Guide to Beauty and the Beast

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)

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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?