| Beauty and the Beast | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Gary Trousdale Kirk Wise |
| Produced by | Steve O'Brien |
| Written by | Linda Woolverton |
| Based on | Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont |
| Starring | Christina Hendricks Idris Elba Christian Bale Adam Sandler Matthew McConaughey Helena Bonham Carter Jeffrey Tambor John Leguizamo |
| Music by | Alan Menken |
| Edited by | Julie Rogers |
| Production companies |
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Wonder Studios |
| Distributed by | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date | February 9, 2024 |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $90 million |
| Box office | $969 million |
Beauty and the Beast is a 2024 American computer-animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Wonder Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, it is a remake of Disney's 1991 traditionally-animated film of the same name, the 24th CGI remake of a Disney classic, and the fourteenth one to be theatrically released. The film stars the voices of Christina Hendricks, Idris Elba, Christian Bale, Adam Sandler, Matthew McConaughey, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Molina, and John Leguizamo.
Beauty and the Beast was released in theaters in the United States on February 9, 2024. The film grossed $969 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the animation, musical numbers, voice acting, and faithfulness to the original film.
Plot[]
An enchantress disguised as an beggar woman offers a rose to a cruel and selfish prince in exchange for shelter from a storm. When he refuses, she reveals her identity, and, for the prince's arrogance, she transforms him into a beast and his servants into household objects. She casts a spell on the rose and warns the prince that the spell will only be broken if he learns to love another and be loved in return before the last petal falls, or he will remain a beast forever.
Years later, in a nearby village, Belle, the book-loving daughter of an inventor named Maurice, dreams of adventure. She frequently tries avoiding Gaston, a narcissistic hunter who wants to marry her because of her beauty. On his way to a fair to showcase his latest invention, an automatic wood-chopper, Maurice gets lost in the forest and seeks refuge in the Beast's castle, but the Beast imprisons him for trespassing. When Maurice's horse returns without him, Belle ventures out searching for him and finds him locked in the castle dungeon. The Beast agrees to free Maurice if she takes his place as prisoner.
Belle befriends the castle's servants: Lumiére the candelabra, Cogsworth the clock, Mrs. Potts the teapot, and her son Chip, the teacup; they serve her a dinner through song. When she wanders into the forbidden west wing and finds the rose, the Beast catches her and angrily forces her to flee the castle. In the woods, she is ambushed by a pack of wolves, but the Beast rescues her and is injured in the process. As Belle nurses his injuries, a spark develops between them and as time passes, they begin to fall in love.
Meanwhile, Maurice returns to the village and fails to convince the townsfolk of Belle's predicament. Hearing Maurice's statements about the Beast, Gaston hatches a plan to blackmail Belle to marry him: He bribes Monsieur D'Arque, the warden of the town's insane asylum, to have Maurice locked up as a lunatic. Before they can act, however, Maurice leaves for the castle to attempt a rescue alone.
After sharing a romantic dance with the Beast, Belle uses the Beast's magic mirror to check on her father and sees him collapsing in the woods. The Beast releases her to save Maurice, giving her the mirror as a souvenir. After Belle takes her father to the village, a band of villagers led by Gaston arrives to detain Maurice. Belle uses the mirror to show the Beast to the townsfolk, proving her father's sanity. Realizing that Belle loves the Beast, a jealous Gaston has her and her father locked in the basement and rallies the villagers to follow him to the castle to slay the Beast. With the help of Chip, who arrived at her house as a stowaway, and Maurice's wood-chopping machine, Maurice and Belle escape and rush back to the castle.
During the battle, the Beast's servants fend off the villagers. Gaston attacks the Beast in his tower, who is too depressed from Belle's departure to fight back but regains his spirit upon seeing her return. He defeats Gaston but spares his life before reuniting with Belle. However, Gaston fatally stabs the Beast with a knife and falls to his death. The Beast dies in Belle's arms before the last petal falls. Belle tearfully professes her love to the Beast, and the spell is undone, reviving the Beast and restoring his human form along with all his servants and his castle. The Prince and Belle host a ball for the kingdom, where they dance happily.
Cast[]
- Christina Hendricks as Belle
- Idris Elba as Beast
- Christian Bale as Gaston
- Adam Sandler as Lumiére
- Matthew McConaughey as Cogsworth
- Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Potts
- Alfred Molina as Maurice
- John Leguizamo as Lefou
- Tyler Simmons as Chip
- Mariam Gargoyles as the Wardrobe
- Frank Welker as Phillipe and Sultan
- Brian Cox as Monsieur D'Arque
- Jim Hanks as the Bookseller
- Brian Cummings as the Stove
- Kari Wahlgren as the Featherduster
- Giacomo Gianniotti as the Baker
Reception[]
Box office[]
In the United States and Canada, Beauty and the Beast was projected to gross $180--190 million in its opening weekend. At the end of its theatrical run on July 7, 2024, it grossed $419 million in North America and $550 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $969 million, against a budget of $90 million.
Critical response[]
Beauty and the Beast received acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 93% approval rating based on 245 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Beautifully animated, whimsical, and faithfully-spirited, Beauty and the Beast is one of the rare remakes that retain everything that made the original film such a masterpiece". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 74 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.