Category: Beauty and The Beast

Beauty and the Beast is an adjustment of the classic fairy-tale about a monstrous prince and a young woman who fall in love. It is based on the 1991 version of Disney Beauty and the Beast and was released in March 2017. In this live-action re-imagining of the fairy tale, a young woman takes her father’s place as a prisoner in a beast’s castle, only to fall in love with her monstrous incarcerator, who turns out to be a prince. The creators were able to bring to life the animated movie itself. Although there can be some distinctive differences between the two movies, the main key points of the animated movie doesn’t contradict the actions of the live action movie. Each scene was able to play its part and go hand in hand as the movie carried on. Both movie posters convey the same image when looking at it such as the main focus of the poster, however, there are some differences such as the mood brought between both posters and how the older version is more cartoonish while the newer version is more realistic.

The main focus in the two poster images is the princess Belle and the Beast. The title in both posters, are written in big and bold yellow words, with the promotion of Disney, which created both movies, this makes it stand out. In both movie posters, we can see that the beauty and the beast are dancing together and holding their hands while dancing. Both posters have a dark blue, yellow, and black surrounded around the poster for the background. This background is significant to the color of Belle dress and the beast suit. Around the beauty and the beast dancing, the other characters such as the tea pot and cups, the candle, and the clock are surrounding them, which shows that they are also very important characters in the movie. These moving objects are looking up to the beauty and the beast dancing with a happy face expression.

The mood bought in the 1991 movie poster brings a magical and princessy vibe. While the 2017 poster brings a mysterious and dark vibe. In the 1991 poster, since the movie is animated it brings out a more colorful poster, with bright colors. After about 26 years, the more fairy-tale version came out, the main point in the poster portrays the movie to be romantic and fantasy due to the couple lovingly dancing together giving out the theme of romance. The target audience for both movies seems to be a wide range of people. It has been rated PG so it is appropriate for all ages. Kids would be interested in this movie as it is based on the classic fairy-tale which is very popular. However, adults and young people may also be interested.

Both posters bring out a princess/ fairy-tale theme by the small details. You can see the two characters in the 2017 movie poster, however their faces cannot be seen, but the male character is presented to be a monster, giving the theme of fantasy. The poster does not seem very realistic as the colors and characters makes it seem to be quite elegant and fairy-tale like. In 1991 movie poster which shows the image of a rose in a glass jar, which is a significant aspect of the film as it is what counts down the time the beast has to find true love to break his curse. In both movie posters, the font for the title is quite fancy and elegant to support the fantasy theme.

After all the purpose for the 2017 movie poster is to advertise the movie and make it more known so when it was released, it will be popular. Other infomation is also given on this poster, however it is written in small font. This movie poster was brought out to hype the fans and audience for this fairy-tale movie after a long time of recreation, new changes, and life version from the 1991 movie poster. The main difference is the one is animated and the other one is a more life verision with real characters.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991 and is based on the fairytale La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (“Beauty and the Beast”). It tells the story of a prince who is transformed into a Beast after becoming cursed by an enchantress who believes that his heart cannot fathom love and a young village woman named Belle who is longing for adventure and freedom from her daily life (“Beauty and the Beast”). To become a prince again, the Beast must learn to love Belle and win her love in return before the last petal falls from an Enchanted Rose, or he will remain a Beast for the rest of his life (“Beauty and the Beast”).

This film was one of the many commercial successes that were produced by Disney and earned over $424 million in box office earnings around the world (“Beauty and the Beast”). Beauty and the Beast was a significant moment in pop culture’s relationship with feminism. Belle portrays the ideal feminist in this film by rejecting patriarchal ideas, educating herself and taking charge of her own life. This film is pivotal to pop culture because it paved the way for future feminist Disney characters and films.

To begin, feminism can be described by political, cultural and economic movements with goals to create equal rights for women (“The Three Waves of Feminism”). The history of these movements can be divided into three waves, the first wave focusing on women’s right to vote, the second wave highlighting women’s liberation including equal legal and social rights and the third wave restates aspects of the second wave (“The Three Waves of Feminism”). Beauty and the Beast is a reflection of third-wave feminism, which began in the 1990s because it aimed to challenge the definitions of femininity and saw women’s lives as intersectional (“The Three Waves of Feminism”). Belle is illustrated as a feminist character because, despite her town telling her that her persistence for learning was strange for a woman, she continues to make trips to the library and educates herself (Bailen, 2018). She also declines the multiple attempts by Gaston for her hand in marriage even though it was seen as normal during this time in France, rejecting patriarchal notions (Bailen, 2018).

Likewise, Belle makes the brave choice to take her father’s place as the Beast’s captive which shows strength when making decisions about her own life (Bailen, 2018). This film seeks to address an audience defined by feminist consciousness by offering a female protagonist who is an active, free-thinking agent (Erb 51). All of these characteristics depict Belle as being a feminist activist and a role model for women. Additionally, this popular story has been retold countless times, including in the hit Television show Once Upon a Time. In this show, Belle’s character is modernized and is portrayed as intelligent, educated, adventurous and someone who is in control of her life (“Belle”). An example of this is when her magician husband gives her a knife which is the only thing that can both control and kill him, which is a symbol of trusting her with his power (“Belle”).

Another well-known example of this is the 2017 re-imagined version of this film, which stars Emma Watson as Belle, who is a famous feminist activist (Gray, 2017). This film highlights Belle wanting to share her knowledge with other girls and turns her into an inventor which gives her strong ambition and a sense of self (Gray, 2017). These modern adaptations of this story prove the strong impact that this film has had on the history of pop culture’s relationship with feminism. Furthermore, this film resulted in the making of many other Disney films that portray feminist ideals and characters. For instance, Princess Jasmine in Aladdin refuses to be forced into marriage and fights against traditions and expectations (Bailen, 2018). Another example is Pocahontas who chooses her tribe over love and teaches John Smith about her culture (Bailen, 2018). Beauty and the Beast has historically been predominantly a woman’s story and has inspired many to follow further proving the relevance of feminism in society throughout the decades (Erb 53).

To conclude, Beauty and the Beast took many ideas surrounding feminist theory and highlighted it through an animated film that was targetted to young women and emphasizes Belle as a role model. Belle’s interest in learning and reading, as well as her lack of interest in forced marriage and patriarchy presents her as being an empowered Disney princess. This film is very important to the history of pop culture because it was one of the first Disney films to put a spotlight on feminism and started the conversation about this movement which sparked many films that followed. It is still a relevant film in society today because feminism is still being mentioned and talked about in countless other films, television shows and other forms of pop culture. Belle’s perseverance can be found in women everywhere!

Beauty and the beast has several messages going on during the movie. The first one being that the girl does not always pick the handsome, muscular guy like every other movie out there. The second one being that people will do anything to get with a person no matter how much money or effort it will take to be with them. Lastly, that not every horrifying person is bad. The filmmakers made sure to incorporate certain colors into the movie as they were symbols of actions. They also had many creations while drawing the beast and the meaning behind him.

The history behind the movie ‘Beauty and The Beast’ is not something people would know. The movie was directed by Gary Trousdale. It released on November 22,1991. The type of genres that the movie is related to is animation, drama, musical and performing arts, and romance. The story is about an arrogant young prince and his castles servant’s who all fall under a wicked spell. It turns the prince into a hideous beast until he knows how to love and receive love. This young, beautiful, and smart village girl named Belle enters the beast’s castle after her father has gone in there and became a prisoner. The real story behind the movie comes from the 1500s as real life events. The man’s name was Petrus Gonsalvus and he never wanted to be named the beast. He has a very rare condition called hypertrichosis, it is a disease that results in hair growing all over a person’s body. He was just missing a wife? I am pretty sure it was very hard for him to find a wife but he did. Her name was catherine de Medici. It was her personal mission to be Petruss wife. The two people were married for 40 years and had 7 children. Three of which were born with their fathers disease. Those three were given as gifts to the royal families.

Beauty and the beast was a big success both commercially and critically during the initial release. It has earned over $424 million in box office earnings throughout the world. For the commercial success, they have won the best original music score. But they have also been nominated for best picture and best sound mixing. They also won a Golden Globe award for best motion picture and Golden Globe for the best original score. ‘Beauty and The Beast’ had some excellent press for them. For an example, Gene Slskel stated “Beauty and the Beast is one of the year`s most entertaining films for both adults and children.” meaning that it is a great movie to watch no matter how you are; everyone can enjoy it. Another example of great press that ‘Beauty and The Beast’ had was “ It’s exceptionally difficult to make an audience care for animated characters unless they’re mermaids or anthropomorphized animals or insects, yet the Disney animators, with a big assist from the vocal talents of a superb cast, have pulled it off” by John Hartl. He’s explaining that it is hard to make a movie for the viewer to feel sometime of empathy for the characters and since they were able to do that the movie had a deep meaning to it.

I think how the movie has impacted our culture is how the movie basically says that love will find you when the time is right. So people should not be going around looking for their true lover because they are not going to unless they wait for it. I think the movie has changed American because as you watch the movie you see that every woman that would be considered “popular” these days all go for the huge, muscular, tall handsome man. But you will see that he does not want them; He wants Bell. As he is a well-known person in the town and well she is not for the most part. So it is not all that the beautiful girls go out for the most attractive and do not really know their worth. It is that girls should learn their worth so then they do not end up a man who is going to hurt them in the end and truly wants them for them and not their looks. The movie has became who we are because it teaches us little life lessons deep inside the movie. Belle shows little girls and woman that it is okay to regreta man, that it is okay to be confident in who they are, and if the man does not expect the fact that you do not want them then it is okay. The beast shows little boys and men that it is okay to wait for love but eventually the right girl will come, to express how they feel, and to learn how to control their anger in different ways. Gastan shows little boys and men that it is not okay to take something important away from the girl in order to get here, not being disrespectful to her, and that it is okay to take rejection in different ways.

There could be millions of ideas what the theme could be for this movie. But in reality the true theme is love. Belle is not loved or cared for because she is beautiful but because she kind and caring. The beast is slower but not to slow for his uptake, but he does get there by making and putting effort into the affection he gives belle before the last rose petal falls off. There is different reasons as why each and every character is different in this movie. Belle longs for so much more than a normal, ordinary life. The beast is learning how to gain love for another. Lumiere is like the who is always going to say “do it” because there could be a good ending. Cogsworth is the friend that says “ no thats going to be a good idea” or a “buzz kill.” Mrs. Potts is like the most caring and confident and gives both Belle and the Beast good advice. Chip is like the little cute one who joins in all the fun that goes on. Gaston is like the big bad wolf in the movie. Maurice has that deep loving and caring fatherly love for belle and will always support her decisions. The structure is quite amazing from other Disney movies. In the exposition Belle is the outcast of the town. Gaston tries to make her his. In the rising action Belles father gets chased bu wolfes in the forest and ends up finding the Beasts castle and becomes captures. Belle tries to save her father but then becomes the prisoner for the Beast. Everyone in the castle is happy that theres a girl in the castle because they are excited that the Beast and Belle may fall in love. The climax is where everything is going to take a turn but then end up working in the end. The word gets out that Belle and the Beast have become friends and Gaston begins to create a mob of people to kill the Beast so he could have Belle. The falling action begins when the angry mob enters the castle but gets defeated by everyone who lives in the castle. The Beast kills Gaston at the end of the fight. The Beast begins to die because the last and final rose petal has fallen off but Belle tells him that she loves him. So the Beast does not respond for a solid minute but his spirit is coming back to him and he becomes the handsome prince he was because he has had a spell casted on him. Belle does not believe that it is him until she looks into his big blue eyes that she knows. The conclusion of the movie is that Belle and Prince Adam fall in love and they will live happily ever after. The artistic style of the movie is Baroque and rococo. The film combines tradtitional animation with computer animations. It blends together computer generated backgrounds with hand-drawn characters. There are many things that make the plot, artstic style, and different things special in this movie.

I think the movie is a great movie to watch. I have not watched that movie since i was 7 years old and it brought back the little kid in me. I really enjoyed watching it. The movie is whatever age. If you wanna watch the movie when you are 76 years old you’ll still enjoy it. It si truly such an amzing movie. It has so many hidden messages in there. But truly the one that stands out the most is that love takes time to find. Like I explained above Belle does not want gaston and she does not rush things with the beast but she knows she had some kind of feelings for the beast. There are so many beautiful movements in the movie. One being that belle told the beast that she loved him and saved his life because she said it.

Many people would enjoy his movie no matter what verison it is. People will have different thoughts as I but people see other things different. They will see the theme as something else, notice different things, and many more. There are different meanings to the movie but it is one that is exposed as much.

Animation is not a new art form. The origins of the discipline date back to the late, 19th and early 20th century. For example, one of the earliest animations recorded ‘Humorous Phases of Funny Faces’, released in 1906 heralded the introduction of basic stop motion ideas and successfully captured the illusion of movement. Nonetheless, scholars regard Walt Disney’s 1937 first full animated feature film as a watershed moment in the history of animation taking the concept to a new level of artistry. Indeed, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs proved a worldwide box- office success and gave Disney an honorary Oscar in 1939 for its pioneering and innovative animation achievements and breakthroughs. More recently, in 2018, Oscar Winning Animated film, ‘Into the Spider-Verse’, pushed the boundaries of animation even further, by finding itself a unique selling point and differentiating itself from its many predecessors, by both technical innovation and its narrative.

This essay will examine the ways in which animation has evolved using new technologies and advancements over the years and how the past influences the present. The Disney name is synonymous with cinematic animation. Walt Disney’s legacy has imprinted itself onto the global collective mind. Generation of children and indeed adults are aware of his artistic contribution and corporate brand name. Fig 1 However, although many movie historians are nostalgic about the likes of Mickey Mouse, most would identify Snow White as the real game-changer in the evolution of animation. The Snow-White project was a laborious and expensive crusade for the expanding Disney machine. Crucial to this high-risk strategy was a combination of Walt’s unrelenting vision coupled with excessive demands he imposed on his army of overworked employees.

The technological limitations of the 1930s necessitated meticulous preparation and labour-intensive artistic endeavour. Literally, thousands of fragile and combustible sheets had to be painstakingly traced and coloured before being photographed. Disney’s pioneering maxim that it was ‘Fun to do the impossible’, was not always shared by legions of his worker ants. Nevertheless, the end result was eventually proclaimed as a masterpiece of exceptional craftsmanship. Cinematic scholars have identified Snow White as a groundbreaking art work in the evolution of the cinematic animation medium. Disney’s so-called ‘Folly’, elevated 2D animation into a commercially viable and sophisticated art form that captured new audiences and raised the bar for creative animation efforts. Fig 2 Dabbling with CGI 2D hand-drawn techniques remained at the heart of Disney animation projects for decades winning the company multiple accolades and billions in revenue. However, the dawn of a new digital animation process in the 1970’s set the scene for a profound transformation at Disney studios.

While Beauty and the Beast, 1991 was not the first cartoon to nudge studios away from the paper and pencil discipline it is nonetheless famous for heralding the beginning of the process of integrating hand drawn 2D characters with a computer-generated backdrop most notably the ball room scene. This notable early generated sequence allowed animators to craft, paint, and layer their visual imageries in ways that would enhance the richness, vibrancy and depth of the final image in ways never before seen. Fig 3 According to the executive producer of Beauty and the Beast, Dohn Hahn – “For us as filmmakers, the computer offered us a way to get heightened emotions on the screen and more dramatic effects than we could have gotten conventionally. Computer graphics let us go beyond what we can currently achieve with pencil and paper or paint and a brush”.

Toy Story: Full CGI Roy Disney states that “Everything we have done since Beauty and the Beast, at Disney, has passed through the computer. All that means is that we have these wonderful tools at hand, and we can make a movie look like anything we choose it to look like.” Nowadays, the name Pixar is synonymous with the Disney Brand. However, in the late 1970s it was a relatively small computer graphics company known as graphics group in the process of developing a new digital animation process. Realising such enormous potential, graphics group was acquired by apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs renamed Pixar and then purchased by Disney for Billions in 2006. Pixar began with Toy Story earning critical and commercial success. While Walt Disney is credited as revolutionizing animation, in 1995, Disney and Pixar made cinematic history by launching animation to a new sphere. Known for its video capabilities, Pixar’s creation of soft and hardware led to the invention of a brand-new style of movie.

Toy story became the first full feature movie made entirely using Computer Generated imagery. The film enthralled audiences across the globe and was a critical and commercial success. Pixar’s revolutionary technology allowed for its custom software to migrate the cumbersome ink and paint part of the 2D animation process to a more computerised, efficient method. These technological breakthroughs in computer animation opened the realms of possibility and widened the slope of artistic imagery allowing for detailing of meticulous precision such as the fine stickers on Buzz light year (Fig 4). However, on the other hand there were rendering limitations for the new craft because of the computer’s shortcomings at that time and the difficulty of producing organic visuals such as human textures. Fig 5 Ultimately, Pixar was responsible for the creation and production of Toy story while Disney handled marketing and distribution. Infusion In 2018, Peter Ramsey and others co-directed Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, winning best animated movie at the 2019 academy awards. They achieved technical innovation in this film by a process of integrating 2D techniques from the past with more advanced 3D styles in order to craft a completely unique style for the film.

According to R, Disney, “…different artists see things differently, and one artist may envision the look of a film in a different way from another. We have such an enormous choice now of looks and style that it really becomes a particular artists choice”. Unlike Beauty and the Beast, Into the Spider-Verse is a fully computer-generated film the artists have incorporated 2D imagery while it is still computer-generated film. While Beauty and the Beast was a 2D and 3D production the creators of Into the Spider-Verse have used the latest technology available to craft a more successful blending of the two styles. For example, the usage of manipulating ones and twos is one of the ways they use older 2D techniques not before used in a blockbuster 3D animated film. Because Cg animation allows for fluid movement nearly all animated films are produced entirely on ones. This means for every second there are 24 frames. Each of these frames is an entirely new image: This is animating on ones. Although animating on ones may look smoother, ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’, broke the mould by using Twos and Threes again meaning that some of the frames would be the same image per second. This allowed the animators to create more pronounced expressive poses, to help create a sense of character and individuality. This technique was also used to develop certain story beats in the film. For example, when the protagonist first gets his power, he is quite clumsy as he is not used to these abilities thus the animators would animate on twos or threes to subtly enforce this fact visually.

Furthermore, by animating him on ones later on in the film it helps to show that he is gaining both confidences in himself and also of his powers. This shows that the animated technique applied in this film does not just serve the purpose of being visually compelling but also helps add to the narrative progression of the film. As this film explores multiple ‘Spider-People’, from different dimensions some of which being quite wacky the usage of ones and twos also helps to differentiate the characters on screen. For example, as I mentioned earlier the integration of 2D and 3D was one of the unique aspects of the films animation process, I believe the character ‘Peter Porker’, Is a direct nod to this. He is a character with direct inspiration from old School 2D characters from the likes of old school Disney cartoons or the Looney Toons. This character is actually introduced to the audience in 180 degrees walk cycle paying homage to classical hand-drawn animations of the past that would have frequented this technique. Another major technique was how they chose not to use motion blur. In most modern 3D animated films to show quick movement, they would blur some frames to soften a movement in an attempt to make the animation seem more realistic. Instead, they opted again for an old school technique called a smear.

This was used in a lot of early cartoons to create a sense of motion. For example, in the film, if you look at a single frame it would occasionally look like multiple limbs to create the illusion of movement. In Fig 5 a character called Gwen is playing the drums and you are able to make out multiple limbs and drumsticks. You can see how they just painted these over the top of the image. Fig 5 Conclusion Lee, and Madej in, Disney Stories: Getting to Digital, state that “The complexity of entertainment nowadays and in the future requires interdisciplinary technological advances and integrated applications”

It is remarkably evident that there are many similarities in ancient and modern works. This essay provides a comparison between the modern 2017 Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, and ancient work the Tale of Tulisa. Both works share the themes and ideas of finding beauty, love, and purity. The two stories focus on different minor details, characters, and relationships, but are centered on the same main themes, including romance, curse, and poverty, changing to wealth as well as the same overall plotline. The ancient myth the Tale of Tulisa and Beauty and the Beast, a modern childhood movie, share several similarities, although they are from different cultures and time. The two stores share similarities in the theme of love, the theme of imprisonment, poverty, and the idea of love breaking a curse.

One similarity between the ancient work Beauty and the Beast and the Tale of Tulisa is the theme of love. The main protagonists in both the ancient tale and modern Disney film are powerfully fueled by love. The main character in the Tale of Tulisa, Tulisa yearned to trace her lost companion, after her curiosity and prying over his identity caused them to break apart. Tulisa’s love for her husband made her follow difficult conditions. “You swim it and seek a bird (Huma) and get one of its eggs until it hatches” were the instruction given to Tulisa so that she could kill her mother-in-law and save the husband. In ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ Belle, the protagonist was strong-minded in saving and finding her father from the beast himself and the castle. The love between Belle and her father is shown through their devotion to one another. The Beast said, “Are you sure you want to be imprisoned in your father’s place?” Belle responded by agreeing to stay in the castle forever to save his father. Also, the delighted knickknacks show love for each other in the big fights by coming to each other’s rescue. It was the unconditional, pure and deep love that led both protagonists to victory, in spite of all hardships and obstacles they faced along their journey.

Imprisonment is another theme evident in the two works. Both Belle and Tulisa’s families have a huge role in their decisions and lives. Tulisa’s family in the Tale of Tulisa is poor. They have no access to luxurious things because her father is a woodcutter. One day Tulisa roams into the forest and, a voice in a well requests for her hand in marriage. This decision rests on her father and, immense wealth promise hurriedly convinces him to conclude. The neighbors grow envious of this unexpected wealth and are jealous of the new-found wealth of the cutter’s family. These circumstances later bring problems to the family. The narrator says, “Woodcutter falsely accused and thrown into prison, condemned to death…” the false accusations to the king brings about the imprisonment of Tulisa’s father. Similar aspects are evident in Beauty and the Beast. The Beast catches Belle’s father picking flowers on his property, and he shouts, “You dare pick one of the many individual flowers growing on my vast property?! I will imprison you forever for that!” In the two tales, both protagonists’ fathers end up imprisoned due to situations related to their daughters.

Poverty is another similarity between the two works. In both works, poverty is one of the main themes. A young Belle, in the modern Walt Disney work, lost her mother to the plague and raised in a poverty-stricken small settlement. Belle claims, “Every morning we wake up to the same environment since the morning we arrived to this poor town.” Belle’s father worked as an inventor and barely had everything they needed. Similarly, from the very beginning, Tulisa’s family struggled with the lack of basic needs. Therefore, to show her poverty background the narrators says, “Tulisa returns to ragged poor life” after her husband admits his name. This clarifies the reason why her father decided to accept Basnak Dau proposal heavily influenced by the promise of immense wealth. In both the modern film and ancient work, Belle’s and Talisa’s families were relieved of their poverty struggles. For example, when Price married Belle, her family was well taken care of. Likewise, Talisa’s family was financially taken care of when her husband’s power was restored after she came to be the Queen of Spirits. From poverty to wealth, the theme is evident in both works. Every family becomes better off at the end.

Love is the element that breaks curses in both works. In the ancient work, after Tulisa’s husband was changed from human to snake and invisible to man, she did not want this incident to reoccur; as a result, she agreed to kill her mother to get her husband back. Tulisa’s love for her husband made undertaking difficult tasks. “Encouraged by squirrels, Tulisa creates a raft, fords the river, and gets Huma egg.” The egg purpose was to kill her mother-in-law to break the curse and change her husband back into visible form. Similarly, in Beauty and the Beast, the curse is broken by love. Gaston, Belle’s lover finds about the Beast and decides to go and kill it. Gaston wrestles with the Beast and stabs the beast cause him to fall to the flow and die. However, before the last petal fell off, Belle reaches out to the Beast, and said, “Please, don’t leave me. Come back. I love you” as she kisses the beast on the forehead just in time, and he was transformed into human form and back to live. In both works, love breaks the curses, and the protagonists live happily at the end. Another similarity in the two works is the protagonists falling in love with non-humans. Both works are based on the idea of main characters falling in love with men in non-human form and the end, transforming into a human. Tulisa first met her husband in the form of a sound on a well. Despite being invisible, Tulisa agrees to marry a voice when asked by a voice at the well, “Will you marry me.” The Tale of Tulisa is based on Tulisa’s love for non-human who changes her family’s lives. Also, In Beauty and the Beast, the protagonist falls in love with a non-human. Belle ends up falling in love with the Beast after they spent a lot of time together in the castle. The beast rests his paw on Belle’s hand, and say, “We are together now, and everything will be fine.” They gradually started to fall in love and at the end of the tale when Belle confesses her love for the beast it transforms into a prince. Both Belle and Tulisa fall in love with non-human beings that later changes to be human price, and they live happily at the end. Curses are prominent similarities in both works. A curse is defined as a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something. The theme of a curse is shown in humans being transformed into non-human men. When Tulisa request for proof of love, her husband answered, “My name is Basnak Dau,” admitting the name made him change into a snake. The curse took away Tulisa’s possessions, including the beautiful palace, her money, her husband, and was left poor. When the curse is broken, she reunites with her husband. In the modern movie, Beauty and the Beast, the Beast is a curse from an old bagger woman after the prince refused her to enter the palace when she was seeking shelter. Due to this cruel act, the narrator said, “The Prince attempted to make an apology, but there was no time,” and the woman punished the prince by changing the palace unattractive and him into an ugly beast. Mutual love before the fall of the last petal in the rose was the only way to break the curse.

In conclusion, while carefully identifying the similarities between the modern Disney work and the ancient story, it is clear that both works hold important lessons. Away from the notable similarities and the two works entertainment, both tales demonstrate that affection overcomes all. With relationships, family, and anything, when love is a motivator, everything is possible. Belle exemplifies love, beauty, purest of intentions, and understanding. Similarly, Tulisa is driven by love to rescue her husband. The only difference between the two works is in the way the stories are presented. Although the Tale of Tulisa and the Beauty and the Beast are two stories written in different cultures and during different periods, themes of love, curse, poverty, and using love to break a curse are prominent in the two works. Lastly, both ancient and modern work is completely different tales but have similar major themes and overall message. The idea that the Beauty and the Beast is loosely based on the Tale of Tulisa is believed by many and rooted in clear parallels between the two works.

The plot of Beauty and the Beast is about a young country girl who lives in a small town with her father called Maurice. Gaston is a handsome man who wants to marry Belle because of her looks, however, she is not interested in him. Near the town, in a castle, lives the Beast. He used to be a Prince but was turned into a terrifying beast by an enchantress because he was selfish. The enchantress gave the Beast a rose that would keep losing its petals unless he could find someone to truly love him. One day, Maurice found himself lost in the forest, and he found the castle. The Beast thought he was a thief and locked him in a cell. Belle went to look for her father and found him in the castle. She took his place in the cell so that her father could be free. In the beginning, the Beast and Belle did not like each other, but they became closer. The Beast let Belle go after seeing that she missed her Father. Meanwhile, Gaston got the townspeople to follow him to kill the Beast. The Beast and Gaston fought, the Beast was badly injured but then Belle came and saved him by kissing him which showed that Belle loved the Beast. The curse broke and the Beast became human again. The prince was now kind and the town forgave him. The key moral message of this story is that beauty is found on the inside.

Beauty and the Beast show the topic of Doing Good through morality, conscience, and the Common Good. Morality was shown when the Beast didn’t throw Gaston off the edge of the castle. This was morality as he knew that it was the wrong thing to do. He knew the difference between good and bad. Conscience is shown when the Beast let Belle go. This was conscience as his love for Belle told him to do that. This was his decision.

The common good was shown when the village and castle residents joined for a celebration at the end of the movie. This is the common good as everyone became closer and everyone’s spirits were lifted. Everyone trusted everyone else.

Beauty and the Beast connects with the church teachings of the Beatitudes and the Ten Commandments. The Beatitude is “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” The definition of this Beatitude is that we forgive those who are unkind to us. The Beast was merciful when he let Gaston go after he cried for forgiveness while they were fighting at the castle. The Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” is shown by Mrs Potts. This Beatitude means that we should be satisfied with what we have. We should share the good things we have with others because God wants us to. Mrs Potts showed this very well, as although she was a teapot, she was grateful that she still had her son. The Beatitude, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God,” is shown by Agathe. This means that people do the right thing because they know it is right, not for a reward. Agathe is pure in heart as she cares for Maurice after he had been abandoned in the forest. She knew that this was the right thing to do in her heart.

The Commandment, You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour, is not shown by Gaston. Gaston does not follow this commandment as he lies throughout the film. One of the times is when he denies leaving Maurice in the woods. He isn’t following the commandment as he is not telling the truth.

Critically examine any two versions of a myth/ fairy tale/ folktale of your choice. Consider their intended audience, theses and motifs they have in common as well as distinguishing features of each version.

According to Bruno Bettelheim (1989) Fairy Tales are essential in the development of children’s evolution from immaturity to maturity/ He also suggests how many fairy tales can support children and “help them cope with their dreams and inner turmoil” (Bettelheim, 1989) Bettelheim argues that fairy tales provide a richness and provides an enchanted quality in children’s lives (Bettelheim, 1989). A Fairy Tale is a folklore genre that takes the form of a short story, and according to Crago (2003) they analyse the deep truths about life also. For the purpose of this study, ‘Beauty and The Beast’ will be compared and contrasted using both the Disney version and the Brothers Grimm version of the Tale. The study will encompass similar themes, motifs, features and also their intended audience.

To begin, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is on of the most romantic fairy tales. It incorporates the themes of love in many different areas throughout the tale. In the Disney version (1992), Love is seen from the onset of the fairy tale. It is noticeable that ‘Belle’ is loved by all not only because of her appearance but because of her kind and gentle personality. This love also conveys that ‘Beauty and the Beast’ has the correct idea of love, and that love is much more than appearances. Familial love is majorly evident in the Disney version of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Familial love is apparent between Belle and her Father, Maurice. They are both devoted to each other. This is evident when Belle swaps places with her father in the dungeon of the Beast’s castle. The theme of love is also very evident in the Brothers Grimm version also. Love can be seen from the very beginning of the Fairy Tale, where the father asks his daughters what they would like him to bring back from his travels. Two daughters request expensive and extravagant goods such as a pearl necklace and a brocade dress. However, Beauty requests a rose, an inexpensive and priceless (as so it seems) item. One could argue, this choice may represent consideration in relation to finance, but more distinct, the rose as a symbol of love, which will be discusses at a later stage. Similarly, to the Disney version, familial love is conspicuous when Beauty willingly takes her fathers place in the dungeon. It is also visible when Beauty’s father falls ill from a broken heart as his daughter is no longer with him. Romantic love is also noticeable in both versions of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Romantic love is palpable between Belle and the Beast in the Disney version and between Beauty and the Beast in the Brothers Grimm version. The most obvious representation of romantic love is displayed in both versions when Belle/Beauty is set free by the Beast to see her father, by the Beast. Romantic love is also evident in the ending of both versions, where they both declare their love for each other.

Love is not the only theme explored in ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Appearances is also apparent too. “There is frequent mention of characters’ physical appearances” (Baker-Sperry, Grauerholz, 2003). In relation to this, the theme of appearances is mainly explored through the character Gaston and the Beast, in the Disney version and the Beast in the Brothers Grimm version. In the Disney version, Gaston is a very handsome man on the outside but on the inside, he is an arrogant, selfish and nasty individual. Otherwise speaking, Gaston is ugly on the inside. On the other hand, however, in both versions, the Beast is unsightly and visually unappealing, but he has a heart of gold. This theme reinforces the fact one should look beyond the surface of an individual and as the saying goes “Never judge a book by it’s cover”.

There are many motifs and symbols used throughout the fairy tale ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Some of these motifs and symbols can be observed in both versions of the fairy tale. The Rose is possibly the most prevalent motif in ‘Beauty and the Beast’. A rose generally denotes love. The rose is visible in both versions of the fairy tale. In the Disney version the Beast is presented with a rose as a consequence for not helping an old beggar woman. This rose however does symbolise love but in a different way than expected. It symbolises the Beast’s chances at love rather than the love that is shared between a couple. This rose also acts as a representation of time for the Beast as it will bloom until his twenty-first year and during this time, he must find love otherwise he will remain a Beast forever. The rose is also evident in the Brothers Grimm version; however, it is introduced in a very different way. The father of Beauty is seen to pick a rose and his intention is to bring it back to his daughter, Beauty. According to Bettelheim the rose “symbolises love and losing her virginity” (Bettelheim, 2010, p.306). Other opinions believe the bringing of this rose implied an incestuous relationship or desire between father and daughter. This theory could be supported by Bengston who stated, “The folktales that the Grimm Brothers recorded included incest and abuse of children” (Bengston,2009, p.16) Although there is reference to sexual elements in the Grimm Brothers version, one could argue this is not noticeable in the Disney version.

The magic mirror is another symbol displayed in both versions of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. The magic mirror has the same effect in both versions of the fairy tale. In both texts Beauty/ Belle is presented with a magic mirror which enables her to see her family and the outside world. Once could say, the mirror acts as a window to the outside world, and in fact the only window. It may also act as a window to commodities the Beast can’t have and a reminder of the items and objects he has lost. The mirror is also a symbol of imprisonment in both texts as both Beauty/Belle and the Beast are imprisoned in a different world. It also conveys the beast as an outsider. In the Disney version the mirror becomes a weakness for the Beast as it reveals him to the outside world and endangers both himself and the caste, with the possibility of becoming attacked. An important aspect to note is that once the curse is lifted, we don’t see or hear of the mirror. This may be due to the fact the Beast is no longer imprisoned. There are some distinguishable motifs and symbols in each text. In the Disney version, there are multiple transformations which are not evident in the Brothers Grimm version. The transformations deal with our inner words a how our real selves sometimes disappear beneath the surface. In the Disney version, Gaston is loved for his looks but is truly a nasty human. Gaston may be viewed as a manifestation of the Beast prior to the curse. This is not as evident in the Brothers Grimm version. The transformation in relation to the servants of the castle, represent the personalities of the individuals behind the transformations. These changes may also imply to learn to recognise the souls of those you meet and look past the superficial. Another distinguishable feature of the tale conveyed in the Brothers Grimm version is the religious motif. “Fairy Tales are abound in religious motifs” (Bettelheim, 1989, p.17) This religious perspective is expressed by the use of the number three. In the Christian faith the number three is used to symbolise the Trinity. In the Brothers Grimm versions, there is reference to three daughters with Beauty being the youngest, the third child.

However, this is not seen in the Disney version.

With regard to the intended audience of both versions of the tale, once could say the intended audience for the Disney version predominantly young children but it also resonates well with adolescents and adults. One may argue this as Disney uses many different characters throughout the tale such. They also make great use of magic and moving objects such as Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs Potts, Chip and Candelabra. The use of magic keeps children entertained throughout. The intended audience of the Brothers Grimm version could also be for children also. The use of enchantment in this tale also keeps the reader entertained.

Taking everything into account, it is evident that fairy tales are essential in children’s lives and the communicate deep truths and morals in life. From research and findings, it is noticeable that that lesson in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is that a thing must be loved before it’s loveable. It also teaches the audience to look past thee superficial as all things aren’t as they seem.

Reference List:

1. Baker-Sperry. L, Grauerholz.L, (2003). The pervasiveness and persistence of the feminine beauty ideal in children’s fairy tales: Gender and Society, 17 (5) p.711-726
2. Bengtsson. N (2009) Sex and Violence in Fairy Tales for Children: Bookbird 47 (3).
3. Bettelheim B. (1989) The struggle for meaning: The uses of Enchantment.
4. Bettelheim B. (2010) The uses for enchantment: The meaning and importance of fairy tales. United States of America: Vintage Books.
5. Crago.H (2003) What is a Fairy Tale? Signal 34 p.8-25.
6. Disney (1992), Beauty and the Beast, London, United Kingdom: Ladybird Books.

Genre and film in itself, is greatly influenced by the culture and time of production. Its an integral part of the media itself and can’t be ignored when viewing genre through a critical lens. Although genre is an encompassing mode of identification for films and media, it is fluid and constantly changing through different eras and cultures. A single piece of media, with a preconceived plot can produced with many vastly varying outcomes depending on the time of creation and the values of the society it is created for. A great example of this, evident in the western film industry of today, is the remake of many Disney studio renaissance era animated films, such as Aladdin, the Lion King, and Beauty and the Beast. The latter of which will be discussed further in this essay.

Disney’s animated feature film Beauty and the beast was finished in 1991 and was met with overwhelming support and praise upon its initial release. It was a retelling of the classic fairy tale, La Belle et la Bete, published in 1740 by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuv, a story that had been retold many times but never with as much financial success as the Disney film release. Due to criticisms faced in previous Disney princess films that the female characters were seen to be completed by the prospect of finding a man to love and marry, the executives at Disney studios made the decision to make Belles character that of a strong, “feisty”, intelligent female lead. Belle’s character feels she wants more to life than to just settle down with the town’s good-looking and powerful Gaston, she wants an adventure like the ones she reads about in her books and holds her own against the frightening Beast

Thirty years pass and we are in the era where eighties and nineties nostalgia is a powerful force dictating the production and consumption of media of the present. Walt Disney studios, being the multibillion-dollar company it is, seeks a way to profit on this market, and stumbles upon the ingenious idea of remaking well known Disney properties in live action. As former Disney CEO Michael Eisner once said “We have no obligation to make art, we have no obligation to make history, we have no obligation to make a statement, but to make money”. And make money they do. Starting with Maleficent in 2014 and Cinderella in 2015. Disney begun producing high profit, low risk “remakes” of older films under their company, which leads us to 2017, and the release of Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson

Tokenism and forced character traits are prevalent in the remake of Beauty and the beast in an effort to pander and effortlessly diversify the cast of characters in the story via loosely expanding on old characters and rebranding them to fit with the more current social climate. Meehan (2002) outlines how media companies have over time changed their content creation and advertising strategy from targeting the so called “universal” market of white men between the ages of 18–34, to pinpointing certain niche markets that were not being catered to such as women who were stay at home mums and watched daytime television.(Meehan 2002, p. 217). What is occurring in the current media landscape, and specifically, with new Hollywood movies, is that texts created for the “universal” white male 18–34 audience are being recreated with specific attention paid to niche markets in particular women, such as the latest Oceans 11 and Ghost busters movies to name a few. These texts also alter specific elements of the narratives in order to cater to a specific niche market in an effort to attempt a “broader” marketing strategy, while the media product as a whole is still created for the “universal” audience of said white males. The remake of Beauty and the beast is guilty of this in spades with its announcement of LeFou being an “out” homosexual as well as the forced emphases of Belle being a strong independent female taking up her fathers’ role in the original of being an inventor. At Disney the main goal is to make money and, in the process, sometimes create art, because of this the main idea behind Disney’s latest movies have all been to market toys towards children. The princess line of dolls released by Disney includes Belle from The Beauty and the Beast, which was described by Variety, as “a global marketing machine shrewdly designed to accessorize young girls with all the sparkly merchandise their little heart’s desire” (quoted in Bettig and Hall 2012, p. 213). As Meehan observes, in this economic environment that focuses on marketing towards niche audiences, media content is not really being created and in fact content takes a backseat as the media manufactured only one commodity—audiences (Meehan 2002, p. 211). Beauty and the Beast already benefited from having a main female protagonist and as such Disney was able to change key characteristics about Belle in order to make her appear more “feminist” according to contemporary standards which in turn allowed for her to be more marketable towards the young women of today.

The new Beauty and the Beast remake attempts significantly in through seemingly minor changes to appear different from its original animated counterpart. This newer version prioritises the romance aspect of the plot, resulting in the sidelining of feminist elements of the original story (ibid). This change to favour the romance plot, emphasizes the relationship between Belle and the Beast, where Belle is reduced to being the focus of the beast’s desires as well as the plot device needed in relieving the curse placed upon the beast. This is first noticed when Belle enters the castle and the beast’s servants comment on her beauty whilst also dropping in exposition that details that Belle would be the one to break the curse. The movie makes such a big deal at the beginning to emphasize on Belles intelligence and how that was her most defining trait as a woman and as a person yet when the story progresses the movie only ever attempts to portray her as a woman with immense beauty, “Her beauty supersedes her interests in books, as even her interests are used as a bait to woo her (Bryant 1989)”. This slight change in the remake in where Belle discovers the curses existence before the end of the movie ends up making the movie more about the Beast than about Belle. Furthermore the narrative is changed in the remake as viewers are introduced to a more fleshed out backstory in which we see the young beast brutalised by his father which paints the beast as a victim of his environment before being cursed by an enchantress, and thereby making it the story of the Beast (Jeffords 1995, p. 166). Instead of the curse appearing as the resolution of the story in the remake it in fact is used instead as the set up for the narrative in which Belle discovers the curses existence and is reduced to a mere plot device and as a resolution for all the Beast’s problems. The focus of the story becomes then on how the Beast had grown to become a better person, and in that growth, Belle is a plot device and an object needed for romance and as a resolution to the story’s conflict, which in turn reveals the influence of the oedipal myth in Western narratives, in which the woman’s story is nothing but the man’s story, a narrative in which if the woman is successful, the man will get her/marry her (Bryant 1989).

Introduction and Author Description

Author Description: Author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, born in Paris in 1695, is considered the original author of the tale “Beauty and the Beast.” The story was drawn from fairy tales and folklore and was first published in 1740. The original book was 362 pages long but later abridged and republished by Jeanne Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont was a French author best known for her version of “The Beauty and the Beast”. She was born in 1711 in Rouen and died in 1780.

Character Sketches: Belle, Beast, Gaston, and Others

• Belle = Intelligent, Loving, Kind and friendly. A dreamer who wants a life full of adventure. Loves to read and has a vibrant imagination. Bored in her town. Devoted to her father.
• Beast = A figure haunted by his past mistakes. Quick temper and prone to anger. Angry at himself for what he did but takes it out on others. Despite this, he has an inner beauty. Used to be a prince, therefore, he is noble.
• Gaston = Very egotistical and in love with himself. Hero of the town and a hunter too. Strong and Loves the attention he gets from the town, Quite cruel and happy to manipulate people and use them.
• Maurice = father of Belle. Odd, but a gentle and kind bumbling old man. Similar to Belle in that he’s a dreamer and a bit of an outcast. Loves Belle more than anything in the world.
• Lumiere = turned into a candelabra after the curse. Wants to be human once again. Very welcoming, Lovable and hospitable. Loyal to his master and good friends with Cogsworth.
• Cogsworth = Turing into a clock. Uptight and tries to be strict when he doesn’t command enough authority. Control freak who likes everything in order. Tries to obey the Beast’s orders (out of fear) and likes to see himself as the experienced head of the household.
• Mrs. Potts = A kindly, motherly woman. Always looking out for other people, mostly her child, Chip.
• Chip = Young, sprightly and innocent. Very much believes in true love as the cure to everything.
• Mme de la Grande Bouche= Used to be a famous opera singer and still trying to hold on to that fame. Partly a wardrobe.
• Babette =Young and not particularly smart. Transitioning into a feather duster.

The Tale Begins: A Spoiled Prince and a Magical Curse

Beauty and the Beast story Long ago in a French kingdom, a spoiled and selfish Prince lived in a castle where he would throw big parties with all his royal subjects. One night, an old beggar woman entered his castle and offered the Prince a rose in exchange for shelter from the cold. The Prince sneered and laughed at the old woman along with his subjects, even as she warned him not to be deceived by appearances. The Prince turned her away once more, and soon after, the old woman’s haggard appearance disappeared to reveal a beautiful Enchantress. The Prince tried to ask for forgiveness, but the Enchantress had already seen there was no love in his heart. As punishment, she turned the Prince into a hideous Beast and transformed the other members into household objects.

The Enchantress’s spell caused the people outside the kingdom to forget about the castle and everyone living in it. The Beast was left with a magic mirror as his window to the outside world and a rose. If the Beast can earn the love of another before the last petal falls, the spell will be broken. Otherwise, he will be doomed to remain a beast forever. Several years later in the village of Villeneuve, there lives a young woman named Belle. She doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the townspeople, who all view her as odd. Belle’s interests lie in storybooks. She is pursued by the handsome but narcissistic hunter/former war captain Gaston. He rides into town with his comrade LeFou and finds Belle after she leaves a book shop. Gaston attempts to woo her and invite himself to dinner with her, but she turns him down.

Belle returns home to her father Maurice, a music box maker. He is in the process of creating a music box modeled after him and his late wife, who was also Belle’s mother. Belle tells Maurice how she notices that the villagers think she’s odd, which Maurice rejects. Maurice is set to head to another town to sell his music boxes, and Belle asks him to bring back a rose, like he always does. Maurice rides through the forest with his horse Philippe. He turns toward a path where snow is falling. A pack of wolves encounters Maurice, forcing him and Philippe to flee. They pass through a gate that leads him onto the forgotten grounds of the Prince’s castle. Maurice enters the castle and is spotted by Lumiere the candelabra and Cogsworth the clock. Maurice walks into the dining hall and sits down. He is startled when Chip, a young boy turned into a teacup, moves toward him and speaks to him. Maurice runs out of the castle and starts to ride away until he passes through the garden and spots a rose. He tries to pick one for Belle, but he is found by the Beast, who calls Maurice a thief. The Beast takes him prisoner.

Belle’s Life in the Village and the Beast’s Castle

Back in the village, Belle is trying to show a little girl how to read until she is called out by a man who discourages her from teaching another girl to read. Gaston finds Belle and once again tries to court her after saying she shouldn’t concern herself with any children other than hers. Belle knows what he is trying to say and firmly tells him she will never marry him. After scoffing at the idea of being Gaston’s wife, she expresses her desire to seek adventure and excitement away from the village. Moments later, Philippe returns and Belle knows that something bad must have happened to Maurice (Her father). Belle rides Philippe back to the castle. She finds Maurice in the dungeon, where he warns her to turn back. Belle then meets the Beast and is stunned by his appearance. The Beast says Maurice is a thief and must serve for life in the prison. Belle offers to take his place, despite Maurice’s objections. The Beast agrees to the exchange and he lets Maurice go. Belle promises him she will find a way out of there. Belle meets Lumiere and Cogsworth, despite initially being freaked out by a talking candelabra and clock. The two were originally heads of the castle before the curse transformed them.

Belle also meets Mrs. Potts (Head of the kitchen, a good chief and humble person), Chip’s mother who is now a teapot, plus Chip himself; Plumette, the maid and Lumiere’s girlfriend turned into a feather duster resembling a peacock; Madame de Garderobe, an Italian opera singer who is now a wardrobe; and Maestro Cadenza, Garderobe’s husband and former composer who is now a piano. Lumiere guides Belle out of the dungeon and into a room in the East Wing. Garderobe dresses Belle in a ghastly frock, which gives Belle the idea to use the ribbons to climb down the tower. Gaston is in a tavern with LeFou lamenting Belle’s rejection of him. LeFou tries to cheer him up along with the other villagers by talking (or rather, singing) in detail about how great Gaston is. Not long after, Maurice enters and starts raving about the Beast and how he’s taken Belle as his prisoner. The other villagers laugh at his claims, but Gaston offers to follow Maurice to find the Beast, mainly to get Belle to marry him.

A Growing Connection: Belle and the Beast’s Relationship

The Beast tries to get Belle to join him for dinner, but he is too abrasive as he pounds on her bedroom door. Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Plumette all stand behind him and try to help, but Belle refuses to join the Beast as she is still tying ribbons together to make her rope. The Beast storms off and insults his subjects. We see the rose drops another petal, and as a result, the castle starts to shake and crumble a little. It also causes the castle objects to become less and less human. Belle leaves her room and joins the castle objects as they guide her to the dining hall. Lumiere leads the objects in a dazzling musical number (‘Be Our Guest’) as they boast about their fine dining. Afterwards, Belle wanders into the West Wing, which Lumiere and Cogsworth had tried to keep a secret from her (about the curse). There, Belle finds the rose encased in a jar. The Beast then frightens her and screams at her to get out.

Belle runs away and rides Philippe out of the castle grounds. The wolves then attack her in the forest. Belle tries to fight them off until the Beast shows up and fights them himself. The alpha wolf bites into his back, but the Beast throws it off and roars, scaring the wolves away. Belle then helps the Beast onto Philippe. Belle tends to the Beast’s wounds, even as he complains about the pain. She lets him rest. Mrs. Potts explains to Belle that the Beast was not always so unkind. Since they have known him all his life, they know that after the Prince’s mother died, his father raised him to be the way he was before he was cursed. When Belle asks about the rose, the objects say that the Prince will remain a beast forever if the last petal falls without him finding someone to love and to love him back, and that they will become inanimate. They sing about their yearning to become human again, and we see the young Prince looking upon his mother on her deathbed before his father pulls him away. Maurice leads Gaston and LeFou into the forest as they try to find the path to the castle.

Gaston and LeFou think Maurice is just crazy. Once Gaston reveals his true intention to only be helping Maurice for Belle’s hand, he also growls at Maurice and threatens to leave him to the wolves. Gaston tries to cover it up by putting on the nice guy act, but Maurice already sees who Gaston really is and makes it clear that he will never allow Gaston to marry Belle. Gaston knocks Maurice out cold and ties him to a tree so the wolves can come after him. LeFou considers this to be too much, but he has no choice and must follow Gaston. While moving to the castle, Belle is reading Shakespeare to the Beast, who already knows the story by heart. He then brings Belle to see his enormous library, which he says can be hers now. Over time, Belle warms up to the Beast as he shows his kinder and gentler side and the objects can see it too. Soon Belle helped the beast to feel again the kindness and at that time they both liked their company. The Beast later shows Belle an enchanted book that allows anyone to travel anywhere they want to go if they can visualize it.

Belle places her hand in the book and they are transported to an old house in Paris. It was once home to Maurice and his wife when Belle was a baby. The Beast finds a doctor’s mask, indicating that Belle’s mother was killed by the plague. A flashback shows Maurice tending to his wife as she is dying. She tells him to protect Belle, and all that was left behind was a glass rose, which Belle finds. Maurice is saved by a local beggar woman named Agathe and she tends to him. Maurice returns to Villeneuve and is sitting in the tavern when Gaston and LeFou return to find him, both surprised. Maurice tells the villagers that Gaston left him to die in the forest. When Maurice calls out LeFou as a witness, Gaston intimidates LeFou into lying to cover his back. Gaston has Maurice dismissed as a delusional madman. The Beast invites Belle to dance with him in the ballroom. Garderobe dresses Belle in a beautiful gown while Lumiere and the others try to groom the Beast properly. The two then meet in the staircase and walk into the ballroom as Cadenza plays a tune to accompany them (‘Beauty and the Beast the theme song or music of the story’). Belle and the Beast share a romantic dance.

Afterward, the Beast wonders to Belle if she may be happy there, but she asks if anyone can be happy if they are not free. He knows she misses her father and gives her the magic mirror to see him. Belle sees the villagers harassing Maurice, and she knows he is in trouble. The Beast sets Belle free so that she may go to help Maurice. The Beast climbs his tower in despair as Belle rides away, though he knows now that he truly does love her. The castle objects become sad since they know Belle doesn’t love him in return for the curse to be broken. Gaston has Maurice committed to a mental institution but gives him one more chance to redeem himself if he gives Gaston his blessing to marry Belle. Maurice still refuses, so Gaston sends him away. Belle arrives in the nick of time to stop the carriage from riding off. She shows the villagers the mirror to prove the Beast exists, which horrifies everyone. Gaston changes his tune and starts to gather the villagers to go after the Beast before he attempts to harm anyone else.

The Climax and Resolution: Battles, Transformation, and Happily Ever After

Belle is then locked in the carriage with Maurice as Gaston leads to villagers to storm the castle. The castle objects see the villagers making their way to the castle. They try to hold the door closed, but the villagers start to break it down. Cogsworth goes to warn the Beast, but he is too depressed to care about what happens. Lumiere then leads all the castle objects into a plan. As the villagers enter, LeFou sees Mrs. Potts and Chip, mistakenly assuming Mrs. Potts is his grandmother. She is NOT happy and she initiates the fight. Lumiere lights up the floor, Mrs. Potts pours hot tea on the attackers, Cadenza shoots his piano keys, Cogsworth sends flying books to hit the villagers, and Garderobe dresses three goons in powdered wigs, make-up, and gowns. Two men run away in horror, but the third is rather pleased with his look (actually this moment comes funny to the audience as the reaction of third person).

Cadenza sits on LeFou, who asks Gaston for help. He refuses so that he can go after the Beast. Moments later, Mrs. Potts falls from the chandelier, but LeFou catches her and decides to switch sides. Mrs. Potts tells him he’s too good for Gaston anyway. Meanwhile, Agathe is seen going up the stairs. The villagers then run away in terror. In the carriage, Belle reveals the glass rose to Maurice and that she knows the truth about what happened to her mother. Maurice insists he only wanted to protect her, which Belle understands. She takes out a pin so that Maurice can pick the lock. They break out of the carriage, and Belle rides Philippe back to the castle. Gaston makes his way up to the tower and finds the Beast sitting sadly outside the window. He claims Belle sent him and then shoots the Beast in the back and causes him to fall onto a lower roof. Gaston goes after him and wants the Beast to fight back. Belle then returns to the castle, which reinvigorates the Beast’s spirit. He defends himself against Gaston and declares he is not a beast. He holds Gaston over a ledge as the coward begs for mercy, but spares his life and orders him to leave. The Beast leaps to the next tower to be with Belle, only for Gaston to shoot him twice in the back moments later. Karma then goes for Gaston as the bridge he is standing on crumbles, and he falls to his death. The Beast is mortally wounded, but has enough time to see Belle before he dies. The last petal then falls. The castle objects celebrate their victory over the villagers, but Plumette turns into an ordinary feather duster in Lumiere’s arms.

Mrs. Potts frantically looks for Chip as she becomes a regular teapot. Chip arrives soon after and almost crashes but is caught by the coat hanger, and they both become inanimate. Lumiere and Cogsworth express their mutual friendship before they too become inanimate. Belle cries over the Beast and tells him she loves him. Agathe enters the room as Belle says this. It turns out Agathe was the Enchantress in disguise, and she restores the rose to its original look, thus breaking the spell. The Beast then transforms back into his human self. He and Belle then share their first kiss. The darkness disappears over the kingdom, and everything starts returning to normal. Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, Plumette, Cadenza, and Garderobe all wake up, turn human, and reunite with their loved ones. Mrs. Potts reunites with her husband from the village, while Cogsworth reunites with his wife (though he’s not too thrilled about that). The Prince runs to hug his friends. A celebration is held in the ballroom with all the castle subjects and villagers, including Maurice and LeFou, joining. Belle and the Prince share a dance, wherein Belle asks the Prince if he can grow a beard. Garderobe and Mrs. Potts sing while Cadenza plays the music over the dance. And they all lived happily ever after.

Tale as old as time, true as it can be barely even friends, then somebody bends unexpectedly, is the infamous beginning of the opening song that introduces the classic love story of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast is a tale about a young woman held captive by a beast in his castle after taking her father’s place and later becomes his one true love. To the viewers of the 1991 film, many saw Beauty and the Beast as a troubled love story with a happy ending while many questioned Belle’s free will in the situation. 90’s feminists began to question if Belle was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, a condition where the victim of a kidnapping or hostage situation develops affection or even sympathy for their captor.

In the beginning, Belle disagrees with the Beast and his demands as well as not having dinner with him. She knowingly disobeys his one rule in the castle by exploring the West Wing. When she ventures into the West Wing, the Beast goes into a violent outburst destroying every piece of antique furniture in the room. As he veres towards her it drives Belle to feel sympathy for him but also it causes her to renege on her original deal in taking her father’s place and heading towards the door and leaving his castle. Through this ordeal, Belle cares more about satisfying her own personal desires than simply surviving. Experts define Stockholm Syndrome as usually developing out of a hostage’s desperation to live another day. This is far from the case pertaining to Belle. If Belle was concerned with her survival, she would not have gone looking for her father in the first place and would not have volunteered herself to take his place and stay in the Beast’s castle.

In the Disney tune, sung by Angela Lansbury, Belle begins to see the best in a different light. She sees that the Beast has become kinder and gentler and Belle is strikingly aware in her change in attitude towards the Beast. Belle is not in any way exhibiting the effects of Stockholm Syndrome. In exchange, the Beast is “exhibiting the inverse of Stockholm Syndrome, Lima Syndrome, which is where the abductor sympathizes with his hostage”(Poirier). When Belle and the Beast use the magic mirror to check in on her father, they learn Belle’s father, Maurice, is dying in the forest. In that moment, the Beast releases Belle from their agreement and sets her free. Belle was given the option to return to her life before becoming the Beast’s prisoner, and she chooses to return. Unlike the case of many abducted victims, Belle does not remain with her captor or chooses . Belle returns to her home and her life. Belle does not feel positive feelings towards the Beast until he changes back into his original form. She does not show any sympathy towards the Beast when he shouts insults at her and acts violent towards her. Belle only begins to feel for the Beast only once he starts treating her better and as his equal. In this act that is when she begins to change her feelings towards him. Belle never really develops pity or show sympathy for his situation, because she is never made of the circumstances of his transformation by him or his servants, Mrs. Potts, Lumiere, and LeFou. She is never made aware until she comes a torn picture of him hanging in the forbidden, West Wing.

90s Feminists and social justice crusaders seem to think Belle returned to the castle for the Beast because she had become victimized while living with the Beast. Belle was thought to be a woman who now sympathizes with her captor because of Stockholm Syndrome. Belle never indictacted any signs of returning to the Beast’s castle until Gaston goes around the village and spreads malicious lies about the Beast, that riled up the townspeople as the head to kill the Beast.

In conclusion, Beauty and the Beast is a film that has endured the test of time against social justice crusaders and political correctness to remain a beloved family movie. Stockholm Syndrome is a terrifying condition, that has happened to many victims as they try to survive through their ordeals and should most definitely face scrutiny if it is being placed in a positive light. But Beauty and the Beast is far from being a tale about Stockholm Syndrome, it is a tale as old as time that continues to entertain us with magic and hope of how much love can truly change us for the better if we allow it too.