" I want adventure in the great wide somewhere. I want it more than I can tell." -Belle
The new rendition of the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast is something that I cannot adequately express the magic behind. This kind of classical movie remade in a modern, yet magical setting was something that will cause a rather large commotion for quite some time. Everything about this experience was perfect. As someone who was counting down the days until the release of this movie for over a year, it goes without saying that I was pretty stoked. Wanting someone to go with, I must admit that I was afraid I would end up having to watch it alone on a Saturday night once it came out in RedBox, however that was not the case!
Whenever I had a knock at my door Saturday afternoon, I was excited to be greeted by a rather handsome gentleman, whom I had missed greatly throughout the course of the week. Standing at my door he told me that he had a date night planned for us, I was confused to say the least, but very excited. When we got in his car and took off down the road I still had no idea where we were going, or even what we were doing for the night. When we got to our destination, and found out that Beauty and the Beast was on the agenda for the evening, I nearly cried tears of joy.
Some may say that it is childish of me to have gotten so excited. I would have to agree. You see, all my life Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite of all the Disney Princess movies. I was always so captivated by how beautiful Belle was, and how she was known not for her beauty, but for her love of books. A love that I also share. I loved the idea of Belle's love being what broke the curse and what was able to transform Beast from a rough, scary creature to a charming, handsome prince. Her love made him a better person. How pure and how true must that love have been? All my life that I idea has stuck with me.
I always thought Belle was such a relatable princess, simply because she was not a princess at all. She was not well versed in political matters or of the mannerism of a princess. She was a commoner, a farm girl. Yet everything about her exudes grace and dignity. She refused the offers made to her by Gaston because she knew her worth, and she knew what she wanted. She wasn't willing to settle simply because a man with a pretty face pursued her. I admire her for that. She wasn't willing to change for a man. Isn't that something that you would want your daughters to watch one day? Isn't she someone you would want her to see as a role model? Teaching our daughters that we can be ourselves, and that when the time is right we will find love, and it will be greater than anything we could have ever settled for, isn't that the kind of mindset you hope she would have?
Needless to say, I fell in love with this story all over again.
