Is Belle a little TOO perfect?

[Cheshire_Cat]

Without a doubt, Belle is one of the most admired heroines in the DAC canon. Of course, this has much to do with the fact that she's a more two-dimensional character compared to earlier Disney heroines. Instead of sitting around and singing about how she hopes to find the "man of her dreams" one day, she sings about how she wishes for more excitement in her mundane life.

Still, I couldn't help but wonder whether or not she's just too perfect. Does she really have any personality flaws? You couldn't exactly make a case of her being reclusive, because the only reason for that is because nobody in the village is really on the same intellectual and emotional level as she is. I suppose one could make a slight case that she's too curious, based off the "West Wing" scene, but, then again, that was only one scene in the entire movie, and her curiosity in that matter was understandable.

What do you think? Perhaps I'm just overanalyzing things?

[Elladorine]

Well, she does have that one strand of hair that keeps falling out of place . . .

[Jules]

She wears the same clothes for months. She never washes that damn blue frock of hers.

[MJW]

Bad table manners? I mean the way she stuck her finger in that "gray stuff, it's delicious!" and licked it without taking the piece she touched? Rude!

[MJW]

Bad table manners? I mean the way she stuck her finger in that "gray stuff, it's delicious!" and licked it without taking the piece she touched? Rude!

[Lazario]

Belle is lame, boring, and completely lacks convinction in her own so-called belief that women deserve to be treated as people rather than trophies.

[Tae]

She doesn't have the ability to think in difficult situations/lacks foresight? Saving her father by putting the beast in danger was a pretty dumb thing to do. Understandable, since she didn't have a lot of time to think about her actions, but a flaw nonetheless.

[Cheshire_Cat]

I'm loving these replies. You guys are so funny!

Well, she does have that one strand of hair that keeps falling out of place . . .

That's a physical imperfection. I'm talking about personality flaws.

She wears the same clothes for months. She never washes that damn blue frock of hers.

We don't know that she never washes it, do we?

Bad table manners? I mean the way she stuck her finger in that "gray stuff, it's delicious!" and licked it without taking the piece she touched? Rude!

Well, all that food was probably prepared just for her, anyway, so that's forgiveable.

She doesn't have the ability to think in difficult situations/lacks foresight? Saving her father by putting the beast in danger was a pretty dumb thing to do. Understandable, since she didn't have a lot of time to think about her actions, but a flaw nonetheless.

How was Belle to know that her leaving would put the Beast in immediate danger, though? Besides, she could have planned to return as soon as her father was healthy again.

[SWillie!]

Belle is perfect in every way, and I love her.

[Disney Duster]

Without a doubt, Belle is one of the most admired heroines in the DAC canon. Of course, this has much to do with the fact that she's a more two-dimensional character compared to earlier Disney heroines. Instead of sitting around and singing about how she hopes to find the "man of her dreams" one day, she sings about how she wishes for more excitement in her mundane life.

Don't you mean three-dimensional? And no, the other princesses sang and wished to have something better than their mundane life, too. They just specified it by saying a prince was part of it - and so did Belle when she talked about how her favorite part of the book was a prince charming in disguise. What you said about Belle is not what makes her different or more three-dimensional or better.

As for her flaws, what do you mean her being curious is understandable? She promised to take her father's place in the Beast's castle and she goes against his orders about a private room of his. It's a flaw. She did something she knew she wasn't supposed to do. You might as well say other flaws of others characters are understandable and thus not flaws. Are Ariel's rash decisions and risking her own freedom for a man she knows little about not flaws just because they are understandable with the emotions she goes through and that she's a teenager?

I agree she planned to return to the Beast though. She even promises to return, remember?

[singerguy04]

She's into beastiality.

That's kind of a big one.

[Tae]

She doesn't have the ability to think in difficult situations/lacks foresight? Saving her father by putting the beast in danger was a pretty dumb thing to do. Understandable, since she didn't have a lot of time to think about her actions, but a flaw nonetheless.

How was Belle to know that her leaving would put the Beast in immediate danger, though? Besides, she could have planned to return as soon as her father was healthy again.

Sorry, I should have clarified; I meant her showing the townspeople the magic mirror.

[Super Aurora]

She hates Gaston. That means she not perfect.

[AliceinWonderland]

She wears the same clothes for months. She never washes that damn blue frock of hers.

I know i've heard (at a d23 panel) that most of the princess stories are told with in a day or few days. so she wouldnt be in the dress for months

If you think about it.. she goes through town, her dad goes off to the fair (day 1) she goes to find her dad, her dad runs back to town and tells the towns people about the beast (day 2) the snow fight and ball scene, she released and back again for the final battle (day 3)

[Cheshire_Cat]

Without a doubt, Belle is one of the most admired heroines in the DAC canon. Of course, this has much to do with the fact that she's a more two-dimensional character compared to earlier Disney heroines. Instead of sitting around and singing about how she hopes to find the "man of her dreams" one day, she sings about how she wishes for more excitement in her mundane life.

Don't you mean three-dimensional?

Yes, I meant three-dimensional. I get the terminology confused sometimes.

And no, the other princesses sang and wished to have something better than their mundane life, too. They just specified it by saying a prince was part of it - and so did Belle when she talked about how her favorite part of the book was a prince charming in disguise. What you said about Belle is not what makes her different or more three-dimensional or better.

The "Prince Charming" bit being Belle's favorite part doesn't neceessarily indicate that that's what she wants for herself. It could just indicate that she enjoys romanticism. But that's a different topic to delve into.

As for her flaws, what do you mean her being curious is understandable? She promised to take her father's place in the Beast's castle and she goes against his orders about a private room of his. It's a flaw. She did something she knew she wasn't supposed to do.

She got no information on the room other than that it was "FORBIDDEN!" and she was staying in an enchanted castle. Her feeling impelled to explore is perfectly understandable, since, under those same circumstances, I'm sure we'd all feel the same impulse.

I agree she planned to return to the Beast though. She even promises to return, remember?

I don't think she explicitly promised to return in the movie. In the original fairy tale, yes, but not in the movie.

[Lazario]

She hates Gaston. That means she not perfect.

What do you expect; long hair on a man is cheesy. Not sexy. What is he- a man or a horse?

[FlyingPiggy]

Yes, she comes off as too perfect because she's not a terribly well written character. I mean she's not bad, just her characterization is shallow. After the criticism they got for Ariel (who is a fantastic character) Disney tried to make their next to female leads more feminist. Nice idea, but they didn't know what they were doing and did what most hollywood writers do when they write "strong female character", give her perfecty girl powery traits and let that be her characterization.

Belle READS, she's not swayed by the town hunk, she gives up her life for her father's, she doesn't take being treated badly, she see beauty within, she does the right thing.

Those are not bad things, but I don't see much else to her. I guess a bad thing about her would be her going into the west wing when the monster says NEVER GO TO THE WEST WING, but other than that...

I do like her BTW.

[Marce82]

As far as the time progression... it's not just three days. But I don't think it's months either... the library scene and the "something there" Sequence are there to imply passage of time: them getting to know each other and getting closer. And she DOES change her dress several times. I assume the blue dress was washed while she wore the others.

Flaws... hmmm... she is a bit impulsive and wreckless. And as far as going into the West Wing... she didnt wait even a day to disobey the beast! It was HER idea to stay in the castle!!

[Elladorine]

That's a physical imperfection. I'm talking about personality flaws.

I wasn't being serious.

[FlyingPiggy]

As far as the time progression... it's not just three days. But I don't think it's months either... the library scene and the "something there" Sequence are there to imply passage of time: them getting to know each other and getting closer. And she DOES change her dress several times. I assume the blue dress was washed while she wore the others.

Flaws... hmmm... she is a bit impulsive and wreckless. And as far as going into the West Wing... she didnt wait even a day to disobey the beast! It was HER idea to stay in the castle!!

The only other bit of impulsiveness or wrecklessness I can think of is when she shows the magic mirror to the town. BUT can it still be counted as wreckless, if it was the good moral thing to do? She was trying to save her father from going to an asylum.

I don't think the story takes place over months either, like, do we really think poor Maurice survived in the woods for months?