In Disney’s animated version of Beauty and the Beast, all we know about Belle is that she is a big fan of reading while her father, Maurice, is an inventor.
However in the new movie, which hits the theaters in 2017, Belle will have a feminist touch thanks to [Emma Watson]’s suggestion. During a interview for Entertainment Weekly, Emma revealed a new aspect from Belle’s personality in the new movie:
“In the animated movie, it’s her father who is the inventor, and we actually co-opted that for Belle,” says Watson. “I was like, ‘Well, there was never very much information or detail at the beginning of the story as to why Belle didn’t fit in, other than she liked books. Also what is she doing with her time?’ So, we created a backstory for her, which was that she had invented a kind of washing machine, so that, instead of doing laundry, she could sit and use that time to read instead. So, yeah, we made Belle an inventor.”
In the new movie we also find out why Belle never travels with her father. Maurice, played by Kevin Kline, suffocates Belle with his love and attention because her mother passed away. So he makes all these music boxes that she doesn’t feel like traveling or going to live somewhere else.
Katie Spenscer, film’s set decorator, explains:
“Kevin Kline as Maurice, is making all these music boxes that have to tell the story of Belle not traveling. She’s overprotected in a way, by her father, because she’s lost her mother. So, we’ve made all these music boxes that represent different countries of the world, so she can see what she’s missing.”
“The Beauty and the Beast” comes to the theaters in 2017. Keep up with Potterish for more information!
