Beauty and the Beast (1991 film): Difference between revisions

This retelling of the old fairy tale ''[[Beauty and The Beast]]'' has [[Homage|Homages]] to [[Beauty and The Beast (Film)|Jean Cocteau's 1947 film]], but in its tone and divergences from both versions it becomes its own, so to speak, beast. Belle is a bookish lass in a French village who lives with her genial dad Maurice, who [[Mad Scientist|tinkers]] with various inventions. She would be a total outcast if not for her loveliness (it's in the name, after all), and the brutish Gaston wants her as an almost literal trophy wife -- even though she sees him for the [[Jerk Jock]] he is.

 

 

Immediately embraced by critics and audiences, with the last complete lyric work of Howard Ashman to [[Alan Menken]]'s score, this was the first animated feature to earn an [[Academy Award|Oscar nomination]] for Best Picture, a feat that would not be duplicated again until 2010 with the nomination of ''[[Up (Film)|Up]]'' (which also had the luxury of an expanded nominee list of 10, as opposed to ''Beauty'' cracking a list of five). It was adapted into a stage musical in 1994, spawned two [[Direct to Video]] [[Midquel|midquels]] by decade's end, is featured in the ''[[Kingdom Hearts (Franchise)|Kingdom Hearts]]'' video games (with Beast and Belle kicking ass), and with Belle as one of the official [[Disney Princess|Disney Princesses]], [[The Merch|the merchandise]] just keeps on coming.

 

== Tropes A-G ==

* [[Abomination Accusation Attack]]: Gaston doesn't believe that the Beast even exists. When Belle proves him wrong, he changes his position to accusing him of eating children - never mind that the Beast has been around for a long time and the only person who had been missing was Belle herself!

** Or that the villagers believed Gaston over Belle despite the fact that Gaston was proven wrong immediately beforehand.

* [[After Action Patchup]]: After he saves her from the wolves.

* [[All Girls Want Bad Boys]]: The three blond girls are desperately attracted to Gaston who is ''such a tall, dark strong and handsome brute''. Subverted with Belle, who doesn't like Gaston and also hates the Beast when he's in his "bad" phase; it's only when he starts to be kinder and gentler that she falls in love with him.

* [[All There in the Manual]]: According to one source, Beast's real name is Adam.

* [[Ambiguously Gay]]: A lot of people assume this about Lumiere, but the eccentricities can be written off by virtue of the French accent (Plus, he's always flirting with the female feather duster). Cogsworth, on the other hand, is involved in several questionable incidents, including a rather awkward moment with Maurice. And ever since David Ogden Stiers (the voice of Cogsworth) came out of the closet the effect has only amplified.

* [[And That's Terrible]]: Monsieur D'Arque's response to Gaston's plan to force Belle to marry him:

{{quote| "Oh, that is despicable... ''[[Subverted Trope|I love it]]!''"}}

** The Beast's design changes and evolves considerably throughout the film. When we first see him storm in on Maurice, he's basically a monster; he [[Primal Stance|walks on all fours]], his fur [[Wild Hair|bristles near-constantly]], and he barely wears clothes, but by the end of the movie his face is softer and more human, he's fully dressed and walks upright. His voice also changes from a low snarl to a much more gentle, softer tone. Just about the only thing in his design that doesn't change are his eyes, which not only remain a specific shade of blue but also keep the same basic shape when in both forms. [[Captain Obvious|This is important]].

** By contrast, Gaston's gait becomes progressively less upright, his hair wilder, and his overall demeanor increasingly animalistic. In the final fight between him and the Beast, it's the latter who moves in a more human way.

* [[Animal Reaction Shot]]: Phillipe was less than pleased with Maurice's navigation.

* [[Animate Inanimate Object]]: The Beast's many servants are humans transformed into objects, who generally don't move or speak when strangers drop by.

* [[Anti Intellectualism]]: Gaston considers ''thinking'' to be an untrustworthy action...

{{quote| '''Gaston:''' LeFou, I'm afraid I've been thinking...<br />

* [[Big Damn Kiss]]: A truly EPIC one just after the Beast's transformation.

* [[Big Eater]]: Gaston, who apparently puts away five dozen eggs a day. At breakfast.

* [[Bilingual Bonus]]: "LeFou" can either mean "the jester" or "the madman" in French. "Lumiere" means "light".

** In the stage adaptation, "Madame de la Grande Bouche" roughly translates into "Madame of the Big Mouth".

* [[Cut Song]]: "Human Again", animated and inserted into the 2002 IMAX reissue after it had already appeared in the stage musical.

** The Beast was supposed to have a song of his own but for whatever reason it never made it past the pre-production stage. The stage musical makes up for this by giving him two songs and a reprise all to himself.

* [[Darker and Edgier]]: In a rare subversion of [[Disneyfication]], the Disney version is [http://dettoldisney.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/beauty-and-the-beast-vs-la-belle-et-la-bete/ actually darker than the original fairy tale!]

* [[Dark Is Not Evil]]: The Beast - just a bit [[Jerkass]], but not evil.

** Belle, particularly around Gaston.

** Cogsworth can also snark sometimes. "Flowers, chocolates, promises you don't intend to keep" and his reaction to Lumiere and Mrs. Potts welcoming Maurice are some notable examples.

* [[Deconstruction]]: Gaston is arguably a Deconstruction of the [[God Mode Sue]]. Being simply better at anything than anyone else and being far too aware of it, Gaston has clearly given himself the privilege to do whatever he wants, regardless of the morality of his actions (that everyone sucks up to him and does what he tells them, as is appropriate for Mary Sues, doesn't help). At best, his ego has rendered him incapable of seeing the error of his ways; at worst, [[But for Me It Was Tuesday|he's well aware of how utterly evil he can be, but simply doesn't care]]...[[Memetic Mutation|because no one elevates himself over petty morality like Gaston]].

** This also makes Gaston a deconstruction of the type of hero that appears in Grimm's fairy tales: handsome and adventurous hunter/woodsman, loved son in both his world and his own mind out to court his fair maiden, who, as far as he thinks, should be owed him and fall into his arms. He encounters monsters and never bothers to think they're anything but evil, since the original stories weren't inclined to have that belief as well. Even his jerkassness is a characteristic of Grimm's heroes, who were often known to do sadistic things to defeat their enemies, and were occasionally [[Designated Hero|Designated Heroes]]. However, the movie shows the inherent wickedness these qualities brought together in the wrong way could create, totally without catering to [[Values Dissonance]].

* [[Disney Villain Death]]: Gaston has one of the most effective.

** The 2002 DVD commentary confirmed his death, and mentioned that the skulls seen in both his pupils as he falls were intended to confirm his death.

** When the castle is invaded by the mob, one of the townsfolk grabs Babette and starts ripping out her feathers as she shrieks and struggles. Lumiere saves her in an angry boyfriend fashion. Yeah.

* [[Draco in Leather Pants]]: Gaston is one in-universe. He's a controlling and arrogant egomaniac, but he's so charismatic that the people love him, and as seen in his [[Villain Song]] his negative traits are spun as virtues ("in a wrestling match, nobody bites like Gaston!")

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Subverted: When the Asylum Warden learns from Gaston that he wants to incarcerate an innocent, non-dangerous, harmless crackpot in order to blackmail his daughter into marrying him, he initially seems to react with disgust towards Gaston's plan ("Oh... that is so despicable"), only to immediately declare after chuckling that he actually likes that plan ("Hehehehe...! I LOVE IT!")

* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: Gaston, apparently (LeFou: "You can ask any Tom, Dick, or Stanley,/ And they'll tell you ''[[Accidental Innuendo|whose team they'd prefer to be on!]]''").

** [[Wikipedia (Wiki)|Wikipedia]] says a CD-ROM gives his name as Prince Adam.

* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Gaston to the Beast. The Beast may not be very good looking, but he's revealed to be daring, heroic and protective. Gaston on the other hand, is handsome but extremely ruthless and brutish.

* [[Evil Plan]]: Gaston's is to make the most beautiful girl in town I.E. Belle, his [[Housewife]].

* [[For the Evulz]]: Corrupt asylum owner Monsieur D'Arque's response when Gaston asks him to imprison Belle's father Maurice just to coerce Belle into marrying Gaston.

{{quote| '''Monsieur D'Arque:''' Oh, that is ''despicable''...[[[Evil Laugh]]]...I love it!}}

** Initially Gaston wants to kill the Beast because he "[[Stalker With a Crush|loves]]" Belle. Then seeing how much fiendish joy he tortures him (the Beast) with, it's implied he enjoys doing these things in general.

* [[Fourth Date Marriage]]: An interesting subversion. Throughout the film, the seasons change, leaving the time Belle spends in the castle with the Beast indeterminable from weeks to months prior to their marriage. In addition, it is not shown that they actually got married during the film, although it is heavily implied that they did some time after.

* [[Frothy Mugs of Water]]: Averted, as Disney was never for this trope. In both the movie and the Broadway play, the beverage in the tavern is referred to as "beer". "The wine's been poured" for Belle in "Be Our Guest". Come on, it's ''France''.

** But it was spoofed in the [[DVD Commentary]], when the guys insisted that the beer was root beer.

* [[GASP]]: Belle does a quick one and turns away when she first sees Beast.

* [[Genre Blind]]: One would think as big of a reader as Belle would know not to explore forbidden areas of the castle where she's prisoner, enter the master bedroom, and try to touch the ominously glowing rose in a glass case.

* [[Gentle Giant]]: The Beast, himself (mostly in the film's second half) and in an excellent use of [[Primal Stance]] (see below) the kinder he becomes the bigger he seems to get. He's so big he could probably snap most average-sized men in half over his knee.

* [[Get It Over With]]: This is the Beast's reaction to Gaston attempting to kill him, when he thinks Belle has left him forever.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]:

** Remember Maurice's curiosity concerning Cogsworth's... pendulum? (And Cogsworth's indignant reaction to his prodding?)

 

== Tropes H-M ==

* [[Happily Ever After]]

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* [[House of Broken Mirrors]]: And slashed portraits.

* [[Howl of Sorrow]]: More of a roar, but there is bit of a howl in there when the Beast watches Belle leave.

* [[Hunk]]: Gaston is a rare villainous example.

** Prince Adam/The Beast's true form.

* [[Impairment Shot]]: Maurice as he wakes up after Belle's gotten him back home.

* [[Implausible Deniability]]: After all that Belle had seen, Cogsworth still tried to deny that the castle was enchanted.

{{quote| '''Gaston:''' Take whatever booty you can find, but remember: the Beast is mine!.}}

* [[I Just Want to Be Normal]]: This is the titular beast's desire, after being transformed from a handsome prince into a terrifying beast.

* [[Ink Suit Actor]]: Richard White is very similar to Gaston, and Human!Beast resembles Robby Benson.

* [[I Want My Beloved to Be Happy]]: The reason the Beast allows Belle to leave when they learn her father is sick and lost in the woods, even though the time in which his curse can be broken is fast dwindling, and she hasn't yet admitted she loves him. The Objects, also threatened by the curse, find out ("He did WHAT?") and must confront the irony that in learning to love someone for the first time, he's sealed his and their fate by letting her go.

** "Belle" also outlines Gaston's plans ''for'' Belle.

* [[I Will Show You X]]: When Maurice intrudes into Beast's castle:

** Gaston, on the other hand, is a textbook example of a [[Jerkass]], through and through.

** Cogsworth is also a [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]]. He's pompous, grumpy and a bit rude, but he's really just as good-natured as Lumiere and he can also be very helpful. The song "Human Again" gives the impression that a lot of his attitude comes from being incredibly stressed out; he does note, when introducing himself to Belle, that he's the head of the household. This little clock is the one who keeps the place running while their master is storming around in his beast form.

* [[Karma Houdini]]: The Enchantress. Let's not forget, she cursed a child (Chip) for the actions of his mother's employer. Not to mention that the Beast was quite young himself when cursed; see [[Writers Cannot Do Math]] below. Despite a small role in the movie, she comes across as incredibly petty, but no one ever points this out.

** She cursed many children - Chip has at least four siblings, since his mother explicitly mentions his "brothers and sisters"; there are six cups in the fight scene. In addition to the teacups, some of the enchanted objects would be the children of the other servants and courtiers.

* [[Meaningful Name]]:

** Belle is French for "beautiful", since the original tale is French and its title in French is "La Belle et la Bête" (literally, "The Beautiful and the Beast").

** Also, "LeFou" is a phonetic pun on "the fool" (the actual translation from French to English is closer to The Madman, the Insane, The Mad, or Insanity). Likewise, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Chip all have names relating to the objects they became (with Chip being a reference to his state of being).

** Plus, Beast's real name, 'Adam' means 'man', which he turns back into.

** The alternating scenes of the funny and happy fight of the servants with the villagers, along with Gaston's hunting pursuit.

* [[Murder the Hypotenuse]]: Gaston attempts this in the film's climax. And fails epically.

** Another example is more of a "My God, What Did I Almost Do?": The look on The Beast's face ''screams'' this as he holds Gaston over the edge of the castle. The Beast has a similar reaction in the musical, when he grabs Belle's arm after catching her in the West Wing and accidentally rips her sleeve. This is what prompts her to leave the castle, while he desperately tries to apologize.

 

* [[No Badass to His Valet]]: Belle and the Beast's relationship develops into this at first. Out of a whole castle full of servants who alternately cringe in terror of his rages, and try to bring him up like he's still a child, Belle is the only one who talks to him like an equal.

* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: For the voice of Lumiere, [[Jerry Orbach]] did an absolute dead ringer impersonation of [[Maurice Chevalier]].

* [[No Name Given]]: The Beast. His servants refer to him only as "The Master". ''Belle'' doesn't even know his name. At the climax, she simply calls him 'Beast'. When "Belle" at meet & greets in Disney Parks is asked about the Beast's real name, she responds by saying that he had been a Beast for so long, he cannot remember. [[Word of God]], however, says it's Adam.

* [[Non Standard Character Design]]: LeFou is far toonier-looking than the rest of the human cast.

* [[Not Good With Rejection]]: Gaston in regards to Belle rejecting him.

* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Gaston. He at first seems to be a arrogant, uneducated and unintellectual buffoon. The first hint that there's more to him than that comes as he skulks away from Belle's house after his unsuccessful proposal (complete with moody music to give us a clue). Then later on in the movie he turns out to be a manipulative, deceitful and cunning psychopath. However, he's still got some obvious stupidity, as no one with half a brain cell would challenge a seven-foot-tall chimera monster to fisticuffs over a woman who doesn't even remotely like him.

** Played even more straight with corrupt asylum director Monsieur D'Arque, whose skin is a sickly green color.

** A few of Belle's scenes were done by a different animation team, giving her face a somewhat different, more rounded look. It's probably most noticeable when she enters the bookshop in the opening song.

* [[Oh Crap]]: Three in the span of just a couple minutes during the climactic battle between Gaston and the Beast. First, when the Beast is on the edge of the roof refusing to fight. Gaston grabs part of the castle and brandishes it like a club about to go for the kill. Then Belle announces her arrival. Beast is suddenly filled with the will to live, grabs the club and towers over Gaston. Then, when Gaston yells "It's over, Beast, Belle is mine!", the Beast grabs him by the throat and holds him over the edge of the roof from the top of the castle. And the third is right after stabbing the Beast when Gaston realizes he's about to fall off the roof (having been previously spared that fate).

* [[Opera Gloves]]: Belle's gold dress has a matching pair of these.

* [[Pain Powered Leap]]: Cogsworth slides down the stair banister and jabs Lefou in the butt with a sword, causing this to happen.

* [[Pet the Dog]]: The Beast learning to feed the birds in the "Something There" sequence.

* [[Plucky Girl]]: Belle, who refuses repeatedly to submit to the Beast and only treats him better when he starts reforming.

* [[Pretty in Mink]]: Belle's wine-colored winter cape with white fur trime. In the direct-to-video sequel, she is also seen in a scarlet jacket with white fur trim, and a matching cape and skirt for when she goes out into the woods. They seem to like putting her in furs.

* [[Real Life Writes the Plot]]: Belle's [[Cool Horse|large carthorse Phillipe]] had to be written out of the stage musical, due to the challenges of having a horse onstage.

** While Paige O'Hara was auditioning, a bit of her hair flew in her face, and she tucked it behind her ear. The animators liked that, so they included it in the beginning of the film.

* [[Red Eyes Take Warning]]: Monsieur D'Arque, the asylum keeper, has them.

* [[Redheaded Hero]]: As it turns out, the Beast - Adam is the only red-headed prince in Disney's fairy tale line.

* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: Gaston loudly proclaims some stuff after coming up with a plan in the reprise that would heavily imply blackmailing Belle by having Maurice arrested under false pretenses of being a dangerous madman, and the villagers agree with the plan.

* [[Rescue Romance]]: A turning point in Beast and Belle's relationship is when he rescues her from a pack of wolves, and she chooses to take him back to the castle and tend to him when she still has the option of fleeing (she fled the castle because she was so afraid of his violent behavior). Gaston pretends he's doing this when he goes to kill the Beast to save everyone. He also tries to force Belle into one, arguably (she must marry him to save her father).

* [[Show Within a Show]]:

** The book that Belle gets for free from the bookshop owner. As a little bonus, from the summary given, the book could well be ''[[Beauty and The Beast]]''.

** Especially considering that Belle sings that same melody during "Something There".

{{quote| '''Belle:''' ''([[Love Epiphany|singing]])'' New, and a bit alarming - Who'd have ever thought that this could be? True, that he's no [[Prince Charming]], but there's [[Hidden Depths|something in him]] that I [[Hidden in Plain Sight|simply didn't see]].}}

* [[Slasher Smile]]: "What's the matter, Beast? Too ''"kind and gentle"'' to fight ''back''!?"

** His stabbing the Beast before falling qualifies as well.

* [[Small Town Boredom]]: Belle.

* [[Smug Snake]]: Gaston when he storyboards his evil plans.

** So he says. But if he really ''did'' eat four dozen eggs every morning as a child, and five dozen eggs every morning as an adult, you'd figure by now he'd have died of a heart attack. Of course, [[Memetic Mutation|no one lies like Gaston]].

* [[Villain Song]]: "Gaston" and its reprise, "The Mob Song".

* [[Villainous Valour]]: The climax proved that Gaston had a good reason to boast about his strength. He fought toe-to-toe and did it pretty well against Beast, who is a nine-foot tall half-animal, half-human creature with sharp teeth and claws and larger muscles than Gaston. Sure he begged for mercy at the end but probably anyone would have done it at that moment.

** He certainly is brave, but the fight wasn't even close once Beast stopped just letting himself get beaten because he didn't care.

{{quote| "I want adventure in the great wide somewhere!<br />

I want it more than I can tell!" }}

* [[Wild Hair]]: The Beast has this in a mane form.

* [[Windows to The Soul]]: A variation. We get several shots of Beast's eyes. And when he tears up the picture of his human face, his eyes are largely undamaged. After he turns back into a human, Belle doesn't actually care about that. She isn't convinced it's him until she looks into his eyes.

* [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]: Gaston, arguably; he seems to think he's the hero, that Belle's a [[Damsel in Distress]], that the Beast is just a mindless hulking monster...

* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: Gaston gets shades in the second half of the film. Belle refuses to marry him? Use Maurice's rantings to declare him insane and blackmail her. She proves Maurice was telling the truth? Rally the town to kill the Beast now that you know Belle loves him.

* [[Ye Goode Olde Days]]: Belle's walking along the street with her nose in a book. A woman throws water out of the window, but she blocks herself with a streetsign. If the story takes place in the time it was written, then that wouldn't be ''water''. It'd be [[The Dung Ages|something else]]...

* [[You Have to Believe Me]]: The Beast is nice! Really!

** "Mama, there's a girl in the castle!"

{{quote| '''Gaston:''' Belle, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you had feelings for this monster.<br />

'''Belle:''' He's no monster, Gaston. You are! }}

[[Category:Hugo Award]]

[[Category:Beauty And The Beast]]