Prologue

Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Howard Ashman
Narration by David Ogden Stiers

Once upon a time in a far away land
A young prince lived in a shining castle
Although he had everything his heart desired
The prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind
But then, one winter's night
An old beggar woman came to the castle
And offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold
Repulsed by her haggered appearance
The prince sneered at the gift and turned the woman away
But she warned him not to be deceived by appearance
For beauty is found within
And when he dismissed her again
The old woman's ugliness melted away
To reveal a beautiful enchantress
The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late
For she had seen that there were no love in his heart
And, as punishment, she transformed him
Into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle
With a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world
The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose
Which would bloom until his 21st year
If he could learn to love another
And earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell
Then the spell would be broken
If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time
As the years past, he fell into despair and lost all hope
For who could ever learn to love a beast