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 Released: 1991
Once upon a time, a prince named Adam is cursed by an enchantress disguised as an old woman to become what he is on the inside: a hideous beast. The only way to break the curse is to find someone to love and love him in return before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose.
Belle is a beautiful young woman who loves reading and dreams of "something more than this provincial life". She's especially sick of fighting off her boorish, egotistical suitor Gaston. Her father, Maurice, is an inventor who gets lost on his way to a fair and comes upon the Beast's hidden castle. He is taken prisoner there and Belle gives up her freedom to take his place there forever. The Beast's servants, who were changed into enchanted objects which fit their personality, hope that this is the girl they've been waiting for.
Full of comedy, romance, and beautiful animation, this is the only animated feature to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. It also has six songs and a wonderful score written by the award-winning duo Alan Menken and Howard Ashman (who died of AIDS before the film was completed). In 1994, it was made into a beautiful Broadway musical. In 2001, the movie was re-released into special theaters with an originally song "Human Again". The directors weren't sure how to make it work in the film, but after seeing how it was done in the play, they decided to animate it and integrated it seamlessly into the film.
To the man who gave a mermaid her voice... and a beast his soul...
Howard Ashman -- 1950-1991.
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