Original voice cast members Robby Benson (Beast), Paige O'Hara (Belle), Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts) and Richard White (Gaston) are expected to appear for an extended introduction.

In September 1991, two months before its theatrical release, Beauty and the Beast was screened as a “Work in Progress” at the 29th New York Film Festival in Alice Tully Hall. Even though a third of the film consisted of storyboard art and black-and-white animation tests, the screening garnered a standing ovation. In anticipation of the 54th New York Film Festival, Beauty returns to Alice Tully Hall for a special 25th anniversary screening for Film Society members.

“One of the most vivid memories I have of a rousing New York Film Festival evening was the 1991 screening of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” said Wendy Keys, former NYFF Selection Committee member and FSLC Executive Producer, in an earlier statement. “Because we showed it in a somewhat unfinished form—we saw animation in all its different phases—we were invited to examine the process without losing any of the narrative power or emotional impact. Astonishing!”

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Beauty and the Beast debuted in cinemas in 1991. It has a screenplay by Linda Woolverton and a score by Academy Award-winning composer Alan Menken and late lyricist Howard Ashman. The two won Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Song (for the title number). The film was also adapted and expanded into a 1994 stage musical, which ran for 5,461 performances on Broadway. A live-action version is currently in production.

Tickets are $20 and on sale at filmlinc.org. This special event is available exclusively to Film Society members and patrons.