Lincoln Center to Hold 25th Anniversary Screening of 'Beauty and the Beast'

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Twenty-five years ago the Disney animated classic "Beauty and the Beast" played at the Upper West Sides' Alice Tully Hall as a work in progress. The film wasn't yet finished and a third of the showing was just black-and-white tests and storyboard drawings, but the audience gave it a standing ovation.

Now "Beauty and the Beast" is returning to the venue to celebrate it's quarter-century anniversary, according to a press release. The animated film will be shown — this time as a finished product — at the Alice Tully Hall on Sept. 18. The showing is being put on by The Film Society of Lincoln Center as part of the 29th New York Film Festival.

Wendy Keys, a former New York Film Festival Selection Committee member, was at the 1991 screening.

"One of the most vivid memories I have of a rousing New York Film Festival evening was the 1991 screening of Disney’s 'Beauty and the Beast,'" said Keys in the press release. "Because we showed it in a somewhat unfinished form — we saw animation in all its different phases — we were invited to examine the process without losing any of the narrative power or emotional impact. Astonishing!"

People attending the screening will also be in for a treat as the original cast members will be appearing in person. Robby Benson (Beast), Paige O’Hara (Belle), Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts) and Richard White (Gaston) will appear during the introduction to the screening, according to the press release.

Tickets will cost $20 and will only be offered to members and patrons of The Film Society of Lincoln Center. To learn how to become a member, visit this link.

[Photo: Google Maps street view circa May 2016]