Beauty and the Beast: Belles Magical World

Production

The film consists of episodes of an unreleased television show loosely woven together in a feature length story.

The Perfect Word

The Beast (Robby Benson) and Belle (Paige OHara) plan to eat together, and the Beast asks for advice from Lumiere (Jerry Orbach). While Cogsworth (David Ogden Stiers) escorts Belle to the dining room, they come across the castles well-meaning but rather verbose writer, Webster (Jim Cummings), turned into a dictionary, whom Belle invites to join them in the dining room (to Cogsworths dismay). During the meal, while Belle explains a story she has been reading to the Beast, the Beast gets sweaty and demands that the windows be opened, despite there being a draught and the other servants getting cold. The Beast and Belle get into an argument, and the Beast strikes Webster off the table when the dictionary begins giving unwanted synonyms to Belles insults. Subsequently, they both stop speaking to each other, despite Lumiere and Cogsworths attempts to patch things up. Eventually, Webster, feeling guilty for his part, forges a letter of apology from the Beast to Belle with his friends, a pile of papers named Crane (Jeff Bennett) and a quill named LePlume (Rob Paulsen). Belle sees the letter, and makes amends with the Beast.

That night, however, the truth comes out, and after a furious chase around the castle, Beast catches and banishes Webster, Crane and LePlume for the forgery, throwing them into the forest. Belle ventures out and brings them back, and the Beast, touched by Belles sympathy, forgives the three and allows them back in, realizing that their intentions were good. The moral of this story being how easy it is to forgive.

Fifis Folly

On the anniversary of Lumieres first date with Fifi (Kimmy Robertson), Lumiere grows so nervous to the point that he cleans himself excessively and turns to Belle for advice, by walking with her in the garden and reciting what he plans to say to Fifi to her. Fifi overhears this, and believes that Lumiere and Belle are having an affair behind her back. In reality, Lumiere has planned a surprise snow ride around the castle gardens with Fifi. To get back at Lumiere, Fifi attempts to make Cogsworth like her, who is apparently not interested.

In the end, things are cleared up and Lumiere and Fifi go for the ride, but the pot they are sitting in slips off the edge of the balcony and hangs over the moat (the same chasm in which Gaston will eventually meet his doom). Lumiere holds onto Fifi for while hanging for dear life, and tells her he loves her. Before they can fall, Belle, Cogsworth and a few more servants arrive and get them back to safety. In this story everyone learns that "sometimes things are just as they seem."

Mrs. Potts Party

Mrs. Potts is feeling depressed due to dreadful weather, and Belle, who has come to look at Mrs. Potts as a mother figure, decides to cheer her up by throwing a surprise party for her, all the while without waking the sleeping Beast (who spent the entire previous night fixing a leak in the roof). However, Lumiere and Cogsworths rivalry gets in the way, especially with the oven mits Chaud (the red oven mit who takes Lumieres side), and Tres (the blue oven mit who takes Cogsworths side) in fields such as composing music, Mrs. Potts favorite flowers (which they have to hide in the Beasts room every time Mrs. Potts sees them), and the cakes flavors.

Eventually, Lumiere and Cogsworths attempt to sabotage one anothers decisions comes to a point where the baking cake explodes and makes a complete mess in the kitchen. Lumiere and Cogsworth, after a scolding from Belle, decide to put their rivalry behind them for good and work together to make a small surprise for Mrs. Potts. The plan goes well, and Mrs. Potts is cured of her depression, and the sun finally shines again. In this story, everyone learned the great power of cooperation and compromises.

The Broken Wing

Belle and Beast arrange to have lunch together again, but an injured bird accidentally flies into Belles room, and she forgets her arrangement, instead paying more attention to the bird. Beast discovers this, and flies into a rage, trying to catch the bird, but he trips over Cogsworth and hits his head hard on the floor. This strips him of his hatred for birds, but his selfishness drives him to lock the bird in a cage and demand that he sing for him when he pleases, but the obviously saddened and frightened bird refuses.

Meanwhile, Cogsworth feels he is losing control over his staff, and demands their respect with harsh treatment. In the meantime, Belle convinces Beast otherwise, and he releases the bird once its wing is cured, but the bird, still too weak, begins to fall, and Beast rushes to rescue it. In the process, Cogsworth falls from the West Wing balcony and into the garden, but is unhurt, and learns that you cannot demand respect, but you can earn it by giving it. And Belle and Beast make amends, and Beast learns to treat people and animals with respect and compassion.

Voice actors and their characters

NOTE: The naming of "Webster", a new character created for the "Beauty and the Beast" franchise by Richard Cray, writer of "The Perfect World" and "Mrs. Potts Party" segments, had to be cleared through Disneys legal department, who obtained consent from publisher Merriam-Webster.

Critical reception

On the whole, the film has received negative reviews. especially when compared to Beauty and the Beast.

The film has a rating of 17% on the Rotton Tomatoes Tomatometer. Reviews included "[its] a dishearteningly irrelevant piece of work", "Its trash, literally: something that wasnt good enough for its intended purpose, and so Disney slapped a box on it and charged money for it", and "[this] made for video sequel of sorts is OK, but no Beauty and the Beast".

DVDDizzy spoke poorly of the "Disney employee who had the idea to salvage episodes created for an animated TV series that wasnt going to materialize by stringing them together as a direct-to-video feature film", noting that it resulted in "one of the very worst movies Disney put their name on".