Beauty and The Beast

Join me today, as I take a look at another classic Disney film from the Renaissance.  As I take a look at Beauty and The Beast.

The Plot


The story of the film is that of a young girl who takes her father's place in the castle of  The Beast, so that he can be free and over time the girl and The Beast learn to love each other.


Plot Devices


Before I get into the characters, there are two plot devices that I need to bring up as they play quite an important role in this film.

The Enchanted Rose

The Enchanted Rose is one of the most important elements of  this film.  When the film first starts, we see old  lady who tries to give this rose to an arrogant young prince but he refuses and this upsets the old lady who reveals herself to be a beautiful Enchantress and for that the witch saw that there was no love in his body, she turned him into the hideous Beast. On each year until the twenty-first birthday of the Beast, a petal would fall.  Now that's the basic description and in a way this rose is sort of like a timer because the Beast knows that he if the last petal falls before his twenty-first birthday,  he'll remain a Beast forever.  It is a neat idea to have this rose and I loved how protective Beast was of this rose as it was a way of tying it back to his past and more specifically that tragic night when his life was changed forever.

The Enchanted Mirror

Now I have always found The Mirror to be one of the more intriguing elements of this film.  As Beast keeps himself locked up in the castle because he doesn't want anyone to see what he truly looks like. So this is window to the outside world.  It lets him see what is going on outside and he actually lets Belle uses it to check on her father.  Beast also lets her keep it.  Though when outside the castle, Belle makes a faux pas  when she uses it to show the townspeople, Beast.  From my understanding, it seems like that is what set in motion , the attack to kill the Beast. Not the smartest move but I can understand what Belle was trying to do.  

Characters

Per standard form, I will be breaking this down into  Important, Supporting, and Villains.  Though I will not be showing any of the human forms of the enchanted characters as I feel that would ruin one aspect of the film,  though I do feel the need to discuss Beast's human form.


Important Characters




Belle voiced by Paige O'Hara

Now if you read the cross-over that I did with Dawn_Heart, where I counted down my Top 6 Leading Ladies of Disney,  you should know that I like Belle a lot.  Belle like Ariel or Jasmine helped to redefine the role of a Disney Princess.  Unlike her earlier counterparts,  Belle wanted more in her life than just love. In fact, I would go so far as to say that in the beginning of the film that was the farthest thing from what Belle wanted and instead of seeking out love such as Ariel did, her relationship with Beast developed over time. Now I'm not sure how long a period of time it was. This is actually one aspect of the film that I have seen be debated over whether or not it was a couple days or a couple months. Personally, I find this debate to be really silly but if  I had to guess, I would say it was only couple of days as how I felt the movie portrayed it.  Anyways, getting back to Belle,   another reason I liker besides her obvious love of reading and yearning for adventure is that she is a bit outspoken and willing to stand up to people that try to put her down or belittle because she is female. Case in point, both times she stands up to Gaston.

The Beast voiced by Robby Benson

Now I just would like to  state that I don't believe the myth that Beast's real name is Adam. Due in part because this has never confirmed nor denied.  If you believe it, awesome! I don't.   Anyways back on topic,   when we first see Beast, he is seen as a young and rather dashing prince.  Though as it is soon revealed that there is no love in his heart after he will not an old beggar lady stay in his castle and he is appalled by her looks.  This of course comes after  he scoffs at the rose, the old beggar lady wants to give the prince.   After he does that is when he is turned into the hideous Beast that we see in the film.  We first see Beast, he is a cold-hearted monster with a short temper and is easily angered when things don't go his way.  Though he does have a turning point and I actually think it is one of the more dramatic moments of the film. That scene comes after Belle leaves and is attacked by a pack of wolves and Beast comes to her aide and fights them off.     

I'd like to say that I think this is where the transformation of Beast begins because after this for the most part, he is more gentle and kind-hearted and opens more.  Though I think he also becomes more self-conscious during this period of the film.  

Now I have seen some people complain about the look of Beast's human form but I personally don't understand the complaints.  Some complaints are that in human form he looks to rough and rigid. Really, he was a Beast for a long period of his life, how do you expect him to look?  Maybe it is me but I think the animator's were trying to capture the look of Beast from his Beast form when he becomes a human.  He's not a bad looking prince but he is one the older princes and that may be a turn off for some but I think in his human from he looks more mature and the lessons that he learned from the time of his Beast show on his facial expression at the end.

The Enchantress - Not Voiced

The Enchantress is one of the most important characters to the story because she is the one that sets the events in motion, when she turns the arrogant prince and servants into the Beast and the objects.  Though I have always questioned why, she punished the servants as well as the prince.  Perhaps because they didn't teach how to be kind to people but that's not their job.  Just something I never really understood.

Supporting Characters

Maurice voiced by Rex Everhart

Maurice is Belle's father and the town inventor.  Most people in town consider him to be a loon and think he is crazy.  This is seen after Beast releases him from his imprisonment and he heads to the local pub to warn the town of the Beast and how he is a hideous monster. Everyone just laughs him out of the pub.  Gaston, who is in love with Belle, uses this to his advantage when he talks with Monsieur D'Arque, who runs the local asylum and makes a deal to have Maurice thrown in the asylum if Belle doesn't marry Gaston.  Now Maurice is a caring if somewhat clumsy father that  will do anything to protect his daughter. 

Lumiere  voiced by Jerry Orbach

The best way to describe Lumiere is to say that he is a showman and loves to entertain.  This is best seen during the "Be Our Guest" number when he puts on a big  production number but as he says "What is dinner without a show?"   Now this is also an example of him going against the wishes of Beast but I think does thing such as this to lighten the mood because being a candlestick for ten years has to be pretty boring, you have find some form of entertainment. While he does rebel against certain wishes of Beast, this does not means he has no respect for Beast,  he does and he does care for his master.

Cogsworth voiced by David Ogden Stiers

I don't know if I was the only one who thought this but when I was a little kid, I thought Cogsworth's name was Clockworth not Cogsworth. Not sure, why but I did.  Anyways with that out of the way, the best way to describe Cogsworth would be that he is straight-laced and serious. Maybe a bit wound up. (sorry, couldn't resist the bad pun).  Cogsworth tries to keep everything in order and not disrupt the nature of things in the castle.  That is why the pairing of him and Lumiere works so wonderfully, these two are the more underrated comic duos in Disney history.  The whole polar opposites aspect works well with these two and the banter and bickering between these two character is just hilarious. 

Mrs. Potts voiced by Angela Lansbury

Ah, Mrs Potts. One of my favorite characters from the film and voiced by the lovely Angela Lansbury who does a fabulous job of bringing this character to life.  Mrs. Potts is best described as being a motherly and caring figure of the castle. She only wants to see the best for not only her son, Chip but also for Beast and is quite clear that over the course of time that Belle is there, she grows to care about her as well.  I have to say that I feel Angela Lansbury is one of the best  performers in this film with how lively she makes Mrs. Potts.  Also her version of the title song is better than the Celine Dion version any day.

Chip voiced by Bradley Pierce 

Chip is the youngest character in the film and I have to say that I appreciate that even though he is a child character that the film didn't use him to pander to the younger audience.  Instead they actually made him a fun and likable character.  He could have become an annoying character with him being a child character but instead the film used him well and I would say that he isn't as prominent as the other characters from the castle.  Though he does have one important moment when he rescues Maurice and Belle with Maurice's invention.

Music

Now unlike most other reviews, I'll be covering the reprises in this film as they help to set up the characters and their motives quite well. Also I will not be covering Human Again since the version of the film I used for this review did not have that song in the film and I have never seen the film with that song in it, so I don't know where it fits in the film. Therefore I don't feel that I could give a opinion that has enough back-up to support my thoughts on that song.

Belle

  

Ah, this is one of my all time favorite songs from this film but this film has so many good songs that I almost find it impossible to dislike any of them.  Now this would fall under the "I Want" type song.  I just need to say that I have never cared for that label as it makes these characters sound selfish.   While that could be argued that to an extent, I don't think that is accurate because they want something but as we see with Belle, it is something that people admire for wanting.  She just wants adventure in her life from reading all these books.  This is just my thinking but I kind of feel that before Harry Potter, Belle was the character that was trying to get kids to read. The only portion of this song that comes close to being the selfish "I Want" type song is Gaston's portion because he is trying to get something he wants and doesn't care what it takes and the way Gaston sings his lyrics come off in a "I'm better than everyone else" kind of way and that is kind of step 1 into letting use know that he is not a good guy.

Belle (Reprise)

Now this reprise comes after Belle kicks Gaston out of her cottage and I love this song because it helps to establish Belle a little bit more and the jabs she takes at Gaston are nice as well. I think that this reprise helps the audience to understand Belle more.

Gaston

No doubt about it, this song is so much fun.  Again, this song serves as a way to both introduce the audience to Gaston and give them a better idea about what he is really like while LeFou is using it as a way to cheer up Gaston.  At the same time,  this song just fuels Gaston's ego.  Which I imagine isn't that hard to do since he already thinks so highly of himself because he can do all of these great things that make the townspeople admire him and think Gaston is the greatest.  Okay, I know I'm going off track but during the run of the Broadway show of Beauty and The Beast, one of the many actors to take on the role of Gaston was Donny Osmond.   I don't know about you but that just seem like an odd casting choice. Don't get me wrong I like Donny but as Gaston. Weird.

Gaston (Reprise)

If you recall I said that Gaston's lyrics in the song number, "Belle" was step 1 in Gaston's turn to the dark side. This reprise is step 2 and it is quite a big step.  The audience may not be able to hear what Gaston is whispering into LeFou's ear but this serves as a form of foreshadowing because one deduct that Gaston is telling LeFou about his plans to meet with D'Arque to have Maurice thrown into the asylum.  With this song we are one step closer to seeing Gaston become the true villain of this film.

Something There

This is an okay song and I like Belle's singing but I don't know if Robby Benson, the voice actor is doing the singing in this song because his voice puts me off a little bit. It just doesn't feel like it matches the song.  This song does serve as a good precursor to the titular song of the film and it is a nice way to show the growth between Belle and Beast.  Lyrically, it is a fine song but again I just find Beast's singing voice off putting but I think in a way that works to his advantage of beast in the beginning is a character that is a bit off putting and I guess you could argue that this is as I said a transition song for the relationship of Beast and Belle. So here, Beast is showing the side of him that ins unsure and self-conscious and on that end, the voice works.

Beauty and The Beast

Now we come to the titular and perhaps most famous song from this film.  Along with perhaps the most famous scene from this film and this dance has been recreated many a time.  This song is often regarded as one of the best Disney love songs and that is no big surprise.   Everything about this song just fits, again we get a summary of the characters but with the way that it is done, it so beautiful.  Add onto that the singing of the wonderful, Angela Lansbury who puts her all into this song.   She threw herself into this song and gave one heck of a performance.  Now as I said when talking about the character of Mrs. Potts, I find this version of the song better than the Celine Dion version.  Part of that is because that version didn't have the same emotion this one has and quite honestly, I think this version of the song is the more memorable version.  It is a love song that is simple but true. What more could you ask for? From a love song.

The Mob Song

This song right here is step 3 in Gaston's turn to the dark side and I would argue that this is one of the most vital moments when looking at the transformation of Gaston into the film's villain. This song starts to show us the true Gaston and how he now resents Belle.  It also shows us that Gaston is quite a convincing leader as the townspeople will listen to him without a second thought. Of course, they could just be really naive. This song also works as a build up to Gaston and Beast's confrontation with one another.  This song does quite an excellent job of showing us how terrifying Gaston can be when he is angry.



Villains




LeFou voiced by Jesse Corti

Ah, LeFou.  He is so funny and one of my favorite Disney henchmen, he may not be the smartest but he will always stick by Gaston's side. You can also tell that he looks and to an extent even idolizes Gaston.   I think that is part of the reason that Gaston lets LeFou hang around with him but at the same time, it is shown there is a genuine friendship between the two. Two good examples of this are that the start of the Gaston song number when LeFou tries to cheer Gaston up and then during the Gaston reprise when the two are shown dancing together.

Monsieur D'Arque voiced by Tony Jay

Now when compared to Gaston, the main baddie of this film Monsieur D'Arque is a minor villain but man is he creepy looking.  He may be a minor character but he does play an important role in the film as he is the one that Gaston goes to make a deal with get Maurice taken to the asylum in town. Fun fact for ya, Tony Jay, the man who voiced this character was also the voice of Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Shere Khan in TaleSpin  and The Jungle Book 2.  (Shudders).  Besides being important because of the deal, something else that makes him so great is his presence.  He just comes off looking creepy and fragile in an cynical way.  I found that when he was onscreen he commanded the scene.  Though I'm glad he was just a minor villain as I feel that we would not have worked he wouldn't have worked in the role of main villain role with the way the story was set up.

Gaston voiced by  Richard White

Ah, Gaston. He is one of my favorite Disney villains and I know The Critic has said this before but in may ways this character is a parallel to Beast. He starts off the film as someone who is dashing,  handsome and suave and a bit egoistical.  He's used to getting what he wants so when Belle turns him down he is furious and doesn't understand why she would turn him down.  This starts his spiral spin to becoming evil and becoming a blood thirsty monster and this is best exampled when he leads the mob of angry townspeople to attack The Beast and his castle. At this point in the film, Beast wishes not to fight whereas Gaston wants nothing more than to kill Beast. Though I think it is also pretty clear that he wishes to kill Beast out of jealousy because he is angered by the fact that Belle loves Beast and not him.   Another thing that one needs to take into consideration with Gaston is how he appears throughout the film at the beginning. He looks harmless and just seems like a bully but by the time he gets to Beast's castle and starts to attack Beast, his appearance has changed and you can see the rage and anger in him. Honestly one of the best examples of this is the position of  his hair by this point in the film.  At the beginning, it is all perfect but by the time he reaches Beast, the rain caused his hair to get messed up and  some of it is now in his face.  Also pay attention to his facial expression during that scene because you can see the anger in him and how he is ready to explode. Here take a look.

This right here is step 4 and the final step to Gaston becoming the villain of this film. Oh sure, leading the mob is one thing but here during the confrontation with Beast, Gaston has become the cold hearted monster that Beast was at the beginning of  this film.  Gaston may appear to be an aloof type of bad guy but I think  that is where people don't give him enough credit because his arc in this film is quite fascinating and there are little hints that help throughout the film to see how Gaston will turn out in the end. Some more obvious than others such as this, The Mob Song and his deal with D'Arque but in the end, Gaston is a smart villain  but his  smarts and wit are often overlooked by the goofy side of this character.  In some ways, you could say that there are two different Gaston's in this film.   The early portion of the film so gives us the jerk but not really evil Gaston whereas later on, we finally come to see the truly evil Gaston. When I say there are two Gaston's, you have to look at the different steps that are taken to show Gaston becoming the villain of the film.  Though I would argue we don't really see what he is capable of doing until he leads the mob of angry townspeople to attack  Beast's castle.

My Final Thoughts

Wow, it appears I had a lot to say about this film.  In the end, I think this is a great film. It has wonderful characters. Beautiful music.   Gaston's arc is quite intriguing and as I have been saying throughout this entire review there is more to him than just the bully because he can actually be threatening which seems to downplayed in his appearances in other media such as when he appeared on House of Mouse and he was just used as comic relief. It was funny but it missed the point of his character all together.   Now this is just the way I look at Gaston, perhaps you guys have a different view on his character. If so tell me, in the comments. Besides the characters and music, the animation is splendid. Of course, I would expect nothing less.  This is a great film and if you haven't seen it. Check it out, or if you have. Why not watch it again?