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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →In Disney’s 1991 animated Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is a prince transformed by enchantment. Disney’s official synopsis describes him as having “the soul of a prince,” while the enchanted castle is where Belle discovers him and their story unfolds. The film’s official synopsis confirms that broad premise, but not every detail often repeated about the opening prologue.
Who was the Beast before the enchantment?
He was a prince. That is the central fact of his backstory in the 1991 animated film: the character Belle meets as a beast has a princely identity beneath his appearance. Disney’s official film synopsis calls him a prince in soul; that is synopsis wording, not a quoted line attributed to a character.
![Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61J6lpVPNxL._SL160_.jpg)
![Beauty and The Beast (Live Action) [Blu-ray] [2017]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51MZsKdV2AL._SL160_.jpg)
The film’s premise connects his transformation to the enchanted castle where Belle encounters him. Disney’s Walt Disney Animation Studios page dates the animated feature to November 22, 1991, and describes Belle’s discovery of an enchanted castle and a mysterious Beast.
What caused the transformation?
The reliable official summaries establish that the Beast is under enchantment, but they do not reproduce the full prologue or specify all the curse’s terms. So details such as the prince’s exact age, his name, the enchantress’s precise words, or a particular deadline should not be treated as verified by those summaries alone. For those specifics, the film itself is the appropriate reference.
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This backstory refers to Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 1991 animated film. Disney identifies the 2017 movie as a live-action retelling based on the animated classic; it is a distinct version, so material added or expanded there should not be attributed to the 1991 film without qualification.
Disney Books’ As Old as Time, by Liz Braswell, is another separate take: an alternate “Twisted Tale” in which Belle encounters memories through the enchanted rose and investigates a mystery involving their families. It is a reimagining, not evidence for the animated film’s canon.
Rank #2
Where to explore the film’s creation
For production context rather than additional canonical story detail, Disney Books describes Charles Solomon’s Tale as Old as Time as a making-of book featuring interviews and transcripts of meetings and story sessions. Disney’s archived page for the film also references a Blu-ray edition, though that reference does not establish current availability or a particular edition.
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- Walt Disney Video Beauty & the Beast (3-Disc Combo)
Rank #4
- Includes Blu-ray, DVD and Digital of the movie.
Rank #3
![Beauty and the Beast (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41HQq9PeJhL._SL160_.jpg)
- Beauty And The Beast (Criterion Collection) - Blu-ray Brand New
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