Beauty and the Beast (1934 film)

Beauty and the Beast
Merrie Melodies series
Directed by	Isadore Freleng
Produced by	Leon Schlesinger
Music by	Norman Spencer
Animation by	Rollin Hamilton Jack King
Studio	Leon Schlesinger Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date(s)	April 14, 1934 (1934-04-14) (USA)
Color process	Cinecolor
Running time	7 minutes
Language	English

Beauty and The Beast is a 1934 animated short film, directed by Isadore Freleng for Leon Schlesinger Productions as part of Warner Bros.' Merrie Melodies series. Released on April 14, 1934, the short is notably the second Merrie Melodie in Color. It was one of the earliest WB cartoons in Cinecolor. Except for its title and the inclusion of a "beastly" character, the film has nothing in common with the fairy tale of the same name.

Plot summary

As the clock strikes ten, a little girl sneaks out of her nursery for a late-night snack of fruit and chocolate—which may be the cause of the strange dream that follows. On her return to the nursery, the Sandman comes to life from the nursery mural, and sends her in a dream to Toyland, inhabited by fairyland characters. A trio of identical heralds sing her a welcome song, but also warn her of the Beast she must avoid, lest he eat her. The little girl witnesses a toy parade and is smitten with a toy soldier ("Ain't he cute?"). The soldier takes her to Fairytale Land, where they open a huge book titled "Beauty and the Beast" and, reading the text, sing a song about a girl menaced by a monster. When they turn the page, the huge, shaggy, half-human Beast leaps out of the book and seizes the little girl. The toy soldier sends a toy airplane to attack the Beast, and tries to fire a cannon at him, but these tactics prove ineffective. Just as it appears that the little girl is doomed, she awakes on the floor of her nursery. She leaps into her crib and cowers under the covers as the flap of her pajamas falls open and the film ends.