eauty and the Beast is one of the more famous fairy tales, nearly as well known as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. As a child, it was always my favorite, because it seemed the most realistic. Odd thinking perhaps, considering it contains an enchanted prince, invisible servants, and various other magical elements. Consider this, though: Beauty and the Beast is one of the few fairy tales where the main characters actually get to know each other before falling in love. Unlike Cinderella, who falls in love in an evening, or Sleeping Beauty, who falls in love with a kiss, Beauty spends weeks, possibly months with the Beast before falling in love with him. In addition, the message given by the story, besides that main staple that true love will prevail, is that of true beauty is within. Admirable, and rare, it seems these days.
( * excerpt from Rebecca Smallwood on her Beauty and the Beast Site. )

The origins of the story of Beauty and the Beast date back several centuries and multiple rewrites. Click the mirror above to read about the origins of the story. Click the mirror to the right for an article on the Disney adaptation of the story.