Prologue (Beauty and the Beast)

"Prologue" is the opening narration for the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast and the 2017 remake. It explains the curse placed upon Prince Adam and circumstances on how to break it. It is also the only soundtrack on the film that is not a song but rather a prologue to the film itself. 
==Narration==
<tabber>
Original version=
Once upon a time, in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind.
But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.
The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.
Ashamed of his monstrous form, the Beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year.
If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?
|-|Musical version=
Once upon a time in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind.
But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.
The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.
Ashamed of his monstrous form, the Beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for many years.
If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?
|-|2017 version=
Once upon a time, in the hidden heart of France, a handsome young prince lived in a beautiful castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was selfish and unkind. He taxed the village to fill his castle with the most beautiful objects and his parties with the most beautiful people.
Then one night, an unexpected intruder arrived at the castle, seeking shelter from the bitter storm. As a gift, she offered the prince a single rose. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince turned the woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within.
When he dismissed her again, the old woman's outward appearance melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.
The prince begged for forgiveness, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle, and all who lived there.
As days bled into years, the prince and his servants were forgotten by the world. For the enchantress had erased all memory of them from the minds of the people they loved. But the rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose.
If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.
As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?
</tabber>
== History ==
=== 1991 film ===
In the prologue, Cogsworth narrates a backstory on how an enchantress disguised herself as a beggar, offering only to a cold-hearted Prince's first shelter in the night of a winter storm. However, upon her appearance, Adam refused to allow her to stay. Realizing the Cold within his heart, The beggar woman becomes a beautiful enchantress. Prince Adam tries to beg for forgiveness but the enchantress sees there is no love in his heart. She cast the powerful spell upon Prince Adam turning him into a hideous beast and all the servants into objects. 
To break the spell, he must earn the love of another before his 21st birthday. If his feelings are reciprocated, he will become human again. If he fails, Adam remains a beast forever, which he fears will happen, because he knows no one could ever love a Beast. 
=== Remake ===
In the 2017 retelling of the Disney movie, the prologue is narrated by Agathe/the Enchantress instead. Several plot holes that were in the original film were changed.
In the novelizations it is revealed that Agathe intervened in the Beast and presumably Belle's lives. 
==Differences between the two opening narrations==
* In the narration for this it is specifically stated that the story takes place in France while the original film points out that the 1991 film takes place in a foreign land The Enchantress doesn't point out that the Prince is spoiled like Cogsworth does. 
* Unlike the original movie, the 2017 remake addresses why the village doesn't seem to remember a castle or a prince nearby. In the opening narration, the enchantress points out that everyone who worked in the castle was erased from the memories of their loved ones. For example, one of the citizens was Jean Potts, Mrs. Pott's husband and Chip's father.
* In the 1991 and 2017 versions, both The Beast have until the last petal falls off the rose. However in the original film he has until his 21st birthday while implying he was cursed at age 11. In the 2017 film
* While the 1991 movie makes it clear that the Beast has to find a romantic partner, "If he could learn to love another... and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell... then the spell would be broken." In the remake, "her" is changed to "their " to accommodate to a a more modern interpretation of this tale, such as the love can be either romantic or platonic or that the film is trying to be more inclusive (such as LGBTQ+ representation. 
== Navigation ==
Category:Narrations
Category:Songs
Category:Beauty and the Beast songs
Category:Hero/heroine songs