Review: Beauty and the Beast (1991) (DMC #93)
It’s a tale as old as time with this week's film—Beauty and the Beast, the 93rd film in the Disnerd Movie Challenge. This is the original 1991 animated movie and it’s also one of our shared favorites! You can find our synopsis of this enchanting story immediately below if you need to catch up, but if you watched with us last night (or have seen it lots of times like us), skip ahead to our review.
Synopsis
A cruel and selfish prince is visited by an old beggar woman on a winter’s night. The old woman begs for shelter from the cold in exchange for a single rose. The prince refuses, disgusted by her appearance. After being dismissed, the woman is revealed to be a beautiful enchantress. She punishes the prince for his ways by transforming him into a hideous beast and cursing his entire castle and its inhabitants. The Beast hides away in his castle with a magic mirror which allows him to see anything he wishes, as well as the rose, which is actually enchanted. The spell will break if he can learn to love another and earn her love in return before the rose wilts away, otherwise the spell will become permanent. Years pass and the Beast loses hope.
In a small town, a young woman named Belle lives with her inventor father, Maurice. Both are social outcasts—Maurice is seen as a kook for his inventions and Belle is considered strange because of her love of books and longing for adventure. In spite of this, the townsfolk recognize her as the most beautiful girl in town, an opinion shared by local hunter and hero, Gaston, who wishes to marry Belle solely for her beauty. However, Belle is repulsed by Gaston’s narcissism. Maurice finishes fixing a wood-chopping invention he plans to show at a fair. He leaves for the fair but becomes lost in the woods. His horse, Philippe, is spooked and flees while leaving Maurice stranded. After running from some wolves, Maurice stumbles upon the Beast’s castle where he is greeted by several of the servants who have all been transformed into enchanted objects, including: Lumiere, the candelabra; Cogsworth, the mantle clock; Mrs. Potts, the teapot; and her son, Chip, a teacup. Except for Cogsworth, the servants provide Maurice with hospitality. The Beast arrives and locks Maurice up for trespassing. Meanwhile, Gaston prepares to propose to Belle (while having also organized the wedding itself just outside her house). Belle turns down Gaston’s proposal and humiliates him in the process. Shortly after, Philippe returns and Belle asks the horse where her father is. Philippe takes her to the castle. Most of the servants are excited to see Belle when she arrives, especially Lumiere, who believes she will be the one to break the spell. Belle finds her father trapped in a cell; before she can free him, she is confronted by the Beast. Though horrified by his appearance, Belle asks the Beast to take her as prisoner in exchange for Maurice’s freedom. The Beast agrees and has Maurice returned to the village before he and Belle can say goodbye. The Beast shows Belle to her new room at Lumiere’s suggestion. He then commands Belle to join him for dinner that night.
Gaston seethes over Belle’s rejection at a tavern. His lackey, LeFou, and the tavern patrons manage to cheer him up by singing his praises and telling him that no other man measures up to him. Just as Gaston is feeling better, Maurice bursts inside and begs for help to rescue Belle, but he is mocked and ridiculed when he tells them she is being held by the Beast. He is dismissed as crazy, inspiring Gaston to think of a new plan. At the castle, Belle is formally introduced to the servants. Though welcoming of their warmth and hospitality, she refuses to have dinner with the Beast. When the Beast finds out, he angrily argues with Belle through her bedroom door. She continues to refuse so the Beast commands his servants not to serve her dinner at all. Later, Belle leaves her room and goes to the kitchen. The servants provide her with dinner and music in spite of the Beast’s orders. Afterwards, Lumiere and Cogsworth give her a tour. When she discovers the location of the West Wing (which the Beast had expressly forbidden her to visit), her curiosity gets the better of her and she explores it. She comes across a slashed picture of the prince and notices his bright blue eyes before spotting the enchanted rose. As she tries to touch it, the Beast arrives and frightens her away from the castle. Belle and Philippe run into a pack of wolves during their escape; just as Belle is about to be attacked by a wolf, the Beast intervenes and saves her, though he is wounded by the wolves during the fight. Belle almost decides to leave the Beast to die, but ultimately chooses to save him by returning him to the castle. She tends to his wounds and thanks him for saving her life. Their relationship begins to improve.
Gaston and LeFou bribe Monsieur D’Arque, the warden of the local insane asylum, to incarcerate Maurice for lunacy unless Belle agrees to marry Gaston. The pair go to Belle’s house just after Maurice leaves to return to the castle, determined to save Belle on his own. Not finding anyone home, Gaston forces LeFou to watch for their return. Back at the castle, the Beast realizes his feelings for Belle. With help from Lumiere and Cogsworth, he surprises her by giving her his massive library, much to her excitement. Belle and the Beast ponder on their growing affection for one another, as do the castle servants who are all eager for the spell to break. Some time passes and a romantic dinner and dance is prepared for Belle and the Beast. After the dance, Beast asks Belle if she is happy living at the castle with him. She responds positively, but also admits she misses her father terribly. The Beast shows her the magic mirror; when she requests to see her father, she sees Maurice collapsing in the woods from sickness. Seeing her worries, the Beast decides to let Belle leave to save her father and tells her to keep the mirror to remember him by. When a horrified Cogsworth asks why he let her go, the Beast confesses he has fallen in love with her. The rest of the servants lament Belle’s departure, fearing their chance to be human again is now gone. Belle finds Maurice and nurses him at home. They are interrupted by D’Arque and the villagers, led by Gaston, who arrive to send Maurice to the asylum. Gaston enacts his plan, telling Belle he will help free Maurice if she marries him. She rejects him again, and proves Maurice is telling the truth by using the mirror to show the Beast to everyone. Realizing that Belle has feelings for the Beast, a jealous Gaston riles the townsfolk up and claims the Beast is a monster who will come after them. He locks Belle and Maurice in their cellar to keep them from interfering as he takes the mirror and leads a mob of men to the castle for an attack. Chip, who had stowed away in Belle’s bag, uses Maurice’s wood-chopping invention to free them.
At the castle, the servants see the invading townsfolk and brace for battle. Mrs. Potts warns the Beast, but the Beast has fallen into despair over the loss of Belle and has no will to fight. Gaston and the townsfolk break into the castle, where the enchanted servants reveal themselves and fight off the invaders. Gaston sneaks away from the commotion and soon finds the depressed Beast in the West Wing. He fires an arrow into the Beast’s back and throws him through a window. Gaston mocks the Beast for not fighting back. As Gaston goes for a killing blow, Belle returns to the castle and pleads with Gaston to spare the Beast. Reinvigorated by Belle’s return, the Beast defends himself and fights Gaston along the rooftops. The Beast soon gains the upper hand and threatens to drop Gaston off the roof, but he shows mercy and simply tells Gaston to leave. The Beast climbs up back towards the West Wing to reunite with Belle. As he does, a vengeful Gaston stabs the Beast in the back, but Gaston loses his footing on the balcony and falls to his death. The Beast soon dies in Belle’s arms. Belle tearfully professes her love for the Beast just as the last petal falls. With this, the spell is broken just in time and the Beast is both revived and transformed back into a human. Belle is unsure of him at first, though she recognizes him when she looks into his blue eyes. The two share a kiss, and the spell on the rest of the castle is lifted, returning the servants to normal and the castle to its former state. In celebration, Belle and the prince host a ball at the castle where they dance and live happily ever after.
Thoughts Before Watching
Kevin: Wow… where do I even begin with this one?! This is for sure my favorite Disney film of all time, including their live-action catalog. Over the years it would be replaced for a very brief time with a few other movies (notably Tangled and Frozen (sorry, not sorry)), but I find myself re-watching this one over and over again, far more than any other Disney title. It’s the movie that inspired me to pick up drawing (at least it’s the earliest inspiration I can remember) and developed my love of animation. I love the story and the music; like the movie itself, the music is probably my most listened to Disney soundtrack. I also appreciate that it’s one of Megan’s favorites, not least of which is because it partly helped us start dating. Honestly, I can’t think of a better movie to close out 2021 for us, since we’ll be taking a break for a couple weeks after this. I’m glad this is where we’ll leave the challenge off this year. With how many times I’ve seen this, I will be curious about any new takeaways I come away with, but frankly I’m just excited to dive into this for the umpteenth time!
Megan: I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! Like Kevin, this is one of my all-time favorite Disney movies (a three-way tie between Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Frozen for me, with no single front-runner). As a kid, Belle was my favorite Disney princess because she’s not your typical damsel-in-distress like so many of the princesses that came before her. She’s headstrong, smart, unafraid to speak her mind or be different, she loves books, she chooses to become a prisoner (still a questionable decision, but it is still her choice, and it’s for the noble cause of saving her father from the same fate), and she manages to “tame” a beast. (Oh, and if you ever have the chance to see the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast, do it! The version I saw at the Pantages some years back was amazing, and their rendition of Belle had even more sass than the animated character, which I absolutely loved!) Yes, yes, there’s still Stockholm syndrome and bestiality and all that stuff people have pointed out before, but honestly, I still love this story and I will gladly watch it a million times more.
Thoughts After Watching
Kevin: A fair warning to all of you, this is going to be a long one!
Megan: Yeah…we’re about to put the “nerd” in Disnerd real hardcore. This is what happens when you give two Disnerds one of their all-time favorite Disney movies and ask them to blog about it. Sorry, not sorry.
Still my favorite animated film
Kevin: As usual, I come away from this viewing fully knowing it’s still my favorite Disney film ever. The animation remains as gorgeous as it ever was, the music still enchants me, the story is engaging, and the characters are fun and enjoyable. If The Little Mermaid was a return to the classic Disney formula while pushing the style into the future, Beauty and the Beast upped the score in almost every single way, at least for this Disney fan.
Get these two on Dancing With the Stars!
Kevin: I know that kid me didn’t know all of the technical equipment that went into making the film, but I very much remember being amazed at the rich colors, the sweeping camera shots, and the smooth movements of the characters on screen that looked so good they appeared to be real. One of my earliest memories of this movie was my near disbelief that something this awesome was done all on pencil and paper (and a bunch of other techniques). So, just how was this all accomplished? Taking inspiration from The Little Mermaid and The Rescuers Down Under, the studio continued the use of CAPS, the software and hardware system Pixar developed which allowed animators to utilize more colors, better shading, and stronger linework. The difference in animation style was noticeable when The Little Mermaid was released, and it’s even more so in this movie. I’ve mentioned animation fluidity before, but the 2D animation in Beauty and the Beast is absolutely some of the smoothest and most fluid to come out of the Disney Renaissance, maybe even all of Disney Studios until the animation process changed to 3D. The CAPS system was able to let the crew simulate multiplane effects, ultimately creating a greater sense of depth in shots that outclassed earlier films. The best of this technique can be seen in the interior shots of the Beast’s castle, such as the ballroom. Speaking of the ballroom, that scene is assuredly one of the most famous sequences in Disney history, accomplished by yet another feature of CAPS that allowed animators to more easily combine hand-drawn art with CGI. If you’re here, I assume you know the particular shot I am speaking of, but to give more context, it’s when the camera zooms down on Belle and the Beast dancing before it dollies around them in a close up view (see the GIF above). In fact, the sequence’s success is said to have been the reason the studio executives decided to invest in computer animation, eventually leading to the shift to 3D work.
Kevin: Of course, no discussion of the film’s animation is complete without mentioning the transformation sequence. Maybe I’m looking at this through rose colored glasses, but that sequence is the most beautiful and breathtaking work of animation I have ever seen. Throughout my life there have been many pieces of animation from various studios that evoked tremendous awe, giving me goosebumps and sending chills down my spine. But this is the sequence that speaks to me more than any other. Out of everything this movie has to offer in terms of its art, the transformation sequence specifically is what I tell people was what made me want to pick up a pencil and create art. The most amazing thing about it is that, apart from the special effects, the animation is all traditional hand-drawn art, which was done by Glen Keane. Every second of the scene is gorgeous, from the moment the Beast is lifted up into the air, enveloped in his cape, to the way the human prince is cradled in said cape as he is gently returned to the ground. By now it’s become fairly well known that Keane was/is skilled in anatomy and studied the works of Renaissance masters quite extensively. Though the Renaissance (the art period during the 15th and 16th centuries, not the Disney period) displayed a move towards humanism and secularism, religion continued to be important in daily life and was depicted in the art of the time. How does this relate to Beauty and the Beast? The film’s producer, Don Hahn, noted that Keane’s job as the Beast’s animator was not just to show the physical side of the transformation, but also the spiritual. Connections have been made between the way the prince is cradled in his cape and depictions of religious figures, particularly Michelangelo’s Pietà. This connection appears to serve as a reminder that that the Beast’s soul has been freed. His redemption has been earned and his humanity restored. Further solidifying the Renaissance connection is the look of the prince himself, whose facial features look as if he came straight out of the painting The Birth of Venus (at least his prominent lips).
The human form of the prince has been a hotly contested subject for years. Personally, his design never really bothered me. I thought it was obvious that we weren’t mean to connect with his human form because it’s not about that. It’s about the Beast finding his way back to that form, and we spend so much time with him as the Beast that I don’t think we’re meant to care about what he really looks like. We’re just happy that he made it. If you’re at all interested, I highly suggest checking out this video, where Hahn talks about Keane’s process and then presents the “pencil test” (raw animation) of the transformation sequence. The GIF above is taken from that video, but the one GIF doesn’t do the video justice. The lack of full animation and effects allows you to see how Keane created the sequence. It’s a cool process that, in my opinion, truly showcases the level of detailed line work that went into the scene.
Belle is a badass!
Megan: I touched on this a bit in my “before thoughts” but it’s worth reiterating—Belle is a badass! When comparing her to the princesses that came before her in the Disney lineup, it’s clear why she became my favorite when I was a kid. She’s not relegated to the damsel-in-distress role in the climax of the film, unlike Snow White (stuck in sleeping death), Cinderella (held prisoner in the attic), or Aurora (another sleeping curse). Though she doesn’t pick up a weapon and fight during the climactic battle (we’ll have to wait until Mulan for that one), she (like Ariel) rushes in to aid the man she loves. However, unlike Ariel, Belle has a great relationship with her father and isn’t held back from living her own life because of her father’s oppressive rules. Even though Belle begins her adventure as a prisoner, let me remind you that, unlike all the previous Disney princesses, this was her choice. When her father did not return, she did not ask for help. She jumped into action to go search for him. When faced with the problem of how to free her father from the Beast’s dungeon, Belle made the decision to offer herself in exchange for her father. She agrees to this exchange even after seeing the Beast step into the light! THAT is bravery. Does she cry immediately after making this tough decision and not getting to say goodbye to her father? Yes, but honestly, wouldn’t you, too? It doesn’t make her any less brave in my mind.
Belle’s bravery doesn’t end there. She has the guts to refuse the Beast’s invitation to dinner as a way to assert her own power. Yes, she agreed to be his prisoner, but she never said she’d be an obedient one. In fact, Belle is a bit of a rebel. After refusing the Beast’s dinner invite, she sneaks out of her room to explore the castle (and get her own food). Then, after a supervised tour from Lumiere and Cogsworth, she slips away to explore the one and only part of the castle she was told she couldn’t explore: the West Wing. Does it get her into trouble? Of course, yes. But honestly, I respect the effort. I don’t know if exploring the West Wing would have been my first choice on my first night in an enchanted castle, but you know it would have been on my to-do list. (I’m a girl raised on Nancy Drew novels. You tell me there’s something secret or off-limits without telling me why? You can bet I’m gonna go looking for answers.) Belle also isn’t afraid to speak her mind at several points throughout the film, whether she’s trying to charm her way out of an unwanted conversation with Gaston or trying to put the Beast in his place. One of my favorite scenes is when Belle is tending the Beast’s wounds and she matches his volume and tone, ultimately leaving him speechless. This is no meek or mild-mannered perfect princess. This is a realistic woman who isn’t afraid to take control of her own story.
Megan: Taking the whole film into account, the only time Belle is a true damsel-in-distress (i.e., not by her own choice) is when she’s attacked by the wolves. Yet even in this scenario, when she’s definitely outnumbered and outmatched, she still fights. She grabs the nearest stick and swings at the wolves. Ineffective, sure, but it’s far better than Snow White’s frantic screams as she runs away from…trees. (Creepy trees with arms and faces, but…trees.) This is the only point in the movie where a man (the Beast) comes to her rescue. (Okay, scratch that—Chip does come to the aid of Belle and her father later on in the movie, but weirdly I don’t think of Belle as a damsel-in-distress at that point in the film. Perhaps because she’s with her father and they are actively trying to break out of the basement?) In every other Disney Princess movie up until this point, the climactic scene of the movie has the love-interest prince coming to the princess’s rescue. Snow White’s prince gives her true love’s kiss to break the spell. Cinderella’s prince doesn’t directly rescue her (her (male) mice friends bring her the key), but his representative is the one who confirms Cinderella’s identity as the girl from the ball and liberates her from her oppressive home to go and live as a princess. Aurora’s Prince Phillip vanquishes Maleficent and rescues Aurora with true love’s kiss while Ariel’s Prince Eric vanquishes Ursula and thereby rescues Ariel from Ursula’s clutches. Beauty and the Beast breaks that mold. This time, at the climactic moment of the movie, it is the princess, Belle, who comes to the aid of the love-interest prince (or in this case, Beast). It is Belle’s intervention that saves the Beast from falling off the castle’s rooftop to his death, and it is ultimately her love for him that breaks his curse and transforms him back into his human form. Is it any wonder that Belle makes my favorite Disney Princesses list?
Oh, and this film totally passes the Bechdel test with multiple conversations between the named female characters in the film. Would I have liked more? Always, yes, but this film definitely has way more than one conversation between two female characters, so I’ll take it.
Belle still lives in a sexist world
Megan: There’s no escaping it—even this, one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, has some sexism. Case in point: Gaston. He’s sexism and toxic masculinity personified. All those reasons that I just listed as to why Belle is amazing? Those are the exact reasons that Gaston is infatuated with Belle—and those are the exact qualities he would erase from her if he had his way—because the qualities that make Belle unlike everyone else are the qualities that threaten Gaston’s power in this provincial town. Gaston could have his pick of literally any other single woman in town. At least three such women are seen throwing themselves at him throughout the movie. However, he has no interest in them. They’re too easily won. It’s boring. The one woman in town who doesn’t hang on his every word? That’s the woman he wants. But he doesn’t want her because of love or attraction. I’d argue he only wants her because he feels the need to control her and make her fall under his power like every other woman in town. Let’s look at just one example: Belle loves to read. Gaston says it himself:
GASTON: It’s not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas, thinking…
We already see Gaston steal Belle’s book and toss it into the mud to get her to pay attention to “more important things, like me.” In a marriage to Gaston, it’s easy to guess that Belle would not be allowed to read. I could very well see him burning any book she brought into the house. In fact, his vision of a marriage to Belle doesn’t look all that great for Belle:
GASTON: This is the day your dreams come true.
BELLE: What do you know about my dreams, Gaston?
GASTON: Plenty! Here. Picture this: a rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire, and my little wife massaging my feet, while the little ones play on the floor with the dogs. We’ll have six or seven.
BELLE: Dogs?
GASTON: No, Belle! Strapping boys, like me.
BELLE: Imagine that.
Gaston sees only what he gets out of the deal—a servant and son-bearer. In his sexist view, that’s all that women are good for. Having her own independent thoughts and dreams that have nothing to do with him? He can’t even imagine it. However, this is also the man who was so confident the answer to his proposal would be yes that he planned a wedding right outside Belle’s house for the exact same day he proposed to her. Although, with how much of a prison a marriage to Gaston would be, he might as well have shown up outside her door with the wagon to the insane asylum. To Belle’s mind, they’re not much different.
To Belle’s credit, she’s adept at navigating this sexist world. She’s clearly been dealing with Gaston’s unwanted advances for a while now. She knows she doesn’t want him, but she also knows how fragile his ego is and that if she refuses him he could become violent. That’s why she’s able to charmingly insult Gaston (“Gaston, you are positively primeval.”) and evade his proposal despite his attempts to physically pin her down. Of course, it’s still a rejection. And what does a frail male ego do when faced with rejection from the woman he desires? Plot to blackmail her into marriage by locking her father up in an insane asylum…of course…
This is where we get into that toxic masculinity bit. Gaston’s masculinity relies on him being the best at everything. Take the lyrics of his song. No one else in town is as slick, quick, thick, or manly as he is. All the men want to be him. And what is it that makes him a man? His bulging muscles, the cleft in his chin, how he fights, spits, eats, shoots, and hunts. And how every last inch of him is covered with hair. (Ladies, do we have any takers? No? I didn’t think so.) Any whiff of failure or humiliation is enough to shatter this masculine façade. Yet instead of allowing himself to break and feel some real emotion besides anger, Gaston puts up even more of a violent, angry, and “strong” act. To be weak is the worst threat to Gaston’s masculinity, and he’ll do anything to avoid it. The only moment we see any sign of weakness from Gaston is when the Beast has him dangling over the side of the castle, begging for his life. This moment of true fear, however, is too much for Gaston, and he must destroy the one who made him feel so weak to reassert his “strength.” Yet, in stabbing the Beast, Gaston assures his own demise and falls to his death.
In a way, this film is a story of vanquishing sexism and toxic masculinity. There’s Gaston’s ultimate demise, of course, but the Beast, too, lets go of his own toxic masculinity. As Kevin will dive into in a second, The Beast and Gaston are two sides of the same coin. Had the Beast held onto the ideals of toxic masculinity, letting his temper run wild, there’s no way Belle ever could have loved him, and no way he ever could have broken his curse. Yet in learning to control his temper and to let Belle be her own person, he was rewarded. Where Gaston would have deprived Belle of the very books she loved, imprisoned her in a loveless marriage, and locked her father away in an insane asylum, the Beast gives Belle an entire library full of more books than she could read in a lifetime, (eventually) grants her the freedom to do what she wants, and (eventually) comes to value how important Belle’s father is to her. It is only when the Beast sees Belle as a partner and equal that he’s able to earn her love, thus vanquishing his own sexist ideals.
The Beast and Gaston: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Kevin: Lots of reviewers have pointed this out before, yet it bears repeating. One of the most intriguing things in the movie is the relationship between the Beast and Gaston. As foils to each other, Gaston is a reflection of what the prince could have become had the enchantress not knocked on his door. Similarly, the Beast is what Gaston could have become had Gaston been in the prince’s position. What if Gaston had been a royal prince with the same over-inflated ego? Or what if the enchantress decided to pay a visit to Gaston’s home instead? In the story we get, it is the Beast who is on the receiving end of the spell and has a chance to change his ways. His initial personality is marked by selfishness, vanity, and cruelty, traits he shares with Gaston. Both start off wanting Belle for selfish reasons; Gaston wants Belle as his wife and the Beast sees Belle as his one chance to become human again. It’s after meeting Belle and the incident with the wolves that the Beast begins to change and exhibit something more than just sharing Gaston’s personality—he becomes Gaston’s mirror opposite both inside and out. Gaston fits the stereotypical mold of a hero: handsome, buff, manly, and sought after by women (except Belle, of course). Inwardly, however, he is vain, boorish, and pompous.
Megan: He’s rude, he’s conceited…
Kevin: In the later half of the film the Beast becomes selfless, gentle, and loving, even though he still bears the look of a hideous monster. He and Gaston are also displayed as opposites in terms of the company they keep. Gaston is not royalty and doesn’t have servants, but he is nevertheless surrounded by sycophantic idolaters who prop him up and feed his ego. This only serves to bring out his darker, more sinister emotions. On the other hand, the Beast has actual servants who are bound to tend to his every whim, yet they don’t idolize him. They even talk back to him now and again and are willing to call him out for his rudeness. The support the Beast receives from his servants makes them more like family and friends. They encourage his relationship with Belle, and while it’s clear they do so because they desperately want the spell to break, it’s pretty obvious they also do it because they’re decent people. This, along with Belle herself, helps the Beast embrace his good side.
Kevin: This mirror metaphor goes deeper than this. It’s also present in how the Beast and Gaston are basically destined to face one another despite having nothing to do with each other, except for their common interest in Belle. It’s not a coincidence that Gaston was written as a hunter. Gaston is used to killing animals and taking their heads as trophies. The natural enmity between hunter and creature is clear in the relationship between Gaston and the Beast. Gaston sees the Beast as his prey to take down. He even uses a bow and arrow, a not-so-subtle choice of weapon to give Gaston during his climactic fight. To go even further, the Beast doesn’t just represent a creature Gaston hunts; he is also presented as Gaston’s equal and rival. In a way, this brings a new dynamic to their battle. Here we have two characters who are both human and monster but in opposite ways. Their physical strength is practically equal since Gaston is able to take the Beast on in their brawl. (On a side note, given how strong Gaston is, the Beast is actually lucky he wasn’t a human while fighting Gaston; I’m certain Gaston would have mopped the floor with him.) It’s in this final battle that we see two worthy characters clash together in a way that feels destined since it’s the only way the story can end. Yet, it also feels totally deserved, since the Beast should have his chance to display his newfound humanity while Gaston gets his comeuppance. While it’s true that the reason they are fighting is technically over Belle, their motivations couldn’t be any more different. Gaston fights to eliminate his foe while the Beast is just defending himself. Their truest souls are revealed when the Beast shows mercy to Gaston, only for Gaston to mortally wound the Beast in cold blood. Both die, but Gaston dies a monster, the last of his humanity gone. The Beast gets to live again while shedding the last of his monstrous form, both literally and figuratively.
Megan: One final layer to the mirror metaphor…
The magic mirror!
(C’mon, you were totally thinking it, too.)
Does the Beast’s punishment fit his crime?
Kevin: When I brought this question up to Megan after we finished watching the movie, she reminded me that this is, after all, a fairy tale, and most fairy tales are written with the purpose of teaching children a lesson or two. In this version’s case, one lesson that someone could take away is that bad decisions lead to bad consequences (to put it simply). The selfish and unkind prince is transformed into something hideous so as to reflect the ugliness within himself. Only by discovering his innate loving nature can he reclaim his humanity in both mind and body. The idea definitely works for a fantasy adventure. However, since we’re watching these films in depth, I think it’s interesting to explore the circumstances of the prince’s transformation and whether the enchantress was justified in her punishment. If you’ve ever read some reviews of this movie or have gotten into discussions about it, you probably have heard the argument once or twice that the enchantress was wrong for what she did. Whenever I see this argument, most of the criticism is over the belief she cursed a ten/eleven-year-old boy. This evidence comes from both the prologue (when the narrator says the rose “would bloom until [the Beast’s] twenty-first year.”) and the song “Be Our Guest” (when Lumiere sings, “ten years we’ve been rusting”). These two lines lead to the conclusion that the prince was very young on that fateful night. Confirmation of this is apparently found on the filmmakers’ commentary for the film’s extended edition and was also confirmed in an earlier draft of the screenplay written by Linda Woolverton, though the link to the screenplay is no longer valid. In any case, the argument is that, at that age, the prince’s selfish ways are not unheard of. Given his royal status, where it can be assumed his word is basically law within the castle, and the implication that he has no parents or any guardians to discipline him, his behavior has some explanation, however wrong it is. (The whole guardianship angle is partly explored in the 2017 live-action remake, but I’ll address that when we get there.) Part of the case against the enchantress also usually includes that the prince had every reason to turn away a complete stranger from his home. Then there are the servants, whose own curses are simply a byproduct of being associated with the prince. With all of this mind, the enchantress is seen as being far too harsh with her methods. For the record, I am definitely not condoning the prince’s actions or behavior. Even if we accept he was, in fact, ten or eleven at most when he was cursed, this doesn’t absolve him of any wrongdoing. Sure, some kids at that age can be little sh*ts, but there are plenty who aren’t and are fully capable of knowing right from wrong, so the prince’s cruelty is certainly not totally excusable. There have been some slight counter-arguments put forth that the prince doesn’t look at all like an eleven-year-old in both his stained-glass depictions of the film’s prologue and in his portrait in the West Wing, nor does he look said age in the midquel/sequel, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas. Then there are counter-counter-arguments to these points which I am going to avoid lest I keep talking in circles. Frankly, I would just say that there’s simply not enough backstory about the prince throughout the movie to draw enough conclusions about whether a young boy deserved this punishment. So, why am I even talking about this anyway?
Kevin: Well, it’s because I think there’s something darker about this punishment that often seems to get overlooked, and it has little to do with the prince’s age—or, if anything, his age would only exacerbate the issue. To me, the biggest issue with the curse is not whether he was too young or that the enchantress made some snap judgment. It’s that it has the potential to last forever until the Beast dies, or so I would assume. The film implies that the longer the spell goes on, the less human the Beast becomes, evidenced by his own animalistic behavior and reinforced by the deleted sequence “Human Again” when Belle re-teaches the Beast how to read. According to the Disney Wiki, Don Hahn has stated that this was intentional, and that had the spell become permanent, the Beast would lose his humanity completely and become just an animal. So, had the spell not been broken, the Beast would have become a beast physically and psychologically for the rest of his life, similar to the character Mor’du from Brave. For all intents and purposes, it’s an infinite punishment for a finite crime. There’s certainly a debate to be had about the morality of this topic which I won’t get into. Keeping the discussion purely in context of this crime, the prince’s sin isn’t even the worst thing imaginable. Again, since we don’t know his backstory and don’t know what he’s done, we can only assume he was what the narration says: spoiled, selfish, and unkind, all of which can be used to describe all sorts of actions. His only actionable crime that’s actually stated outright is his refusal to let the old beggar woman into the castle. Of course, he didn’t know she was a magical enchantress, so did it cross his mind that she could have potentially frozen to death? It’s certainly possible, but we don’t know since it’s never mentioned. His action is reprehensible, but does he really deserve a punishment that has the potential to completely rob him of his humanity forever? I’m not entirely convinced it does. I completely understand that the nature of the curse is what really spurs the Beast to change his ways before it’s too late, but this is one of those situations where I’m not sure the ends necessarily justified the means.
After placing the curse on the prince, the enchantress plays no additional part in the story apart from her rose being a ticking clock. Since the release of the film, numerous works have made her a more prominent character and have even attempted to justify her spell. These works include the live-action remake and books such as Liz Braswell’s As Old as Time: A Twisted Tale and Serena Valentino’s The Beast Within: A Tale of Beauty’s Prince, both of which I’ve read. They were interesting reads, neither of which I would call amazing or anything, but I do think the writers do a good job of presenting decent motivations for the enchantress’s actions and why they were deemed necessary, or at least could be considered okay. I can appreciate these writers attempting to fill in that info, but I also realize at the end of the day that this is a detail that honestly doesn’t need much explanation at all. However much I may think the enchantress went overboard, it clearly served its purpose in the narrative. That’s the main point of the spell and the main point of the Beast’s character development—him finding the human deep within.
Megan: And here my first thought upon re-watching the opening prologue was “This is why you don’t mess with women!” I mean, if all women were enchantresses who could curse any rude, sexist, or abusive man she encountered, maybe that would force the general male populace to think twice about their actions. (Or maybe men would be so threatened by such female power they’d bring back the Salem witch trials… Such fragile egos…). Honestly, it has never bothered me that the enchantress was swift to punish the prince because THIS IS A FAIRYTALE! Of all the things that could happen to a ten- or eleven-year-old in a fairytale, being turned into a beast is actually quite tame.
Kevin: What do you readers think? Do you agree the enchantress went too far? Did she not go far enough, or was the Beast’s punishment just? Am I nuts for writing this much about an unimportant detail that doesn’t affect the movie’s plot at all? (Okay, yeah, probably). We’d love to hear your feedback!
Final Thoughts
Kevin: It’s been 30 years since Beauty and the Beast first hit the silver screen, and a little less than that since the first time I can remember seeing it. I grew up on the Disney Renaissance and continued to enjoy most of the animated films Disney put out since then. This is purely subjective, but so far no other Disney movie, whether live-action or animated, has matched the same emotions or sparked the same influence in me that this one has. Tangled and Frozen, the two films I mentioned at the start of this review, have each had their place at the top of my Disney list for a short time, and they’ve probably come the closest to giving me that same sense of awe and joy. But Beauty and the Beast is incredibly special to me in ways I can’t always explain and it continues to stand the test of time. Is it a perfect film? Objectively, no, not really. I think the story has some pacing issues, and there’s definitely an argument to be made that Belle and the Beast’s relationship isn’t healthy—whether or not Belle is a victim of Stockholm Syndrome is a subset of this topic that has been widely debated over the years. The film’s representation of a strong female lead was a huge step forward for Disney at the time, but may now look outdated when compared to more recent movies of the last decade. So, no, the movie isn’t perfect, and nor should it be. Its success lies in its legacy; it remains one of the most beloved and well-received films in the history of animation and the film industry at large. I’m not really one to put too much stock in the Oscars, but it’s pretty clear there is a reason why the film was the very first animated feature to ever be nominated for “Best Picture.” It may not have won the award, but just the fact it was nominated is noteworthy. At the close of this review, I want to highlight that while Beauty and the Beast is certainly my favorite Disney film, and my favorite animated theatrical film overall, it’s not actually my favorite animated work; that honor goes to the television show Avatar: The Last Airbender, which I’m bringing up here only because that show has influenced me in ways that Beauty and the Beast did all those years ago. I’m always going to keep coming back to this movie. I welcome the chance for a new Disney film to knock it off its pedestal; even if that happens, this tale as old as time will forever hold the spot of being the animated work that sparked my love of the medium. It’s as perfect of a Disney film as it could possibly be, and that’s enough for me.
