The Beast's Castle is the primary location of Disney's 1991 film, Beauty and the Beast. Initially, it is the home of the Beast and his several servants, including Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Chip, and later becomes the home of Belle and her father, Maurice. It was located deep within a forest.
An enchantress places a powerful spell on the castle as punishment for the Prince's cruel ways, turning the castle into a dark and mysterious fortress as well as eliminating its original beauty. After Belle's love for the Beast breaks the spell near the film's climax, the castle transforms back into its initial elegance and charm, along with the Beast and his servants. It was located east of a provincial farming community.
Layout
There are sixty rooms in the castle altogether. The castle itself, according to Cogsworth, had utilized architecture dating back to the Baroque period. The castle is divided into two wings: the East Wing and the West Wing.
At the end of the East Wing is Belle's Room and at the end of the West Wing is Beast's Room. The West Wing contains many broken items, while the East Wing is nicely furnished by comparison. There is also a secret door in the West Wing to the former room of Forte, the large pipe organ who did not want the spell to be broken.
In the beginning and very last scene of the film at least, there were also several stained glass windows depicting certain events of the curse. Presumably, these stained glass windows were added in some time after the curse was lifted.
Significant Places
The Main Foyer
The first place seen when the castle is entered. It is where a lost Maurice first encounters Cogsworth and Lumiere, and the starting point of all the film's adventures. Maurice is ignorant to the fact that a hideous beast lurks within the castle walls because the enchanted objects only refer to him as "master".
The Den
This is where Maurice meets the other enchanted objects, including Mrs. Potts and Chip. All of the servants do their best to make him feel comfortable, except Cogsworth, who fears the master's anger when he finds out the castle shelters an uninvited guest. Cogsworth's fear manifests itself when an angered Beast burts through the doors and approaches Maurice, scolding him of tresspassing, and dragging him off to the dungeon where he provides him with "a place to stay".
The Prison Tower
This is where the Beast gives Maurice a "place to stay" after angered by his unwanted intrusion. Days later, Belle stumbles upon the same room and meets her father, unsuspectingly guided by Lumiere and Cogsworth, and offers the Beast her place as his prisoner in return for her father's freedom. The Beast agrees, and frees her father, without letting the two share their goodbyes. At first, the Beast plans for Belle to remain in the dungeon, but after seeing her distraught and experiencing a hint of sympathy, leads her to her room. In The Enchanted Christmas, Belle is sent to the dungeon again, this time both due to her earlier disobeying her stipulation of not leaving the castle premises, (to get a Christmas tree), and partly due to Forte's influence.
The West Wing
This wing is meant for the Beast and his eyes alone. The access of all others is forbidden, specifically Belle, of which he gives her a stern warning upon her arrival, presumably to keep her out of trouble. However, Belle's curiosity and obstinacy soon gets the best of her, and she makes her way up an elegant flight of stairs and through a haunting corridor to the West Wing. Belle notices a shredded portrait of a young "Prince Adam", and soon sees the warm glow of the Beast's enchanted rose. Upon her attempt to stroke its soft petals, the Beast becomes aware of her presence and orders her to "Get out!". Belle's fear causes her to flee the castle in anger into the danger of the dark woods. Later, the Beast, after rescuing her, lets her into the West Wing and shows her the Magic Mirror. Although the Beast had forbid Belle from the West Wing, Belle can be seen going in in Belle's Magical World, and even the Beast doesn't seem angry about this.
The East Wing
Several locations are found here, but most noticeably Belle's bedroom, which is seen only once in the entire film. After Belle is shown to her room by the Beast, accompanied by an unnoticed Lumiere and ordered to attend dinner, she encounters her first enchanted object, a wardrobe, who quickly becomes Belle's first friend. She later meets Mrs. Potts and Chip who kindly bring her a cup of tea.
Minor Dining Room
A relatively small dining room where the Beast is seen waiting for Belle to arrive and commence dinner, only to realize she refuses to attend.
Major Dining Room
A much larger dining room then the previously mentioned one. This is where Belle is treated to a "dinner and a show" by the household objects, led by Lumiere, during the "Be Our Guest" sequence.
Private gardens
The private gardens are only seen in the Special Edition of Beauty and the Beast, specifically during Human Again. It features a large pool as well as several hedges and plantlife. Apparently, treading on the grass is forbidden. The garden was maintained by the various servants, as they had regained hope of becoming human again due to Belle falling for the Beast, although the Wardrobe presumably caused more of a mess when she jumped into the pool.
The Library
The castle is home to a massive library compiled with numerous books of many genres, although the Beast doesn't know how to read very well. The library is first mentioned by Lumiere in an attempt to divert Belle's desire to enter the West Wing. Of course, this plan fails. Lumiere later suggests to the Beast to present the library as a gift to Belle, because it "sparks her interest." The Beast later offers Belle the library as a "surprise", and their friendship further develops.
The Ballroom
Belle and the Beast sharing their first dance during the iconic ballroom scene.
One of the castle's most elegant and welcoming locations. It is large and majestic, and where Belle and the Beast share their first dance to Mrs. Potts singing "Beauty and the Beast." This is one of the most appreciated and recognized film locations because of the fact that it is where Belle and the Beast's friendship and developing romance is most noticeable. Upon the film's release, this scene was particularly praised for its pioneering use of computer technology to generate the ballroom's majestic appearance as the two protagonists dance through it. The Be Our Guest Restaurant is a reconfigured version of the ballroom.
Greenhouse
In the Belle's Magical World episode, Mrs. Potts' Party, the castle is shown with a fully-fitted Greenhouse, which is accessed directly from the castle. Here, Lumiere and Cogsworth's rivalry gets in the way again, over Mrs. Potts' favourite flowers.
Video Games
In Kingdom Hearts, Beast's Castle is the name of the Beauty and the Beast-based world.
Disney Parks
The Beast's Castle is currently in the Magic Kingdom for the Fantasyland expansion. It opened late 2012 and contains a restaurant with dining rooms in the Ballroom, the Dining Room and the West Wing.
Beast's Castle also exists at Disneyland Paris as part of their Storybook Land Canal Boats attraction.
Trivia
- The majority of the sculptures seen in the Beauty and the Beast castle are earlier versions of the Beast’s character design.
- In the 1989 screenplay for the film, the castle would have held a treasury filled with gold, just like in the original tale/1946 Jean Cocteau film. Beast would also have shown Belle the treasury.
- In the episode The Perfect Word of Belle's Magical World, it's revealed that, whilst the castle was essentially off-limits to outsiders, minimum contact and communication was maintained with the outside world, via correspondence (Witherspoon), as demonstraited with the Beast dictating a letter with an order for firewood to be deliverd to the Castle. This is re-inforced in Mrs. Potts' Party, where Cogsworth sends a letter to a friend to inquire about when the weather would change.
- In the opening scene, the first stained glass window contained a banner underneath the prince that said "Vincit qui se Vincit," which is Latin for "He conquers who conquers himself."
- According to materials attached to the Broadway adaptation, ("Disney's Beauty and the Beast: A Celebration of the Broadway Musical"), the Castle's interior features a combination of different architectural styles--gothic, baroque, rococo, and empire--"all coming together to make a castle that seems monumental in scale".
Gallery
Screenshots
Video Games
.png "Ballroom (Art).png (1.25 MB)")
Miscellaneous
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