Characters & Story Trivia (15 Questions)
1. What is the name of the village where Belle lives at the beginning of the film?
Answer: Belle's village is never given an official name in the film. It is referred to simply as a "poor provincial town." However, fan communities and supplementary materials sometimes call it Villeneuve, a name later used in the 2017 live-action remake.
2. What is the Beast's real name in human form?
Answer: The Beast's human name is Prince Adam. Though never spoken in the 1991 film, this name was confirmed in later merchandise, the PAL game, and officially adopted in the live-action remake.
3. What color dress does Belle wear during the iconic ballroom dance scene?
Answer: Belle wears a stunning gold/yellow ball gown during the ballroom dance scene. The dress was designed to complement the blue of the Beast's formal attire and the shimmering golden light of the ballroom.
4. Who is Gaston's loyal but bumbling sidekick?
Answer: LeFou is Gaston's devoted sidekick. His name translates from French to "the fool" or "the madman," fitting his role as the comedic foil to the villainous Gaston.
5. What kind of clock is Cogsworth?
Answer: Cogsworth is a grandfather clock (also known as a longcase clock). As the Beast's stuffy majordomo, he is transformed into this ornate, pendulum-driven timepiece.
6. What is the name of the singing chandelier during "Be Our Guest"?
Answer: The chandelier is named Lumiere ... wait, no! Lumiere is the candelabra. The actual chandelier is not given a specific individual name in the film. However, the Wardrobe (also known as Madame de la Grande Bouche) is a major supporting character, and the various chandelier elements are part of the ensemble cast of enchanted objects.
7. What does Chip call his mother, Mrs. Potts?
Answer: Chip affectionately calls his mother Mama or Mrs. Potts. He is her youngest child, a small chipped teacup who becomes close friends with Belle during her time in the castle.
8. What does Gaston say he uses eggs for in his famous song?
Answer: In the song "Gaston," LeFou sings that Gaston uses antlers in all of his decorating, and that when he was a lad he ate four dozen eggs every morning to help him get large. Now that he's grown, he eats five dozen eggs, making him roughly the size of a barge.
9. What is the enchantress disguised as when she first visits the castle?
Answer: The enchantress disguises herself as a poor, haggard old woman offering a single rose to the Prince in exchange for shelter. When he scorns her based on her appearance, she reveals her true form and places the curse on him and the castle.
10. What household item is the character Babette (Fifi in some versions)?
Answer: Babette (called Fifi in the original film and some sequels) is a feather duster. She is Lumiere's romantic interest and provides comic relief alongside the other enchanted objects.
11. What does Belle's father Maurice invent?
Answer: Maurice invents a wood-chopping machine (an automatic woodchopper). This invention is what draws him to the fair, leading to his eventual capture by the Beast when he takes a wrong turn in the woods.
12. What is the last line of the curse that the enchantress places on the Beast?
Answer: The key condition is that the Beast must learn to love another and earn her love in return before the last petal falls from the enchanted rose on his 21st birthday. If he fails, he will remain a beast forever.
13. How many brothers does Gaston claim to have?
Answer: Gaston claims to have six brothers in the tavern scene, implying that he comes from a large family and is the oldest and strongest of them all.
14. What does the Wardrobe (Madame de la Grande Bouche) try to dress Belle in first?
Answer: The Wardrobe first tries to dress Belle in a pink dress, which Belle finds too fancy. The Wardrobe then offers various other outfits before Belle ultimately settles on something simpler.
15. What is the name of Gaston's tavern where he leads the song about himself?
Answer: The tavern is simply called Gaston's Tavern or referred to as the village tavern. It serves as the setting for the iconic musical number "Gaston" and later as the rallying point for the mob attack on the castle.
Songs & Music Trivia (12 Questions)
16. Who composed the music for Beauty and the Beast (1991)?
Answer: The music was composed by Alan Menken, with lyrics by Howard Ashman. Their collaboration produced one of the most beloved soundtracks in Disney history. Menken won two Academy Awards for his work on the film.
17. What song does Belle sing in the opening scene expressing her desire for adventure?
Answer: The song is titled "Belle" (also referred to as "Belle (Reprise)" for the reprise version). In it, Belle sings about wanting adventure in the great wide somewhere and someone who understands her, beyond her provincial life.
18. What Oscar-winning song is performed during the famous ballroom scene?
Answer: "Beauty and the Beast" is the Oscar-winning ballad performed by Mrs. Potts (voiced by Angela Lansbury) during the iconic ballroom dance. The song was later re-recorded as a pop version by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson for the end credits.
19. What song does Lumiere lead during Belle's elaborate dinner?
Answer: "Be Our Guest" is the show-stopping musical number led by Lumiere, featuring the entire ensemble of enchanted objects. It is widely considered one of the most spectacular sequences ever animated by Disney.
20. How many songs are featured in the original 1991 film?
Answer: There are seven main songs in the original 1991 film: "Belle," "Belle (Reprise)," "Gaston," "Be Our Guest," "Something There," "Human Again" (added in the 2002 IMAX re-release), and "Beauty and the Beast." The "Mob Song" (also known as "The Mob Song" or "Kill the Beast") is sometimes counted as well, bringing the total to eight in the extended version.
21. Which legendary Broadway actress performed "Beauty and the Beast" in the film?
Answer: Angela Lansbury, a six-time Tony Award-winning actress, performed the song as Mrs. Potts. She initially hesitated, believing her voice wasn't suited for the ballad, but was convinced by Menken and Ashman to give it one take -- which became the final version used in the film.
22. Who sang the pop version of "Beauty and the Beast" for the radio and end credits?
Answer: Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson recorded the pop version for the end credits. Their rendition became a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award.
23. What song replaced "Human Again" in the original theatrical release?
Answer: In the original 1991 release, there was no equivalent to "Human Again." The song had been written but was cut for time and pacing reasons. It was later fully animated and restored in the 2002 IMAX Special Edition release, with adjustments to the timeline to accommodate its inclusion.
24. What is the name of the tavern song where Gaston and LeFou lead the crowd?
Answer: The song is simply titled "Gaston." In this rousing number, the villagers celebrate Gaston's supposed greatness while he details his plans to marry Belle. A reprise follows later in the film where Gaston rallies the mob.
25. Which song earned Beauty and the Beast the Academy Award for Best Original Song?
Answer: "Beauty and the Beast" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1992. The film was actually nominated for three songs in this category: "Beauty and the Beast," "Be Our Guest," and "Belle" -- a rare feat in Oscar history.
26. Who wrote the lyrics for all the songs in the 1991 film?
Answer: Howard Ashman wrote all the lyrics. Ashman was battling AIDS during production and passed away in March 1991, just months before the film's November release. The film is dedicated to his memory.
27. What instrument does Alan Menken primarily use when composing Disney songs?
Answer: The piano is Alan Menken's primary composing instrument. For "Beauty and the Beast," he and Ashman worked closely together in Menken's home studio, developing the songs on piano before orchestration.
Production & Broadway Trivia (8 Questions)
28. What historic Academy Award nomination did Beauty and the Beast (1991) receive?
Answer: Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film ever nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. This was a groundbreaking achievement that elevated animation to the same prestige as live-action filmmaking. It remained the only animated film with this honor until Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010).
29. What animation technique was used for the famous ballroom scene?
Answer: The ballroom scene used CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) for the sweeping camera movements through the ballroom's architecture. The background was rendered using computers, while the characters (Belle and the Beast) remained hand-drawn. This was one of Disney's earliest integrations of CGI with traditional animation.
30. What year did the Beauty and the Beast Broadway musical premiere?
Answer: The Broadway musical premiered on April 18, 1994, at the Palace Theatre. It went on to become one of Broadway's longest-running productions, playing over 5,000 performances before closing in 2007.
31. Who directed the 1991 animated film?
Answer: The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise. This was their directorial debut, and they would go on to direct The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Atlantis: The Lost Empire for Disney.
32. Which Disney animation era is Beauty and the Beast a cornerstone of?
Answer: Beauty and the Beast is a cornerstone of the Disney Renaissance, a period from approximately 1989 to 1999 that included The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Mulan, and Tarzan.
33. What year was Beauty and the Beast added to the National Film Registry?
Answer: Beauty and the Beast was added to the National Film Registry in 2002, recognized by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." It was one of the youngest films ever selected at that time.
34. What two Oscars did Beauty and the Beast win in 1992?
Answer: Beauty and the Beast won Best Original Score (Alan Menken) and Best Original Song ("Beauty and the Beast"). It was also nominated for Best Picture and two additional Best Original Song categories (for "Be Our Guest" and "Belle").
35. Which Pixar co-founder worked on the CAPS system used for Beauty and the Beast?
Answer: Ed Catmull, who later co-founded Pixar, was instrumental in developing Disney's CAPS (Computer Animation Production System), which was used extensively in Beauty and the Beast for coloring and compositing.
Live-Action Remake Trivia (5 Questions)
36. Who played Belle in the 2017 live-action remake?
Answer: Emma Watson played Belle in the 2017 live-action remake. Best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, Watson brought both singing and acting experience to the beloved role.
37. Who played the Beast/Prince Adam in the 2017 live-action film?
Answer: Dan Stevens played the Beast/Prince Adam. He performed the role using motion capture and CGI for the Beast form, and appeared in person during the Prince sequences. Stevens was known for his work on Downton Abbey.
38. Who directed the 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast?
Answer: Bill Condon directed the 2017 live-action adaptation. Condon was known for his work on Dreamgirls and the final two Twilight Saga films. He aimed to honor the original while adding new songs and expanded character backgrounds.
39. What new songs were added to the 2017 live-action remake?
Answer: Four new songs were added: "How Does a Moment Last Forever," "Days in the Sun," "Evermore," and a new "Beauty and the Beast" end-credits version. "Evermore," sung by the Beast, earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.
40. How much did the 2017 live-action remake earn worldwide?
Answer: The 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast earned approximately $1.27 billion worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing musical films of all time and one of Disney's most successful live-action remakes.
41. Which actor played Gaston in the 2017 version?
Answer: Luke Evans played Gaston in the 2017 remake. Evans, who has a background in musical theatre, performed all his own singing in the role. Josh Gad played LeFou, his sidekick.
42. What significant change was made to LeFou's character in the 2017 version?
Answer: In the 2017 version, LeFou was portrayed as having affectionate feelings for Gaston, making him Disney's first openly gay character. This decision generated significant media attention and some controversy, particularly in certain international markets.
43. What new element was added to Belle's backstory in the 2017 film?
Answer: The 2017 film reveals that Belle's mother died of the plague when Belle was a baby, and Maurice raised her alone. This adds emotional depth to Belle's character and explains her protective relationship with her father. Additionally, Belle is portrayed as an inventor herself, creating a washing machine to have more time to read.
44. Which original 1991 film voice actor had a cameo in the 2017 remake?
Answer: Angela Lansbury, the original voice of Mrs. Potts, had a cameo appearance, though not on screen. More notably, Paige O'Hara (the original voice of Belle) made a cameo as one of the booksellers in the village.
45. What is the name of Belle's hometown in the 2017 live-action film?
Answer: In the 2017 film, Belle's hometown is officially named Villeneuve. The name is a tribute to Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, the French author who wrote the original La Belle et la Bete fairy tale in 1740.
Did You Know? Enchanting Facts About Beauty and the Beast
First Best Picture Nom: Beauty and the Beast (1991) remains the only traditionally animated film ever nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. The category didn't expand to include animated films regularly until the Best Animated Feature category was introduced in 2001.
Howard Ashman's Legacy: Lyricist Howard Ashman was so ill during production that he worked from his hospital bed. Menken would play the compositions over the phone, and Ashman would dictate lyrics. Ashman passed away eight months before the film's release, never seeing the finished masterpiece. The film is dedicated: "To our friend Howard, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul."
"Be Our Guest" Showstoppers: The "Be Our Guest" sequence took animators over two years to complete and features more than 80 different enchanted objects performing the elaborate musical number.
Broadway Triumph: The Broadway adaptation ran for 5,461 performances from 1994 to 2007, becoming Broadway's tenth longest-running production in history. It was nominated for nine Tony Awards and won one for Best Costume Design.
A Tale as Old as Time: The original French fairy tale, La Belle et la Bete, was written by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve in 1740 and later abridged by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756 -- the version most commonly known today.