<P> During its initial release in 1991, the film grossed $145.9 million in revenues in North America and $351.9 million worldwide . It ranked as the third-most successful film of 1991 in North America, surpassed only by the summer blockbusters Terminator 2: Judgment Day and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves . At the time Beauty and the Beast was the most successful animated Disney film release, and the first animated film to reach $100 million in the United States and Canada in its initial run . In its IMAX re-release, it earned $25.5 million in North America and $5.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $31 million . It also earned $9.8 million from its 3D re-release overseas . During the opening weekend of its North American 3D re-release in 2012, Beauty and the Beast grossed $17.8 million, coming in at the No. 2 spot, behind Contraband, and achieved the highest opening weekend for an animated film in January . The film was expected to make $17.5 million over the weekend; however, the results topped its forecast and the expectations of box office analysts . The re-release ended its run on May 3, 2012, and earned $47.6 million, which brought the film's total gross in North America to $219 million . It made an estimated $206 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $425 million . </P> <P> Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's song "Beauty and the Beast" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, while Menken's score won the award for Best Original Score . Two other Menken and Ashman songs from the film, "Belle" and "Be Our Guest", were also nominated for Best Original Song . Beauty and the Beast was the first picture to receive three Academy Award nominations for Best Original Song, a feat that would be repeated by The Lion King (1994), Dreamgirls (2006), and Enchanted (2007). Academy rules have since been changed to limit each film to two nominations in this category, due to the consecutive unintentional failures of Dreamgirls and Enchanted to win the award . </P> <P> The film was also nominated for Best Picture and Best Sound . It was the first animated film ever to be nominated for Best Picture, and remained the only animated film nominated until 2009 when the Best Picture field was widened to ten nominees, and it remains the only animated film nominated for the award when it had five nominees . It became the first musical in twelve years to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year, following All That Jazz (1979), and the last one to be nominated until Moulin Rouge! (2001), ten years later . It lost the Best Picture award to The Silence of the Lambs . With six nominations, the film currently shares the record for the most nominations for an animated film with WALL - E (2008), although, with three nominations in the Best Original Song category, Beauty and the Beast's nominations span only four categories, while WALL - E's nominations cover six individual categories . </P> <P> While The Little Mermaid was the first to be nominated, Beauty and the Beast became the first animated film to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture--Musical or Comedy . This feat was later repeated by The Lion King and Toy Story 2 . </P>

Who played the beast in the animated movie