In Beauty and the Beast, what object must remain enchanted until the Beast learns to love?

In Disney's 1991 Beauty and the Beast, the enchanted rose must remain in bloom until the Beast learns to love and earns love in return.

The rose represents the time limit imposed by the enchantress's curse. A young prince had rejected her disguise as an old woman, so she transformed him into the Beast and changed his servants into household objects. If he could not learn to love before the last petal fell, the spell would become permanent.

The film shows the rose beneath a glass cover in the castle. Its falling petals create visual suspense and connect the Beast's inner change to a physical countdown. Belle's arrival does not instantly break the curse; the Beast must become capable of compassion and mutual affection.

The rose is a recurring symbol in adaptations of the tale, although its exact role and details vary between literary, theatrical, and screen versions. Disney made it one of the franchise's defining images.