This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cal Lutheran chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
For those who have watched the new live action Beauty and the Beast, you may have noticed some differences between the live action version and the animated version. For those who have read the original literary works, you’ll notice that Disney brought back some aspects of the story and incorporated them into the newly released film. Here are 10 changes I saw in Beauty and the Beast and why I liked them!
1.) Belle was not just portrayed as someone who read books! Her love for learning and intellect was showcased through the ways in which she combined her creativity and knowledge to make her life easier. Case in point, Belle used a big barrel to create an ingenious and infinitely more efficient way of doing laundry, rather than handwashing every article of clothing. By putting soap in the barrel and attaching it to her horse while the horse walked around the well, the barrel would rotate and have the same effect as a washing machine. Additionally, instead of sitting hopelessly in her new room, Belle used the clothes from the singer turned wardrobe, Madame Garderobe, to create a rope to escape through the window in her tower.
2.) Belle’s passion for reading and her need to help others learn was also more evident in the live action film. She encouraged a young girl to read with her when she noticed the young girl’s curiosity and praised her when she successfully read a sentence. Belle’s independent and sassy attitude was also shown when Belle stood up for herself and the young girl, when she questioned why the town had an issue with having more than one literate female.
3.) Beast has a personality! He’s more than just a terrifyingly brutish monster or a lovestruck, compassionate gentleman. He has a sense of humor and the live action film also portrays some of the characteristics from the original literary works. For example in the original literary works, Beast was depicted to be a fellow intellectual and part of the reason as to why he and Belle bonded over time was through their mutual love of learning. In the live action film, Beast made a nonchalant comment about reading all the books in his library, except the ones written in Greek, and had a discussion with Belle about their favorite Shakespearean plays.
4.) In the animated version, LeFou is a simple minded minion that Gaston can easily step all over. However, LeFou in live action has a personalty that added more to the story. He questioned Gaston and knew some of Gaston’s ideals and acts were wrong. He’s also witty; when Gaston declares that he’ll marry Belle, LeFou subtly states that all Gaston has to offer in a relationship is his “athletic inclination.” I think several audience members, especially younger audience members, can sympathize with LeFou when he refuses to admit that Gaston left Maurice, literally, to the wolves. When you’re being pressured by someone who not only has an enormous amount of power in the place you live, but you also thought of as a friend, you become inclined to help them out, regardless of what’s right.
