BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Disney's cartoon film from Leprince de Beaumont's tale
Identification sheet:
1991, USA
Runnin time: 80 minutes
Direction: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Scénario : Roger Allers
Production : Don Hahn
Sound Track: Alan Menken
Main characters:
Disney's version brings some new characters and eliminates others. To begin with, Beauty's father is no longer a rich merchant who goes bankrupt but an inventor. Whereas Beaumont gave him three sons and three daughters (Beauty and her two gelous and wicked sisters), Disney has made Beauty the only child. Her suitors are here reduced to just one manly man: Gaston.
Moreover, Beast's castle is populated with animated objects, for the spell that turned him into a monster also turned his servants into teapots, cups, alarm-clocks, candelabra and so on.
Appearance of Blue Beard and Neuschwanstein:
The French tales of Enlightment have been given a German scenery. Culottes, the Gretchens (the three young blonde gilrs in love with Gaston) and Neuschwastein castle (model for the Beast's castle) are obvious references. But Madame Beaumont was a woman of her times, that is, when merchants became rich thanks to exotic cargoes, goverments were virtuos and ggod intention prevailed over intelligence.
The structure of the tale has been simplified but the plot has respected essential events. However, two scenes are inspired from another tale:
In Beast's castle, Beauty is not allowed to go the west rooms, for it's there where the Beast hides his secret. This idea comes from Blue Beard.
The second reference is a homage to Mary Shelley: the street that leads the crowd to the castle is an imitation of the rush towards Dr. Frankenstein's castle. And this scene does not appear in Beaumont's narration, which lacks violence.