Beauty and the Beast movie storyline. Arguably the most successful Disney animated film of all time, this film was the first animated feature film to ever receive a Best Picture Academy Award nomination. It was based on the classic 1756 fairy tale (written by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont) and the importance of inner beauty. There were almost a dozen previous film incarnations, the most notable being the silent 1922 version and Jean Cocteau’s French film La Belle et La Bête (1946).
Beauty and the Beast returned the Disney animation studios to their former glory. The story told about a French peasant girl (O’Hara) who was treated kindly by a monstrous Prince-turned-Beast captor (Benson) and fell in love with him. The beautiful artwork and colors were supplemented by a well-written song score, from the Oscar-winning title song to the jaunty “Belle” and “Be Our Guest,” all written by Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman.
It was also the second Disney film to combine its famous hand-drawn animation with computer graphics (The Rescuers Down Under (1990) was the first), as well as the first Disney animated movie to use a fully-developed script prior to animation. After this, Disney would release more huge traditionally animated hits in the summer, both commercial and critical, such as Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Mulan (1998) and The Emperor’s New Groove (2000), before deciding to close their hand-drawn animation wing in 2003.
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 30th Disney animated feature film and the third released during the Disney Renaissance period, it is based on the French fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (who was also credited in the English version as well as in the French version), and ideas from the 1946 French film of the same name directed by Jean Cocteau.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Starring: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury, Rex Everhart, Jesse Corti, Jo Anne Worley, Mary Kay Bergman
Screenplay by: Linda Woolverton
Film Editing by: John Carnochan, Ellen Keneshea, Bill Wilner
Art Direction by: Ed Ghertner, Brian McEntee
Music by: Alan Menken
MPAA Rating: G for all audience.
Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures
Release Date: November 22, 1991
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