Looking Deeper into Disney's Beauty and the Beast

One reason that I love Beauty and the Beast is all the artistry behind it. The movie's pacing, animation, music, and reworking of the original tale are all spot on and marked a big change for the Disney company. This blog post will consist of me bouncing between brief topics relating to this film. From Pride and Prejudice to the symbolism of the seasons, let's bounce into Beauty and the Beast!
I first want to touch on an obvious piece of symbolism and that is what objects the servants in the castle transformed into. Lumiere the womanizer turned into a candelabra to symbolize bright light and attracting women like a moth to a flame. Cogsworth the wound up one is transformed into a clock. Mrs. Potts the motherly one is turned into a teapot which supplies comfort to those in times of hardship. This is the brilliance of Disney. They use everyday objects to depict someone's character.
Now let's move on to the Beast who was originally transformed based on his beastly personality however is the only person to truly change throughout the story. By the film's climax, we the audience are aware that Beast is a good person but he still maintains his animal look. While this is obviously a plot device, it also is much more than that. Look at Gaston for example. Here is a very interesting contrast that the filmmakers throw in...the contrast of Beast to Gaston. When it really comes down to it, they are very much the same person at the beginning of the film but as the film progresses we see Gaston's personality become more beastly even though he is handsome, and Beast's personality become more gentle and kind even though he looks like a monster. What is also great about this is that at the beginning Belle doesn't like either of them but values a good ugly person over a bad good looking person and this also becomes clear later in the film.
Speaking of true colors, have you ever noticed Beauty and the Beast very much mirrors Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Two people have a misunderstanding about each other, bend a little bit and slowly get to know one another and fall in love. Belle indeed shares many of the qualities set forth by Lizzie Bennett and the Beast too gives off a very damaged and anti-social vibe throughout the film. Of course there are differentiations between the two works but if Disney relates to Austen in any way then I'm always on board.

Going back to Belle, and making my final point of the blog, we see an interesting transformation in her as well throughout the film. Many seem to forget about her transformation as the film really shines light on the Beast and his servants. Belle's transformation is very subtle but brilliant film-making. In the beginning of the film we see the season is autumn by the warm colored leaves on the trees. We also are told through song that Belle is sick of her provincial life. The season directly mirrors Belle's mood as autumn is typically seen as a time of dying and Belle is dying a little inside. She really wants to get out of her life and meet someone who understands her (I know, Belle is such a hipster) as opposed to everyone around her who thinks she is crazy. She is then forced to die a bit more when she sacrifices her freedom for her father's. We then enter winter, the season of death where Belle is at her lowest point. It is when winter is nearing an end and spring is slowly blooming that we see Belle begin to thaw her frozen heart (no Frozen pun intended) and allow Beast to see another side of her. The film perfectly sets the seasons to be a metaphor for Belle's transformation. Damn.
Those are some things I've noticed about the film. Let me know if you've noticed these things or other things you noticed in the comments below! Have a Disney-rific day!