Villeneuve's original tale includes several elements that Beaumont's omits. Chiefly, the back-story of both Beauty and the Beast is given. The Beast was a prince who lost his father at a young age, and whose mother had to wage war to defend his kingdom. The queen left him in care of an evil fairy, who tried to seduce him when he became an adult; when he refused, she transformed him into a beast. Beauty's story reveals that she is not really a merchant's daughter but the offspring of a king and a good fairy. The wicked fairy had tried to murder Beauty so she could marry her father the king, and Beauty was put in the place of the merchant's dead daughter to protect her. She also gave the castle elaborate magic, which obscured the more vital pieces of it. Beaumont greatly pared down the cast of characters and simplified the tale to an almost archetypal simplicity.

The urban opening is unusual in fairy tales, as is the social class of the characters, neither royal nor peasants. It may reflect the social changes occurring at the time of its first writing.

Some authors and experts have suggested that the story of Beauty and the Beast could be influenced by a true story. It would be the story of Petrus Gonsalvus, who was born in the sixteenth century on the island of Tenerife (Spain) and was brought to the court of King Henry II of France. Petrus suffered hypertrichosis, causing an abnormal growth of hair on his face and other parts. In Paris, he was welcomed under the protection of the king and married a beautiful Parisian woman named Catherine.