Beauty And The Beast - Television Tropes & Idioms

Entry #30 in the Disney Animated Canon, from 1991.

This retelling of the old fairy tale has homages to 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 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 he is.

When Maurice doesn't return from a trip to a fair, Belle searches for and finds him in the forest-hidden palace of a monster who imprisoned him when he sought shelter there. She offers herself in his place and the monster accepts. "The Beast" is actually a cursed human prince (due to arrogant selfishness) who hopes her love will break the enchantment on him and his many servants, who were transformed into living furniture, crockery, and so forth. With time limited (an enchanted rose serves as an hourglass — and it is beginning to wilt), he must tame his temper, she must learn to see the goodness beneath his exterior...and once that has been accomplished, together they must face the murderous wrath of Gaston.

Immediately embraced by critics and audiences, with the last complete lyric work of Howard Ashman to Alan Menken's score, this is to date the first of only two animated feature to earn a Best Picture Oscar nomination (the other being Up) and solidified the comeback of Disney animation. It was adapted into a stage musical in 1994, spawned two direct-to-video midquels by decade's end, is featured in the Kingdom Hearts video games (in which Belle manages to take a level in badass), and with Belle as one of the official Disney Princesses, the merchandise just keeps on coming.

This film contains examples of:

Accidental Aesop: The original somewhat-Broken Aesop (the beast turns into a handsome prince after beauty learns to love him for what's on the inside, not the outside) is undone by the consensus that Disney's Beast is better looking than his human form.
All Of The Other Reindeer: Both Belle and Maurice are seen as lunatics by the rest of the villagers; her father because he's an absent-minded tinkerer, Belle because she reads and refuses to Stay In The Kitchen.
Angel Face Demon Face: 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 walks on all fours, his fur 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 makes a gigantic change.
Angry Mob Song: is even called "The Mob Song"
Anachronism Stew: The flatware form an Eiffel Tower during the "Be Our Guest" music number. The movie's takes place in the latter half of the 18th century, the Eiffel Tower was built in towards the end of the 19th.
Bad Boss: Gaston
Beauty Equals Goodness: Beauty comes across as more of a neutral force here. Belle is a good person, and the Beast became what he is as karmic punishment for selfishness (only becoming handsome again when he's redeemed). The "beautiful enchantress", on the other hand, is subject to moral dissonance, and Gaston is handsome but wicked. In fact, Gaston essentially takes advantage of this trope when he convinces the villagers to kill the Beast.
Beast And Beauty: But of course.
Bookworm: Belle
Brainy Brunette: Belle
Busby Berkeley Number: "Be Our Guest", which crosses over with Disney Acid Sequence.
Butt Monkey: Cogsworth and Lefou.
Character Derailment: The Nostalgia Chick felt The Enchanted Christmas did this in spades, especially to Belle.
Come To Gawk: The Beast thought Maurice was.
Cool And Unusual Punishment: Not so much the Beast as the servants (especially as their transformed selves relate in some way to the roles they served as humans).
Completely Missing The Point: People who claim this movie is an "encouragement for women's abuse". The flaw in that argument is that this movie is not about a woman "changing" a bad boy, or putting up with abuse because she's in love or afraid to leave. Belle doesn't submit to the Beast's attitude or temper. Any changes the Beast goes through were foremost his own doing, not the result of Belle trying to change him with her love, as she doesn't love him until long after he make great pains in changing himself for her.
- And it's made very clear that his becoming human again is his reward for becoming a good person, not Belle being karmically handed a hot guy on a plate.
- Not to mention that Gaston and Beast are supposed to be obvious foils for each other - Gaston is gorgeous but becomes more and more abusive until he's willing to blackmail and murder to get Belle, Beast is hideous but becomes more kind and considerate until he's willing to throw away his only chance to be cured to make Belle happy. The comparison makes it obvious that Gaston is the abusive monster in this movie.
Complete Monster: Gaston
Cool Horse: Phillippe, who has more sense than his master Maurice.
Crowd Song: "Belle", "Gaston" and its reprise, "Be Our Guest", and "The Mob Song".
- "Belle" is so crowded toward the end (right after the three blondes squee over Gaston) that it manages to be in two keys almost at once.
Curse Escape Clause: The Beast will return to human form if, and only if, someone loves him as a beast before his magic rose runs out of petals.
Cut Song: "Human Again", animated and inserted into the 2002 IMAX reissue after it had already appeared in the stage musical.
Disney Acid Sequence: "Be Our Guest"
Dances And Balls: The private dance between Beast and Belle was considered a technical achievement at the time and still looks great today.
Deaths Hourglass: The glassed rose.
Development Hell: Walt himself had tried to develop an adaptation of this story back in the 1940s, but no one could figure out how to make the second act (the heroine's stay in the castle) work.
Disney Death: The Beast.
Disney Princess: Belle, even if she isn't a princess in the movie.
Disney Villain Death: Gaston has one of the most effective.
Draco In Leather Pants: There are a couple people who seem to think Belle is a moron for not falling for Gaston.
Dumb Blonde: Three! They're all foils to Belle from the village. In the script they're all named Bimbette.
The Eleven O Clock Number: "The Mob Song".
Ensemble Darkhorse: Variation - Chip's voice actor was so popular with the filmmakers that his tiny role was greatly expanded; he replaced another character, a music box, altogether.
Everyone Calls Him Barkeep: The Beast/Prince's name is never revealed, though there are consistent rumors that it's Adam.
Fake Nationality: Jerry Orbach as Lumiere.
Fetish Fuel: You'll find testimonies all over the wiki from viewers who find the Beast more attractive than the prince — oddly appropriate for An Aesop about how looks aren't important.
Follow The Leader: Between this and The Little Mermaid, almost all Western animated features, Disney or not, that followed until Toy Story came along 4 years later were fairy tale musicals (the big exception being The Lion King, which wasn't fairy tale-based).
Fridge Logic: See here.
Funny Foreigner: Jerry Orbach as Lumiere.
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.
Get Out: The Beast to Belle after she ventures into the forbidden west wing of the castle.
- And he gives a much colder delivery to Gaston after utterly destroying him and revealing him as the coward he truly is in the finale.
Getting Crap Past The Radar: Remember Maurice fiddling with Cogsworth's... pendulum? (And Cogsworth's reaction to such prodding?)
Goofy Print Underwear: Belle's father Maurice wears it.
Happily Ever After
Heroic BSOD: The Beast has a near suicidal one after he lets Belle return to her father.
Homage: The fact that seemingly inanimate objects could move of their own accord (and even speak in voiceover) in the Beast's castle in Jean Cocteau's film version was detailing that became the direct inspiration for the Enchanted Objects. Both versions have a villain added in the form of a man who wants to marry Belle, though this may not have been a deliberate callback to the Cocteau film.
- Also, Tony Jay's casting as the head of the insane asylum is a nod to his role as the major villain in the TV series Beauty and the Beast.
Happy Holidays Dress: Belle's dress at the end of The Enchanted Christmas, although it was given more prominence in the covers and promotional materials.
Im Not Hungry: Belle refuses to eat dinner with the Beast (at first), with these exact words.
I Want My Beloved To Be Happy: The reason the Beast allows Belle to leave when they learn her father is sick, 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.
Interquel: The Enchanted Christmas; in fact virtually all spinoff/follow-up material qualifies as this due to the story's structure; unfortunately, this wreaks havoc on this film's timeline. The only semi-plausible way it can work is to assume LeFou didn't move from "that spot" for possibly weeks, and what about poor Maurice?
- LeFou was living in in the house and only went back to his spot when he heard someone coming. As for Maurice? Well... the guy does have a really poor sense of direction...
- In fact, the issue of in-story time was why "Human Again" was axed from the original film before it reached the animation stage. The song made it clear that weeks were passing, and the filmmakers realized that audiences would wonder what they were up to all that time. Thus "Something There" — which unfolds over one day — was used instead to depict the blossoming of Belle and Beast's relationship. When "Human Again" was incorporated into the Broadway version and the subsequent special edition cut of the film, it was rewritten to avoid these story issues.
I Want Song: "Belle", especially the reprise.
I Was Quite A Looker: Not really this trope but Beast was handsome before the curse.
Jerk Ass —> Jerk With A Heart Of Gold: Beast's Character Development.
- Gaston, on the other hand, is a textbook example of a Jerkass, through and through.
- Actually, Gassy qualifies for the 'Complete Monster' side of the spectrum.
Karma Houdini: The Enchantress. Let's not forget, she cursed an child (Chip) for the actions of his mother's employer. Not to mention that the Beast may have been a child himself (or at least a teenager) when cursed. Despite a small role in the movie, she comes across as rather petty and sadistic, but no one ever points this out. Ironically, in many versions of this tale the witch who curses the Beast is the villain.
Lantern Jaw Of Justice: Gaston has one... but he's a villain.
Lets Get Dangerous: When the cute, whimsical, talking household items get fed up of cowering from the marauding peasants and duke it out instead, leading to several competing crowning moments of awesome.
Lima Syndrome: The Beast reforms and becomes genuinely kind thanks to his "captive" Belle.
Look Out Hes Still Armed: Gaston seems down for the count after Beast drops him on the roof, only to come up from behind with a dagger minutes later.
Love At First Punch: Belle is the first person after the enchantress who confronted Beast on his crap.
Love Epiphany: The song "Something There" is all about this, but most prominent is when Belle goes behind a tree and is visibly shocked as she realizes her feelings.
Love Redeems: Thanks to Belle, Beast becomes a kinder person.
Love Triangle: Belle, Beast and Gaston, although the latter is just him forcing this trope.
Meaningful Echo: "Please let me go! I'll do anything!" First with Belle when she takes her father's place, second when the Beast is holding Gaston over the edge of the roof, which was probably why he was spared.
Meaningful Name: Belle means "beautiful", of course, which is Lampshaded in the song "Belle". Also, "LeFou" means "the fool". 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).
- To be fair, Belle is a common French name anyway, and still comes off better than calling your heroine Beauty (which many other versions persist in doing).
  - Makes even more sense when you consider the story is French and its title in French is "La Belle et la Bête" (literally, "The Beautiful and the Beast").
  - Don't forget that the leading lady is referred to as "Belle" throughout the Cocteau film!
  - In the original de Beaumont fairytale (or at least the earliest version we have), she has a different name, but we never learn it. Everyone just calls her La Belle. Her name being Belle is an improvement. (The Beast doesn't have a name there either.)
Memetic Badass / Memetic Mutation: No one can fill in the blank like Gaston!
Murder The Hypotenuse: Gaston attempts this in the film's climax.
Nerds Are Sexy: Belle
Nightmare Fuel: Ahem, it's Disney. Nuff said.
- But of particular note is the West Wing, which is much darker and more gothic than the rest of the castle and littered with the carcasses of animals The Beast has killed and eaten.
  - Speaking of the West Wing, the Get Out sequence that takes place in there is pretty damn scary as well. This troper's in her twenties and she still can't watch that part.
No Name Given: The Beast. His servants refer to him only as "The Master." Apparently he's called Adam, but this isn't hinted at anywhere in the film.
- Adam is just a fan nickname that spread like wildfire. Glen Keane himself has repeatedly said that Beast has no name.
Not Even Bothering With The Accent: Most of the cast; as MAD Magazine pointed out in their parody, this is especially noticeable because of Lumiere's extremely pronounced accent. Of course, they shouldn't even be speaking English anyway, so...
Pet The Dog: The Beast learning to feed the birds in the "Something There" sequence.
Pimped Out Dress: Bell's gold dress in the first movie, and her red dress in the second.
Please I Will Do Anything: Twice.
Pretty In Mink: Belle's cape◊ in the first movie, and her skating jacket in The Enchanted Christmas.
Rage Against The Reflection: The Beast broke all the mirrors in the West Wing and slashed up a portrait of himself in human form.
Real Women Never Wear Dresses: Belle gets this a lot (see Completely Missing The Point above).
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 left the castle because she was fed up with his behavior).
Sacred Hospitality
Scarpia Ultimatum: Gaston volunteers to save Maurice from the madhouse under the condition that Belle marries him.
Scenery Porn: The CGI ballroom for the title song, certainly, but the whole castle could qualify. Also applies to the stage musical.
She Cleans Up Nicely: Belle during the ballroom scene, even if she was already looking elegant before. This was just taking her beauty Up To Eleven.
- The Beast himself is also an example; what girl didn't fall in love with him when he appears clean-cut (relatively) and standing straight for once?
Show Within A Show: The story 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.
Belle (singing): Oh... Isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part, because, you'll see: Here's where she meets Prince Charming, but she won't discover that it's him 'til chapter three.
- Especially considering that Belle sings that same melody during "Something There."
Belle (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 something in him that I simply didn't see.
- This troper always figured she was reading Sleeping Beauty
- While in the bookshop, she mentions that the story has "Far off places, daring swordfights, a prince in disguise." The last bit seems to indicate it's Beauty And The Beast
Snow Means Love: A whole song about them noticing their feelings have changed is in winter.
Slasher Smile: "What's the matter, Beast? Too "kind and gentle" to fight back!?"
Some Anvils Need To Be Dropped : This movie puts the inner beauty message right up front, and makes it work quite well - though not for all viewers.
Stalker With A Crush: Gaston.
- Arguably, Forte from the Direct To Video sequel as well. His obsession with Beast and desire to drive off any competition comes across more and more like a jilted lover as the movie goes on.
Stepford Smiler - The villagers seem like the typical friendly chorus of many a musical, but they're shallow and all too willing to pick on anyone who's "odd". As "The Mob Song" puts it: "We don't like what we don't understand/In fact it scares us..."
Stock Scream: The infamous Wilhelm Scream can be heard during the mob's battle with the enchanted castle's residents, right after Chip saves Belle and Maurice.
Sweet And Sour Grapes: Belle and the Beast both learn the lesson that appearances don't matter and you have to judge people by their character and actions. Then their happy ending consists of the Beast going back to his beautiful golden-haired princely pre-curse self.
Tear Jerker
Ted Baxter: Gaston.
Throw It In: Cogsworth mentioning that "promises you don't intend to keep" are among the usual things given to lovers was an adlib by David Ogden Stiers when he thought the advice as scripted wasn't sufficiently bad.
Torches And Pitchforks: "The Mob Song".
Villain Song : "Gaston" and its reprise, "The Mob Song".
Villain With Good Publicity: Gaston, who is loved by all the other villagers except Belle and Maurice and is apparently the most powerful, influential person there. This means none of them objects to an ailing old man who's been desperately searching for his daughter being carted off to an insane asylum based on an odd story that might have just come from stress. Then they are easily convinced by Gaston to kill the Beast once his existence has been confirmed even though Belle is the only one who actually knows him and begs them to reconsider. But hey, they always thought she was weird anyway for her bookishness ("I wonder if she's feeling well").
Will They Or Wont They: Maurice and Mrs. Potts.
WTH Casting Agency: Robby Benson, a teen idol of the late 1970s-early 1980s, as the voice of the Beast. Jerry Orbach as Lumiere also counts in retrospect; although he was an established Broadway actor well before being cast here, most modern viewers know him best as Lennie Briscoe. As it happened, both roles arrived the same year.
- But in Benson's case it worked as everyone was completely blown away by his uncharacteristic vocal performance. Most people didn't even know it was 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 something else...