Disney’s Beauty and the Beast danced into our hearts 25 years ago today. But what was the real story behind this instant animated classic?
Beauty and the Beast was first released on November 22, 1991 and has enchanted children of all ages ever since. In March 2017, Disney is set to revive the beloved story with a live-action remake, which is by all accounts as true of an adaptation as it can be.
This is indeed a tale as old as time… and yet, the original tale of La Belle et la Bête is quite different from the version of the story that Disney has taught us to love.
The French fairytale was first published by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve in 1740. The female novelist was influenced by ancient stories such as “Cupid and Psyche” from 2nd century A.D., and the Italian fairytale “The Pig King,” but variants of this tale — a beautiful woman falling in love with a monstrous man — have recurred in human storytelling canon for over 4,000 years.
In de Villeneuve’s story, the protagonist’s name is simply The Beauty (‘La Belle’ in French). Rather than being the only daughter of a mad inventor, she is the youngest of six children — three sons and three daughters — who live in a mansion with their widowed merchant father.
Like her name suggests, Beauty is indeed the most beautiful of the three daughters. Like in the Disney version she is also kind, pure and well-read. The two older sisters seem lifted straight out of Cinderella, as they are wicked and vain, and treat Belle very much like a servant; they detest her for being beautiful, and for adapting so easily to the peasant lifestyle.
When the merchant loses his wealth, the family is forced to move to the country, but the hope that some of his cargo can still be salvaged drives him on a journey to get the family’s wealth back. He lets each of his children ask him for a present to bring back, and while the sons ask for weapons and the daughters ask for fine clothes and jewelry, Beauty asks only for a rose.
The merchant’s quest is unsuccessful, but on the way home he comes upon a castle, where he is welcomed to eat a splendid meal and spend the night. Before he leaves the following morning, he finds a rose garden, and picks one for his daughter. This causes the Beast to emerge, demanding the Merchant’s life, but the Merchant explains that he only wanted the rose to give to Beauty.
The Beast agrees to let him go, and even gives him wealth and jewels to take home, on the condition that he or one of his daughters will return.
When the Merchant gets back to his family, Beauty’s brothers are ready to wage war with the Beast but Beauty — taking responsibility for her father’s actions as he picked the rose for her — goes to the castle of her own accord, where she spends months living in luxury as the mistress of Beast’s castle.
She is looked after by invisible servants (as opposed to enchanted furniture), and slowly begins to uncover the castle’s many magical mysteries.
Every night, the Beast asks her to marry him and every night she refuses, only to dream of a handsome prince who asks her why she won’t say yes. Beauty finds the Beast very nice, but can’t see past his grim exterior; she doesn’t make the connection between Beast and the prince, and believes that the Beast is holding her prince captured somewhere in the castle.
Eventually she gets homesick, and asks Beast if she can go home to see her family. He acquiesces, if she promises to return; for this purpose he gives her a ring that literally allows her to teleport back to the castle, and the enchanted mirror we know from the Disney movie.
Her sisters trick her into staying longer than she was supposed to, and when she looks into the enchanted mirror she sees Beast lying in the rose garden, dying of heartbreak. She rushes back and falls down by his side, crying and telling him she loves him. True love saves the Beast, and he turns into the prince from her dreams.
And then they get married and live happily ever after… while an enchantress turns Beauty’s evil sisters to stone. Hooray?
De Villeneuve’s version was heavily abridged and amended in later editions, specifically by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont in 1756.
In the original version, Beauty was revealed to be the daughter of a king and a good fairy, whom the evil fairy that also turned Beast into a monster had tried to kill. To protect her, Beauty had been placed in the Merchant’s care, where she replaced his dead daughter.
How does the fairytale compare to Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’?
Beauty and the Beast is definitely one of Disney’s more faithful fairytale retellings, especially compared to the wildly divergent The Little Mermaid, Mulan and Aladdin.
Yet there are some surprising differences, like the decision to make Belle an only child and introduce Gaston as a potential romantic rival to Beast (likely done to make her seem less superficial).
As fascinating as the original fairytale is, we’re excited to see the Disney version adapted as a live-action (ish) movie. We can’t wait to see the enchanted furniture and the magical castle, and to hear Alan Menken’s gorgeous score.