Essay --

One of the most loved Disney movies of all time, the 1991 animated movie Beauty and the Beast directed by Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale features talking teacups, enchanted castles, gorgeous animation, catchy songs, and large helping of traditional gender roles. The countless favorite of many children and adults, many people know the story well. Belle, the bookish, dreamy, and beautiful daughter of an inventor is the talk of the town and the fixation of the most handsome guy around, the pushy and egotistical Gaston. After sacrificing herself for her father, Belle becomes imprisoned in an enchanted castle. Everyone in the castle is under a spell due to the selfish prince who lived there due to his failure to see what was inside of people. As a result, he is turned into a hideous beast and all of his servants are turned into household objects. To break this spell, he must fall in love with a girl and have her love him in return, despite his hideous exterior. But unfortunately for the Be ast it’s not only his exterior that’s hideous. He treats Belle with no respect, even going so far as to threaten and yell at her. He eventually changes her heart with the help of his enchanted friends and she changes his through her kindness. Gaston tries his utmost to make Belle his own, entrapping her and fighting the Beast, but eventually he is unsuccessful, the good guys win, and the whole castle and its inhabitants are transformed by love and everybody lives happily ever after. The primary female character, Belle, is introduced in the beginning scenes with her nose in a book, rolling her eyes at the continual advances of the most handsome man in town as the background chorus sings about how odd she is. She then talks about how she yearns for adv... ...he full scope of what a character can do. Every story needs a villain, and Beauty and the Beast’s is Gaston. Gaston is a handsome, strong, and powerful member of the community. He's also, in Belle's words, "rude and conceited" and is shown frequently injuring his sidekick due to negligence, checking his reflection in the mirror and talking about how wonderful he is. Interestingly, unlike other Disney villains who are evil due to a thirst for power or violent behavior, Gaston is considered a villain because of his poor treatment of women. His evil deeds such as attempting to sell Belle's father to the asylum or stabbing the Beast are done in the name of his conquest; his main objective is to win Belle like a prize for the taking. By showing a misogynistic character in a negative light, the film attempts to define what is and isn’t an acceptable way to treat women.