Beauty and the Beast (franchise) song "A Change in Me" was kept in the production after being written for Toni Braxton during her stint as Belle. The Beauty and the Beast universe encompasses two main locations: a French village and a castle, which are linked by woods. As the three spin-off films all take place within the time period of the original film, the plot of the "Beauty and the Beast" franchise is encompassed in the original 1991 film, which the other films serving to give added insight to certain parts of the story that were skimmed over (such as when Belle is living in
Beauty and the Beast by an angry mob sent by her father; seeing this, Beauty weeps over the Beast, saying that she loves him. Suddenly, when her tears strike him, the Beast is transformed into the handsome prince from Beauty's dreams. The Prince informs her that long ago a fairy turned him into a hideous beast for his selfishness and that only by finding true love, despite his ugliness, could the curse be broken. He and Beauty are married and they live happily ever after together. Villeneuve's original tale includes several elements that Beaumont's omits. Chiefly, the backstory of both Beauty and the Beast