Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and written by Linda Woolverton. It is based on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale. Produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, the film features the voices of Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury, Rex Everhart, Jesse Corti, and Jo Anne Worley. Set in 18th-century France, a kind enchantress changes a selfish prince into a monster as punishment for his cruelty. Years later, a young woman named Belle offers the Beast her freedom in exchange for her father’s. To break the spell, the Beast must earn Belle’s love before the last petal falls from his enchanted rose, or he will stay a monster forever.

Walt Disney tried to make an animated version of Beauty and the Beast in the 1930s and 1950s but was not successful. After the success of The Little Mermaid (1989), Disney asked Richard Purdum to adapt the fairy tale as a non-musical drama. However, Disney executives were not satisfied with Purdum’s work and asked the team to rewrite the film as a musical. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who created music for The Little Mermaid, wrote the songs. First-time directors Trousdale and Wise replaced Purdum, and Woolverton’s screenplay was the first completed script used before storyboarding. The film was the second to use a system called CAPS, which helped combine traditional and computer animation, especially in the ballroom scene. Beauty and the Beast is dedicated to Howard Ashman, who passed away from AIDS eight months before the film was released.

The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on September 29, 1991, with an unfinished version, and was released widely on November 22. It was praised for its story, characters, music, and animation, especially the ballroom sequence. It earned $331 million worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 1991 and the first animated film to earn over $100 million in the United States. Later re-releases, including IMAX in 2002 and 3D in 2012, increased its total earnings to $451 million. Beauty and the Beast was the first animated film to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and the first to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. At the 64th Academy Awards, it received five other nominations and won for Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Beauty and the Beast”).

In 1994, Beauty and the Beast became the first Disney film adapted into a Broadway musical, which won one Tony Award. The show ran for 13 years. Other works based on the story include three direct-to-video sequels, a television series, a live-action remake in 2017, and a live-action/animated television special in 2022. In 2002, Beauty and the Beast was added to the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Plot

An enchantress dressed as an old beggar woman arrives at a castle and gives a selfish prince an enchanted rose in exchange for shelter during a storm. When the prince refuses her offer, she shows her real form and turns him into a beast. She also changes his servants into household objects. To break the curse, the prince must learn to love someone and earn their love before the last petal of the rose falls. If he fails, he will stay a beast forever.

Years later, in a nearby village, Belle, the book-loving daughter of an unusual inventor named Maurice, dreams of adventure. She refuses to marry Gaston, a proud hunter. One day, Maurice travels to a fair to show his invention, a wood-chopping machine, but gets lost in the forest. He seeks shelter in the Beast’s castle and is later locked up for entering without permission. When Belle finds her father trapped in the castle dungeon, she offers to stay in his place. The Beast agrees.

Belle meets the castle’s servants, including a candelabra named Lumière, a clock named Cogsworth, a teapot named Mrs. Potts, and her son Chip, a teacup. The servants try to help the Beast win Belle’s affection, but his anger makes her stay away. When Belle discovers the enchanted rose, the Beast forces her to leave. Wolves attack Belle, and the Beast saves her, getting hurt in the process. As Belle helps him recover, they begin to understand each other. Over time, they grow to care for one another.

In the village, Maurice tries to convince people that the Beast is not dangerous. Gaston, hearing this, pays the local asylum’s warden, Monsieur D’Arque, to declare Maurice mentally ill. He plans to use this to force Belle to marry him in exchange for freeing Maurice. Before this can happen, Maurice leaves to rescue Belle alone. At the castle, Belle and the Beast share a dance, nearly confirming their love. Later, Belle learns about Maurice’s situation through a magic mirror. Out of love, the Beast lets Belle leave to save her father.

Back in the village, Belle shows the townspeople the Beast through the mirror, proving Maurice is not mad. Gaston, jealous of Belle’s feelings for the Beast, throws her into a cellar with Maurice and leads villagers to attack the castle. Chip, who secretly followed Belle, uses Maurice’s machine to free them.

As the castle’s servants fight the villagers, Gaston attacks the Beast. The Beast regains hope when Belle returns and spares Gaston’s life. However, Gaston kills the Beast before falling to his death. As the last petal of the rose falls, Belle tells the Beast she loves him, breaking the curse. The Beast is restored to his human form, as are his servants. The prince and Belle later host a celebration for their kingdom.

Voice cast

• Paige O'Hara voices Belle, a bright young woman who seeks adventure and offers her freedom to the Beast in exchange for her father's. To improve the character from the original story, the filmmakers made Belle "unaware" of her own beauty and gave her "a little odd" traits. Actor and director Wise chose O'Hara because of her "unique tone," which reminded him of Judy Garland, after whom Belle was modeled.

• Robby Benson voices the Beast, a young prince named Adam who is turned into a talking beast by an enchantress as punishment for his arrogance and selfishness. Animators designed the Beast with parts of several animals: the head and horns of an American bison, the arms and body of a bear, the eyebrows of a gorilla, the teeth and mane of a lion, the tusks of a wild boar, and the legs and tail of a wolf. Artist Chris Sanders created early designs based on birds, insects, and fish before finalizing the Beast’s look. Animator Glen Keane studied animals at a zoo to refine the design. Benson described the Beast’s character as having "rage and torment" he had never portrayed before. Filmmakers noted that most actors used deep, rough voices for the Beast, but Benson’s voice was warm and friendly, allowing audiences to hear the prince beneath the fur.

• Richard White voices Gaston, a hunter who tries to marry Belle. He contrasts with the Beast, who was originally as egotistical as Gaston before saving Belle from wolves. Animator Andreas Deja was asked by Jeffrey Katzenberg to make Gaston handsome, unlike typical Disney villains, a task he found difficult. Gaston starts as a self-centered man but later threatens to send Belle’s father to an asylum if she refuses to marry him. He eventually leads villagers to attack the Beast, angry that Belle loves the Beast more than him.

• Jerry Orbach voices Lumière, the kind but rebellious French-accented maître d’ of the Beast’s castle, turned into a candelabra. He often breaks the Beast’s rules, causing tension, but the Beast often seeks his advice. Lumière is flirtatious, frequently interacting with the Featherduster and showing interest in Belle. A recurring joke in the film is Lumière burning Cogsworth.

• David Ogden Stiers voices Cogsworth, the Beast’s majordomo and head butler, turned into a mantel clock. He is loyal to the Beast to avoid trouble, causing friction with Lumière. Stiers also narrates the film’s prologue.

• Angela Lansbury voices Mrs. Potts, the housekeeper turned into a teapot, who treats Belle like a mother. Filmmakers considered other names for Mrs. Potts, such as "Mrs. Chamomile," before choosing a simple name.

• Bradley Pierce voices Chip, Mrs. Potts’s son, turned into a teacup. Originally planned to have only one line, Chip’s role was expanded after Pierce’s performance impressed the filmmakers.

• Rex Everhart voices Maurice, Belle’s inventor father. Villagers think he is crazy for creating impossible devices, but Belle believes he will become famous.

• Jesse Corti voices LeFou, Gaston’s sidekick. He admires Gaston and sings with villagers to cheer him. His name means "The Madman" in French and sounds like "The Fool."

• Jo Anne Worley voices the Wardrobe, the castle’s fashion authority and former opera singer, turned into a wardrobe. The character was added by artist Sue C. Nichols to a group of male servants. Originally named "Madame Armoire," the Wardrobe is called "Madame Big Mouth" in the stage version and is the only major enchanted object whose human form is never shown.

• Hal Smith voices Philippe, Belle’s horse.

• Mary Kay Bergman and Kath Soucie voice the Bimbettes, three village girls who admire Gaston. They are called "Silly Girls" or "Les Filles De La Ville" in the stage version.

• Jack Angel, Phil Proctor, Bill Farmer, and Patrick Pinney voice Tom, Dick, Stanley, and Gramps, friends of Gaston and LeFou.

• Brian Cummings voices the Stove, the castle’s chef turned into a stove. He is named Chef Bouche in Belle’s Magical World (1998).

• Alvin Epstein voices the Bookseller, owner of a bookstore in Belle’s village.

• Tony Jay voices Monsieur D’Arque, the cruel warden of the Asylum de Loons. Gaston bribes him to help blackmail Belle.

• Alec Murphy voices the Baker, owner of a bakery in Belle’s village.

• Kimmy Robertson voices the Featherduster, a maid and Lumière’s love interest, turned into a feather duster. She is unnamed in the 1991 film but called Babette in the 1994 stage version, Fifi in Belle’s Magical World (1998), and Plumette in the 2017 live-action remake.

• Frank Welker voices Sultan, the castle’s dog turned into a footstool.

Production

After the success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Walt Disney looked for other stories to make into movies. One story considered was Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Walt tried to turn the story into an animated film in the 1930s and 1950s, but the project was paused because the story was too difficult, especially the second half. Film critic Peter M. Nichols suggested that Disney might also have been discouraged by the success of Jean Cocteau’s 1946 version of the story.

In 1987, as Who Framed Roger Rabbit neared completion, Disney revived Beauty and the Beast as a project for their new animation studio in London, England. Richard Williams, who had directed the animated parts of Roger Rabbit, was asked to direct Beauty and the Beast but refused to focus on his own project, The Thief and the Cobbler. Instead, he recommended Richard Purdum, and work began on a non-musical version of the story set in 19th-century France.

At the request of Disney CEO Michael Eisner, Beauty and the Beast became the first Disney animated film to use a screenwriter officially. This was unusual because animated films were usually developed with storyboards, not scripts. Linda Woolverton, who had written a script for a Winnie the Pooh project that was never made, was asked to work on Beauty and the Beast. Her early drafts were darker and not musical. This was Disney’s first animated film to use a completed script before storyboarding and animation. Woolverton said the new process was confusing because the story team had never worked this way before. Roger Allers, the film’s story supervisor, noted some tension between Woolverton and the team, as she was used to working alone.

In 1989, Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg was unhappy with Purdum’s ideas and ordered the film to be scrapped and started over. After a few months, Purdum resigned as director. John Musker and Ron Clements were asked to direct but declined, saying they were tired after making The Little Mermaid. Katzenberg then hired first-time directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, who had previously worked on Cranium Command, a short film for a Disney theme park. To make the film more musical, Katzenberg asked Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who had written The Little Mermaid, to turn Beauty and the Beast into a Broadway-style musical.

At the time, Ashman was seriously ill with AIDS and had been working on Aladdin, a Disney project. He reluctantly joined Beauty and Beast because of his health. To help him, production moved from London to a hotel near his home in New York. There, Ashman and Menken worked with Wise, Trousdale, producer Don Hahn, and Woolverton to improve the script. The original story had only two main characters, so the team added new characters, like enchanted objects that brought warmth and comedy to the story, and a villain named Gaston. Ashman and Woolverton agreed the story should focus on the Beast’s journey to change himself.

The film included ideas from Jean Cocteau’s 1946 French version of Beauty and the Beast, which introduced a character similar to Gaston and animated objects in the Beast’s castle. In the Disney version, these objects had unique personalities. By early 1990, Katzenberg approved the revised script, and storyboarding began again. Artists traveled between California and New York for approvals, though the team was not told the reason.

Disney originally considered casting Jodi Benson, who played Ariel in The Little Mermaid, as Belle. They chose Broadway actress Paige O’Hara instead, believing she sounded more like an adult woman. O’Hara was selected because she had a unique voice, similar to Judy Garland. She competed against 500 others for the role and believed Howard Ashman’s admiration for her work in Show Boat helped her win the part. O’Hara based her performance on Katharine Hepburn’s role in Little Women (1933).

Actors like Laurence Fishburne, Val Kilmer, and Mandy Patinkin were considered for the Beast, but the role went to Robby Benson. John Cleese was originally cast as Cogsworth but later declined to voice a character in another film, so David Ogden Stiers took the role.

Production of Beauty and the Beast was completed in two years, faster than Disney’s usual four-year schedule, due to delays from the earlier version of the film. Most work was done at Disney’s main studio in Glendale, California, with help from a team in Florida for scenes like the “Be Our Guest” number.

Beauty and the Beast was the second film, after The Rescuers Down Under, to use CAPS, a digital system developed by Pixar for Disney. CAPS allowed for more colors, soft shading, and effects that had been lost when Disney stopped hand-inking in the 1960s. It also helped combine hand-drawn art with computer-generated images, which was used in the film’s waltz scene, where Belle and Beast dance in a computer-generated ballroom.

Release

Disney worked hard to market the film to both children and adults, more than they had done with any previous animated film from the studio. To attract adult viewers, Disney combined live-action filmmaking with animation, created a story that appealed to older audiences, and used a classic Broadway-style soundtrack to remind baby boomers of the past. Two different main posters were used for the film. One showed colorful, child-friendly artwork with the animated characters. The other showed a darker, more serious image of the title characters dancing in shadow, which Disney used in newspaper ads to reach adult readers.

For the first time in Disney’s history, an unfinished version of Beauty and the Beast was shown at the New York Film Festival on September 29, 1991. The film was called a "work in progress" because only about 70% of the animation was completed. Storyboards and pencil tests were used instead of the remaining 30%. Some already finished parts were changed back to earlier stages of production. After the screening, the film received strong praise and a ten-minute standing ovation from the audience. The completed film was later shown at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival and premiered in Hollywood on November 13, 1991. It had a limited release before expanding widely on November 22, 1991, along with An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.

The film was restored and improved for its New Year’s Day, 2002 re-release in IMAX theaters. This version included a new musical sequence. Though Fantasia 2000 was the first animated film released in IMAX, Beauty and the Beast was the first narrative film to have a major IMAX release. For this version, the animation was cleaned up, a new scene set to the song "Human Again" was added to the second act, and a new digital master from the original production files was used to create the high-resolution IMAX film.

A sing-along edition, hosted by Jordin Sparks, was released in select theaters in September and October 2010. Before the show, Sparks shared a behind-the-scenes look at the restored film and the making of her new Beauty and the Beast music video. The event also included commentary from producer Hahn, interviews with the cast, and an explanation of how the animation was created.

A 3D version of the film, the second traditionally animated film to be converted to 3D, was planned for release in 2010 but delayed until 2012. It premiered at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre in September 2011. Disney spent less than $10 million on the 3D conversion. After the success of the 3D re-release of The Lion King, Disney released Beauty and the Beast in 3D across North America starting January 13, 2012.

To celebrate Disney’s 100th anniversary, Beauty and the Beast was re-released in selected Cinemark theaters in the United States from August 18 to 31, 2023, in the United Kingdom from September 22 to 28, and in Poland from October 7.

On October 30, 1992, Walt Disney Home Video (now Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment) released the film on VHS, Beta, and LaserDisc as part of the Walt Disney Classics series. The film was later removed from sale in 1993 to prevent piracy. The unfinished version shown at the New York Film Festival was also released on VHS and LaserDisc. The completed theatrical version was later made available on LaserDisc. By October 1993, the VHS version sold 20–22 million copies. The film was also released in other countries, including the United Kingdom, where it sold 8.5 million units.

Beauty and the Beast: Special Edition, the enhanced version released in IMAX, was released on a THX-certified "Platinum Edition" two-disc DVD and VHS on October 8, 2002. The DVD included three versions of the film: the extended IMAX version with the "Human Again" sequence, the original theatrical version, and the unfinished version from the New York Film Festival. This release was later removed from sale in 2003. The Special Edition was also released in the United Kingdom and other countries in 2002.

The film was released from the vault on October 5, 2010, as the second of Disney’s Diamond Editions. This version included a three-disc Blu-ray and DVD combo pack, the first high-definition release of the film. The edition featured four versions of the film: the original theatrical version, an extended version, the unfinished New York Film Festival version, and a version with storyboards shown alongside the original. The Blu-ray sold 1.1 million units in its first week, becoming the second-best-selling Blu-ray of 2010. A two-disc DVD was released in November 2010, and a five-disc combo pack with Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray 2D, DVD, and a digital copy was released in 2011. The Blu-ray version was later removed from sale in 2012.

A 25th-anniversary Signature Edition was released on Digital HD on September 6, 2016, followed by a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack on September 20, 2016. The film topped the Blu-ray sales chart in its first week and ranked third in overall disc sales. It was later released on 4K digital download and Ultra HD Blu-ray on March 1

Reception

During its first showing in theaters, Beauty and the Beast earned $9.6 million in its opening weekend, ranking third behind The Addams Family and Cape Fear. When it was first released in 1991, the film earned $145.9 million in North America and $331.9 million worldwide. It was the third most successful film in 1991 and 1992 in North America and Europe, including countries such as France, Italy, Spain, and others. It was surpassed only by Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which were released before the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. At the time, Beauty and the Beast was the most successful animated Disney film and the first animated film to reach $100 million in the United States and Canada during its initial release. In its IMAX re-release, the film earned $25.5 million in North America and $5.5 million in other regions, totaling $31 million worldwide.

During its 3D re-release overseas, the film earned $9.8 million. In its North American 3D re-release in 2012, Beauty and the Beast earned $17.8 million in its opening weekend, ranking second behind Contraband. This was the highest opening weekend for an animated film in January. The film was expected to earn $17.5 million, but it exceeded expectations. The re-release ended on May 3, 2012, earning $47.6 million in North America, bringing its total North American gross to $219 million. It earned an estimated $206 million in other regions, totaling $425 million worldwide. It became the highest-grossing film in Italy, surpassing the 39 billion lira earned by Johnny Stecchino.

Upon release, Beauty and the Beast received widespread praise for its story, animation, characters, and music. The review site Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 95% approval rating based on 170 reviews, with an average score of 8.7/10. The site’s summary said the film is "enchanting, sweepingly romantic, and features many wonderful musical numbers," calling it one of Disney’s most elegant animated films. Audiences gave it an "A+" rating from CinemaScore. It also received a 95/100 score on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim." It is the fifth highest-rated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios on the platform.

The New York Times reviewer Janet Maslin noted that Beauty and the Beast borrowed elements from The Little Mermaid to repeat its success, saying "lightning has definitely struck twice." Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect score, comparing its quality to classic Disney films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and The Little Mermaid. He said the film reflects "an older and healthier Hollywood tradition" where talented creators work together for family audiences. Kenneth Turan called it Disney’s most satisfying film in decades, saying it appeals to both children and adults. James Berardinelli of ReelViews called it "the finest animated movie ever made," praising its romance, music, and animation. He highlighted the use of computer animation, especially in the ballroom scene.

Hal Hinson of The Washington Post called it "a near-masterpiece" that honors past traditions while feeling modern. Michael Sragow praised the animation, characters, and voice acting, calling the film "a zesty charmer." Gene Siskel said it was one of the year’s most entertaining films and believed it would revive the movie musical genre. He and Roger Ebert said the film was a "legitimate contender" for the Oscar for Best Picture. John Hartl of The Seattle Times praised the animators and voice actors for making audiences care about the characters. Jay Boyar of the Orlando Sentinel said the film "has a beauty of a bite," noting Disney’s effort to tell a darker fairy tale with its themes and art. Animation historian Charles Solomon said Beauty and the Beast "has the strongest claim to being a classic" among Disney films from the 1980s and 1990s.

Some critics were more cautious. Dave Kehr said the film was "adequate holiday entertainment for children" but lacked the technical skill of Disney’s earlier work. Owen Gleiberman said the film delivered most of what one would expect from an animated Disney film but lacked the emotional depth of earlier efforts, calling the Beast’s character underdeveloped. Animation historian Michael Barrier noted that Belle’s intelligence seemed symbolic rather than deeply developed but acknowledged the film’s progress. Scholars also noted Belle’s independence as a departure from earlier Disney heroines and the film’s feminist themes, such as its critique of Gaston’s chauvinism. Eric Smoodin said the film combined traditional fairy tales with feminism and technology.

Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s song "Beauty and the Beast" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and Menken’s score won Best Original Score. Two other songs, "Belle" and "Be Our Guest," were also nominated for Best Original Song. Beauty and the Beast was the first film to receive three Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song, a record later matched by The Lion King, Dreamgirls, and Enchanted. Academy rules were later changed to limit each film to two nominations in this category.

The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Sound. It was the first animated film ever nominated for Best Picture and remained the only one until Up in 2009. It was the third Disney film nominated for Best Picture, after Mary Poppins (1964) and Dead Poets Society (1989). It was the first musical in twelve years to be nominated for Best Picture, following All That Jazz (1979), and the last one until Moulin Rouge! (2001). It lost the Best Picture award to The Silence of the Lambs and the Best

Legacy

"Beauty and the Beast" is considered an important animated film because it received a lot of praise, was very successful at the box office, won many awards, and had a big influence on culture. It was one of the first Disney films to use computer-generated imagery in a way that helped tell the story better and made the visuals more interesting. This film shows a change in Disney's animation style, moving from traditional hand-drawn animation to a new standard for modern animation. It combines the simple, elegant style of Disney's early fairy tales with more developed characters, as noted by IndieWire. Critics and scholars praise the film for mixing traditional animation with computer-generated imagery, especially in the ballroom scene. Film critic Richard Corliss said that four years later, Pixar's "Toy Story" used the computer animation techniques started by "Beauty and the Beast." Some critics say "Beauty and the Beast" changed how Disney showed female characters, moving away from earlier films like "Cinderella" (1950) and "Sleeping Beauty" and setting the stage for later films like "Mulan" (1998) and "Moana" (2016).

Although "The Little Mermaid" helped Disney's animation team recover, "Beauty and the Beast" was a key test to see if Disney's success would last, especially after "The Rescuers Down Under" did not do well. The film's success helped Disney return to being a top leader in animation during the Disney Renaissance. Journalist and filmmaker Bilge Ebiri says the film's unfinished screening at the 1991 New York Film Festival was a turning point, helping people see animated films as serious art instead of just for children. This event helped audiences and critics understand the skill and creativity involved in making animated films. Emma Cochrane of Empire wrote in 2000 that "Beauty and the Beast" helped people start calling animated films "animated features" instead of "cartoons," because the film's animation, music, and story appealed to adults more than earlier animated films. Bill Gibron of PopMatters says the film's Best Picture Oscar nomination showed that animated films could be taken seriously at the Academy Awards, not just for music or technical work. The high standards set by this film continue to influence current Disney projects. Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle says "Beauty and the Beast" is Disney's greatest achievement, helping the studio create musicals similar to Broadway shows, which later inspired stage versions. Writers for IndieWire say the ballroom scene alone is one of the greatest moments in movie history.

Author Mayukh Sen said the film's influence has grown over time, with even those who are not big fans of Disney now agreeing that "Beauty and the Beast" is the best film from the Disney Renaissance. Critics and journalists describe it as one of Disney's greatest films. Filmsite calls it "Arguably the most successful Disney animated film of all time." Consequence ranked it the best film of the Disney Renaissance. Many publications have ranked it among Disney's best work, including The Independent (2), IGN (2), GamesRadar+ (2), Paste (2), The Daily Telegraph (4), and Rolling Stone (10). Leah Pickett of Consequence called it "arguably the most critically praised animated film of the 20th century." In 2010, IGN named it the greatest animated film of all time. In 2009, journalist Marc Bernardin ranked it the sixth-best animated film and thought it would be the only animated film to get a Best Picture nomination. Many media organizations have listed it among the greatest animated films of all time, including Esquire, IndieWire (4), Harper's Bazaar (5), Parade (5), Time Out (11), Empire (20), and IGN (21). According to research by 24/7 Wall Street, reported by USA Today in 2018, "Beauty and the Beast" is the 37th best animated film of all time.

In 2002, "Beauty and the Beast" was added to the United States National Film Registry because it is considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." In June 2008, the American Film Institute released its "Ten Top Ten" lists of the best ten films in ten classic American film genres, based on polls of over 1,500 people in the film industry. "Beauty and the Beast" was ranked seventh in the animation genre. Earlier, it was listed as number 22 on the institute's list of best musicals and number 34 on its list of best romantic American films. On the list of greatest songs from American films, "Beauty and the Beast" was ranked number 62.

American Film Institute recognition:

• AFI's 100 Years…100 Passions – No. 34
• AFI's 100 Years…100 Songs: "Beauty and the Beast" – No. 62
• AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals – No. 22
• AFI's 10 Top 10 – No. 7 Animated film
• AFI's 100 Years…100 Heroes and Villains – Belle – Nominated Hero

Adaptations

According to an article in the Houston Chronicle, an article by The New York Times theater critic Frank Rich praised Beauty and the Beast as 1991's best musical. Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) executive director Frank Young had been trying to get Disney interested in a stage version of Beauty and the Beast around the same time Disney leaders were considering Rich's column. However, Young struggled to contact the right person at Disney. Nothing happened until Disney began pursuing the project. When Disney leaders asked George Ives, head of Actors Equity on the West Coast, which Los Angeles theater would be best for launching a new musical, Ives recommended TUTS.

Soon after, Disney's Don Frantz and Bettina Buckley contacted Young, and the partnership began. A stage version of the film, directed by Robert Jess Roth and choreographed by Matt West, had already been shown at Disneyland's Videopolis stage. Beauty and the Beast premiered in a joint production by Theatre Under The Stars and Disney Theatricals at the Music Hall in Houston, Texas, from November 28, 1993, to December 26, 1993.

On April 18, 1994, Beauty and the Beast opened on Broadway at the Palace Theatre in New York City. It received mixed reviews. The show moved to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on November 11, 1999. Its success led to productions in the West End, Toronto, and other places worldwide. The Broadway version, which ran for over ten years, won a Tony Award and became the first Disney stage production. The original Broadway cast included Terrence Mann as the Beast, Susan Egan as Belle, Burke Moses as Gaston, Gary Beach as Lumière, Heath Lamberts as Cogsworth, Tom Bosley as Maurice, Beth Fowler as Mrs. Potts, and Stacey Logan as Babette the feather duster.

Many famous actors and singers performed in the Broadway production during its thirteen-year run, including Kerry Butler, Deborah Gibson, Toni Braxton, Andrea McArdle, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Christy Carlson Romano, Ashley Brown, and Anneliese van der Pol as Belle; Chuck Wagner, James Barbour, and Jeff McCarthy as the Beast; Meshach Taylor, Patrick Page, Bryan Batt, Jacob Young, and John Tartaglia as Lumière; Marc Kudisch, Christopher Sieber, and Donny Osmond as Gaston; and Nick Jonas, Harrison Chad, and Andrew Keenan-Bolger as Chip. The show ended its Broadway run on July 29, 2007, after 46 previews and 5,461 performances. As of March 2026, it is Broadway's eleventh-longest-running show in history.

In June 2014, Walt Disney Pictures announced a live-action film adaptation of the original animated film. Bill Condon would direct, and Evan Spiliotopoulos would write the screenplay. Condon planned to include most of the songs from the Broadway musical. In September 2014, Stephen Chbosky was hired to rewrite the script. In January 2015, Emma Watson announced she would play Belle in the live-action film.

In March 2015, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson, Josh Gad, Audra McDonald, and Kevin Kline joined the film as the Beast, Gaston, Mrs. Potts, Lefou, Garderobe, and Maurice, respectively. The following month, Ian McKellen, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw joined as Cogsworth, Lumière, Cadenza, and Plumette. Composer Alan Menken returned to score the film's music, with new songs written by Menken and Tim Rice. In June 2015, Menken said the film would not include songs from the Broadway musical. Filming began on May 18, 2015, in London and at Shepperton Studios in Surrey. Production ended in August 2015. The film was released on March 17, 2017.

In 2018, a live concert celebration of Beauty and the Beast took place at the Hollywood Bowl. It was directed by Richard Kraft and Kenneth Shapiro. The cast included Zooey Deschanel as Belle, Anthony Evans as the Beast, Taye Diggs as Gaston, Kelsey Grammer as Lumière, Rebel Wilson as LeFou, Jane Krakowski as Mrs. Potts, and Baraka May as Chip. A live orchestra performed songs from the original film.

On July 5, 2022, ABC announced a live-action/animation special set to air on December 15, 2022. Hamish Hamilton would direct, and Jon M. Chu would be the executive producer. The special would include live musical performances, new sets, and costumes inspired by the classic story. On July 20, 2022, H.E.R. was cast as Belle. In September 2022, Josh Groban, Joshua Henry, and Rita Moreno were cast as the Beast, Gaston, and the narrator, respectively. David Alan Grier was later cast as Cogsworth. Martin Short and Shania Twain were in final talks to play Lumière and Mrs. Potts. Rizwan Manji, Jon Jon Briones, and Leo Abelo Perry joined as LeFou, Maurice, and Chip. On December 12, 2022, D23 revealed that Paige O'Hara (original voice of Belle), Richard White (original voice of Gaston), and Alan Menken would appear as the Bookseller, the Baker, and a piano player during "Belle."

Merchandise

Beauty and the Beast merchandise includes many types of products, such as storybooks based on the film, a comic book published by Disney Comics, toys, children's costumes, and other items. The character Belle is part of the "Disney Princess" line from Disney's Consumer Products division and appears on merchandise linked to that collection. In 1995, a live-action children's TV show called Sing Me a Story with Belle began airing on multiple TV stations and continued until 1999. Two direct-to-video follow-up movies, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) and Belle's Magical World (1998), were made by Walt Disney Television Animation. These movies take place during the same time as the original film, but they received much less praise than the original. Disney on Ice created an ice show version of the movie, which started in 1992 in Lakeland, Florida. The show was very popular and toured globally, drawing full crowds. A TV special was made when the show visited Spain in 1994. The show ended in 2006 after 14 years of performances.

The first video game based on the film was called Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Quest. It is an action platformer game for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. Developed by Software Creations, the game was released in North America in 1993. It is one of two games based on the film published by Sunsoft for the Mega Drive/Genesis, the other being Beauty and the Beast: Roar of the Beast. Players control Belle and must travel through the village, forest, castle, and snowy forest to solve puzzles and avoid enemies. Belle's health is shown by a stack of blue books that decrease when she touches hazards like bats and rats. Extra lives, keys, and items are hidden in the game levels. Players can use a code to restart the game at any of the seven levels, but the game does not allow saving progress or continuing after losing all lives.

The second video game, Beauty and the Beast: Roar of the Beast, is a side-scrolling game for the Genesis. In this game, players control the Beast and must complete levels based on scenes from the film to protect the castle from villagers and forest animals and rescue Belle from Gaston.

The third and fourth video games were action platformers developed by Probe Software and published by Hudson Soft. One, titled Beauty and the Beast, was released in Europe in 1994 for the NES. The other, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, was released in North America in July 1994 and in Europe on February 23, 1995, for the SNES. Both games are played from the Beast's perspective. The player must help Belle fall in love to break the curse on the Beast and his castle. The final boss is Gaston. The Beast can walk, jump, swipe, stomp, super stomp, and roar, with roaring used to damage enemies and find hidden items.

The fifth video game, Disney's Beauty and the Beast: A Board Game Adventure, is a board game for the Game Boy Color. It was released on October 25, 1999.

A world called Beast's Castle, inspired by Beauty and the Beast, appears in the video game series Kingdom Hearts. In the first game, the castle is destroyed, and Belle is kidnapped by the Heartless, led by Maleficent. The Beast travels to Maleficent's stronghold and teams up with Sora to defeat Maleficent and rescue Belle and the Princesses of Heart. In Kingdom Hearts II, Beast's Castle is restored, but Xaldin tries to turn the Beast into a Heartless. The Beast eventually realizes the truth and helps Sora defeat Xaldin. At the end of the game, the Beast transforms back into a prince. Beast's Castle also appears as a level in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, where Roxas visits it during his time with Organization XIII. A version of the world that looks like a dream appears in Kingdom Hearts χ, following the story of the original film.

Sequels

The success of the film led to two follow-up movies released directly to video: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (1998). A different version of the story, Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999), was created to help promote a live-action television series called Sing Me a Story with Belle. The 1999 film includes an animated part that takes place in the main story's timeline.