Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

If The Little Mermaid kicked off the Disney Renaissance, then Beauty and the Beast is what truly solidified this new style, which combined the old Disney format with new ideas and a modern perspective; Disney had attempted this already with The Little Mermaid and done a fine job, but this time they really got it spot on. Beauty and the Beast capably marries what was great about classic Disney – fairy tales, love, magic, hopes and dreams, beautiful castles and natural landscapes – with modern sensibilities about relationships, personal identity and gender in a surprisingly intelligent and mature way, alongside great animation, music and characters.

The animation is wonderful and again, like The Little Mermaid it harkens back to the look of early Disney movies, while still maintaining its own identity; there are some slight issues with some of the background characters, who are a bit lacking in detail and animated a little awkwardly, but the major characters, particularly the enchanted objects in the castle, are all lovingly and wonderfully animated with great precision and care. The backgrounds are also great, the town is so detailed and colourful, again reminiscent of early Disney films, particularly Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in how it captures a sense of serene, pastoral life. Even more spectacular is Beast’s castle – all the backgrounds here just look absolutely breathtaking, it is so dark and gothic, with so much space, so many interesting angles, so much fascinating and surreal imagery. There’s a scene where Belle and Beast walk through a corridor adorned with these wonderfully grotesque stone gargoyles that all seem to deliberately lean towards Belle; backgrounds like this, which serve a stylistic purpose of reflecting the characters’ inner fears and feelings about their surroundings, completing ignoring any practicality that this corridor design would actually have within the real world of the film, show a hint of inspiration from German Expressionism. Though hardly as extreme as say, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, perhaps a little closer to Tim Burton – this is a Disney movie after all – these surreal backgrounds are enchanting and help lend Beast’s castle a sense of identity completely unlike the setting of any other Disney film, even in similarly dark and mysterious castles such as Maleficent’s or the Horned King’s, which truly immerses you in Belle’s plight and Beast’s feelings of loneliness and isolation.

The story is classic and in many ways, Disney tackles it pretty much how you’d expect it to, a touching love story about a woman who learns that true beauty is on the inside, when she falls for a monstrous beast; however, the film also plays with these expectations in some very interesting ways. They never really shove the moral of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ down your throat, even though a couple moments do make it a bit obvious and while you are expecting this message to be pushed for Beast, it’s easy to forget that it actually applies to the Beauty in the title, as well. Just as the townspeople expect Beast to be cruel and monstrous because of his inhuman appearance, they expect Belle to be an airhead and a submissive wife interested only in snagging a husband, because of her beautiful appearance; Belle struggles with the fact that no-one seems to understand the fact that she is a human being with thoughts, feelings and dreams, just as much as Beast does. Ultimately, the message is not so much to do with valuing inner beauty over physical looks as it is with not dehumanising people or trying to define them by superficial attributes, be it looks, gender, social class or anything else. This is just one of the ways in which Beauty and the Beast turns our perceptions and old-fashioned interpretations of morals on their head to create a compelling narrative. On top of that, the pacing is near flawless – the central premise is outlined very quickly in an incredibly powerful opening sequence which informs the audience without being distracting or tedious; Belle’s character and life in the town is set up just as quickly and effectively through the use of the opening song, as is Gaston’s lust for her, the town’s derisive opinions towards her and her father and the reason for Belle’s entrapment in Beast’s castle. All this happens within the first twenty minutes of the movie and the film never stops moving, every scene is necessary and entertaining; it knows to slow down and take its time with its more tender scenes, but it never wastes a minute and manages to make it feel like a lot has happened in a very small period of time.

‘Once upon a time, there was a girl called Cinderella...’

‘NO, NOT THAT ONE ANYTHING BUT THAT ONE’

The cast is one of the most memorable and beloved in Disney history: the heroes, the villains and the side characters are all really well thought out, interesting and fun to watch. Interestingly, the film actually has two protagonists – the titular “Beauty” and “the Beast” both get a lot of time and attention and the story is definitely both of theirs, unlike say,Oliver and Company which is far more based around the “Company” than it is “Oliver”. Disney has a tendency to kind of sideline its main characters in favour of its side characters, which tend to be more colourful and exaggerated and therefore, theoretically, more fun for kids to watch and easier to market. However, while the side characters are definitely a big part of this movie, Belle and Beast do actually take centre stage and rightly so, because these are two of the best, if not THE best protagonists in a Disney movie. Belle and Beast are not only very likeable, but also quite progressive and almost revolutionary for Disney characters, subverting traditional gender roles and playing with the tropes we’ve come to expect from Disney, particularly from their earliest and most influential films.

Belle clearly takes inspiration from classic female protagonists such as Snow White and Cinderella, in an attempt at modernising this character archetype, as Disney had previously attempted with Ariel. However, unlike Ariel, who simply transposes this character template to the modern day in its entirety, Belle’s character successfully repurposes the positive attributes of these characters while eradicating some of the more dated and sexist ones and infusing a modern, feminist sensibility. Belle is kind, sweet and patient, but not angelically so like say, Cinderella and will stand up for herself if she is being mistreated or taken advantage of. She doesn’t passively wait to be rescued like Snow White or Aurora, attempting to take her life into her own hands, going after her father when he needs help and resisting Beast’s attempts to control her and break her will. She wants to explore the world, but unlike Ariel, isn’t naive or ditzy about it, she is intelligent and witty, often poking fun at the other characters and using their egos against them. Belle challenges the traditional gender roles we’ve come to expect from female Disney protagonists, resulting in a very likeable and driven character. Is she a little too perfect? Perhaps, her only real flaw seems to be that she can be a little too driven, at times letting her curiosity get the better of her; maybe she’s more of an ideal than a person, but I don’t think she’s as unrealistic as some seem to think and she’s still a much more realistic and interesting protagonist than her predecessors, so I don’t think it’s a problem.

Beast is arguably even more interesting, as he actually gets significant character development, going from a bad tempered, rude and animalistic brute to a more kind, civilised and fully rounded person; this is communicated expertly through his movements and animation, which slowly changes from prowling around like an animal to being more careful, restrained and human in his movements. Though Belle is different from previous Disney female characters, Beast is even more different from his male counterparts, who are typically kind, bland and have little to say or do with no development whatsoever, unlike Beast, who has a lot of personality and goes through some big changes. Just as the idea of traditional femininity is challenged with Belle, so is traditional masculinity with Beast, who challenges the typical ideas of what it means to be stereotypically “manly” and whether or not that is the same thing as being a good man. It is not Beast’s looks (obviously), his strength or his refusal to share his feelings that endears Belle to him, but rather, it is not until he grows out of these typical macho conceits and shows his vulnerability, his kindness and his willingness to learn and grow that she falls for him. Belle’s line ‘he’s no Prince Charming’ perfectly sums him up – he is not the typical Disney prince, nor is he the man she read about in her books at the beginning of the movie, a romanticised collection of masculine stereotypes; he is a real man, a man with feelings and insecurities and this is more fascinating and attractive to her than an idealised fantasy of a man will ever be. Even when Beast finally becomes a human, Belle does not immediately fall for his looks, at first unsure that he is still the same person, it is only when she looks into his eyes that she truly knows this is the kind, gentle man she fell in love with.

A kind and gentle soul

These subversive and progressive characterisations are what make Belle and Beast’s romance the most heartfelt and grounded in Disney history; unlike their predecessors, they don’t fall in love at first sight, in fact, when they first meet, they hate each other! Reasonably so, considering how Belle is mistreated by Beast and how Beast has grown bitter and hateful towards people after years of solitude. It is only when Beast stops being a jerk and they get to know each other that they come to care about each other and realise they have more in common than they thought. Sure, the development of their relationship is still rather fast and mostly takes place over a single song montage, but their interactions before and after the song are so well written that it still seems completely real and natural, never fake or rushed – the seeds of the relationship have already been sown, so we completely believe that they grew and blossomed over time, with the montage showing us carefully and effectively chosen snippets of how it did so. It seems too obvious to even be worth mentioning, but the reason that their relationship works is because they actually get to know each other; so few romances in Disney movies are given space to breathe and develop and characters are either barely given personalities at all or hardly given the time they need to actually discover each other’s personalities and quirks and realistically fall in love, they just like each other immediately.

Belle and Beast are both outcasts, they are both used to being misjudged, they are both headstrong, but gentle, they are both searching for someone that will understand them and find that in one another – it makes perfect sense that they would fall for one another and are able to bring out the best in each other. The scene where the two eat soup is a wonderful example of this, as the more refined Belle uses a spoon while Beast gobbles his down like an animal; embarrassed, Beast attempts to use a spoon properly, but finds it difficult, so Belle picks up her bowl and drinks from it, something she knows Beast can do, sparing him embarrassment. This is such a brilliant scene, because it demonstrates one of the most important aspects of a real relationship that Disney movies so often gloss over – compromise. Typically, Disney heroes and heroines are just perfect for one another, they fall for each other and the only obstacles to their love are villains who want to keep them apart, they never have to deal with conflict or obstacles within their own relationship. This scene acknowledges that no relationship is perfect and that if you truly care for someone, you will compromise and find a middle ground which brings out the best in both of you; this is all done very briefly and without any dialogue, showing just how strong the characterisation of our two leads is and how much natural chemistry they have between them.

Kawaii Beast-chan

This examination of gender and Disney stereotypes is further explored through the villain, Gaston; he starts off delightfully hammy and over-the-top, which makes him very fun to watch, but ultimately transforms into one of Disney’s darkest and most frightening villains, because while definitely a little cartoony, he is also scarily realistic. Like Beast, Gaston is a deconstruction of traditional masculine tropes – he is tall, handsome, muscular, a great hunter, the hero of the town, in other words, a classical male hero. However, though physically attractive, he lacks depth or likeability and is more interested in being manly than friendly; again, the message that looks can be deceiving is addressed in a different way, as we are not just warned not to assume to worst about people who aren’t typically beautiful, we are also warned not to assume the best of people who are. Gaston is not hideous like the Evil Queen’s witch form, he does not appear inhuman or demonic like Maleficent or Ursula, rather, he looks like the traditional Disney prince, which makes his true character all the more disturbing, as we are used to cheering for characters who look like him. Gaston’s motivation is similarly reminiscent of traditional Disney princes: he falls for Belle the first time he sees her and becomes determined to marry her, the same as Prince Charming, or Philip or Eric; however, the uncomfortable implications of this idea arise when Gaston refuses to ever consider the idea that Belle might not want to marry him – to him, women are prizes or trophies, just another animal to be hunted, neither he nor anyone else in town can understand why Belle wouldn’t want to be his wife. While Belle and Beast both learn to ignore what society says they should be and embrace their true selves, Gaston continues to cling to what society says a man should be, completely unwilling to change his cruel and oppressive ways.

Perhaps it is a little on the nose when Belle says ‘[The Beast is] no monster Gaston, you are!’ But he is such a well written villain that the line does not come off as corny but chillingly true; Gaston represents the monster inside all of us and what can happen when we force ourselves to fill the roles society has picked out for us and try to force others to do the same. Unlike the other townspeople, it is not fear of Beast that encourages Gaston to kill him, but jealousy, he is so humiliated by the idea that Belle could love a hideous monster over him that he won’t rest until it’s dead; there’s a reason the magic mirror constantly glows green while he has it, it represents his innermost urges. The fact that Gaston is so beloved and celebrated by the town is even more frightening, Belle and Beast live in a time and a society that can’t understand and won’t accept who they are or how they feel about each other and Gaston combines all that hatred, prejudice and ugliness into a disturbingly charismatic and handsome package; it really is like watching an early Disney film from a chilling new perspective and exposes the ugliness in group mentality and the adherence to archaic social constructs which suffocate individuality and personal growth.

Positively primeval

The side characters are very good too, if a little more traditionally cartoony and less developed, but that’s fine, they’re the comic relief. Lumiere is charming and fun, Cogsworth is a familiar character type, the stuffy old killjoy similar to Sebastian or Bagheera, but he is played very well. Mrs. Potts is a bit much for me, her somewhat screechy accent and attitude remind me of Nanny from One Hundred and One Dalmatians, but she’s warm and likeable enough that it never becomes too much of a problem. Similarly, Chip is a little overly cutesy and seems to be there simply because the film was lacking that character type – the Penny, the Flounder, the Michael etc. etc. – which has to be in every Disney movie, but again he’s not too bad. Maurice is pretty fun, he’s delightfully eccentric and energised, but also kind and caring and a genuinely good father, something you see surprisingly little of in Disney movies when you really think about it. Lefou is great, he fulfils a very standard role as the villain’s goofy sidekick, but he’s actually legitimately really funny and has a great dynamic with Gaston. This great supporting cast does exactly what it should do – it actually SUPPORTS the major characters with honestly really good comic relief and fun little detours, while the main characters remain at the centre of the action, something many of the Disney films we’ve seen so far seem to forget to do.

Alan Menken and Howard Ashman return to pen another great musical and if The Little Mermaid ‘brought Broadway into cartoons’ then Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney movie to understand how to use different types of Broadway styles and numbers depending on the tone of the movie. “Belle” for example, is a classic Rodgers and Hammerstein style opening number, reminiscent of “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” fromOklahoma! or “The Sound of Music” from the film of the same name. Arguably, however, “Belle” incorporates characterisation and narrative better than these songs, by not only making it a great opening number which brings you into the world of the film, but also introduces you to Belle’s character, her hopes and dreams and how the rest of the town reacts to her; it’s a fantastic song and one of Disney’s best opening numbers, with a very fun and jaunty tune and some great lyrics. “Be Our Guest” is the big showstopper, clearly emulating “Under the Sea” and though I wouldn’t say it’s quite as good as that, it’s still a very fun song with some good rhymes and a lot of fantastic animation, being one of the best animated sequences in the film. “Beauty and the Beast” is the “Whole New World Number” the love song, the one that gets a cover by a pop singer that gets put in the credits you know the drill; however, it’s a legitimately beautiful song, partly because of the genuinely touching and well thought out lyrics and partly because Belle and Beast’s relationship is so strong that you really want to like the song, it wouldn’t work as well if it were about Ariel and Eric, for example. The animation is also great, with the computer animation matching seamlessly with the 2D animated characters and there are some very interesting little touches like the painting of the cherubs on the ceiling moving as they follow Belle and Beast’s dance. Just a lovely sequence and one of Disney’s best love songs, even though it is a bit odd that it’s sung by the anthropomorphic teapot with a goofy British accent. “Something There” is another love song, with some nice lyrics, but nothing that special; it serves more of a narrative purpose than musically, but it’s still a good sequence. “The Mob Song” is a good song with a dark, rhythmic, chant and some nice, if not especially clever rhymes, though there are some rather clumsy lyrics, in particular the line ‘we don’t like what we understand, in fact it scares us’ but you can forgive it for a couple of slip-ups and it leads into the climax well.

Cogsworth the Terrible

But the definitive classic is “Gaston”, Disney’s best villain song, partially because it doesn’t immediately seem to be a villain song and one of the most perfect musical numbers they ever produced. It’s well animated, it’s funny, it’s clever, it’s a perfect summation of Gaston as a character, it’s a wonderfully witty deconstruction of what it means to be “manly” and the frivolity of popularity and crowd mentality, it’s just good in every way a character based song should be. The tune is incredibly catchy and the lyrics and rhymes are Disney and their most playful and joyous – how can you not laugh at ‘I use antlers in all of my decorating’ or ‘no-one plots like Gaston, takes cheap shots like Gaston, plans to persecutes harmless crackpots like Gaston’? That’s just fantastic. So much fun is had showing us just how slimy Gaston is and yet he is celebrated for such stupid and underhanded things, it’s impossible not to laugh at being told that no-one ‘matches wits like Gaston’ as he stares pensively at a chess board, only to slap it aside when he realises he can’t make a good move. “Poor Unfortunate Souls” was the first great Disney villain song and a good start to the unforgettable bad guys of the Disney Renaissance, but no-one does villain songs like Gaston.

Beauty and the Beast is an intelligent and heartfelt movie that delivers a timeless message in a fresh and different manner, playing with gender constructs, narrative traditions, audience expectations and even Disney’s own stereotypes in a very original way. It has wonderful animation and an art style which joins the best parts of early and later Disney’s visual styles. The major characters are really well developed with a touching and believable romance which forms the centrepiece of an engaging and emotionally engrossing story with flawless pacing and a villain who is both fun and legitimately threatening. The musical score is hauntingly beautiful and while some of the songs are just good, the few that stand out really are superb. Beauty and the Beast brought everything that Disney is about together in perfect harmony, polishing everything to a mirror shine and putting a refreshingly new spin on things, creating a true modern classic; it doesn’t get much better than this.

Other Thoughts:

The drama of the scene where Maurice is taken away by the mob is kind of dampened by the fact that the insane asylum has a funny name.