The setting: A castle somewhere in provincial France, presumably in the 17th or 18th century.
The scene: A handsome prince hosts the most lavish parties in the country. During one of them, an old lady appears seeking shelter in exchange for a rose. The prince denies her wish, and he is cursed by the old lady, who reveals herself to be a beautiful enchantress. As punishment, he must live as a beast and his servants as household items until he can find true love and be loved in return. The spell, however, can only be broken before the last petal of an enchanted rose she leaves with him falls.

Years later, the nearby village of Villeneuve, also under the spell of the enchantress, has no memory of the prince and his castle. Here, a young girl, Belle, and her father live in safety. Belle is the most beautiful girl in the village, but she is also considered the most peculiar, as she is the only one who can read. Gaston, a handsome and beloved captain who has served in the war, expresses strong interest in marrying the beauty, but Belle refuses on grounds of their obvious differences.
Maurice, Belle's father, prepares to ride to the market and promises to bring back a rose for his daughter. On his way back to Villeneuve, he is lost in the woods and ends up at the prince's castle. Having discovered the talking household items, he storms off in fright, and on his way, he picks a rose from the prince's garden. The Beast sees the man steal the rose and makes him his prisoner. Philippe, Maurice's horse, storms off and makes it back to the village, from where he takes Belle to the castle. With the Beast unwilling to set Maurice free, Belle offers to take his place and becomes the Beast's prisoner.

Seeing the chance they were given, the servants, led by Lumière, a candelabra, realize that Belle may be the one to break the spell and hope for their master and the beauty to fall in love. They release Belle from the prison and provide her with a beautiful room and a meal. Though he tries, the Beast finds himself unable to act kindly towards the girl, and eventually frightens her so badly that Belle takes off into the woods to return to Villeneuve; however, she is quickly found by a pack of wolves living near the castle. The Beast follows her and saves her from the wolves, but he is injured from the attack. Belle considers running away, but instead, she decides to help bring the Beast back to his castle.
Belle tends to the Beast and treats his wounds. She realizes that he can, in fact, be friendly, and that they share a love for literature. When Belle mentions Shakespeare, the Beast argues that there are far more interesting things to read, and he shows Belle his immense library. Their relationship improves, and the servants begin to hope that love might grow from their fondness of each other. Using an enchanted book, the Beast takes Belle to Paris, where Belle is finally able to lift the mystery around her mother's death. When the Beast asks Belle for a dance, they share a magical evening together, but at the end of it, Belle reveals that she cannot be happy as long as she remains a prisoner. Knowing she misses her father, the Beast shows Belle a magic mirror in which she can see Maurice's reflection. By looking in the mirror, Belle realizes that her father is in danger, and the Beast finally sets Belle free.

Back at the village, Gaston has set a plan into motion that will take Maurice to an asylum. Gaston offers to save Maurice if only he will give him his daughter's hand in marriage, but Maurice refuses. He is about to be taken away when Belle gallops into the village on Philippe's back and reveals that her father is not a confused old man; the Beast he spoke of really exists. Even though Belle assures them that the Beast is friendly and kind, the villagers panic and, led by Gaston, storm off to the village to kill the Beast.
At the castle, the servants fight to defend their home against the intruders. While the rest of the villagers are occupied in the main hall, Gaston takes it upon himself to find the Beast. On the roof of the castle, a fight between Gaston and the Beast ensues. The Beast wins and spares Gaston's life. He returns to Belle, who has now arrived at the castle, but is shot in the back by Gaston from a distance. The captain finally falls to his death as the bridge underneath him crumbles away, and the Beast suffers from a fatal wound. Belle cries over him as the last petal falls, and the servants are turned into unmoving objects. The enchantress, however, witnesses the love Belle has found in her heart for the Beast and restores the rose, turning both the Beast and the servants back into their human forms.