"Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?"
Beauty and the Beast has always freaked me out just a bit. I mean, Beauty fell in love with a beast . . . how was that relationship going to work? Unless she knows that he is really a man under a spell . . . but she doesn't, does she? So was it platonic love? Or . . . . let's not go there.
Anyway, Disney's version is absolutely beautiful. And what I love about it is the fact that we actually get to know the prince, and we get to see the couple fall in love. The prince actually shows his love for Belle and says he loves her, which hadn't happened in the previous princess films. That's awesome.
I can't remember what I thought about the film when I was a kid. But I do remember seeing it on ice and thinking it was marvelous. And I really enjoy the live show at Disney's Hollywood Studios (video below--hopefully it won't be taken down). It's the closest I'll ever get to the Broadway show, which closed.
While watching this film, my sister told me, "Do you notice that she wants adventure 'in the great wide somewhere' and she just ends up getting married and living in a castle and not having an adventure?"
But what's funny is that the adventure that she wanted was the one that she got. At the beginning of the movie, we find out that she loves reading fairy tales and that her favorite book has "far-off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, a prince in disguise." And let's not forget the line, "Isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part because you see, here's where she meets Prince Charming but she won't discover that it's him till chapter three."
She ends up living the life that she dreamed about . . . except there are no swords in the final fight between the prince and Gaston. And if falling in love is the greatest adventure, it's especially so for Belle. Plus, I'm sure she and Adam had adventures after they got married. Knowing Belle, they probably decided to travel.
Belle is kind and dearly loves her father. She looks for the good in the Beast, but fights back when he is rude to her.
And there is an emphasis on her mind. She is portrayed as mentally superior to the man who wants to woo her and spends her time reading. One of the best parts is when Gaston says, "How can you read this? There are no pictures!" and Belle answers, "Well, some people use their imagination." And Gaston considers thinking a dangerous pastime and also believes that women shouldn't read because they start getting ideas and thinking, which shows just how primeval he is as Belle says.
I also like the masculinity contrast between Beast and Gaston. Gaston is the epitome of stereotypical masculinity, yet his selfishness and conceit make us hate him to the core. On the other hand, Beast's sensivity is portrayed as the ideal masculinity. Although the prince looks like a beast, inside, he is not. Gaston is the true beast because although he is good looking, inside he is ugly. As Belle says, "He's not monster, Gaston. You are."
It may be just me, but I think the animators didn't make the prince "traditionally" handsome like the previous princes. In fact, I didn't think he was at first, but after a few more viewings, I changed my mind.
Also, Belle and Beast probably have the best kiss because it creates a firework!
The best thing about Beauty and the Beast is the message about judging people by what's inside. And knowing that people can change. "Finding you can change . . . learning you were wrong." The prince redeems himself by sacrificing himself for Belle. He puts her happiness above his by letting her go to her father when he is sick. I'd like to think that Belle would have returned when her father got well if it weren't for that nasty mob out to kill him.
Some people complain that Belle falls in love with her captor. But with a closer look, it's clear that Belle is not a victim. First of all, she gives her word that she will be the Beast's prisoner in place of her father. But she doesn't put up with his mistreatment. When he tells her he can't have dinner, she goes downstairs to eat anyway. When he tells her that the West Wing is prohibited, she goes there anyway. And when he yells at her for being there, she runs away, deciding she can't stay there anymore. Yet, she is so kind that she cannot bring herself to leave him to die in the snow, so she takes care of him and even thanks him for saving her life. But when he yells at her, she yells back at him, only accepting him when he speaks kindly. This helps the Beast see that he isn't going to gain her love by being mean to her. And that's when he starts to change. Belle brings out the best in him, and he learns to conquer himself. His change culminates in the scene where he decides to spare Gaston's life. Beast's change is probably the most dynamic character development in the princess movies even more so than Flynn's and Aladdin's. What's really cool is that this changed is foreshadowed in the film's first stained glass window. Look closely and you will see a sentence in Latin: Vincit qui se vincit. This means, "He conquers who conquers himself." Beast wins the greatest battle of all: the battle over oneself and one's worst tendencies. Belle is the catalyst to this change and her love eventually wins over Beast, helping him to become a better person.
By the way, the music is amazing. I love, love, love it, especially the theme song. The pop version is okay, but the Jump5 version is awful. Jordin Sparks did an okay job, but I still don't see the point of remaking Disney classics when they were perfectly wonderful to begin with.
Some people complain that Belle falls in love with her captor. But with a closer look, it's clear that Belle is not a victim. First of all, she gives her word that she will be the Beast's prisoner in place of her father. But she doesn't put up with his mistreatment. When he tells her he can't have dinner, she goes downstairs to eat anyway. When he tells her that the West Wing is prohibited, she goes there anyway. And when he yells at her for being there, she runs away, deciding she can't stay there anymore. Yet, she is so kind that she cannot bring herself to leave him to die in the snow, so she takes care of him and even thanks him for saving her life. But when he yells at her, she yells back at him, only accepting him when he speaks kindly. This helps the Beast see that he isn't going to gain her love by being mean to her. And that's when he starts to change. Belle brings out the best in him, and he learns to conquer himself. His change culminates in the scene where he decides to spare Gaston's life. Beast's change is probably the most dynamic character development in the princess movies even more so than Flynn's and Aladdin's. What's really cool is that this changed is foreshadowed in the film's first stained glass window. Look closely and you will see a sentence in Latin: Vincit qui se vincit. This means, "He conquers who conquers himself." Beast wins the greatest battle of all: the battle over oneself and one's worst tendencies. Belle is the catalyst to this change and her love eventually wins over Beast, helping him to become a better person.By the way, the music is amazing. I love, love, love it, especially the theme song. The pop version is okay, but the Jump5 version is awful. Jordin Sparks did an okay job, but I still don't see the point of remaking Disney classics when they were perfectly wonderful to begin with.
And I also don't see the point of the sequels. I can't talk about Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas because we didn't watch that one (I can't watch Christmas movies when it's not Christmas.) But Belle's Magical World is absolutely awful. I mean, really, why? Why? Why? That's the only thing I was thinking while I was watching it. And it was so boring that I know I spaced out there somewhere. Besides, no one can voice Mrs. Potts like Angela Lansbury.
There's something really cool about how the castle transforms from a dank, spooky, gargoyle-guarded place to a beautiful, bright, angel-filled castle.
Belle should be my favorite princess because of the results of a quiz I took on Disney.com.
What's cool is that that's really me! But I love all the princesses, so I can't really decide on a favorite.
Conclusion: Beauty and the Beast is a beautiful story of change and second chances.
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