Beauty and the Beast 25th anniversary screening announced by Film Society of Lincoln Center

The Film Society of Lincoln Center, renowned for its emphasis on the daring and cutting-edge in cinema, will treat audiences this September to a tale as old as time.

In anticipation of this year’s New York Film Festival (running Sept. 30-Oct. 16), Disney’s animated classic Beauty and the Beast will screen on Sept. 18 in a special 25th anniversary presentation at the festival’s gala location, Alice Tully Hall.

The festival in fact has a history with the Best Picture Oscar nominee. Two months before its theatrical release, Beauty and the Beast screened in New York as a work in progress. One third of the film consisted of storyboard art and black-and-white animation tests, but the presentation nonetheless received a standing ovation from the Alice Tully Hall crowd.

“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 Wendy Keys, former NYFF selection committee member and Film Society of Lincoln Center executive producer. “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!”

For the special screening next month, original voice cast members Robby Benson (Beast), Paige O’Hara (Belle), Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts), and Richard White (Gaston) will appear in person for an extended introduction.

For more on the screening, head to the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s website.