Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas is the sequel/midquel to the first 1991 film. It is a sequel because it starts out and finishes in the present time, when everyone is human again but the story is largely told in a long flashback sequence, which puts the film after the fight with the wolves and before the fight with Gaston.

Plot
The film starts out with everybody preparing for Christmas. Chip puts up decorations along with the others until he comes across a storybook. He then shows it to Mrs. Potts, his mother and asks him to read it. Soon everyone is gathered round Mrs. Potts as she tells the events of what happened after Beast and Belle escape from the wolves...

Belle is still a prisoner in the Beast's castle. All the servants are trying to figure out a way for them to fall in love with each other, but with Christmas coming up, they look at this as a great opportunity to bring them together. Belle is excited for Christmas, but the Beast is not happy seeing how it is the one year anniversary of his spell being cast upon the castle.

Meanwhile, in an unknown part of the castle (through a secret door in the West Wing), an enormous pipe organ is playing very creepy music while a small piccolo applauds. The organ is Forte, the ex-court composer for the musicians during his human years. The organ player though is not in the mood to be mortal again, so he decides to figure a way for the beast to steer clear of falling in love with Belle.

He sends Fife, his small piccolo servant, to break up the merriment between Belle and the Beast, not wanting them to break the spell. He believes that "humanity is overrated" and that he has more use and power in his enchanted form. Fife manages to break up the two, as the couple are making snow angels. However, when Beast sees his "angel" he sees it as a "shadow of a monster" and leaves in fury and depression.

Believing that Christmas will brighten the Beast's mood, Belle creates a wonderful new book for him, and with a little persuasion for Cogsworth, Christmas is officially being prepared. The group goes to the highest tower in the castle, which serves as a storage room for old decorations. In one of them lies Angelique, who once served as the Royal Decorator. However, she is not pleased to hear about Christmas, arguing that she will not raise her hopes again in a belief that they could all get together in celebration, only to have them destroyed by the Beast's foul temper and hatred for the holiday. Belle sings to them about how "hope is the greatest gift", saying that there is always hope, even for breaking the spell, and there will "always be a time when the world is filled with peace and love". Eventually, Angelique agrees.

However, Fife has been overhearing all this and rushes off to tell Forte. When the Beast finds out, he is not at all pleased. Forte plays along, saying that "the girl doesn't care how you feel about Christmas", separating the two even more. Beast reflects on his past: Christmas was the day he was most selfish, and it was on that day that the Enchantress put the spell on him and the castle. Belle enters the boiler room to get a Yule Log, explaining that it is a great tradition: "one log is chosen, then everyone in the house touches it, and makes a Christmas wish".

Beast however, claims that wishes are stupid, and bellows at Belle, "You made a Christmas wish last year! Is this what you wished for?!" He shouts that she has no idea what it is to be a true prisoner, but she knows all too well. Belle will not give up, and concludes that they will have Christmas with or without Beast, but not before sending him her gift, the storybook. Belle and Chip go along with an axe from the boiler room to go look for a Christmas tree, but none on the grounds are very promising. Beast finds his gift, but Lumiere will not allow him to open it as it is not yet Christmas. He explains that everyone understands how Beast feels about the holiday, but giving a gift to another is a way of saying "I care about you". Beast gets in the mood, and asks Forte to compose a song as a present, who agrees unhappily. When he leaves, Forte puts his plans in motion, and plays beautiful music, attracting Belle to his room. Forte quickly manipulates the situation, telling her that the tree has always been Beast's favorite part of Christmas, and that she would find a much better tree lies in the Black Forest, the woods outside the castle.

Getting the tree would break Belle's promise never to leave the castle, but she wants to make Beast happy, so she agrees to go. Beast is still waiting for Belle to show up, but Forte claims "she's abandoned you!" and feeds Beast's anger. Forte orders Fife "to make sure they don't come back", and mostly because of ice, a dangerous chain reaction starts that leads to Beast having to rescue Belle from drowning. Belle is locked in the dungeon to rot there for eternity, but Anqelique admits that she was wrong to believe that Christmas could never come. They all agree that they do not need decorations or gifts to celebrate Christmas, they have each other, and that is the best gift they could ever ask for. Beast prepares to destroy the Rose and end his suffering, but he remembers the gift Belle gave him and read it.

Remembering there is hope to break the spell, he asks for forgiveness and plans to have the best Christmas ever. But Forte plans to bring the whole castle down, as they cannot fall in love if they are dead, much to the disagreement of Fife as it is extreme. Beast manages to get onto the room, and destroys Forte's keyboard, causing him to come crashing down. The others continue to have a happy holiday, which brings us back to the actual party, but of course, if anyone actually saved Christmas, it was Belle. The others celebrate as the Prince gives Belle a gift, a single rose.

Cast and characters

 * Robby Benson as Beast - A selfish prince turned into a hideous Beast as punishment and the main protagonist of the film. His behaviour seems to be improving, although he still resents Christmas for the painful memories it brings, which he would later abandon when he allows everyone (including himself) to celebrate Christmas.
 * Paige O'Hara as Belle - A young woman residing in the Beast's castle in exchange for her father's freedom. She and the Beast are now friends, but they repeatedly clash over Christmas until the end.
 * Jerry Orbach as Lumiere - A kind-hearted but rebellious servant, turned into a candelabra. He is prepared to celebrate Christmas with or without his master's consent.
 * David Ogden Stiers as Cogsworth - The Beast's Majordomo and Lumiere's best friend, turned into a clock. He initially opposes celebrating Christmas, but even he cannot resist the temptations of a happy holiday.
 * Haley Joel Osment as Chip - A lively teacup and the son of Mrs. Potts. His presence in the spell flashback proves that he and the other servants have not aged during the ten-year spell period. Andrew Keenan-Bolger provides his singing voice.
 * Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts - The castle maid, turned into a teapot. She is the storyteller of the events of the film.
 * Bernadette Peters as Angelique - The castle decorator, turned into a Christmas angel. She initially opposes preparing Christmas, as she fears the Beast will destroy her hard work, but in the end, she relents.
 * Tim Curry as Forte - The castle composer and the main antagonist of the film, turned into a Pipe Organ. As the Beast's private and personal confidante, he proves to be more useful to his master with the spell, and will do anything to keep the spell from breaking, especially to enforce the prohibition of Christmas and breaking the castle down with his loud music. In the end, he is killed by the Beast, and his keyboard is destroyed.
 * Paul Reubens as Fife - A piccolo and Forte's unwilling henchman. He does Forte's dirty work under the false promise of a musical solo, but soon realises his mistake and allies with the Beast to stop Forte. Once human again, he becomes the new court composer.
 * Frank Welker as Phillipe and Sultan - Belle's horse and the castle dog/ottoman, respectively.
 * Jeff Bennett as Axe - The Head of the boiler room.
 * Kath Soucie as Enchantress - The one who places the spell on the Prince and everyone inside the castle for the Prince's cruel ways. She appears only in a flashback, with a radically different appearance than in the original film.

Trivia

 * Bernadette Peters (Angelique) and Tim Curry (Forte) had both appeared together in the 1982 Columbia film version of "Annie" as Lily St. Regis and Rooster Hannigan, the respective kidnappers.
 * Axe is very stereotypically Jewish, using phrases like "Oy, gevalt!" and "Merry Christmas, and a Happy Hanukah!" His 'official' name (though the scene it was used was cut for time) is 'Mister Feurerwerker', also a Jewish name loosely translating to 'Fire-worker'.

Music

 * 1) Deck the Halls (Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Bernadette Peters, Angela Lansbury, Chorus)
 * 2) Stories (Paige O'Hara)
 * 3) As Long As There's Christmas (Paige O'Hara, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Bernadette Peters, Angela Lansbury, Chorus)
 * 4) Don't Fall In Love (Tim Curry)
 * 5) As Long As There's Christmas (Reprise) (Paige O'Hara, Bernadette Peters)
 * 6) A Cut Above the Rest (David Ogden Stiers, Jerry Orbach, Paige O'Hara)
 * 7) As Long As There's Christmas (End Title) (Peabo Bryson, Roberta Flack)
 * 8) We Wish You A Merry Christmas (Paige O'Hara
 * 9) Do You Hear What I Hear (Paige O'Hara
 * 10) O Come, O Come, Emmanuel/Joy To The World (Paige O'Hara
 * 11) O Christmas Tree (Paige O'Hara
 * 12) The First Noel (Paige O'Hara
 * 13) What Child Is This (Paige O'Hara
 * 14) The Twelve Days of Christmas (Paige O'Hara
 * 15) Silent Night (Paige O'Hara
 * 16) Belle's Magical Gift (Instrumental)
 * 17) Fife's Yuletide Theme (Instrumental)
 * 18) The Enchanted Christmas Finale (Instrumental)