Sunday, February 12, 2017

Response to Beauty and the Beast


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I like how the they started the movie with a backstory told through stain glass windows. It sets the scene and intrigues the viewer. It is also unique and sets it apart from other Disney movies.

I love how Belle likes to read. I remember watching this movie as a child and wanting to be just like her so I started to read more often.

Gaston says “Belle is the most beautiful girl in town and that makes her the best”. Although this would not be a good message to send to young girls if a protagonist said this, since the villain said it, the movie does not support the idea. Also, Gaston condemns Belle for reading because “soon, a girl starts getting ideas and thinking” which he thinks is a bad thing. However, since he is the villain, the movie serves to prove him wrong. Also, by Gaston’s tone of voice when he says these lines, the viewer can infer that they were meant to be jokes.

 Image from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/91831279871836422/

I forgot that Belle’s father was a quirky inventor. The fact that Belle takes care of him than the other way around is characteristic of movie’s progressiveness.

Gaston is so confident that he planned his wedding before he even proposed. Uhg…

Belle is very different from Cinderella and Ariel. She does not want the classic handsome and confident man. She wants “so much more than this provincial life”. This is another progressive aspect of the movie.

Beauty and the Beast also differs from other Disney movies because instead of animals that play the role of comic relief, it is the furniture and household objects that do so.
Image from https://www.pinterest.com/beckrutherford/writing-tips/

I forgot that Belle had to trade her life to save her father’s. That was very selfless.

The scene during “Be Our Guest” reminds me a lot of “Under the Sea”. Both scenes have so much action and color that it is almost overwhelming.

 Image from http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Be_Our_Guest

I forgot that Belle left the castle and was almost attacked by wolves before the beast saved her. It is a very scary and violent scene.

The beast is so cute when he tries to be civilized, be kind to Belle, and control his temper. A running theme between Disney movies seems to be one character that has a bad temper.

Gaston makes the towns people afraid of the unknown and unfamiliar, which makes them act out of fear. The movie shows how this view is narrow minded not simply inaccurate.

Belle falls in love with the Beast because of his character and kindness not because of his looks. In this way, she differs from both Cinderella and Ariel who fell in love with their respective princes on sight. This sends the message to young girls that looks do not matter when one falls in love.


When compared to Cinderella and The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast is more progressive and feminist. Also, Gaston is the one of the first male villains in Disney films. Beauty and the Beast denounces the overly confident masculine character instead of praise them like they did with Prince Charming and King Triton.

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