Disney Princess Belle from ‘Beauty and the Beast’ as a Feminist

Princess Belle, the Beauty in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

The 1991 Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast, is truly a beauty as one of the Disney classics. From its loving characters in the troubled but goodhearted Beast, the handsome but villainous Gaston, the hilarious Lumiere and Cogsworth, and of course the beauty herself, Belle, to its award winning musical score including songs such as “Be Our Guest” and “Tale as Old as Time,” Beauty and the Beast is timeless.

Belle, a Disney Princess known for her love of reading and for her feminist ideals, stands out among other Disney Princesses not just because of her good looks and kindness, but because of her intelligence and passion for books. With an independent attitude and love for books and learning, Belle stands out as a feminist Disney Princess of both brains and beauty.

Belle’s Character in a Plot Review of Beauty and the Beast

Belle, whose name actually means “Beauty” itself in French, is the daughter of an inventor in a small town in old France. Though beautiful and kind, Belle doesn’t really care about appearances, which is why she dislikes the handsome but villainous Gaston. When her father is captured by an enchanted Beast in a magical castle, Belle gives up her own freedom for the adventure she always read about in her stories in order to save her father. Once in the enchanted castle, Belle comes to learn about the true goodness of the Beast, and with the help of magical friends in Cogsworth, Lumiere, Chip, and Mrs. Potts, Belle and the Beast (whose real name is Adam) have a wonderful love story together. According to IMDb, Beauty and the Beast is a classic Disney film in which Belle indeed “offers herself and finds the prince inside the Beast.”

Belle as an Independent, Free-Minded Feminist Figure

Unlike many of the other damsel in distress Disney Princesses, Belle remains as an intelligent, curious, and feminist female. According to Disney Wiki, Belle is a “stunningly beautiful girl” with an “active imagination and an open mind.” From the very start of the film’s story, Belle shows she is one of the few in her village in France who loves to read, has a need for books and adventure, and ignores the advances of the good looking but primeval Gaston. Even when later captured as the prisoner of the Beast in his magical castle, she does not obey his commands to eat dinner with him as his prisoner. Belle reveals her innocent if often curious personality by always wanting to explore the castle around her, and it is quite likely at the end of the Beauty and the Beast film that she and the new Prince Adam (before just the Beast himself) will have an equal, fair, and long relationship together.

Belle as One of the Classic Disney Princesses

From her pretty looks to her pretty personality, Belle lives out her namesake as a true beauty of feminist ideals and goodness. Smart and kind, the brunette Disney Princess proves to all audiences that she will go as far as any man like Gaston or the Beast can, and perhaps even farther. Belle serves as a great role model and inspiration to young girls who like the Disney Princesses franchise for her morals and good deeds.

For these reasons, one of the most popular and loved characters is doubt Disney Princess Belle, the lovely freethinker who loves to read. In addition to her passion for books and adventure, she is known for her great intelligence and golden ball gown in the classic ballroom dance scene. This Disney Princess really has the gift to see the beauty in all things, despite their outward appearance. Both Beauty and the Beast and Belle as a symbol of feminism herself will live on as a classic Disney film and character.

Sources

Disney Wiki

IMDb.com


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