Beauty and the Beast (1991) A Library for Belle Movie Clip | Disney Princess 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. Based on the French fairy tale,[b] it was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise from a screenplay written by Linda Woolverton, and produced by Don Hahn. Set in 18th-century France, an enchantress transforms a selfish prince into a monster as punishment for his cruelty. Years later, a young woman, Belle, offers the Beast her own freedom in exchange for her father's release. To break the spell, the Beast must earn Belle's love before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose, lest he remain a monster forever. Beauty and the Beast stars the voices of Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Jesse Corti, Rex Everhart, Jo Anne Worley, and Angela Lansbury An enchantress disguised as an old beggar woman arrives at a castle and offers a cruel and selfish prince an enchanted rose in exchange for shelter from a storm. When he scornfully declines, she reveals her true form and transforms him into a beast and his servants into household objects. To break the curse, the prince must learn to love someone and gain that person's love before the last petal of the rose falls; otherwise, he will remain a beast forever. Several years later, in a nearby village, Belle, the bookworm daughter of eccentric inventor Maurice, dreams of adventure while constantly rejecting advances from Gaston, an arrogant hunter. One day, Maurice travels to a local fair to present his latest invention, a wood-chopping machine, but becomes lost in the forest. Upon seeking refuge in the Beast's castle, he is eventually detained for trespassing. After Belle finds Maurice locked in the castle dungeon, she offers to take his place as a prisoner; the Beast agrees.