“A tale as old as time…”

Once upon a time, a young prince was cursed by an enchantress after refusing to give her shelter in his castle during a storm. The boy is turned into a horrific beast and his servants into household items. The spell can only be broken if the prince can learn to love and be loved in return, but this must be done before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls… or he will be a beast forever.

Flash forward a few years, a teenage beauty/brainiac combo Belle is making her routine trip to the town library and attempting to avoid the arrogant Gaston, who wants to marry her because Belle is the prettiest girl in town.

Meanwhile, her father Maurice has created another wacky invention to showcase at a nearby fair. On his way, he gets lost and finds the Beast’s castle. He’s imprisoned, but when Belle finds her father, she offers to take his place. The Beast agrees and the two begin their journey of slowly falling in love (with the help of the castle staff of course😉).

As days pass, the Beast and Belle learn from each other. He learns to control his temper and she learns what it’s like to have someone take interest in her favorite stories. The Beast even gifts her the castle library!! <3

After the two share a ballroom dance, the Beast lets Belle use the magic mirror, which shows her that her father is in trouble!! So the two must part ways.

Gaston ends up causing trouble from Maurice and the Beast just to get Belle’s hand in marriage, but of course, despite causing mass hysteria and greatly injuring the Beast, Gaston is defeated, Belle declares her love for the Beast, his and his servants humanity is restored, and everyone lives happily ever after.

This is one of Disney’s best films. Period. The animation is gorgeous, still looking phenomenal twenty years later, the music is wonderful, the characters are charming, and the story is classic. There is nothing I would change about this film. It deserves all of the praise it gets. There’s a reason why this version of Beauty and the Beast won two academy awards (Best Original Song, Best Original Score) and was even nominated for BEST PICTURE. Only three animated films have EVER been nominated for Best Picture.

Beauty and the Beast is a MUST WATCH. This film is timeless and Belle is a wonderful protagonist that embodies the strengths a true princess should have.