Eleanor Vance stood on a carpet of the Majestic Theater lobby, her fingers tightly gripping 2 small tickets.
She had purchased these admission tickets 3 days in advance, walking down to the box office during her lunch break.
A line of people stretched out the double doors and onto the sidewalk.
Eleanor wore her library uniform, she had rushed straight from her desk to the theater.
She simply refused to miss the opening weekend of this particular movie.
Beside her, her 8 year old grandaughter Sarah balanced herself on the heels of her shoes.
The young girl wore a floral yellow dress for the occasion, a lot of advertisement had hit every major city about Beauty and The Beast.
The American animation industry had spent years in a steady decline.
The major studios had scaled back their budgets, relying on recycled animation cycles and uninspired stories.
Theatrical cartoons were already widely considered a dying art, replaced by live-action television and disposable Saturday morning programming.
Paramount Pictures was attempting to change that narrative in a single theatrical push.
The marketing campaign for the film had been relentless, specially for women, promising a return to the golden age of hand-drawed masterpieces.
"Is it time yet, Grandma?" Sarah asked in her small voice as she tugged on the hem of Eleanor's wool skirt.
"Just a few more minutes, sweetheart," Eleanor said, placing a gentle hand on her granddaughter's small shoulder.
The line finally surged forward, and Eleanor handed her precious tickets to the usher standing at the grand entrance.
He tore them cleanly in half, handing back the remnants with a practiced smile.
Eleanor carefully tucked the torn pieces into the depths of her leather purse, saving them as a quiet memento of the evening.
They stepped into the auditorium, The Majestic was an older theater, a relic from the days of movie palaces.
The room was packed from the front row to the balcony.
Families squeezed into the folding seats, filling the space with chatter.
Fathers adjusted their ties, and mothers helped children settle into the velvet cushions. It felt like a significant cultural event.
Paramount movies had a great reputation for the avergae american movie-goer.
Eleanor guided Sarah down the aisle, finding two empty seats near the middle of the auditorium.
Sarah immediately climbed onto the plush cushion, her legs dangling over the edge, kicking back and forth.
Slowly, the overhead house lights began to dim.
The audience fell into a silence as the iconic Paramount mountain logo faded onto the screen, surrounded by a halo of stars.
The film began with an epic prologue styled after ancient stained-glass windows.
The rich colors bled across the screen, explaining that once there was a vain Prince who was tested by a powerful Enchantress.
She appeared to him as an ugly, frail beggar on a cold winter night, begging for simple shelter from the wind in exchange for a single red rose.
The prince, spoiled and cruel, turned the old woman away in disgust.
In righteous anger, she transformed and cursed him to become a terrifying Beast.
The stained glass depicted his hideous new form.
The only way to break this terrible curse was for him to learn to love another, and to earn her love in return.
The beautiful rose she had offered was also enchanted, acting as a ticking deadline, set to wilt entirely and lose its final petal on his 21st birthday.
The Beast, filled with self-loathing, shut himself away in his crumbling castle with only a magical hand mirror to see the outside world, despairing at the thought of ever getting someone to love a monster.
The camera seemed to sweep down from the clouds, transitioning from the dark castle to a bright, sun-drenched provincial town.
Here lived Belle, the beautiful and intelligent daughter of an eccentric inventor named Maurice.
Belle felt stifled in the small town he had moved them to.
The villagers, painted with exaggerated, comical expressions, all found her incredibly odd because she spent every waking moment devouring books rather than basking in the attentions of the town's most popular man, Gaston.
She was, in fact, the only person in the entire valley who could see that Gaston was nothing more than a conceited man.
She gracefully brushed off his latest proposition and hurried back to her humble home, where Maurice was working on a clanking, steam-powered wood-chopping machine.
After a chaotic montage of comical failures, the machine roared to life.
Maurice finally got it to work, and with a heart full of hope, he headed off into the misty forest to display his invention at the distant fair.
But the beautiful art turned menacing.
Maurice became hopelessly lost in a labyrinth of thorny trees.
As the cold night fell, his terrified horse, Phillipe, bolted, running off with the wooden cart and leaving the old inventor alone to face a pack of hungry wolves.
Fleeing for his life, he stumbled upon the imposing iron gates of the Beast's forgotten castle.
Inside the shadowy halls, Maurice was shocked to discover that the castle's staff had also been affected by the enchantress's curse, transformed into living household objects.
While Lumiere, a golden candlestick, Mrs. Potts, a warm teapot, and her cheerful son Chip, a chipped teacup, all eagerly tried to make the freezing Maurice comfortable by the fire.
Cogsworth, a rigidly wound mantle clock, only complained bitterly about how the master would react.
And soon enough, the Beast arrived.
He burst into the room, furious, accusing the trembling Maurice of invading his home to stare at his monstrous form, throwing the old man into a freezing tower cell.
Back in the village, Belle was entirely alone in the cottage.
Gaston, driven by blind ego, was presumptuous enough to set up a wedding outside her front door before he had even bothered to propose.
When he finally did push his way into her home to demand her hand, Belle reacted by tricking him into falling backward into a mud puddle.
As the furous Gaston stormed off, swearing that he was going to make her his wife no matter the cost.
Belle wandered through a meadow, singing about how much she wanted to escape this provincial life and find a grand adventure.
Just as the song reached its end, the terrified horse Phillipe returned alone.
Belle, her heart dropping, demanded the horse take her back to her missing father.
As Belle hesitantly entered the dark castle, the candlestick Lumiere immediately figured this beautiful girl could be the one to break the spell.
He covertly led her up the stairs to Maurice's tower cell.
Maurice, coughing and frail, begged her to just flee, but the Beast interrupted them.
Belle, terrified, offered herself as a prisoner in her father's place.
The Beast, astonished by this selfless act of love, hastily agreed, physically throwing Maurice out into a carriage without even allowing the father and daughter a proper goodbye.
Lumiere, acting as the voice of reason, further pushed the Beast to allow Belle to stay in a comfortable guest bedroom rather than the dungeon.
And to invite her to roam anywhere on the sprawling grounds she pleased, except the west wing, which he simply said was forbidden.
He left her isolated in her new room after ordering her to join him for dinner, leaving Belle to weep on the bed at her hopeless predicament.
Meanwhile, in the village tavern, Gaston was still fuming about Belle's public rejection.
But his loyal henchman LeFou rallied the entire drunken crowd to sing a rousing song in Gaston's praises, inflating his ego and getting him right back to his old, arrogant self.
(Best disney song)
That was the exact moment Maurice barged through the tavern doors, begging for anyone to help him rescue his daughter.
But the narrow-minded town only saw the old inventor as completely crazy.
His unbelievable story about a giant Beast only got him thrown roughly into the streets.
Watching this, a sinister plan formed in Gaston's mind, to use the crazy old man as leverage to force Belle into marriage.
Back in the castle, Belle was formally introduced to the cursed servants, and shocked them all by stubbornly refusing to come down to dinner.
Downstairs in the grand hall, Lumiere and Mrs. Potts tried to give the anxious Beast advice on how to be a gentleman, but it all went completely out the window when Cogsworth brought the news of her refusal.
The Beast struggled to control his explosive temper as he went to her door, asking her through gritted teeth to join him.
But when Belle bravely refused again, he roared in a rage, ordering that she would not get a single bite of food at all unless she ate it with him.
Retreating to his ruined lair in the forbidden west wing, he used the glowing magic mirror to watch Belle tell the wardrobe she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.
His shoulders slumped, and he lost all remaining hope.
Late that night, driven by hunger, Belle wandered down into the shadowy kitchen where the cursed objects were settling in for the night.
Upon hearing she was starving, Lumiere and Mrs. Potts gleefully broke the master's strict order.
They orchestrated a musical feast, preparing a dinner.
Thoroughly charmed, Belle convinced Cogsworth to give her a grand tour of the estate.
The tour inevitably took them right to the wooden doors of the forbidden west wing.
Belle crept into the dark chamber, discovering the Beast's old bedroom which he had ravaged after being cursed.
She found a slashed oil painting of his handsome former self.
But when she carefully lifted the glass bell jar to inspect the enchanted rose, the Beast materialized from the shadows.
He chased her out with a terrifying roar, furious at her for almost destroying his only remaining sliver of hope.
The attack drove a panicked Belle to flee the castle entirely.
She rode Phillippe frantically into the snow night, but they soon ran afoul of a red eyed pack of wolves.
Just as all hope seemed lost, the Beast arrived and fought the beasts off, saving her life, but then collapsed into the snow, bleeding from deep wounds.
Belle faced a choice: escape into the woods, or bring this monster safely back to the castle. She chose the latter.
Back in the warmth of the firelight, they forged a real connection for the very first time while she gently cleaned his wounds.
The Beast, feeling a strange warmth in his heart, decided to give Belle a gift.
Lumiere and Cogsworth remembered her deep love for books, so the Beast threw open the curtains to reveal a towering library, allowing her free reign of the endless volumes.
As the quiet days turned into weeks, they continued to grow steadily closer, learning from one another.
Belle even met the Beast halfway, gently sipping her soup directly from her bowl when his paws made using a tiny spoon impossible.
Finally, the emotional peak of the film arrived, a romantic ballroom dance.
The Wardrobe supplied Belle with a gorgeous yellow gown.
The camera swooped dramatically down from the painted ceiling, tracking the two lead characters as they stepped out onto the polished dance floor.
After the breathtaking dance, Belle told the Beast she was truly happy with him, but confessed a sadness that she could not see her father again.
Touched by her sorrow, the Beast showed her the glowing magic mirror.
To her horror, she saw Maurice lost in the forest, coughing and clearly deathly ill.
After a brief, heartbreaking glance at the rapidly wilting rose, the Beast made the ultimate sacrifice.
He released her from her promise, allowing her to go help her father, and even gave her the magic mirror so she would always be able to look back and see him.
Upon breaking the devastating news to his staff, Cogsworth asked why he let her go.
The Beast simply replied that he loved her.
He stood on the towering balcony and roared in despair as he watched her ride away.
Belle rescued Maurice and took him back to their cozy home, nursing him and explaining how the Beast had completely changed into a gentle soul.
But that was exactly when the sinister D'Arque arrived, alerted by LeFou.
Gaston made his cruel play, demanding her hand to save her father.
Belle bravely stood her ground, refusing him again, and used the magic mirror to prove to the entire town that the Beast was real, trying to show he was gentle.
Unfortunately, the mirror showed the Beast in his moment of anguished roaring, making him look like a bloodthirsty monster.
Gaston pivoted, whipping the frightened villagers into a torch wielding mob to storm the castle, locking Belle and Maurice down in a cellar so they couldn't interfere.
As the furious mob arrived and battered down the ancient castle doors, the deeply depressed Beast refused to defend himself.
However, his loyal servants banded together in battle.
They lured the violent mob into a trap by pretending to be normal, inanimate objects, then launching a coordinated attack once the mob was surrounded.
But Gaston had managed to slip past the chaos, sneaking to the high towers.
Back in the village, the brave little cup Chip used Maurice's roaring wood-chopping machine to smash open the cellar doors, freeing Belle and her father.
Gaston found the brooding Beast and mercilesly attacked him.
The Beast, completely brokenhearted, still refused to fight back.
But then, Belle and Maurice arrived.
Seeing her return sparked a fire in his soul, and he launched into action, leaping across the rooftops in an epic battle.
He holds Gaston over a fatal drop.
Gaston's arrogant bravado vanished instantly, and he begged pathetically for his life.
The Beast relented. He set Gaston down, telling him to get out forever, and turned to reunite with Belle.
But Gaston made one final, treacherous attack, plunging a hunting knife deep into the Beast's back.
The sudden movement caused Gaston to lose his grip, and he fell screaming into theabyss to his death.
The Beast's wound appeared to be fatal, as he lay dying on the balcony, Belle wept, pulling him close and crying out that she loved him.
The last rose petal falls, but Belle returning the Beast's love happened just in time and the spell is reversed, turning him back into a human Prince while also healing him.
They kiss and the spell is undone, returning the castle and all the servants to normal.
The film reached its triumphant conclusion. The curse was lifted, the castle restored to its former glory.
The emotional core of the picture resonated deeply with the older woman. It was a story about seeing past the superficial exterior and recognizing the vulnerable truth hidden inside.
Sarah sat perfectly, stunningly still, her mouth hung open slightly in awe.
Eleanor felt a single tear trace a path down her wrinkled cheek. She did not bother to wipe it away.
The packed audience erupted into genuine applause as the final romantic embrace faded softly into a stained-glass painting.
The velvet curtains remained open as the end credits began to roll up the screen.
Before the long list of animators and voice actors appeared, a single title card faded onto the screen.
"Dedicated to Adolph Zukor, Founder of Paramount Pictures. 1873-1976."
"Who is that, Grandma?" Sarah asked, pointing a smal finger at the bright text on the screen. She struggled to pronounce the unfamiliar name. "Who is Mr. Zukor?"
Eleanor smiled softly, reading the dates again.
"He built the very studio that made this beautiful movie, Sarah," she explained,
"He was a giant of the industry. A good man, who dedicated his life to making sure people had stories to watch."
The rest of the credits played out, accompanied by a orchestral music arrangement, Eleanor and Sarah joined the slow, shuffling procession moving steadily up the sloped aisle toward the grand exit doors.
The little girl skipped a few joyful steps, still humming the beautiful melody of the ballroom sequence.
"Can we see it again, Grandma?" Sarah begged, looking up with pleading eyes as they stepped back into the lobby. "Please? Can we come back tomorrow?"
Eleanor chuckled warmly, wrapping her wool coat tightly against the evening chill waiting outside.
"Maybe next week, sweetheart. I think once is enough for tonight. You still have school in the morning."
As they walked hand-in-hand toward the bus stop, Eleanor looked up at the vast night sky.
She wondered if the morning newspapers would carry photographs of Duke Hauser at the Hollywood premiere.
She made a mental note to buy a copy on her way to the library, just in case.
___
Thousands of miles away, the Paramount studio lot in Los Angeles was completely silent in the quiet embrace of a California night.
Duke Hauser walked slowly, deliberately down the long, echoing hallway of the animation department.
Under normal circumstances, this large building was a chaotic hive of relentless, creative activity.
Tonight, however, the department was silent.
The grand premiere was happening across town, drawing away the people from the animation team who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into the film for years.
Duke walked past rows of wooden drawing tables.
The walls separating the small, personal cubicles were covered entirely in beautiful sketches.
As Duke reached the far end of the corridor, he heard a soft sound.
Someone was moving around quietly in the final corner office.
He approached the open doorway and leaned against the wooden frame, watching a hunched figure working under the warm glow of a single desk lamp.
He was carefully packing his personal belongings into a brown cardboard box, clearing off the space he had occupied for the last few years.
Milt was a titan of the industry, one of the original pioneers who had helped make the American Animation industry.
The older man carefully placed a metal pencil sharpener into the box, followed by a framed photograph of his wife.
He paused, noticing the shadow falling across his doorway.
"I figured you would be at the Chinese Theatre, Duke," Milt said, he picked up a stack of guides and tapped them against the desk to align the edges.
"The executives are probably popping champagne and taking credit for all those drawings we did."
Duke pushed off the doorframe and stepped into the office.
"The champagne is flowing," he admitted, pulling up a stool and sitting across from the veteran animator.
"But I wanted to be here. The theater is loud, and I needed a few minutes of quiet before the box office numbers start rolling in tomorrow."
Milt chuckled, "You always had strange priorities for a studio boss. Most men in your position only care about the gross."
A silence stretched between them for a moment. Milt reached for a paper folder resting on his desk.
He opened it carefully, sliding out a pristine sheet of paper.
It was an original, rough pencil sketch of Belle and the Beast dancing in the ballroom.
"This was my favorite specific frame," Milt said softly, turning the paper so Duke could see it clearly.
"It is the exact moment when she stops looking at the beast, and she sees who he really is,"
Milt explained, running a finger over the edge of the paper.
Milt gently set the drawing down on top of his desk.
He wanted to leave it to Duke, he had heard rumours Duke liked stealing props from movies and hide them in his office, so he decided to give him this on his own achord.
"I never thanked you properly, Duke,"
Duke frowned slightly, confused by the statement. "For what? You delivered a great movie. The critics are going to study the mechanics of that ballroom sequence for years."
"For giving me this chance," Milt corrected him, shaking his head.
"I was done, Duke. When you found me, my hands were starting to shake, i couldnt draw with the speed I used to. The industry was moving past me."
"You had a strong budget and could have hired anyone. But you gave me this one last dance."
Duke looked at the rough sketch resting on the box, recognizing the weight of the moment.
"You do not have to thank me, Milt. I should be thanking you."
____
We already reached 200 chapters, been 7 months since i started this fanfic.
Theres still a lot more that i want to do in this story, so ty for reading it.
I still have at least another 200 chapters in mind