In the early stages of production, the film was planned to be a direct-to-video sequel to the original film, taking place after the events of the first film and featuring Gaston's vengeful younger brother, Avenant, as the villain. Interestingly, Avenant was the villain in Jean Cocteau's 1946 version Beauty and the Beast (1946), and the inspiration of the Gaston character, but did not appear in any way in the 1991 film. As the film would no longer be "Beauty and the Beast", however, the filmmakers felt it would lack the magic of the original, and decided to change the story entirely, making it into a midquel. Avenant's goal (to ruin the lives of Belle and the Prince), however, was used in the final scenes of the movie for the film's antagonist, Forte the Pipe Organ (who decided to kill them both to stop the spell breaking).