Beauty and the Beast

by Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: MinaLima Illustrated Classics

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
578	12	41,379	(4.08)	12
MinaLima, the award-winning design studio behind the graphics for the Harry Potter film franchise and the creators of the illustrated Jungle Book and Peter Pan, reimagine the beloved French fairy tale The Beauty and the Beast in this deluxe unabridged edition illustrated with stunning full-color artwork and nine 3-D interactive features--published to coincide with the release of the blockbuster Disney live-action musical film starring Emma Watson, Ian McKellen, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, and Emma Thompson. Generations of readers have been bewitched by the epic love story of a beautiful young girl imprisoned in the magical castle of a monstrous beast. Now, the classic fairy tale is brought to life in this spectacular illustrated edition as originally envisioned by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. The Beauty and the Beast is packed with specially commissioned, full-color artwork and nine exclusive interactive features, including: a fold-out map of the rich French city where the Merchant (Beauty's father) and his family reside; a fold out that reveals the interior of the Beast's enchanted palace; a series of flaps (similar to an Advent calendar) that open to reveal different entertainments; available to Beauty in the Beast's palace; a dial of the ring Beauty turns on her finger to return to the Beast. This unique gift edition takes readers on a captivating journey through a mystical land filled with enchanting inhabitants. MiniLima's imaginative artwork, exquisite detail, and engaging design recreate this timeless romantic adventure as never before in a lush unabridged gift edition sure to be cherished for years to come. Disney's live-action movie musical version of Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon (Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Dreamgirls), stars Harry Potter alumna Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Luke Evans as Gaston, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Josh Gad as Le Fou, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, and Audra McDonald as Garderobe.… (more)

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English (9) French (1) All languages (10)

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Showing 1-5 of 9 (next | show all)

[Online free at https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Contes_de_Madame_de_Villeneuve/La_Belle_et_la_B%C...

I dusted off my Précieuse French to read this and found it delightful. It highlights the different French/English meanings of Bête/bête vs Beast/beast: here the Beast is cursed not only to look monstrous but also to appear stupid. Which does limit my interest in the romance as I love me some witty repartée, but instead I got monkey servants and a room full of basically TVs to keep Beauty entertained all day so it works out. The Fairy politics revealed following the big transformation was a fascinating bonus and I was particularly intrigued by the dangers and rewards of becoming a snake. (

)

zeborah | Mar 7, 2024 |

If you're expecting this story to resemble the Disney movie of the same name you will be thouroughly disappointed. This was so vastly different that I barely recognized the movie Disney made from it. That said, the tale is still a fun read and this edition especially. With the interactive elements and the lovely illustrations, this is the version I would tell people to go for. It enhances the story so, so much. I would recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars. (

)

Beammey | Dec 21, 2023 |

I hate to say that the Disney movie is a great improvement on this "original" version, with it's dream sequences and postscript of multiple chapters of narratively null contorted explanations for what happened and total disclaimed snobbery. I did love the Palace's television room, though that would bollix a dramatization in no time. (

)

quondame | Mar 27, 2023 |

It was fun to revisit one of the oldest versions of this story we have extant. I had forgotten how different it is from more current versions, and I admit to getting a little lost in which king was married to which fairy and whose daughter was half fairy and so on. But overall I love it. (

)

scaifea | Feb 21, 2023 |

This was much more convoluted that I had thought it would be, with all the main characters not really who they had thought they had been for their entire life. Nevertheless, a little better than average read. 153 pages 3.5 stars (

)

Tess_W | Oct 2, 2021 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Minalima	Designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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Canonical title

Beauty and the Beast

Original title

Alternative titles

Madame de Villeneuve's The Story of the Beauty and the Beast: The Original Classic French Fairytale

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Beauty and the Beast (1991 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Dedication

First words

Quotations

Last words

Disambiguation notice

This is for the version written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, who is considered the original author of Beauty and the Beast (La Belle et la Bête). Do not merge this with any other versions of the story.

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

MinaLima, the award-winning design studio behind the graphics for the Harry Potter film franchise and the creators of the illustrated Jungle Book and Peter Pan, reimagine the beloved French fairy tale The Beauty and the Beast in this deluxe unabridged edition illustrated with stunning full-color artwork and nine 3-D interactive features--published to coincide with the release of the blockbuster Disney live-action musical film starring Emma Watson, Ian McKellen, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, and Emma Thompson. Generations of readers have been bewitched by the epic love story of a beautiful young girl imprisoned in the magical castle of a monstrous beast. Now, the classic fairy tale is brought to life in this spectacular illustrated edition as originally envisioned by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. The Beauty and the Beast is packed with specially commissioned, full-color artwork and nine exclusive interactive features, including: a fold-out map of the rich French city where the Merchant (Beauty's father) and his family reside; a fold out that reveals the interior of the Beast's enchanted palace; a series of flaps (similar to an Advent calendar) that open to reveal different entertainments; available to Beauty in the Beast's palace; a dial of the ring Beauty turns on her finger to return to the Beast. This unique gift edition takes readers on a captivating journey through a mystical land filled with enchanting inhabitants. MiniLima's imaginative artwork, exquisite detail, and engaging design recreate this timeless romantic adventure as never before in a lush unabridged gift edition sure to be cherished for years to come. Disney's live-action movie musical version of Beauty and the Beast, directed by Bill Condon (Twilight: Breaking Dawn, Dreamgirls), stars Harry Potter alumna Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Ewan McGregor as Lumiere, Luke Evans as Gaston, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts, Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Josh Gad as Le Fou, Kevin Kline as Maurice, Stanley Tucci as Cadenza, and Audra McDonald as Garderobe.

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