The Beast is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Studios' animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991), as well as in the film's two direct-to-video followups Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Belle's Magical World. Based on the character from the French fairy tale, the Beast was created by screenwriter Linda Woolverton and animated by Glen Keane.
A pampered but dangerously grouchy prince transformed into a hideous beast as punishment for his cold-hearted and selfish ways, the Beast must, in order to return to his former self, earn the love of a beautiful young woman named Belle whom he imprisons in his castle.
