It contains five stories that serve as a "prequel" to Beauty and the Beast and I always loved reading it before I'd read the actual BATB comic book. I'm not sure how much the original filmmakers/story team had in the development of the stories (several are credited in the "Special Thanks"), but the five stories are really good! Of course, it probably has more to do with my nostalgia and sentimentality for the stories rather than their actual quality. But re-reading them again after all these years, it felt like it was the actual backstory to Beauty and the Beast. And, just like the movie, they never mention Beast's name of Adam.
It would have been cool if it was mentioned in these stories, as it would have some canonical value.Here's the stories:
"Bewitched" - after one of the Beast's rages, Chip asks the others why Beast is so pissy. Lumiere and Cogsworth talk about when Beast and company first arrived in the town and their coach almost hits an old woman, as well as a hunting event from his youth where a crow swerves down at him, causing him to miss shooting a mother deer with her fawn. In addition to seeing just how rotten Beast was in his pre-enchantment, we also see that he was a serious student and very kind to Chip.
"Bothered" - Maurice is tinkering with a truffle-finding machine that includes the family pig, Pierre. Belle is upset that all the boys in their town are...boys. None of them have the intellect she wants to have a conversation with, they just want to roughhouse and play. Three boys "kidnap" Belle whilst she's walking through town and lock her in a dungeon (they're playing pirates). However, before she can be set free, a bear scares them away. She's later found by Maurice and Pierre, who were searching for truffles.
"Bewildered" - Beast is listening to Music Box when Lumiere and Cogsworth decide to try to teach Beast about dancing and reading poetry again. Beast struggles with both and proclaims, "Love is for...HUMANS!". He goes into a rage, and accidentally smashes Music Box, who cannot be repaired. Saddened that his favorite toy (pre-Enchantment) is destroyed, the Beast runs off in a sad and angry rage. This actually creates a continuity issue with Beauty and the Beast as there's a shot of Music Box in the fight scene during "The Mob Song" between the Enchanted Objects and the Townspeople.
"Elsewhere" - Belle and her father are returning after a botched washing-machine demonstration when Belle decides to go exploring in the forest, not fearing superstitious Maurice's concerns and his "No one ever goes through those woods!". An owl attacks Belle before she strays too far and she returns to Maurice. A wolf later comes by intent on attacking them as well, causing them to leave quickly.
"Elsewhen" - Beast has been sitting at his chair looking out for hours, and the staff decide to make him a great dinner to cheer him up. He never shows up, and so they go to bed. Chip then hears something and goes to the West Wing to find Beast gone. He and Footstool leave the castle and find that Beast has fallen down a cliff. Footstool returns to the castle and gets help, and they bring Beast back. Beast is upset because he can't even be a proper animal, and in his rage, accidentally sends Chip flying through the air. He catches him just in time, and the two sleep peacefully.
Throughout some of the stories, the Enchantress appears in various forms, though only the reader knows it's her as the forms she takes (old woman, crow, owl, bear, wolf, etc.) always have a certain glimmer in one eye, noting that it's the same character. So the way it reads, the Enchantress has always been watching over both, knowing that they'd be fated to meet one day. It kind of gives the whole "Beauty and the Beast" story a different spin as it implies it was always Belle and Beast's destiny to meet and fall in love.
albert
... It wasn't really worth a thread of its own, so...
