Belle

Ahhh... Belle from Beauty and the Beast

She was my childhood favorite. I mean look at this girl! Her name itself means Beauty and rightly so.  When I was growing up, I always considered her the most beautiful of all the Disney princesses and not just because she’s the only one who looks like me (brunette and hazel eyes etc). One of the greatest things about Belle is that she’s modest. She doesn’t flaunt her beauty, and she doesn’t judge people by their appearance. She is the oddball of the town with her nose ‘stuck in a book’ virtually all the time. She also minds her business and doesn’t gossip in the town like everybody else does. Belle is confident and comfortable with herself.

Another good thing Belle teaches us is to respect her elders. Even if others see her father as a cooky, crazy old loon, she wastes no time in rising to his defense. She supports him in his inventive endeavors, and she is the reason he is successful. Father and daughter have a very strong bond, which I love. Bringing Up Girls dictates how important a father is in a daughter’s life and how daughters seek approval from their fathers more than anyone else. From the day they dress up as a princess and spin around on the coffee table trying to gain their father’s attention, getting affirmation from a father is extremely vital in a girl’s life. Too often, parent figures don’t exist in Disney films or the relationship is very stony so Belle and her father were a fresh pair.

Another great thing about Belle is her no compromise attitude and intelligence. When the hot honcho of the town – namely Gaston - comes on to her, what does she do? She is clever and didactic. She sees right through to his conceit and ego, but she handles him magnificently. “I’m sorry, Gaston, but…I just don’t deserve you!” And he ends up in a mud puddle.

Like Ariel, Belle also awakens that sense of adventure in us except unlike Ariel she isn’t obsessed with a handsome young prince. Belle simply wants to escape her home roots. She wants to explore the world and get away from her provincial existence. She has dreams, you know? She has a goal for her life that doesn’t include marrying the hottest guy in the village.

As the story progresses, we see there is almost no end to Belle’s virtue. When the Beast has Belle’s father locked up, she exchanges her life for his, giving up her freedom, her home, and her dreams. However, Belle is definitely willing to stand up to the Beast when we see her refusal to join him for dinner despite him reminding her ‘that’s not a request!’

Maybe Belle is just a little too perfect.

If there’s one critique, one flaw about Belle, it’s that she has a curious side. Sometimes this is good as in the case where she makes friends with the kitchen staff during the Be Our Guest song. Or it gets her in trouble when she enters the very mysterious and very forbidden West Wing. I mean if a big, humongous monster told me to stay out of a particular room, you won’t see me risking my life to go in there (maybe all the dark, broken stuff should’ve given her a clue).

But despite the Beast’s temper throwing her for a loop, Belle’s compassionate side wins out when he’s injured rescuing her from the wolves (even with her brave attempt to fight them off).

Belle is smart. She sees that there is some good in the beast, and she gives him a chance to show it, and over the course of the movie, they slowly let down their defenses and fall in love with each other. 

My favorite Scene below

My one problem with the film is the plot hole. On one hand, people loved this film because the characters had to take the time to get to know each other, but there is no specified time table of how long it took. Movies like Belle’s Enchanted Christmas seem to suggest it took months and years. However, if that’s the case, Belle must have a really lousy father to wait months or years before returning to the castle to find her. I mean the town isn’t that big when he goes around, trying to find someone to help him. And everything occurs during the middle of winter (which is why he ends up sick) so there doesn’t seem to be a change of season.

Overall, however, Belle proves to be one of the best if not the best Disney Princess role models. She’s almost all the Princesses (without their bad sides) rolled into one! The only remaining question is…will any other Disney Princess hold a candle to her? Keep waiting to find out my answer!!!

Would I let my daughter watch it? Undoubtedly! It’s one of the best Disney movies of all time, one of my personal favorites, and there can be no objections! This is one Disney all parents should raise their kids on!

     Best Spin-Offs

On this one I’m torn

I absolutely ADORE Belle from Once Upon a Time. With the twist of Rumplestiltskin as the Beast, it serves as a worthy Beauty and the Beast spinoff. Like the Disney Belle, Belle in Once sacrifices herself to save not just her father but her entire kingdom. And she is treated more like a prisoner than the Belle in Disney. Slowly Belle in Once wins over Rumple (chipped cup and everything!), and though he still has a dark side, she gradually draws out his good side. Over time, he changes to the point of doing anything for her. Amidst her pleas, he gives up revenge over a man’s life once they learn the man’s wife is pregnant. She is also very courageous, willing to stand up to Rumple even if he is the most powerful person, and in Storybrooke, she demands he be truthful with her or she cannot stay with him. Rumple and Belle are absolutely one of the best due couples of all time!

And…the Broadway version

I also love the Broadway version of Belle. Though extremely close to the original (since it is Disney Broadway), the song she sings with her father is so incredibly tender.

Father: No matter what the pain, we’ve come this far. I pray that you’ll remain exactly as you are. This really is a case of father knowing best.

Belle: And daughter too…

And the Home song she sings during her imprisonment in the castle is epic!

Random Trivia

• I love Beauty and the Beast so much I wrote my own book based off the old tale but the girl was the beast and the guy was the beauty. How about that?! 
• Belle was the first Disney princess to be born a peasant. The second was Tiana.
• Belle was the only Disney Princess whose speaking and singing voice was done by the same person (Paige O'Hara) until Tiana in 2009. 
• The Broadway version of Belle was Susan Egan, who also voiced Megara in Hercules. 
• Belle's legacy led to more independent and heroic princesses like Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan etc, but some say the title belongs to Ariel.
• Belle is the first and only Disney Princess to not sing the film's theme song - Beauty and the Beast. This honor was given to Angela Lansbury - Mrs. Potts. 
• Belle is the only Disney Princess with hazel eyes.
• Belle was the first Princess to have brown hair. Rapunzel is the only other, but Rapunzel's hair only turns brown at the very end of the movie (nor is she portrayed with brown hair).
• In the original tale, Beauty had stepsisters who were also physically beautiful, but only Beauty was beautiful on the inside.
• The Beast also treated Beauty very well in the original tale. He made her mistress of the castle, doted on her, and asked her to marry him each night.
• The Beast allows Beauty to see her family for 8 days, but her stepsisters convince her to stay longer,which ultimately leads the Beast to die of a broken heart (though he still turns into a prince at the end).