Beauty and the Beast is one of the most popular animated films of all time! But just how much do you know about this magical film and it's behind-the-scenes stories? Be our guest and check out our list of 15 enchanting facts and find out why Gaston's end was so unique, what made Belle stand out, and the box office records the film broke.

If you like these, check out our Snow White Facts , Frozen facts and Mary Poppins facts for more Disney magic!

1. Beauty and the Beast was made quite quickly

This animated Disney movie took around two years to make, which sounds like a long time. But on average, most animated films take around three to four years to complete.

2. The animators studied different animals for the film

When it came to animating the Beast, Disney's artists made many trips to the zoo and studied videos to give him animal-like movements. Among the animals who inspired the artists are gorillas, bears, wolves, lions, buffalo and a wild boar!

3. Mrs. Potts almost had a different name!

In the early stages of the production, Mrs. Potts – the caretaker who was turned into a magical teapot – was called Mrs. Chamomile. Just like the cup of fancy tea. “For Mrs. Potts, we originally tried to find the most soothing possible association and we came up with Mrs. Chamomile,”  revealed producer Don Hahn. "But nobody could pronounce it, so [someone] said, 'Let's call her Mrs. Potts."

4. Belle was the second Disney princess who wasn't born a royal

The first Disney Princess was Cinderella. Belle only became a princess after marrying Prince Adam at the end of the movie!

5. The newer version starring Emma Watson was very successful

The live-action movie proved to be very popular when it was released in 2017. The film made over $1.2 billion and has gone on record at the 10th highest-grossing movie in history! Not bad, eh?

6. One famous scene might seem quite familiar

If you get a sense of Deja-vu when you watch the last scene in the film (Belle and the Prince waltzing) that's because you've seen it before. The movements are taken from the last waltz in Sleeping Beauty. Animators often take older material and reuse it to save time on projects, and as they were running out of time, they used this on Beauty and the Beast too. 

7. The making Beauty and the Beast was VERY thorough

The people behind Beauty and the Beast weren't messing around when they were preparing to make this Disney classic. It had a complete script before anyone lifted a pencil or paint brush.

8. There's a moment of live action in the animated film

When the Beast turns into a human, there's a rush of smoke in that scene. That was real smoke and was taken from the 1985 movie The Black Cauldron. We reckon it would have taken years to create something that realistic!

9. 'Be Our Guest' was originally going to be a little different

In the early stages of the movie production, the song wasn't supposed to be sung to Belle. They'd planned for it to be Maurice instead!

10. Belle is the only Disney Princess to have brown hair

Rapunzel, Cinderella and Aurora are blonde, Merida and Ariel are auburn, and Snow White, Mulan, Tiana and Jasmine all have black hair. Belle is the only brunette in this royal squad of legends!

11. There's one song which didn't quite make the final cut

There's a song missing from the original animated version called Human Again. This song was supposed to feature the characters who were turned into cups, clocks, teacups and candelabras and so on.

12. Belle is the only character to wear blue

Colour is often used in film as a short hand to indicate what a character is like. You might have noticed how many Disney Villains wear purple? In the film, Belle is noticeably the only person in her village who wears blue. This is to help her stand out and indicate that she doesn't quite fit in. Later the Beast also wears blue, symbolising the idea that they belong together. Cute!

13. Walt Disney wanted to make the movie ages ago

After the release of Snow White, it's said that in the 1940s Walt Disney wanted to adapt this story into another brilliant animated movie. But it was put on hold as it would prove too difficult to do it justice at the time.

14. Nick Jonas appeared in the Broadway version

The music star appeared in the Broadway musical in 2002 – that's before he became famous with his brothers – and played Chip the teacup!

15. Chip was supposed to have only one line to say

Chip – Mrs. Potts' son –  originally had only one piece of dialogue in the film. But after casting Bradley Pierce, the script was altered so that he could have more to say in the movie. Good call, Hollywood people!

16. The song Beauty and the Beast was done in a flash!

Angela Lansbury – the legendary actor who played Mrs. Potts – was so good at her job, that she recorded the song in just one go. How's that for professionalism! She probably took the rest of the day off after nailing that tune.

17. The original fairy tale is a bit darker

You probably know that the film is based on a French fairy tale...but do you know how the original story went? There are lots of different versions, including ones where Belle has several sisters of siblings, sometimes evil step sisters, and there are no fun singing objects - Belle is all alone! Instead, food appears when she needs it, and she doesn't meet the Beast for months! Spooky! In some endings, her wicked sisters are punished for being greedy too. We think we prefer Disney!

18. There are two sequels

Well, one sequel and one 'mid-quel' (taking place in the middle of the first film) called Belle's Enchanted Christmas, all about trying to get the Beast to enjoy Christmas. Then there is Belle's Magical World, made up of several different stories that were originally planned to become a TV series.

19. It was the first animated film nominated for Best Picture

That's right, it was the first full-length animation to be nominated! Because animated films already have their own category, they weren't usually nominated for Best Picture, but everything about Beauty and the Beast was so impressive it made the cut! Sadly it lost out on winning to The Silence of the Lambs, but it's still really impressive!

20. Lots of different actors were considered for the roles

Originally, there were lots of different actors considered for the film. For instance, filmmakers were interested in Julie Andrews for Mrs. Potts, and Rupert Everett auditioned for Gaston. He eventually went on to the play a handsome, arrogant villain as Prince Charming in Shrek 2!

21. There is an Easter egg in Gaston's eyes

An 'Easter Egg' (Special hidden feature) in the film happens during Gaston's death scene - as he's falling from the castle, tiny skulls appear in his eyes for a flash of a second, too quickly to notice with the naked eye. According to the film makers, this is meant to indicate that he does indeed die from the fall. Gruesome!

22. The Beast's name is Adam

It's never mentioned in the film (He's always just called 'Beast', which seems kinda rude, but ok) but the Prince who is cursed to be a beast is actually called Adam. How do we know? Well, it apparently pops up in other media like a CD rom game of the film, and so lots of fans have decided to call him Adam. What do you think? Does he look like an Adam?

23. There was going to be a music box character

Originally, Chip the teacup only had one line. The designated 'cute character' was going to be a music box. However, because of the actors performance and the need to include a child's perspective in the films, Chip was given more lines and became the films 'cute character'. Phew, we couldn't imagine it without him!

24. It took 600 artists to make

Yup, 600 artists! Hand drawn animation is a painstaking process which takes time and precision. Hundreds of artists took thousands of hours to create every character, background scene and backdrop in the film. It paid off, because it looks amazing!

25. It broke box office records

Not only did the film do well at the awards, it was also the first animated film to make over $100 million! This was a huge deal, and helped to create the Disney Renaissance of the 90s, which saw some of their biggest ever hits being produced, including The Lion King, Aladdin and Mulan.

26. Jackie Chan is in the movie!

Well, he's in the Chinese dubbed version of the movie. He plays the Beast!

27. Cogsworth is called something else in the French movie!

In the French version of Beauty and the Beast, Cogsworth is called Big Ben, named after the famous bell which is found in the London's Elizabeth Clock Tower.

28. Maurice wore odd socks throughout the whole movie

Have you noticed that during the entire duration of Beauty and the Beast, Maurice wears different socks all the time? That's a subtle way of telling the audience he's a bit wacky!

29. One character was inspired by The Wizard of Oz

Belle's hair and blue dress were based on Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz. Makes sense now you think about it, right?

30. This was the fourth Disney movie to be set in France

You're thinking about what the first three were, aren't you? Well, they were Cinderella (released in 1950), Sleeping Beauty (1959), and The Aristocats (1970)! La Belle et la Bête? Magnifique!

31. Belle wears the same dress for the majority of the story

In fact, she wears her princess gown during Tale as Old as Time and the film's conclusion. She wears her blue and white dress for much of the 84-minute movie. Must have been easier for the animators, if you think about it.