THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

Original title: Beauty and the Beast
Characters: Belle, La Bestia, Gaston LeGume, Lumière, Tockins, Mrs. Bric, Chicco, Maurice, LeTont, Philippe, Wardrobe, Duster, Sultan, Les Bimbettes, Monsieur D'Arque
Production: Walt Disney Studios
Regia: Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
Country: USA
Year: 1991
Gender: Tale
Episodes: 1
Duration: 88 minutes
Recommended age: Movies for all ages

The animated feature Beauty and the Beast was made in 1991 by Walt Disney Feature Animation, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. After the success of the 1989 Little Mermaid, Disney produced another beautiful animated masterpiece based on a classic fairy tale (but with notable differences from the original), which won him the Oscar at the 45th Cannes Film Festival, for best soundtrack, written by Alan Menken and for the song Beauty and the Beast, also by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman sung by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson. In the Italian version it is sung by Gino Paoli and Amanda Sandrelli in the final theme.

Once upon a time there was a young prince, who lived in a beautiful castle in a very distant kingdom. The prince possessed everything that every man could desire, but he lacked generosity as the ease had made him insensitive and selfish. One cold winter evening, a poor old woman knocked on the castle door and handed him a gift. pink, in exchange for some refreshment. The prince who felt contempt for that beggar mocked her and sent her away. The old woman scolded him, because true beauty is not that of the exterior, but that of goodness of mind. The prince deaf to those words, chased her away again, but in that instant the poor beggar turned into a beautiful fairy. The prince offered his apologies, but by now she had understood the selfishness of his heart, so he punished it by turning it into a hideous Beast and with a spell he also transformed the castle with all its inhabitants. Now the prince's appearance matched the brutality of his heart, so ashamed, he locked himself in the castle for years. The only contact with the outside world was thanks to a magic mirror, which allowed him to see what was happening outside the walls. The fairy rose was truly a magical rose and its petals would remain intact until the prince's 21st birthday. If within that year he had learned to understand the meaning of love and had been paid for it, before the fall of the last petal, his appearance would have resumed human form, otherwise he would have remained a Beast for the rest of his. days. The more the years passed, the more the prince lost hope, because he was convinced that because of his repulsive appearance as a Beast, no woman could ever fall in love with him.

Meanwhile, in the nearby village, in a town in France lives Belle, a romantic and dreamer girl who does nothing but read books and imagine a different world, from the monotonous everyday reality that surrounds her. The villagers consider her strange and look at her with a certain diffidence, since she is also the daughter of an odd inventor. Gaston, a hunter admired by the whole village for his strength and courage, has focused his eyes on her, so much so that he has a large group of admirers. The bold young man is always accompanied by the funny minion Le Tont, who acts as a faithful servant. Gaston intends to marry Belle as he considers her the most beautiful girl in the country, but in Belle's eyes he is completely invisible, as he considers him rough, arrogant and lacking a generous heart. Gaston does not understand why Belle spends her life reading books, rather than thinking about looking for a husband, but the girl seeks the nobility of soul that she does not find in the inhabitants of the village, much less in Gaston.
Belle lives with her father Maurice in a small country house, but he is considered a madman by the whole country, as he spends time behind his inventions, which actually never work perfectly. Maurice's character is very different from the original fairy tale, because he was a wealthy merchant who had two older daughters of Belle.
Having built a machine capable of splitting wood automatically, Maurice leaves for the fair with the hope of winning the first prize. During the journey he decides to take a shortcut, but by now evening, due to the darkness, he gets lost and is chased by a pack of wolves. To escape the jaws of the ravenous beasts, he takes refuge inside a gloomy castle. Here he asks for help, but the immense rooms seem to be uninhabited.

To his astonishment, he is greeted by Lumiere, a talking candlestick and Tockins a pendulum holorog, also animated. While Lumiere proves hospitable and seeks accommodation for Maurice, Tockins tries to dissuade his friend as he risks breaking the rules of the landlord. Lumiere and Tockins are just some animated objects of the castle, soon Maurice will also know a clothes hanger, a stool, a teapot (Mrs Bric) and a cup (Chicco) which, happy with his presence, will serve him with due courtesy. The presence of Maurice is certainly not appreciated by the landlord: the Beast who arrives with a threatening air and asks for clarification, on how a stranger could have entered the castle. At the sight of that monstrous creature, Maurice is terrified and the Beast, thinking that it is a villager, who has come to inquire about his appearance, locks him in the castle prison.
Meanwhile, Belle must defend herself from the constant advances of Gaston, who even organized the wedding, complete with a wedding banquet, guests and a priest. He just needs to ask for Belle's approval, but for him this is only a formality. The girl sees her possible marriage to Gaston as a nightmare, so she rejects it. This sends the arrogant man into a rage, who feeling offended is now willing to do anything to achieve his goal and takes this denial as a challenge.
Mrs Bric and Chicco

When Maurice's horse returns home without its owner, Belle realizes that something serious must have happened to her father. So riding the horse that shows him the way, he decides to go to the dark castle. Finding the hat on the threshold of the gate, he realizes that his father is right there and so he enters those rooms. Lumiere, Tockins, Mrs Bric and all the characters of the enchanted castle, mobilize for the welcome and make sure that Belle can go directly to the prison where her father is imprisoned. Maurice invites Belle to leave that place as soon as possible, but at that moment the Beast arrives, who in abrupt and threatening ways asks the girl why she is visiting. Belle begs the Beast, to free her father and is willing to do anything, just to know out of there, so she offers herself a prisoner in his place. The Beast is surprised by that gesture and seeing a little hope light up, at the possibility of breaking the curse, she decides to accept. The Beast chases Maurice out of the castle and believes Belle is now his property. At Lumiere's suggestion, Belle is offered the guest room, with all the comforts of the guests of honor where she meets Mrs Bric, Chicco and the wardrobe. She is offered the possibility of being able to enter all the rooms of the palace, except in the west wing which remains strictly prohibited.
Meanwhile Maurice arrives terrified at the village tavern, where Gaston is with his henchmen and asks for help in freeing Belle, prisoner of the Beast. Initially he is mocked and taken for mad, but Gaston intends to use his father to get the purpose of marrying Belle and so he studies a diabolical plan. He joins forces with the shady director of an asylum in order to have Maurice interned and declare him insane.
In time at the castle, albeit with some reticence, the Beast invites Belle to dine with him, so all the servants take care of the girl, because they too see the hope of being freed from the curse. So the wardrobe invites Belle to choose the best dress, while Lumiere and Mrs Bric give suggestions to the Beast, so that she behaves politely and with the right courtesies. Belle is devastated by that situation and so she decides to lock herself in the room and refuse the invitation to dinner from the Beast, who, feeling despised, goes into a rage. Having almost reached the age of 21, with the rose starting to lose its petals, the Beast does not want to delude himself that Belle falls in love with him, because of his repulsive appearance.

That night Belle decides to wander among the rooms of the castle, to look for something to eat so she arrives in the kitchen, where Lumiere, Mrs Bric and the other characters organize a banquet with all the trimmings, singing and dancing in a splendid choreography to the rhythm of the song “Stay with us”, where Lumiere has the opportunity to explain the curse that transformed the castle and its inhabitants.
Belle is a girl who has always dreamed of an adventure in books and now feels an irrepressible desire, as she browses through the rooms of the castle and in particular in the forbidden west wing. Although Lumiere and Tockins try to dissuade her from her intent, Belle manages to evade their surveillance and sneak inside the forbidden rooms, where she finds the fairy rose in a glass case. The Beast notices her presence and brutally chases her away. Terrified, Belle escapes from the castle, but during her night escape, in the freezing snow, she is attacked by the pack of wolves. Unexpectedly in his defense comes the Beast, who fights like a lion and saves the girl by getting stabbing wounds, which make him collapse exhausted. Belle appreciated that noble gesture of courage and generosity, so she returns to the castle, so that the Beast can receive the necessary care from her. Thus a tender feeling of mutual courtesy and attention begins to arise between Belle and the Beast. With her great enthusiasm, Belle is invited to visit the immense library of the castle, with high shelves full of books all at her disposal. On the notes of the song "A look of love" the two begin to experience a feeling of deep friendship. That same evening Belle and the Beast get ready in their best clothes, though
a special dinner, after which, on the notes of the beautiful song "Beauty and the Beast" sung by Mrs. Bric, the two lovers indulge in a romantic dance in the sparkling royal hall.
Belle now enjoys the Beast's company, yet she is always worried about her father. The Beast shows Belle the magic mirror, with which it is possible to see what happens outside the castle walls. Belle asks to see her father and finds him cold, in the snow, desperate for him. The girl understands that her father needs care, so the Beast, in spite of herself, does not force her to stay with him and frees her from her imprisonment, offering her the magic mirror as a gift.
Belle helps her father and brings him home, but here comes the director of the asylum who intends to take him away, with the complicity of the whole village that believes him crazy. This way Gaston could free him, in exchange for his marriage to Belle. To make the inhabitants understand the existence of the Beast, Belle shows her figure through the magic mirror. Gaston seized by jealousy, intimidates the population, inviting them to go to the castle to kill the terrifying Beast.

The beast turns into a prince. Belle caresses him

Thus the inhabitants, feeling threatened, arrive with their torches and armed with pitchforks, at the foot of the castle to the notes of the song "Attacco al castello" sung by Gaston.
With a large trunk they break through the door and enter inside, but are attacked by all the enchanted objects of the castle, which, fighting fiercely against the belligerent villagers, force them to flee. Meanwhile Gaston, having entered the room of the Beast, wounds him with an arrow and hits him repeatedly. Belle's arrival restores strength and pride to the Beast, who begins to fight Gaston and get the better of him. However Gaston manages to mortally wound the Beast who falls into Belle's arms, just when the last petal of the magic rose falls withered. Belle mourns his death in despair and declares her love for him. In that same instant the spell is dissolved and the Beast takes on the human aspect of a beautiful prince. Thus the curse of the castle is also dissolved and all its inhabitants return to their human form.