1. She is imprisoned in the Beast’s castle so her father can be free.
We never see Belle’s mother because she passed away before the story begins. Belle only has her father, Maurice. He becomes imprisoned in the Beast’s castle, which she stumbles upon while searching for him. She loves him dearly and hates to see him imprisoned, so she sacrifices her freedom for his.
2. She says no to Gaston’s proposal.
Belle isn’t fond of Gaston because he only values beauty in women and doesn’t appreciate the fact that she’s also smart. Not to mention he’s just a big jerk anyway. Gaston’s sexist remarks and giant ego drive her away. It seems at first that Belle won’t end up having a love interest, until she becomes imprisoned in the castle.
3. She loves reading.
All the people Belle knows think that she is “funny” because she doesn’t do what they expect from a girl of her age. She’d rather sit and read a book then get married. Part of the reason being imprisoned by the Beast wasn’t so bad to her was his permission to go in the library. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when she is reading Romeo & Juliet to the Beast and then begins teaching him to read when she learns he cannot.
4. She comes to love the Beast regardless of his appearance.
This is probably one of my all-time favorite Disney lessons. Of course, almost of the princesses end up falling in love. That’s just expected. But Belle didn’t fall in love with any normal guy. She fell in love with a cursed prince who was transformed into a hairy wolf type thing! This true love caused his curse to be broken and he became Prince Adam once again. Thus, the moral of the story: the characteristics that truly make a person beautiful are found inside.
