MUMBAI: Disney Channel will air the first animated feature film in the history of the Oscars, Beauty and the Beast, on 12 May at 11 am.

Beauty and the Beast, which was nominated for Best Picture (1991), is a heartwarming story of a young and beautiful girl, Belle, whose life revolves around reading books and taking care of her kind father, Maurice.

Maurice gets lost in the woods and stumbles upon an enchanted castle. The owner of the castle turns out to be a prince cursed to living the life of a Beast. Angry at his trespassing, the Beast throws Maurice into a dungeon and Belle strikes a bargain with the Beast - to become his prisoner in exchange for her elderly father‘s freedom.

Despite her precarious situation, Belle befriends the castle‘s enchanted staff - a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others - and ultimately learns to see beneath the Beast‘s exterior to discover the heart and soul of a prince.