Hello, Mythical Creatures!
Today, I just wanted to share my thoughts on Beauty and the Beast, the Disney movie. I know there is quite a bit of controversy over this, but these are just my views. You don't have to agree with me. :)
First
of all, Beauty and
the Beast
is my absolute favorite Disney movie.
I want to share my thoughts on why this movie was revolutionary and
brilliant for its time.
I love that Belle doesn't fit in, is a reader, smart, and won't just
marry some guy because he's cute.
Thankfully, this movie goes against many stereotypes, like women
can't be smart, and can't or shouldn't read. Belle loves to read, and
isn't a typical princess in need of rescuing. In fact, she does the
rescuing: she rescues her father. That is brilliant, and upends so
many stereotypes already.
Also, she's practical, and will stand up for herself. She will not marry Gaston, no matter what the
town thinks of her, and no matter what he threatens. She wants to
marry someone who is smart and caring, and she's not afraid to make that known. Gaston comes to propose to her, and she slyly throws
him out.
Another thing that resonates with Belle for me is she doesn't quite
fit in. She's not like the other girls in town, and no one really
knows what to make of her. However, she doesn't give up her dreams,
hobbies, or character in order to fit in. Despite all this, she is
still a hero and celebrated as a Disney princess, which overturns
stereotypes all over the place.
- Gaston, who's supposed to be the hero, is the villain, and the Beast, who is supposed to be the villain, is the hero.
Although this storyline seems familiar or common, it went against the
stereotype of the handsome prince coming and saving the day, by
killing the hideous creature. Although this storyline is extremely
old as well, for whatever reason, in American society, it is less
prominent. If you are interested in different versions of and stories
related to Beauty and the Beast, I posted a couple posts on
it. Here are the links: Part One, and Part Two.
In any case, the amazing thing about Beauty and the Beast is
the Beast did not start out as a good character. He treated Belle
terribly, had a horrible temper, and although he wanted to find love,
it could be argued his main reason for wanting to fall in love (at
least, at the beginning) was so he could have his human body back,
because he hated his beast form. However, slowly, he grew to care for
Belle, partially because Belle was honest with him. For example, she
refused to come to dinner, and yelled at him to control his temper. By the end of
the movie, the Beast transformed, physically, but also emotionally.
He was able to care for someone else, learned to work through his
problems instead of run away from them, and learned what the
Enchantress wanted him to learn. In short, his heart changed.
In
any case, these are some of my thoughts on Beauty and the
Beast. However, I just wanted to
mention one more thing. The Beast did not treat Belle well at all
when she first arrived at his castle. I love this movie because the
Beast's heart changed, not because he treated her so terribly.
Those
are just a few of my thoughts, and why I love Beauty and
the Beast so much! What's your
favorite Disney princess movie? Why?
Spruce Nogard
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