Belle (Disney)
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| Belle | |
|---|---|
 Belle in her golden ball gown, in which she dances with the Beast |
|
| First appearance | Beauty and the Beast (1991) |
| Last appearance | Sing Me a Story with Belle (1999) |
| Created by | Linda Woolverton |
| Portrayed by | Linsey McLeod (Belle's Tales of Friendship and Sing Me a Story with Belle) |
| Voiced by | Paige O'Hara (1991-2011) Julie Nathanson (currently) |
| Information | |
| Aliases | Princess Belle |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Princess Peasant (formerly) |
| Family | Maurice (father) |
| Spouse(s) | Prince Adam |
| Nationality | French |
Belle is the fifth member of the Disney Princess line-up. The only daughter of an inventor named Maurice, with whom she lives in a small town in France, Belle, though perceived by her fellow villagers as the most beautiful girl in town, is simultaneously considered "strange" because of her love of reading and non-conformity. In the first film Belle dreams of leaving her provincial village life and having adventures "in the great wide somewhere", like the ones she reads about in her books. Intelligent, strong-willed, outspoken and brave, Belle is a feminist who refuses to submit to her community's primeval view on the role of women in society.
Belle was based on the female protagonist of Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont's abridged version of the French fairy tale La Belle et la Bête, but was developed into a more multidimensional character for the Disney film adaptation. Belle has enjoyed a mostly positive reception, many critics praising her intelligence, bravery and independence.
Contents |
Development
Story
Belle was based on the heroine of the French fairy tale La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont. In the original fairy tale, Belle is somewhat forced to take her father's place as the Beast's prisoner.[1] Screenwriter Linda Woolverton felt it important to change this so that the sacrifice was Belle's idea, making her a stronger character.[1] "Belle...without hesitating—sacrifices her life for her father," Paige O'Hara reflected. "That is just such a courageous moment in the film and I think it's not talked about enough."[1]Voice
The filmmakers wanted Belle, described as "a woman that was ahead of her time", to sound more like a woman than a girl; to have a womanly quality to her despite her young age, and sound "mature beyond her years".[2]| "I'd been a Disney freak my whole life and was a huge fan of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, so I auditioned, along with about 500 other people. I was a working Broadway actor and, after the second audition, I felt positive. I just knew this was my part. Then, on my birthday, after the fifth audition, I got a call. 'You've got the job', they said. My husband had proposed to me the night before. What a week that was!'"[3] |
| — Paige O'Hara, the voice of Belle |
Co-director Kirk Wise likened O'Hara and her character to American actress Judy Garland, who O'Hara claims to have idolized growing up.[7] "I actually used my own voice but softened it," O'Hara said in comparison of Belle's voice to her own.[7] "At my first audition I thought that they might want to raise my voice and make me sound more like Snow White, and they said, 'We love your voice. We want you to do it just like you.'"[2]
Design and personality
Belle's supervising animators were James Baxter and Mark Henn.[8] According to Baxter, the animators tried to make Belle more "European looking" than Ariel from The Little Mermaid (1989) by drawing her with fuller lips, darker eyebrows, and smaller eyes.[9] Comparing the two characters, Baxter described Belle as "a few years older than Ariel and a lot more worldly because she's always reading."[10] One of the animators' goals was to make Belle as beautiful a character personality-wise as she was appearance-wise.[11] Actress and model Sherri Stoner served as the live-action model for Belle, providing reference for the animators as they drew the character.[12] Belle's tendency to push her hair away from her face was a mannerism borrowed from both Stoner[13] and voice actress Paige O'Hara.[3]O'Hara described Belle's original design as "too perfect. She looked [like] a cross between a young [Elizabeth] Taylor and Angelina Jolie." O'Hara continued, "they decided...to keep her beautiful but quirkier and more identifiable."[14] Additionally, O'Hara and Woolverton further encouraged and "pushed" the bookworm aspect of Belle's personality.[15]
Woolverton has described Belle as strong, smart, and courageous.[16] "She trades her freedom, the very thing she's been wanting from the start of the film, in order to save her father." Woolverton continued, "[because] she is an avid reader, she has a point of view of her life and that doesn't necessarily involve a man getting her there."[17] Charles Solomon, author of the behind the scenes book The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beast, described Belle in her early development stages as a bland character who was constantly being "upstaged" by more interesting characters.[18] Paige O'Hara likened herself to her character, stating, "I was always a bit of an oddball like Belle...I loved the fact that she wasn't searching for a man for her dream life—she was searching for knowledge and adventure and a better life for her father and herself."[7]
Appearances
Beauty and the Beast
Main article: Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)
Belle has grown tired of her provincial village life and dreams of leaving it in favor of a life of adventure. When her father Maurice,
an inventor, doesn't return home from the county fair, Belle sets out
to find him. Her pet horse, Phillipe, leads her to a dark, foreboding
castle, where she finds Maurice has been locked in the dungeon by a
hideous beast. Belle begs the Beast
to let him go, and when he refuses, offers her own freedom in return.
On the condition that she stay with him forever, the Beast frees
Maurice.Moved by her kindness, the Beast treats Belle more like a guest than a prisoner, giving her permission to roam freely around the castle as long as she stays clear of the West Wing. However, Belle's curiosity gets the best of her and she ventures into the West Wing, where she is spotted by the Beast. Infuriated, the Beast orders her to get out, and a frightened Belle flees the castle. While racing through the woods, Belle is attacked by a pack of wolves. The Beast arrives just in time to fend them off, but collapses from his wounds. Unable to bring herself to leave him, Belle takes the Beast back to the castle and tends to his wounds. Belle's generosity touches the Beast, and he begins to develop a more civil manner. Slowly, Belle and the Beast become friends.
The Beast falls deeply in love with Belle, but doesn't believe that she will ever love him in return. With the Beast's permission, Belle leaves the castle to tend to her ailing father, who has gotten lost in the woods trying to rescue her. Back home in the village, Belle's vain suitor, Gaston, threatens to put Maurice in the insane asylum for ranting about the Beast if Belle refuses to marry him, which she does. After Belle proves the Beast's existence, Gaston leads a mob of angry villagers to storm the castle and kill the Beast. The majority of the mob is fended off by the enchanted objects upon arrival, but Gaston manages to find and attack the Beast. A battle ensues on the rooftop between Gaston and the Beast, but the Beast, heartbroken by Belle's departure, doesn't have the will to fight back. When Belle returns, the Beast's strength is revived and he fights back. However, realizing how Belle has changed him, the Beast refuses to kill Gaston and simply orders him to leave. When Belle and the Beast reunite, Gaston sneaks up and stabs the Beast in the back, but soon loses his balance and falls to his death. Belle helps the Beast to safety, where he succumbs to his wounds and dies in her arms. Just before the last petal falls from the enchanted rose, Belle confesses her love for the Beast, which breaks the spell. The Beast, now a handsome prince, is revived; his enchanted servants transform back into human beings, and they live happily ever after.[19]
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
Main article: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
A midquel taking place during the winter segment of Beauty and the Beast,
this is the story of Belle's attempt to bring back to the castle the
one ritual Beast hates most: Christmas, because it is the very day that
the Enchantress cast a spell on him.Unfortunately, a pipe organ called Forte is determined to do anything necessary to keep the spell from breaking, because he thinks that if the curse is broken then the Beast won't be nice to him anymore. Thus, he proves to be an obstacle in Belle's plans. After several attempts to get Beast to agree, Beast finally approves of the idea of Christmas and allows Belle to prepare festivities, though he still harbors resentment for the day.
With advice from Forte, Belle goes out into the woods to get a suitable tree for Christmas, but she falls into thin ice and almost drowns. Fortunately, she is rescued by Beast, but he is angry at her because of a lie that Forte told him: that she was trying to desert him. Belle is thrown into the dungeon as punishment, but Beast then finds a book in the West Wing that Belle had written for him earlier, and decides to set her free. They both continue to prepare for Christmas.
Persistent Forte attempts to bring the whole castle down with Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in order to prevent the spell from ending, trying to end everyone's lives. Fortunately, Beast stops him in time by crashing his keyboard to pieces. Christmas finally comes, and the story goes back to the actual party, which is one year after these events. Belle is presented with a gift from the Prince: a rose.
Belle's Magical World
Main article: Belle's Magical World
In this movie, Belle is the only human. She meets her new three
enchanted object friends Webster, Crane and LePlume and is set out to
solve problems in all four segments before Belle's Tales of Friendship.Belle's Tales of Friendship
Main article: Belle's Tales of Friendship
In Belle's narration, Belle owns and works at her music and bookstore
in France. A group of children walk into the store eager to hear
Belle's stories, as she is noted to be a great storyteller. Belle agrees
to tell a story, but the gang also play games and learn some simple
lessons about life. Belle narrates two classic Disney cartoons, The
Three Little Pigs and Babes in the Woods, while the children help Belle
clean the bookstore. She also reads The Wise Little Hen and Morris the
Midget Moose, but Shawn and Harmony will not help make chili for the
group. Along the way, Belle adds music and interacts with the children.Paige O'Hara reprises her voice cast as Belle, while Lyndsey McLeod portrays the character in the live-action sequences.
Sing Me a Story with Belle
Main article: Sing Me a Story with Belle
A live-action Belle, portrayed by Lyndsey McLeod, lives in France and
owns her own music and bookshop. Helping her at the bookstore are Lewis
and Carol, two magical bookworms. Also at the bookstore is Harmony the
Cat. The bookstore is visited by local children to whom Belle will tell
(and sing) stories, usually with a moral that fit a situation happening
in the shop or with the children.In other media
Belle is an official member of the Disney Princess line-up, a marketing franchise aimed at young girls. The franchise covers a wide variety of merchandise, including magazines, toys, music and video compilations, video games, and clothes.[20]Belle appears at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. She had her own meet and greet attraction at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom called Storytime with Belle, which ran from 1999 to2010, where Belle and the park's guests would act out a popular story. She will soon have a new special location at the Magic Kingdom called Be Our Guest Restaurant, which will include the castle from the film as well as her cottage, village, and Gaston's Tavern.[21][22]
Belle appears in the now-closed Broadway adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, which opened at the Palace Theatre on April 18, 1994 and closed at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on July 19, 2007.[23] The role was originated by American actress Susan Egan, who would later go on to voice Megara in Disney's 1997 animated feature film Hercules.[24] A total of seventeen actresses have portrayed Belle on Broadway, including recording artists Debbie Gibson and Toni Braxton, The Sopranos star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and former Disney Channel actresses Christy Carlson Romano and Anneliese van der Pol.[23]
Aside from appearing as an animated character in various Disney media such as the television series Disney's House of Mouse, its direct-to-video films Snowed in at the House of Mouse and Mickey's House of Villains, and the Kingdom Hearts video game series as one of the seven Princesses of Heart,[25] a live-action version of Belle appears as a main character in the ABC television series Once Upon a Time, portrayed by Australian actress Emilie de Ravin.[26]
Reception and legacy
Belle has received mostly positive reception from critics. Hal Hinson of The Washington Post wrote positively of Belle, calling her "more compelling" than previous Disney characters. "[Belle] isn't insipid and Barbie-doll cute the way the Little Mermaid was," Hinson wrote. "She's a more worldly girl...a bookworm with gumption and a mind of her own." Hinson also called the character "more mature, more womanly and less blandly asexual".[27] Jennie Punter of The Globe and Mail praised Belle, calling her a "smart, courageous heroine" and the "main attraction of Beauty and the Beast".[28] Stephen Whitty of The Star-Ledger gave a fairly mixed review of the character, stating, "Cut out the score and Belle’s vaguely feminist spunk and you could be watching any of the forgettable Disney cartoons that clogged theaters". He did, however, compliment Paige O'Hara's singing voice.[29]James Berardinelli of ReelViews praised the character, describing Belle as "strong-willed, independent and smart". He went on to compliment the animators on their drawing of her facial expressions, saying they "have taken pains to make her features more flexible than those of any previous Disney heroine".[30] Common Sense Media complemented Belle, calling her one of Disney's smartest and most independent heroines.[31] Steven D. Greyandus of Decent Films Guide praised the character, labeling her "the most sympathetic and endearing Disney heroine of the 20th century." Greyandus also praised O'Hara's voice acting, which he described as "winningly expressive".[32]
References
- ^ a b c Nicholson, Amy (2012-01-13). "Meet Paige O'Hara: The Voice—And More—Of Disney's Smartest Heroine". Boxoffice.com. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
- ^ a b c Huver, Scott (2012-03-30). "Beauty and the Beast 3D" Gives Original Star Paige O'Hara a Whole New Perspective". NBC Chicago. NBCUniversal, Inc. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
- ^ a b Benedictus, Leo (30). "How we made: Don Hahn and Paige O'Hara on Beauty and the Beast". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Interview With Paige O’Hara, The Voice Of Belle In “Beauty and the Beast”". Disney Dreaming. Unrivaled Media Group, LLC. 5. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ a b "The Voice of "Belle" Paints Her Tale". WordPress. Disney. Retrieved 2 September 2012. "just sing something that you love."
- ^ Vaux, Rob (14). "Mania Interview: Paige O'Hara - The star of Beauty and The Beast speaks to Mania". Mania.com. Demand Media. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^ a b c Nicholson, Amy (13). "Meet Paige O'Hara: The Voice—And More—Of Disney's Smartest Heroine". Boxoffice.com. Boxoffice Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ Tracy, Joe. "An Inside Look at the Original Beauty and the Beast". Digital Media FX. Digital Media FX. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ Tracy, Joe. "An Inside Look at the Original Beauty and the Beast". Digital Media FX. Digital Media FX. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ Tracy, Joe. "An Inside Look at the Original Beauty and the Beast". Digital Media FX. Digital Media FX. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ Grant, John (1998). Encyclopedia of Walt Disney's animated characters. Hyperion Books. p. 367. ISBN 0786863366.
- ^ "Sherri Stoner". Hollywood.com. Hollywood.com, LLC. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "Sherri Stoner". Hollywood.com. Hollywood.com, LLC. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "Personal Interview with Paige O'Hara or Belle of Beauty and the Beast". Genesis Moments. Genesis Framework. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ "Personal Interview with Paige O'Hara or Belle of Beauty and the Beast". Genesis Moments. Genesis Framework. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ Tracy, Joe. "An Inside Look at the Original Beauty and the Beast". Digital Media FX. Digital Media FX. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ Tracy, Joe. "An Inside Look at the Original Beauty and the Beast". Digital Media FX. Digital Media FX. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
- ^ Solomon, Charles (31). Tale as Old as Time: The Art and Making of Beauty and the Beast. Disney Editions. pp. 176.
- ^ Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise (directors) (1991) (Film). Beauty and the Beast. Walt Disney Pictures.
- ^ "Disney Princess merchandise". Disney. Retrieved 2012-08-1.
- ^ Rumor no more: Magic Kingdom Fantasyland expansion to include Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Princess Fairytale Hall, The Great Goofini
- ^ Concept art: Fantasyland makeover coming to Disney World in 2012
- ^ a b "Beauty and the Beast". Playbill Vault. Playbill, Inc. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (13). "Hercules (1997) Oh, Heavens! What a Hero!". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ^ Square. Kingdom Hearts. (Square Electronic Arts). PlayStation 2. (2002-11-15)
- ^ Goldman, Eric (2011-11-06). "Lost's Emilie de Ravin is Once Upon a Time's Belle". IGN. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
- ^ Hinson, Hal (22). "Critic Review for Beauty and the Beast 3D on washingtonpost.com". The Washington Post. The Washington Post. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ Punter, Jennie (2012-01-13). "Beauty and the Beast 3D: Disney classic gets added pop". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ^ "Back to 'The Beast': Disney tinkers with an old favorite". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2012-8-3.
- ^ Berardinelli, James. "Review: Beauty and the Beast". Reelviews. James Berardinelli. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ^ "Beauty and the Beast". Common Sense Media. Common Sense Media Inc. 19. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Greyandus, Steven D.. "Beauty and the Beast (1991)". Decent Films Guide. Steven D. Greyandus. "Belle (a winningly expressive Paige O’Hara) quickly emerges as the most sympathetic and endearing Disney heroine of the 20th century."
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