Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)/Heartwarming

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


  • The dance crosses this with Moment of Awesome.
  • The lyrics of the ballad really narrate the heartwarming behind the moment, especially with the line bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong.
  • During a song montage, the Beast is helpless with his spoon, so Belle ignores any technical rules of etiquette to pick up the bowl and sip from its edge, which the Beast then imitates with a grateful smile. This troper tears up every time he sees that sequence, especially since the reason he's struggling with the spoon in the first place is that he noticed Belle looking chagrined at him slobbering down his meal like, well, an animal. The bowl drinking is a meeting in the middle moment that defines the pair's growing relationship beautifully.
  • The Beast saves Belle from a pack of wolves her first night in the castle. While grand and daring and heroic, it's also motivated somewhat by selfishness: if she dies, he has no chance of becoming human again. The first truly selfless act we see from him is when he takes Belle with him to show her the castle library, which he presents to her as a gift. His childlike glee and excitement as he pulls open the drapes, and her expression of astonishment and wonder (matching the audience's), are truly touching, and the first signs that there really is hope for them.
    • Belle and the Beast's Relationship Upgrade immediately follows the Beast rescuing her from wolves. She returns the favor by not leaving him to die in the snow after he collapses from the effort of said rescue.
  • The whole of the Transformation Sequence is this.
    • When the Beast is dying after Gaston stabs him:

Beast: You came back?
Belle: Of course I came back! I couldn't let them...oh, this is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner...
Beast: Maybe it's better...it's better this way.
Belle: Don't talk like that! You'll be all right. We're together now, everything's going to be fine, you'll see.
Beast: At least..I got to see you...one last time. *closes his eyes and dies*
Belle: No! No! Please! Please! Please don't leave me... I love you.

    • And when the Beast transforms back into a Prince, after a scene that pretty much defines Visual Effects of Awesome... even if you're disappointed with how he looks, the joy in his and Belle's expressions and voices is just so contagious and wonderful. And then they share a kiss that literally sets off fireworks, which transform the castle and its inhabitants back to their original state. Apparently, the screenplay describes it as "The kiss that has waited for so long."
      • That kiss was so passionate, it made it go from night-time to full-blown daylight.
  • Though not technically part of the movie, the dedication to lyricist Howard Ashman, who died during production of the movie, at the end of the credits was certainly heartwarming.

To our friend, Howard
Who gave a mermaid her voice

And a beast his soul,

We will be forever grateful.

  • The simple moment when Belle thanks Beast for saving her life. It's the look of shock on his face as he hears her sincerely thanking him that really drives home this moment is the starting point of his redemption. Him saying "You're welcome" as we pan away from the cozy room is icing on the cake.
  • Belle's entire relationship with her father, like how she tries to cheer him up, she tries her best to save him and risks her life for him and he for her, and how she leaves the castle to care for him when he's sick and does her best to prove that the Beast is real so he won't get thrown into the asylum.
  • From the stage show, No Matter What. It really shows how much Belle and Maurice love each other.

You're never strange, don't ever change. You're all I've got, no matter what.

Back to Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Retrieved from "https://allthetropes.org/wiki/Beauty_and_the_Beast_(1991_film)/Heartwarming?oldid=1649166"