If you've read through my blog, it's easy to see that I am a Disney fan, but that's not the only reason I love this movie. I think that sometimes Disney princesses, and fairy-tale princesses in general, get a bad rap. They're sometimes portrayed as "damsels in distress" and they get criticized for seeking a man's help (more specifically, a prince's help) to get out of whatever trouble their in. This brings me some of the reasons I love this movie so much, and why I think Belle is one of my favourite princesses.
Please note I am doing my best not to spoil the movie for those who have not seen it, but I can't guarantee that you will not see things that you didn't know about the movie.
1 - Belle is a polite and caring person. As she walks through the village in the opening seen, she is faced with people calling her peculiar, strange and even rolling their eyes at her. But she greets everyone with a smile and a polite greeting. Please don't mistake this to think I mean we have to accept people being disrespectful to us, but I think a smile and a greeting go a long way. Belle goes on to show a little girl how to read, even though it is not an activity that others in the village believe that little girls can do.
2 - Belle is imaginative and creative. Not only does she imagine the world outside of her little village, but she puts her creativity to work to come up with a washing machine for herself. Very clever!
3 - Belle recognizes there is more to a person than just outer appearance. Gaston may be handsome (and he definitely is in this movie), but his personality is not so attractive. While others fawn over him, Belle is not taken in by his outward appearance and recognizes his unattractive personality. And ultimately (SPOILER ALERT) she falls in love with the Beast for who he is on the inside, not his outward appearance.
4 - Belle is brave and strong. While initially frightened of the Beast (and who wouldn't be scared of this towering creature that has captured your father and locked him away), she is not afraid to stand up to him. She speaks her mind and openly disagrees with him. And it goes without saying that when she volunteered to take her father's place as prisoner, that showed the ultimate courage.
5 - The visual effects in this movie are out of this world. The colours, and the way Disney brings the objects like clocks, candelabras and even a wardrobe to life are amazing.
6 - Le Fou. Le Fou is sometimes underrated, but there are a few reasons I like Le Fou, and I actually prefer the version of Le Fou in this live-action version of Beauty and the Beast over the cartoon one. Le Fou holds Gaston in high regard, as many of the villagers seem to, which even results in a song dedicated to Gaston (one of my favourites in the move). Despite the pedistal that Le Fou places Gaston on, he also has a conscience. As the movie progresses Le Fou makes a transformation from a follower of Gaston to someone that starts to value himself and recognizes the error of Gaston's ways. I love this transformation. And finally, Le Fou injects some great humour in to some darker scenes of the movie, he has some of the funniest lines in the movie.
I could probably expand my list well beyond 6 reasons that I love this movie, but I will leave it there. If you have not seen the live-action version of Beauty and the Beast, you really should. If you have seen the movie, do you agree with my list? What did you think of it? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, or connect with me on social media to let me know what you think:
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