20 Things You Didn’t Know About Beauty and the Beast

UNITED KINGDOM – CIRCA 1900: Walter Crane (1845 – 1915) was an English artist and book illustrator. He was a major contributor to the child’s nursery motif that the genre of English children’s illustrated literature of the latter 19th century. He feature child-in-the-garden motifs that would characterize many nursery rhymes and children’s stories for decades to come. Born in Liverpool, he was part of the Arts and Crafts movement. He produced paintings, illustrations, children’s books, ceramic tiles and other decorative arts (Photo by Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

17. The original fairytale wasn’t film ready

Animated Glen Keane knew that there was a lot of work to be done to the original French fairy tale published in 1740. “Basically, the story is an extremely boring story the way it’s told in the fairy tale. It all takes place at a dinner table. We knew we were going to have to start developing the story to be much bigger.”

He’s right, to be honest. While the original story has familiar elements and characters like Belle, the Beast, and an enchanted castle, it lacks a certain cinematic element. There definitely aren’t Broadway tunes or talking household items to lighten the mood.

In some versions, Belle’s father loses the family fortune after his ships are presumed wrecked in a distant storm, but that all happens off-screen, so to speak. Much of the action is internal and character driven. Belle spends many days and nights at the Beast’s castle, reconciling herself with her situation and slowly falling in love with her captor.

Later film version had to spice it up a little. The enchanted objects might begin talking, or you might start adding new characters (such as an unwanted suitor) to push the action along. A couple of Broadway-ready tunes certainly didn’t hurt, either.