle that he loved her, as did Belle. The beast then died and the servants, looked to the rose as the last pedal fell. They were sure that they would remain household objects forever. Just then, The beast began to float into the air, transforming from a scary beast into a handsome prince. The rest of the castle turned back into humans and celebrated in the ballroom. "Beauty & The Beast" is a truly heart-warming film. It will appeal to a viewer who enjoys stories involving humor, tearful moments and a beautiful conclusion.

Awards/Nominations:

Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, "Beauty & The Beast" received numerous awards and nominations. This would include: 3 Golden Globe Awards/1 Nomination, 4 Best Music Awards, 1 Best Picture Awards and 6 Grammy Awards.

Sequels:

"Beauty & The Beast" launched two sequels including: "Beauty & The Beast The Enchanted Christmas" (1997) and "Belle’s Magical World (1998).

"Beauty & The Beast" also launched a live-action television series entitled "Sing Me A Story With Belle". The program was hosted by "Belle", who was portrayed by notable actress Lynsey McLeod.