1. Two Tales as Old as Time
A comparison between beauty and the beast’s French NOVEL and ANIMATED FEATURE By Belle (Kaitlyn Durbano)

2. Once Upon a Time…

3. A French Writer Composed a Famous Fairy Tale
Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (Commonly known as Madame de Villeneuve)
Born in Pairs during 1695
Published La Belle et La Bête in 1740
Influences include Madame d’Aulnoy and Charles Perrault
Her book, La Belle et La Bête, was later abridged by Madame LePrince de Beaument and became the more popular version of the story
Information above was cited from the “About the Author” section of the book, Page 142

4. Her Tale Became a Famous Animated Feature
Produced by Walt Disney Pictures
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures
Walt Disney himself tried to create the movie during the 1930’s and 1950’s, but shelved the project due to troubles adapting the story (Frederator, 0:29-0:45)
The films first release was in 1991, where an extended version was released in 2002

5. How similar are the Two Tales as Old as Time?

6. The Story’s General Plot (My Summary)
La Belle et La Bete
Beauty and the Beast
A man stumbles upon a castle’s garden and tries to take a rose to give to his youngest daughter, Beauty. When the Beast finds out, he orders the man to give him Beauty, the man’s youngest daughter, to hold as a prisoner. While Beauty lives with the Beast, she begins to have strange reoccurring dreams about a man who falls in love with her. While trying to interpret her dreams, Beauty also tries to understand why the Beast eagerly wants to marry her.
A young, intelligent woman named Belle sacrifices herself to the Beast in return for her father’s safety. Eventually, she and the Beast fall in love and break the curse upon the enchanted castle the Beast lives in. Meanwhile, Gaston (the village’s hunter) tries to win Belle’s heart, and Belle’s father tries to find a way to rescue Belle from the Beast.

7. The Significance of the Rose
A Gift for a Daughter Beauty, unlike her five selfish sisters, did not ask for a gift from her father. Her father insisted she pick something, so Beauty asked her father for a freshly bloomed rose, her favorite flower.
A Curse for a Prince When an enchantress, disguised as a beggar woman, offered a rose to the prince in return for shelter, the prince rejected it. The rose then became a timer for the prince’s beastly curse. If he acquires mutual love before the last petal falls, his curse will be broken.

8. Character Differences: Beauty/Belle
Has 5 sisters, 6 brothers, and a father
Her sisters were jealous of Beauty, much like the step sisters in Cinderella
Loves to watch theater performances
Has only a father; No siblings
Loves to Read and help her father invent things
Has a reputation for being the most beautiful woman in her village, but also one of the strangest
Both of them…
Offer themselves as prisoners to the Beast
Care deeply about their Fathers
Fall in love with the Beast

9. Character Differences: Beast
Prince Adam (Beast)
Throughout the book, he has shown instances where his motives are… confusing
Loves Beauty right from the start and constantly asks her to marry him
Often gives charity (He gives Beauty and her family chests filled with whatever they wanted from his castle)
Has been cursed when he was 11 years old. The curse was not broken until he turned 21 and fell in love with Belle (Frederator, 7:53 – 8:12)
Gradually developed feelings for Belle, but started out only seeing her as a prisoner for her father’s trespassing
Has the temper and anger of a “beast”
Both of them…
Have Been Cursed
Have their Curses Broken by Beauty/Belle
Come from a Royal Bloodline

10. Character Differences: Father/Maurice
Beauty’s Father
Maurice
Merchant
Was in high society, until he lost his fortune
His house was burned down, so he and his family relocated to the countryside
Inventor
Always was in the peasant social class
Labeled “crazy” by everyone in the Village for inventing things and wailing about a Beast locking up his daughter in a tower
Both of them…
Have trespassed on the Beast’s Property
Have been out casted and mocked by the villagers
Care more about Beauty/Belle than anything else

11. Character Differences: Unknown/Gaston
Appears in Beauty’s dreams whenever she sleeps inside the Beast’s Castle
Described to be “as beautiful as Cupid” (Villeneuve, Page 32)
Tries to convince Beauty to fall in love with him, and was almost successful
Tries to kill the Beast in one of Beauty’s dreams
Admired and respected by almost everyone in the village
Tries to convince Belle to marry him, because she is as beautiful as himself (according to him)
Almost successfully commits Maurice into the Asulym and almost kills the Beast by stabbing him in the side with a dagger
Both of them…
Are considered to have god-like handsomeness
Wanted to marry Beauty / Belle

12. Character Differences: Beast’s Servants
In the Book
In the Animated Feature
Beast had fellow animal servants, including parrots, monkeys, apes, and common birds
These servants seem to only entertain and assist Beauty
The Beast’s servants were also cursed, but they turned into pottery and common household items
They cook, clean, and entertain all who live and visit inside the castle

13. The Endings of Each Tale
MOVIE
Belle and Prince Adam (Beast) break the curse upon the castle and live Happily Ever After
BOOK
Beauty learns about her mysterious and forgotton past as a royal, and can now officially marry the Prince who was once a Beast

14. The Morals of these Tales are the Same:
Do not judge people by their appearances, because beauty is found within

15. Other Facts About Beauty and The Beast
In the Book
In the Animated Feature
The Beast allowed Beauty to return to her family for a month, give them two chests filled with treasure, and then come back to live with the Beast (Villeneuve, Chapter 6)
Unknown is the human form of the Beast, which was not discovered until Chapter 7
The Beast’s mother disapproved the marriage between Beauty and Beast, saying that Beauty does not have any royal blood (Villeneuve, Chapter 8)
There is also a “fairy godmother”-esc character in Beauty’s dreams, who advises her to not judge by appearance alone. This fairy was later reveled as a friend of the Queen, the Beast’s mother.
Beauty and the Prince are actually cousins (Villeneuve, Page 135)
The book itself is 142 pages long
When a mirror showed that Belle’s Dad was lost and sick in a forest, the Beast lets Belle go to go save her father, assuming she will never return to the Beast
Belle is the only person in her village who wears blue, until she dances with the Beast who wears a blue suit (Frederator, 5:35 - 5:47)
Actual smoke was used to animate the Beast’s transformation back into a human (Frederator, 6:30 – 6:39)
Two darker scene were cut from the film, one scene being the Beast dragging a dead animal and the other Gaston visiting an Asulym (Frederator, 6:45 – 6:52)

16. My Favorite Passage from the Book
Villeneuve Page 50, Paragraph 4
I like this particular passage because it sounds like a beautiful and elegant way to say “happiness is given to those who do not judge by appearances.”
“Courage, Beauty; be a model of female generosity; show yourself to be as wise as you are charming; do not hesitate to sacrifice your inclination to your duty. You are taking the truth path to happiness. You will be blessed, provided you are not misled by deceitful appearances.”

17. My Favorite Moment from the Movie
When Belle Reads Romeo and Juliet to the Beast
This is one of my favorite scenes because we get to see the true chemistry Belle has with the Beast. All her life she was criticized for reading, until she reads to the Beast as he encourages her to “read it again”
This scene, along with a new song titled “Human Again,” was added in the extended version of the film (2002)

18. In Conclusion
The Book and the Animated Movie have many differences, and a few similarities
The Book has more plot development, like when one problem is solved another problem begins
Overall, the book was hard to get through because of it’s advanced languadge (think of Shakesphere)
I prefer the movie, because it is much easier to follow (plot wise) and Belle is my favorite Disney Princess
I would recommend the book to those only curious about it and have an easy time reading advanced literature

19. Works Cited

20. By Belle (Kaitlyn Durbano)
The End
By Belle (Kaitlyn Durbano)
Professor Panaccione
FREN
December 1, 2016