The Beast (Real Name: Prince Adam) is the male protagonist of Disney's 1991 animated feature film, Beauty and the Beast. A prince by birth, he was cursed by a mysterious Enchantress into as punishment for his selfish and cruel nature; only by loving another and earning their love in return can the Beast free himself and those affected by the spell before time runs out.

As the film is based on the traditional fairy tale of the same name, the Beast is based on the corresponding character from that fairy tale.

The Beast is not of any one species of animal, but a chimera, a mixture of several animals. He has the head structure and horns of a buffalo, the arms, claws and body of a bear, the eyebrows of a gorilla, the jaws and mane of a lion, the tusks of a wild boar and the legs, teeth, and tail of a wolf. The Beast also bears resemblance to mythical monsters like the Minotaur or a werewolf. He also has blue eyes, the one physical feature that does not change whether he is a beast or a human.

Originally, the Beast is seen shirtless, with ragged, dark gray breeches, and a ragged reddish-colored cape with a golden colored circular-shaped clasp. Despite the actual color of his cape is a dark wine red color, The Beast's cape is more often referenced to be purple. The reason for this change in color is unknown, although the most likely reason is that the color purple is often associated with royalty.

After the Beast saves Belle from a pack of wolves, his dress style changes, reflecting a more refined personality, as it becomes more disciplined. On the day he showed Belle the library, the Beast wore a white long-sleeved collared shirt with a dark blue cape and blue clasp and dark blue pants. While having lunch with Belle, the Beast wore a green vest with gold trimmings, white cuffs, a light green collar, and a white handkerchief. He also wore a white dress shirt with black pants and a light blue sash, as well as an indigo cape with magenta underneath while feeding birds. The most referenced form of dress is his ballroom outfit, which consists of a golden vest over a white dress shirt with a white kerchief, black dress pants trimmed with gold, and a navy blue ballroom tailcoat trimmed with gold, worn during the film's ballroom dance sequence. The Beast also tied the back of his fur similar to a ponytail adorned with a medium blue ribbon. In the climax, he is shown wearing a mixture of the above, tattered dark purple pants, his red cape, as well as a white long-sleeved collared shirt.

The Beast's human form is that of a tall and slender young man named Prince Adam (though not as tall as the height of the Beast). He has fair skin, shoulder-length light auburn hair, while also retaining his bright blue eyes. Other than the immediate aftermath of regaining his human form (wearing the clothes he wore as the Beast at that time), he is only ever seen in a more "human" version of his ballroom attire, simply with a pair of brown dress boots with light brown folded sleeves and his hair tied in a low ponytail adorned with a blue clip. In Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, the human form's ballroom outfit had darker brown dress boots with gray folded sleeves.