Palanquin is a living stagecoach, or at least the unseen pilot of the coach, existing as a result of the Enchantress' curse. The stagecoach was featured in the 1991 Disney animated feature film Beauty and the Beast.
Appearances
Beauty and the Beast
Palanquin only has a brief appearance in the first film and was unnamed. After Belle sacrifices her freedom to ensure her father, Maurice was freed from the Beast's castle dungeon. The Beast, thoughtlessly dragging Maurice away before Belle even had the chance to say goodbye, threw a pleading Maurice into Palanquin's coach while telling Maurice that his daughter is no longer of his concern before telling Palanquin to take Maurice back to the village. It then did so while Maurice was still begging, also ripping its bindings, as Belle watched in despair from her cell window. Presumably, Palanquin managed to return Maurice to the village without being spotted due to the villagers not believing Maurice when he claimed that Belle was taken prisoner by the Beast.
Palanquin was not seen throughout the rest of the film, but it can be assumed that it (or at least the driver) returned to human form after the spell was broken.
New Adventures of Disney's Beauty and the Beast
In the second issue of the prequel comic series published by Disney Comics, Palanquin had a much larger role and was also given its name. After Chip and Sultan discovered that Beast fell off a cliff and was knocked out (with Chip falling down the ravine), Sultan relayed Chip's message about the Beast being in danger with Mrs. Potts, Chip's mother, sending Ladle and Tureen to summon Palanquin and fetch his rig. Afterward, Palanquin was loaded with ropes and harnesses as well as the Wheelbarrow at Mrs. Potts' command, in order to be prepared for anything. After loading Beast and Chip onto the wheelbarrow and reeling them up, Palanquin then returned to the castle. He presumably had little use since then, based on roots being placed at its feet by the time it was used again in the film.
House of Mouse
Palanquin makes a brief cameo in the series as the vehicle used to deliver Lumiere to the club.
Trivia
- Palanquin's role in the film had its roots from the Purdum screenplay for the film and with a larger role. In it, Beast was supposed to have owned an enchanted sedan chair that was initially used to deliver Maurice back to his cottage, as well as take Belle to the castle. Marquis Gaston and his men would later steal the sedan chair in the climax so he could confront the Beast and kill him. However, this development was cut when the screenplay itself was rejected by then-Disney Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg, and the film rewritten as a result.
- In the Cartoon Network series Steven Universe, at least two members of the Great Diamond Authority used palanquins resembling this one, complete with legs.
