We all have our favorite Disney character, a character we may have dressed up for Halloween as a good one, two, or maybe three times. Or maybe you've listened to that character's movie soundtrack on repeat on a long car ride. Our favorite fictional character to us is timeless. If they're truly our favorite, we love them from when we're introduced to them and into our adulthood. Out of all of the Disney characters and princesses, my favorite is Belle from Beauty and the Beast, a character I have loved from the age of four. There is so much to be said about Belle about her morals, strength, intelligence, family values, and her amazing singing voice. I feel that children can greatly learn from this movie, so I listed my favorite things about her.
1. Belle loves to read!
Within the first scenes of the movie, we see that Belle spends a lot of time at the library. Her love for literature is something I can deeply relate to, having chosen to become an English major. But, this also holds a deeper meaning for me. By introducing Belle as a lover of books and knowledge, it is telling girl viewers at a very young age that women can do absolutely anything, and that education is key. In a time where women didn't have much power, Belle breaks that gender barrier, inspiring little girls that they can be equally educated to boys, and that they can be anything they wish to be.
2. Belle Isn't superficial.
After entering the Beast's castle, Belle's father Maurice is imprisoned after angering the Beast. Belle flees to the castle to free her father, and grants her father's freedom for her own. The Beast lets Maurice go, locking the spirited, literature loving Belle in his castle. But after some time, the Beauty and the Beast grow fond of each other, despite his terrifying appearance. But, she doesn't care. She doesn't care that the beast is rich, and lives in a grandiose castle, and that if she marries him, she too will be rich. In the duration of the movie, Belle brings happiness to a once dark castle, and lifts the spirits of a very damaged prince, who had never learned to love. This beautiful message teaches not only young viewers, but also older viewers. Everyone is beautiful, and should be seen for their personality, rather than their physical appearance. This especially shows for another character in this movie. The handsome, but conceited Gaston, the man she is supposed to marry, is known in the town to be the "attractive man". But Belle can see right through him, and sees that he is not the man for her. She knows that the Beast is the one for her.
3. She rescues The Beast.
Yes, I have another feminist point. From the beginning of time, from when stories were first formed, the handsome prince has rescued the princess from her tragic fate, usually bestowed onto her by the evil witch. Sounds familiar, right? This pattern of storytelling has existed long before Snow White and Sleeping Beauty came along. While these are wonderful and classic stories, they haven't exactly helped with gender roles, and even in today's society, it's still seen where men are more powerful than women. Before there were the feminist princesses like Elsa and Merida, there was Belle, who instead of being rescued, saves the miserable prince from his fate, a beast nobody but her had in her heart to love. In this beautiful story, the princess is our hero, the character who helped give the prince his happily ever after.
