An enchantress, disguised as an old beggar, offers an enchanted rose to a young prince in exchange for shelter in his castle from the bitter cold, but he refuses. For his arrogance, the enchantress transforms him into a beast and inflicts a spell on the castle. She gives him a magic mirror that enables him to view faraway events, along with the rose. To break the spell, the prince must learn to love another and earn her love in return before the rose’s last petal falls on his 21st birthday. If he fails, he will remain a beast forever.

While the villagers are fended off by the servants, Gaston fights the Beast. The Beast initially is too depressed to fight back, but perks up after seeing Belle return to the castle. He corners Gaston, but spares his life and orders him to leave. However, when the Beast turns to Belle, a mad Gaston fatally stabs him, but then loses his footing and falls to his death. Belle professes her love for the Beast, who dies before the last rose petal falls. With the spell broken, the Beast reverts to his true form alive. The servants resume their human forms and the castle is restored to its former glory. Belle dances with the prince in the ballroom as everyone watches in delight.