In a first-time accomplishment for The Walt Disney Company , an unfinished version of '' Beauty and the Beast '' was shown at the New York Film Festival on September 29 , 1991 . The film was deemed a " work in progress " because roughly only 70 % of the animation had been completed ; storyboards and pencil tests were used in replacement of the remaining 30 % . Additionally , certain segments of the film that had already been finished were reverted to previous stages of completion . At the end of the screening , '' Beauty and the Beast '' received a ten-minute-long standing ovation from the film festival audience . The completed film was also screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival . The finished film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on November 13 , 1991 , beginning a limited release before expanding wide on November 22
1992 Cannes Film Festival
1992 Cannes Film Festival
Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)