The surprising inspiration behind Belle from “Beauty and the Beast”

Released in 1991, the animation “Beauty and the Beast” is, to this day, one of Disney’s most popular. The plot tells the story of a girl who discovers a mysterious beast in a castle where all its residents have been cursed by a sorceress.

Shortly after its release, the film did not take long to become a huge critical and box office success. Thanks to its great performance, it ended up becoming the first animation to be nominated for the Oscar Best Film category, the main award of world cinema.

However, despite all its fame, the film still has some curious facts that not all fans know — like the true inspiration behind Bela. Want to know what it was? We tell you!

Straight from the books

According to the book “Disney Princess: Beyond The Tiara”, by the author Emily ZemlerBela was heavily inspired by the character Jo March, from the 1868 novel “Little Woman”, written by Louisa May Alcott. The work is known for having inspired the 2019 film “Little Women”.

As said by emilyduring the animation writing process, the screenwriter Linda Woolverton and the composer Howard Ashman they wanted to find a way to transform the character into a more empowered one, following a different line from that presented in previous films. For that, Woolverton ended up seeking inspiration from Jo March, who was essential in shaping Bela’s personality.

If we stop to compare the two characters, it is possible to find a series of similarities in their characteristics. One of the most notable is their intelligence, and their interest in literature and studies. In addition, both suffer from the pressure imposed by society that they get married, something remarkable in their stories.

Despite all the similarities, it is possible to say that Beautiful It is howard achieved their goal of transforming Bela into a more empowered and feminist character. After all, she is not shaken by the comments from her neighbors that she is a “very strange girl” or “weird” and “pretty smart”, in addition to not being afraid to go after her father when he disappears, and face Beast when he disappears. is in a bad mood.

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