ENGL 3333, Literature
for Children: Texts and Contexts
Professor
Sigler
Beauty
and the Beast,
Walt Disney Studios (1991)
"She's the prettiest girl
in town, and that makes her the best! Don't I deserve the best?"
(Gaston, from Disney's Beauty
and the Beast)
"I want adventure in the
great wide somewhere!
I want it more than I can
tell!
And for once it might be
grand
To have someone understand
I want so much more than
they've got planned."
(Belle, from Disney's Beauty
and the Beast)
Major Characters:
Belle (Paige
O'Hara)
Beast (Robby
Benson)
Gaston (Richard
White) 
LeFou (Jesse
Corti)
Maurice (Rex
Everhart)
Cogsworth/Narrator
(David Ogden Stiers)
Lumiere (Jerry
Orbach)
Mrs. Potts (Angela
Lansbury)
Wardrobe (Jo
Anne Worley)
***********************
As
you watch and take notes, look for details to help you discuss the following
topics:
-
Characterizations:
How are Belle, her father, and the beast portrayed in this film? What details
are used to make their characters "round" and/or dynamic?
-
Theme: What
are the major themes of this film? Or, as some critics have argued, does
this film tend only to provide uncomplicated morals instead?
-
Audience:
Is this film directed towards children, adolescents, adults, or all three?
What aspects of the film are targeted to each audience?
-
"Disnification":
What aspects of the original Marie deBeaumont tale have the Disney studios
retained? What have they added that we tend to associate with a "Disney
movie"? Does this "Disnification" change the original meaning of the tale?
-
Stereotypes:
Disney films are often criticized for relying too heavily on gender, class
and racial stereotypes. Do you notice them resorting to such stereotypes
in this film? Are there instances where you notice them attempting to subvert
such stereotypes?