Everyone who knows me personally is very understanding of the fact that I will always be a Disney fan. Their movies are classics, showing both children and adults alike that it’s okay to reach for the stars, make new friends, and embrace romance. And yet, there’s always going to be those people out there who think Disney movies are ridiculous and that it’s just a money-grabbing company. Hello? Have you seen Zootopia? Or Wreck-It Ralph? Disney can still tell very good stories.
So as much as it pains me to say, today my inner journalist must come out hardcore and present things about Beauty and the Beast that make no sense. This will focus on both the animated movie and the live-action version, so brace yourself for that. I think we all know how this movie ends by this point, so there’s no spoiler warning here.
Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney’s most popular films, and for good reason. It was one of the first breakout films that broke away from the stereotype of the princess always needing rescuing. Here, it was the complete opposite. Belle saved the Beast and all of his servants from a curse, and that’s a pretty brave feat. Of course, there’s still plenty of people out there who think Belle is experiencing Stockholm Syndrome, but we’ll get to that later.
Just know that after writing all of this, I still love this film, even if people try and constantly shove its flaws in my face.
25 This Movie Takes Place When?
So from what research I’ve done, Beauty and the Beast takes place sometime in the 1700s. Considering everyone’s outfits and the castle’s appearance, this makes sense. But this is France.
Wouldn’t the outfits be pretty fancy, even for commoners?
It just seems like it’s more early 1800s if anything, but that’s just me. At least Belle’s yellow dress looks accurate for the time period. And yes, we’re talking about the animated version. We will not mention the live-action dress.
24 Why Was Prince Adam So Cruel?
I just want it known that I’ve only seen a numerous amount of clips from the live-action film. I haven’t seen it in full yet. But is there a reason for why Prince Adam is so cruel? Is he just a spoiled brat that was never punished by his parents?
Or is there another reason for his very insensitive behavior?
It just seems odd that we have a snobbish prince with next to no backstory on. Surely there’s a reason for his behavior, unless he really is just a brat.
23 Why Punish The Servants For The Beast’s Behavior?
As far as I’m aware, the servants did absolutely nothing wrong here. They’re not the ones who treated the enchantress in a rude manner. Maybe the enchantress thought they somehow had a hand in making the prince the way he was, which led her to cursing them?
It just really makes me wonder what lesson she was actually trying to convey by transforming them as well?
Wouldn’t it have been a better lesson to keep everyone but the prince as humans?
22 Why Does The Magic Mirror Even Exist?
So from what we know on the magic mirror, it was a gift from the enchantress. I understand the reasoning behind it. It’s basically a gag gift, giving the prince a reminder of what his current appearance is. But why does it also have the ability to show the Beast anything or anyone he wants by asking about them? Doesn’t that aid the Beast? So does that mean the enchantress’ curse wasn’t totally cruel and that she still took pity on him a bit?
21 Why Does The Beast Lock Up Maurice?
Why did the Beast decide to lock Maurice away? Is he just scarred from the last old person he ran into and feared that Maurice would turn him into a lump of coal? What’s so scary about “crazy old Maurice?”
Did the Beast really think that Maurice was evil or something?
And you can’t tell me that in the course of ten years, nobody else has accidentally stumbled across the castle and been imprisoned there as well? Maurice cannot be the only one.
20 Why Are The Townsfolk So Easily Influenced By Gaston’s Words?
Okay, so unless I missed some terminology somewhere, last time I checked, Gaston wasn’t mayor of the city Belle lives in. So how is he able to so easily influence the townspeople to listen to him? Isn’t there any sane person out there who’s going, “Wait. He wants to marry the girl but he’s calling her father crazy?” Sure, Gaston might think he’s charismatic, but he’s far from that at all. We all know that he’s all brawn and no brains.
19 Did Belle Just Stay At Home And Read Books?
For a girl wanting adventure so badly, why couldn’t she pull a Princess Ariel and just go out and explore a little? I mean, I understand if she didn’t want to leave her father all by himself.
On the other hand, I can understand why Ariel would want to leave.
But anyway, to me, it seems like all Belle spends her time doing is reading, which is excellent. And yet, I understand why she would want more to do if she’s read so many books from the bookstore.
18 Why Did Chip Have A Chip?
I get that the character’s name is actually Chip. But why did his character design involve a chip? Honestly, as I got older, I thought that it symbolized Chip having a head injury or that he suffered from some type of mental disorder. However, when the curse is broken and everyone is transformed to their normal selves, it appears that Chip is a perfectly normal boy. To me, that’s very confusing and leaves me with so many questions about his character.
17 Is It Really Possible For Belle To Fall In Love With The Beast?
This is a question that I know has been heavily debated throughout the years. Does Belle really have Stockholm Syndrome? I don’t think so. With Stockholm Syndrome, the stolen takes up the personality of their captor.
However, Belle does the complete opposite and still remains headstrong and independent.
She fell in love with the Beast of her own free will. And why would people think that Belle would just fall in love with a person who did this because of Stockholm Syndrome? She’s way too strong for that.
16 Is Belle Easily Influenced?
Going off of that, people might wonder if Belle is easily influenced by events around her. In the beginning of the film, she talks about wanting to go on a big adventure like the one in her books.
But in the end, she’s with the Beast for a few days and ends up dating him.
So unless the Prince is willing to take Belle on all sorts of adventures, isn’t she still restrained to the castle, especially if she ends up becoming the queen?
15 Did Beast Ever Apologize For Treating Belle So Poorly?
Belle’s first interaction with the Beast is extremely poor. He forces her to stay in the castle and refuses to feed her until she decides to dine with him. It takes the servants’ help to make them both get on good terms with one another. But from what I remember, the Beast never exactly apologized to Belle for treating both her and Maurice so terribly at the beginning. To me, that would leave a bad taste in my mouth and I wouldn’t be okay with not receiving an apology.
14 Did The Beast Grow Up Without Parents?
We kind of touched on this before, but did Prince Adam not have any parents? It seemed like he was a very spoiled teenager when the enchantress arrived at the castle. Where were his parents during this event?
And if they were absent or perished, was he in charge?
And if he wasn’t in charge, then who was? I guess it doesn’t really matter, considering that the townspeople have no clue they’re ruled by a prince. Unless they’re actually not and there’s some other form of power in charge?
13 How Did The Townspeople Not Know Anything For 10 Years?
Now I know that the live-action movie does a better job of clarifying this. But in the animated version, it’s not explained how the townspeople just forget about the castle and the prince. You can’t tell me that in the course of the 10 years the curse has been in place, nobody had stumbled upon it until Maurice. Surely there was somebody else who left the village before then. And why is the castle just in a random spot in the woods?
12 How Is That Transporting Book Really A “Gift”?
So in the live-action film, I know that the enchantress gives the Beast a book that allows readers to travel to any location. This basically serves as a flashback device that gives backstory on how Belle’s mother passed away. But why would the enchantress give the Beast something like this anyway? I thought she was trying to teach a lesson, not give him gifts and reward him for his behavior. I can understand the mirror as a gift, but not this book.
11 How Long Was Belle At The Castle?
No really, how long was she at the castle? It seems like it’s only a few days and suddenly, the Beast learns about love and caring for others. And let’s not forget about that Enchanted Christmas spinoff that should be impossible. I mean, think about it. Didn’t it just seem like it was spring or summer in the beginning of that movie? How was it that close to Christmas in this film? It just doesn’t make any logical sense to me.
10 How Many Other Servants Were Against The Beast?
Going off of the Christmas spinoff, if you haven’t watched it, then I’m sorry if this confuses you. But were there any servants besides Forté that were evil? I mean, as far as we’re aware, the Prince treated almost everyone like garbage because he was impolite and mean. Surely there was somebody in that castle plotting to take the Beast’s kingdom away from him? I mean, there’d have to be, right? It’d be pretty easy to do since he was so rude.
9 What Symbolism Is There With The Rose?
I know that roses are the typical symbols for love and romance. But why did it have to be a rose that was cursed? And it was the dead of winter when the enchantress first arrived as an old beggar woman. Wouldn’t the prince be questioning how she had such a beautiful rose in the first place? It should have been impossible for her to have a rose. Now I know there’s magic involved there, but wouldn’t the prince be finding that odd as well?
8 Do Any Other Enchantresses Exist?
To continue the discussion of magic, in Disney films, why is there always just one single person with a lot of magical power? Don’t people question where she got her powers from? I guess this is a Disney film we’re talking about. Magic isn’t ever explained in these movies. They always handle it as “Hey, here’s this mystery person with a whole bunch of magical power even though it’s this time period and it makes no sense at all, but that’s fine.”
7 Why Did The Prince Open The Door For The Enchantress?
In the animated film, the movie states that the prince opened the door for the old beggar woman. However, if there was a party going on, wouldn’t there be some servant there in charge of opening the door for guests? I know how those types of systems work. The royalty never greet you at the door, so I don’t understand why he would do that in the first place. It’s one thing for him to kick someone out of his castle. He at least has the authority to do that much.
6 Why Is Gaston Allowed To Be The Way He Is?
He’s persistent and is honestly worse than the Beast. Like the Prince, he doesn’t know anything about manners. But at least the Beast doesn’t practically force himself onto women or think so highly of himself. Gaston is an interesting antagonist because he isn’t pure evil. He’s more or less a child that’s very set on getting his way and when he doesn’t get what he wants, he acts very rashly. It’s just odd that the townspeople are so okay with this man’s behavior.
