Location from Beauty and the Beast by Disney
An enormous cathedral of books — the Beast's gift to Belle that says more about love than any words he could manage, because he finally paid attention to who she actually is.
The library is the pivot point of the love story. The Beast has lived in this castle for a decade and never cared about this room. Belle has been a prisoner for days and it's the first thing that makes her gasp. When he leads her here, covers her eyes, and then reveals it — 'It's yours' — it's the first time he's given anyone anything without expecting something back. The room smells like old paper and leather and beeswax candles. It's warm in a way the rest of the castle isn't, partly from the fireplace and partly from the accumulated decades of human thought on the shelves. Belle curls into the window seat and loses hours. The Beast sits nearby, pretending to read, actually watching her smile. The servants spy from doorways and allow themselves to hope. This is the room where two people who shouldn't work together — a reader and a beast who has never finished a book — find common ground. He asks her to read to him. She does. It's the gentlest scene in the film.
A breathtaking multi-story room lined floor to ceiling with books on every wall. Spiral columns support upper galleries connected by ornate railings. Tall windows pour golden light across leather spines and gilt lettering. Rolling ladders reach the highest shelves. Comfortable reading chairs and window seats are tucked into alcoves. The sheer volume of books — thousands upon thousands — makes the village bookshop look like a pamphlet rack. The room has the hushed, reverent quality of a cathedral, except the sacred texts here are fairy tales and philosophy and adventure.
Also known as: The Library, The Castle Library, Belle's Library