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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 her father, Maurice and their horse, Philippe. It is located deep within a forest. The castle was inspired by the Chateau De Chambord in Loir-Et-Cher, France.
An enchantress places a powerful spell on the castle as punishment for the prince's arrogant and cruel ways, turning the castle into a dark and mysterious fortress, 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 prince and his servants. It is located east of a provincial farming community.
There are sixty rooms in the castle altogether. The castle itself, according to Cogsworth, had utilized architecture dating back to the Baroque period (presumably Late Baroque period, since that was when France started adopting Baroque architecture). 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 broken to depict the story to locals.
Places of Interest[]
The Main Foyer: The first place is 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 "the 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 bursts through the doors and approaches Maurice, scolding him of trespassing, 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. The next day, 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, but she is released soon after.
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, 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 Mrs. Potts, Chip, as well as the wardrobe, the first enchanted objects.
Minor Dining Room: comparatively smaller dining room that was located near windows, and was presumably positioned in close proximity to the ballroom. This was the area where Belle first taught Beast table manners, although with some evident difficulty due to Beast struggling to avoid "chowing down" on the porridge and how to eat via spoon. He was later seen in a similar dining room for dinner just prior to their first dance in the ballroom.
Major Dining Room: A sizeable dining room featuring a spacious fireplace. This is where the Beast is seen waiting for Belle to arrive and commence dinner, only to realize she refuses to attend. Belle is later treated to a "dinner and a show" at this location by the household objects, led by Lumiere, during the "Be Our Guest" sequence. According to the eleventh issue of Marvel Comics serial of Beauty and the Beast, this was known as the main Dining Room and was the site of a dinner party that the Countess de la Perle attended.
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 plant life. 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. According to Cogsworth and Lumiere, the library contained every book known to have been written at the time. 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: 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.
The Boiler Room: In Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, the castle is shown with a boiler room where Belle meets Axe who is the head of the boiler room and asks him for a Yule log. He tells her to help herself to any log she finds. When she finds the perfect log, the Beast finds her and demands what she's up to. Belle proceeds to tell the Beast that a Yule is a wonderful tradition in which a special log is chosen, then everyone in the house touches it and makes a Christmas wish. Beast retorts that wishes are stupid. To prove his point he asks her, "You made a Christmas wish last year. Is this what you wished for ?!" Belle than answers no but that she'll keep wishing. After this, Beast shouts at her saying that she has no idea what it's like to be a true prisoner. Knowingly, and slightly sadly, she tells him that only one holding her prisoner is him and that she won't relent on bringing Christmas to the castle.
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' favorite flowers.
A second one was built at Magic Kingdom for the Fantasyland expansion, as a forced perspective "bigature" built upon a cliff. It opened late 2012 and contains the Be Our Guest Restaurant with dining rooms in the Ballroom, the Dining Room and the West Wing.
A third miniature can be found at Hong Kong Disneyland, as part of its 10th anniversary's walk through attraction Fairy Tale Forest.
The fourth and most recent miniature is at Tokyo Disneyland, built as part of its 2020 Fantasyland expansion. The first time the castle has been built to a human scale, it stands 108 feet tall and will contain the Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast attraction.
Gallery[]
Disney Fanon Wiki has a collection of images and media related to Beast's Castle.
Trivia[]
The majority of the sculptures seen in the castle are earlier versions of the Beast’s character design.[1]
Belle's fun fact video on the Disney Princess YouTube channel, however, erroneously claimed that the gargoyles were derived from the gargoyles of Notre Dame de Paris.
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.
The ceiling fresco in Rococo in the Castle's Ballroom is reminiscent of the one seen in the Wieskirche Church in Bavaria.
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 demonstrated with the Beast dictating a letter with an order for firewood to be delivered to the Castle. This is re-enforced 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 contains a banner underneath the prince that says "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".
One of the concept artworks for the castle bore a resemblance to the palace of Versailles. I also resembles Chateau De Chambord.
Enchanted Christmas:Angelique • Forte • Fife Belle's Magical World:Webster • Crane • Le Plume • Witherspoon • Chandeleria Deleted Characters:Clarice • Marguerite • Belle's Sisters • Belle's Suitors • Belle's Mother Sing Me a Story with Belle:Harmony • Big Book • Lewis and Carol Book Characters:Countess de la Perle • Thunder • Love • Death Remake:Cadenza • Jean Potts • The King • The Queen
Broadway:No Matter What • Me • Home • How Long Must This Go On? • If I Can't Love Her • Maison Des Lunes • A Change in Me Enchanted Christmas:Stories • As Long As There's Christmas • Don't Fall in Love • A Cut Above the Rest Belle's Magical World:A Little Thought • Listen With Our Hearts Live-Action Film:Aria • How Does A Moment Last Forever • Days in the Sun • Evermore
Locations
Beast's Castle • Library • Belle's Cottage • Village • Ballroom • The Black Forest • Tavern • The West Wing • Belle's Room
Original Worlds:Destiny Islands • Traverse Town • Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastion • Disney Castle/Disney Town/Timeless River • Dive to the Heart • End of the World • Realm of Darkness • Twilight Town/Mysterious Tower • The World That Never Was • Castle That Never Was • Land of Departure/Castle Oblivion • Keyblade Graveyard • Daybreak Town/Scala ad Caelum
Books:Once Upon a Time: Shadow of the Queen • Once Upon a Time: Out of the Past • Once Upon a Time: Red's Untold Tale • Once Upon a Time: Regina Rising
Season One: "Pilot" • "The Thing You Love Most" • "Snow Falls" • "The Price of Gold" • "That Still Small Voice" • "The Shepherd" • "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" • "Desperate Souls" • "True North" • "7:15 A.M." • "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" • "Skin Deep" • "What Happened to Frederick" • "Dreamy" • "Red-Handed" • "Heart of Darkness" • "Hat Trick" • "The Stable Boy" • "The Return" • "The Stranger" • "An Apple Red as Blood" • "A Land Without Magic"
Season Two: "Broken" • "We Are Both" • "Lady of the Lake" • "The Crocodile" • "The Doctor" • "Tallahassee" • "Child of the Moon" • "Into the Deep" • "Queen of Hearts" • "The Cricket Game" • "The Outsider" • "In the Name of the Brother" • "Tiny" • "Manhattan" • "The Queen Is Dead" • "The Miller's Daughter" • "Welcome to Storybrooke" • "Selfless, Brave and True" • "Lacey" • "The Evil Queen" • "Second Star to the Right" • "And Straight On 'Til Morning" Season Three: "The Heart of the Truest Believer" • "Lost Girl" • "Quite a Common Fairy" • "Nasty Habits" • "Good Form" • "Ariel" • "Dark Hollow" • "Think Lovely Thoughts" • "Save Henry" • "The New Neverland" • "Going Home" • "New York City Serenade" • "Witch Hunt" • "The Tower" • "Quiet Minds" • "It's Not Easy Being Green" • "The Jolly Roger" • "Bleeding Through" • "A Curious Thing" • "Kansas" • "Snow Drifts" • "There's No Place Like Home" Season Four: "A Tale of Two Sisters" • "White Out" • "Rocky Road" • "The Apprentice" • "Breaking Glass" • "Family Business" • "The Snow Queen" • "Smash the Mirror" • "Fall" • "Shattered Sight" • "Heroes and Villains" • "Darkness on the Edge of Town" • "Unforgiven" • "Enter the Dragon" • "Poor Unfortunate Soul" • "Best Laid Plans" • "Heart of Gold" • "Sympathy for the De Vil" • "Lily" • "Mother" • "Operation Mongoose" Season Five: "The Dark Swan" • "The Price" • "Siege Perilous" • "The Broken Kingdom" • "Dreamcatcher" • "The Bear and the Bow" • "Nimue" • "Birth" • "The Bear King" • "Broken Heart" • "Swan Song" • "Souls of the Departed" • "Labor of Love" • "Devil's Due" • "The Brothers Jones" • "Our Decay" • "Her Handsome Hero" • "Ruby Slippers" • "Sisters" • "Firebird" • "Last Rites" • "Only You" • "An Untold Story" Season Six: "The Savior" • "A Bitter Draught" • "The Other Shoe" • "Strange Case" • "Street Rats" • "Dark Waters" • "Heartless" • "I'll Be Your Mirror" • "Changelings" • "Wish You Were Here" • "Tougher Than the Rest" • "Murder Most Foul • "Ill-Boding Patterns" • "Page 23" • "A Wondrous Place" • "Mother's Little Helper" • "Awake" • "Where Bluebirds Fly" • "The Black Fairy" • "The Song in Your Heart" • "The Final Battle" Season Seven: "Hyperion Heights" • "A Pirate's Life"• "The Garden of Forking Paths" • "Beauty" • "Greenbacks" • "Wake Up Call" • "Eloise Gardener" • "Pretty in Blue" • "One Little Tear" • "The Eighth Witch" • "Secret Garden" • "A Taste of the Heights" • "Knightfall" • "The Girl in the Tower" • "Sisterhood" • "Breadcrumbs" • "Chosen" • "The Guardian" • "Flower Child" • "Is This Henry Mills?" • "Homecoming" • "Leaving Storybrooke"
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: "Down the Rabbit Hole" • "Trust Me" • "Forget Me Not" • "The Serpent" • "Heart of Stone" • "Who's Alice?" • "Bad Blood" • "Home" • "Nothing to Fear" • "Dirty Little Secrets" • "Heart of the Matter" • "To Catch a Thief" • "And They Lived..."
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: Wonderland Castle • The Mad Hatter's House • White Rabbit's House • Underland • Tulgey Wood Both series:Storybrooke • Maine • Enchanted Forest • Forbidden Fortress • Wonderland • Wonderland Maze • Agrabah • Sherwood Forest • The Sultan's Palace
Objects
Once Upon a Time: Once Upon a Time (Book) • Red Riding Hood • Maleficent's Staff • Magic Wand • Glass Slipper • Poisoned Apple • Spinning Wheel • Magic Lamp • Dark One's Dagger • Chipped Cup • Jefferson's Hat • Magic Beans • Captain Hook's Hooks • Enchanted Candle • Pixie Dust • Dreamshade • Salad Fork • Pandora's Box • Silver Slippers • Sorcerer Hat • Enchanted Broom • Trident • Enchanted Shell • Heroes and Villains (Book) • Merida's Bow • Magical Rose • Excalibur • Olympian Crystal • Cinderella's Dress • Golden Scarab Beetle • Rapunzel's Frying Pan • Magical Golden Flower • Shrinking Potion • Floating Lanterns • Tarot Cards • Maui's Fish Hook
Original Songs:Powerful Magic • The Queen Sings • Love Doesn't Stand a Chance • Revenge Is Gonna Be Mine • Wicked Always Wins • Charmings vs. Evil Queen • Emma's Theme • A Happy Beginning