Twenty-five years ago, on September 29,1991, Beauty and the Beast premiered at the New York Film Festival, no small feat considering that the film was unfinished. Not only did that first audience forgive the footage for missing the Ink & Paint Department, but they applauded as loudly as they would have applauded at a Broadway show. The film enjoyed a slum dunk release in its finished form at El Capitan Theater and was well received around the world. We were all so busy praising the film that it would have been easy to miss the dedication: