Belle (Disney character)

Template:DisneyChar Belle is the heroine of the Disney animated film, Beauty and the Beast and its two direct-to-video sequels, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World. She is also an official Disney Princess and the namesake of Beaver's dog. She is voiced by Paige O'Hara in nearly every incarnation. The only time she has ever been voiced by anyone different is when she has appeared in the Disney Channel series House of Mouse, at which time she was voiced by Jodi Benson, who is commonly known for being the voice actress of fellow Disney Princess Princess Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

Belle also appears at the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts as a meetable character, and made a brief cameo appearance in Disney's 1996 animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Belle was featured in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse.

For an unknown reason, all incarnations of Beauty & the Beast, including Belle's stories in Disney's The Princesses of Heart, all take place during the film, owning up to the fact that Beast is always in his beast form.

Personality

Belle is a smart and lovely free-thinker who likes to read and go on adventures within her own imagination. She is not shy and is not afraid to speak her mind, especially in tight situations. She is very compassionate and takes care of those in need. Belle can also be stubborn, and her curiosity often gets her into trouble.

Belle is a nonconformist for her time in many ways. The most pronounced is her love of books and knowledge, which the townspeople find odd for a woman. Gaston says to her at one point, "It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas, and thinking...". Belle also does not care about appearances, whether they pertain to herself or anyone else. This is highly ironic considering she is seen as the most beautiful woman in her village.

Beauty and the Beast

Belle is a young woman living in a small French town with her eccentric inventor father, Maurice, though they have not always lived there. She feels out of place in her small village, longing for "something more than this (her) provincial life". Belle possesses a love for books, a hobby that the townspeople find odd for a woman. Much to her dismay, she is very sought after by the village hero, Gaston, a self-centered hunter who only wants to marry Belle because she is the most beautiful girl in town, which makes her the best in his eyes. He also wants to marry Belle only to prove his masculinity and to produce children (this is evident by him saying to Belle that they will be the parents of six or seven "strapping boys").

One day, Belle helps Maurice finish his latest invention (an automated log-chopper), and bids him farewell as he departs on his horse for a fair faraway from town. However, the next morning Belle receives a visit from Gaston, dressed in fancy attire. As Gaston tries to woo her, she is disgusted by his self-absorbed, male-supremist behavior. She is also appalled when he places his dirty boots on her new book. Belle ultimately is told by Gaston that he has proposed to her. As she tries to decline politely, Gaston moves in for a kiss. Through quick thinking, Belle manages to throw him out into a pigsty. Gaston leaves, angry and humiliated in front of the entire town (who had all gathered together to celebrate his "wedding").

Belle runs to a field behind her house to be alone, frustrated at Gaston's nerve to propose to her. She sings about how much more she wants from life than what others have planned or expect of her. Suddenly Phillipe, Maurice's horse, comes galloping up to her home without Maurice in the saddle. Belle wonders what happened to Maurice. Expecting the worse, she proclaims, "Oh, we have to find him. You have to take me to him!"

Determined to find her father, Belle is taken by Philippe to a mysterious castle. She searches all over and ultimately finds her father locked away in a dungeon in a high tower. Maurice tries to tell Belle to leave quickly, although he won't say who has locked him in the dungeon. But Maurice's warnings fall on deaf ears as Belle demands, "Who's done this to you?" Yet it is too late for Belle to run, as a huge and strong figure emerges and turns Belle away, forcing her to drop her lighted torch. Frightened at the newfound darkness, Belle asks who the unseen figure is. He claims to be the master of the castle and that Maurice is his prisoner for trespassing. Belle begs the person to free Maurice, and offers her own freedom in exchange for that of her father. He accepts, on the condition that she stay with him forever. Belle is curious and asks, "Come into the light.". The figure obliges, and Belle is horrified that he is a hideous Beast. Yet Belle still gives him her word that she will not leave, and Beast frees Maurice from the dungeon without allowing him to say goodbye to his daughter.

Belle, to her surprise, is then taken to a finely appointed guestroom by the Beast. He speaks in a civil tone to her, until he says that she must dine with him that very night (He follows with, "That's not a request!"). Feeling helpless and utterly alone, Belle throws herself onto the bed and weeps. She hears a knocking at the door, and goes to answer. To her surprise, Belle finds an enchanted teapot and cups with life of their own at the door. She soon finds that almost every object in the castle is alive, and that they are also the castle's servants. She meets Lumiere the candelabra, Cogsworth the clock, Mrs. Potts the teapot, Chip the teacup, and Madame de la Grande Bouché the wardrobe (although the wardrobe's name is never mentioned), who comfort and reassure her that everything will work out fine.

Her spirit lifted, Belle finds the will to refuse to have dinner with the Beast. Outraged, he rushed upstairs and demands her presence. When it is clear that she will not concede, he states that she will not eat at all if not with him. However, later on, Belle goes down to sneak food while Beast is not in sight. Without hesitation, the enchanted ornaments serve her dinner and even entertain her with a great performance (to the song, "Be Our Guest") in a determined effort to make her feel at home in the castle.

Lumiere and Cogsworth offer to give Belle a tour of the castle. Along the way, her eyes fall on the West Wing, a place Beast said she was never to enter. Her curiosity gets the better of her, and she slips away from Cogsworth and Lumiere into the West Wing. She is puzzled and a bit frightened at the destroyed furniture she finds inside. But what puzzles her most is a portrait she finds of a young man, with eyes of a stunning light blue. She squints at the eyes, as if she has seen someone with those eyes before. But she turns at the appearance of a light, and sees that it is an enchanted rose. Entranced, she removes its protective bell jar and reaches to touch it. Before she can, Beast appears as if from nowhere and, in a terrible rage, yells at her to get out. Afraid for her own safety and fed up with being a prisoner, Belle quickly bids farewell to Lumiere and Cogsworth and departs on Phillipe before anyone can protest.

The moment she enters the woods, Belle is ambushed by a pack of hungry wolves. She defends herself by both riding strategically and wielding a thick stick as a weapon. But the wolves bite through the stick and throw her to the ground. As a wolf lunges for her, Beast grabs it and throws it away from her. He fights off the entire wolf pack, but is injured during the fight. Belle helps the unconscious Beast home to the castle. When he comes to, she attempts to nurse his wound. He argues and draws away, saying that it is her own fault that he is hurt. She retorts with saying that he was the one who frightened her, so in a way it is his own fault. They debate for a while until they both realize that they have each found their match. Belle reluctantly thanks Beast for saving her life, and Beast allows her to help him nurse his wound. Both of these concessions mark the start of their friendship.

As the days go by, Beast begins to acquire a new attitude by being around the unselfish Belle. She notices this and begins to see him as a kind person with a gentle, childlike heart (as displayed in the famous "snowball" scene). He and Belle bond and eventually start to fall in love. After being advised by the staff of what would delight an avid reader like Belle, Beast presents her with his huge library as a gift for helping him, and even dares to ask her to dine with him once again. She accepts, and he hurriedly grooms himself to appear gentlemanly. They meet at a grand stairway in formal wear, and dine together. After they dance, Beast asks Belle if she is happy at the castle with him. Belle responds positively, but tells Beast that she would like to see her father again, only for a moment. Beast helps her with this by giving her his magic mirror. To her horror, Belle sees that her father is stranded in the woods and needs help. Beast, thinking of Belle's feelings before his own, releases Belle to help her father, giving her the magic mirror as a souvenir. After a tearful goodbye, Belle departs on Phillipe.

Belle eventually finds Maurice, and takes him home. To her surprise, Chip the teacup emerges from Belle's bag to ensure they got home safely, but then, Belle and Maurice are visited by a lynch mob who have come to take Maurice to the madhouse. Belle is comforted by Gaston, who says that he will stop them if she marries him. Incensed at this despicable extortion, Belle rejects him, and proves her father's sanity to everyone by showing them all the Beast in the magic mirror.

Despite Belle's denials, the enraged Gaston snatches the mirror and convinces the lynch mob that the Beast is a threat to the community that must be brought down immediately. Belle and Maurice are thrown into the cellar of their own house by Gaston, preventing them from warning Beast in time.

However, Chip uses the log-chopper to free Belle and Maurice, who mount Philippe and race toward the castle. They arrive just as Beast and Gaston start their battle on the roof.

By the time Belle makes it to the West Wing balcony, Beast has been mortally wounded by Gaston on the balcony, but Belle manages to pull Beast to safety just as Gaston loses his balance and falls from the castle.

Belle tries to save the Beast, but Beast dies from his wound, leaving Belle brokenhearted. All she can say is "I love you." But then, a mysterious transformation occurs and the Beast's body turns into that of a handsome young man. The man wakes up, and reveals himself to be a Prince, a man on whom a dark spell was cast ten years ago and turned him into a Beast. At first Belle does not believe him, but she finally is convinced after she recognizes the blue eyes she saw in the portrait in the West Wing. Belle and the Prince kiss just as the enchanted ornaments turn back into humans.

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

A midquel taking place during the winter segment of Beauty and the Beast, this is the story of Belle's attempt to bring back to the castle the one ceremony Beast hates most: Christmas.

Unfortunately, a pipe organ called Forte is determined to do anything necessary to keep the spell from breaking, because the spell has brought him more use to the Beast than before. Thus, he proves to be a real obstacle for Belle's plan.

After several attempts to get Beast to agree, Beast finally approves of the idea and allows Belle to prepare for Christmas, though he still bears a grudge for the day the Enchantress cast the spell on him.

With advice from Forte, Belle goes out into the woods to get a suitable tree for Christmas, but she falls into thin ice and almost drowns. Fortunately, she is rescued by Beast, who is enraged at her because Forte told him that she was trying to desert him again.

Belle is then thrown into the dungeon to rot, but Beast then finds a book that Belle had written for him earlier in the West Wing, and with advice from his servant, Angelique, Beast sets Belle free and they both continue to prepare for Christmas.

But Forte doesn't give up there, even going as far as to bring the whole castle down with his musical powers in order to prevent the spell from ending, as it can't if everyone is dead. Fortunately, Beast stops him in time by crashing his keyboard to pieces.

Christmas finally comes, and Belle is presented with a gift from the Beast: a rose.

Disney Princess Enchanted Tales

Originally, when the first Installment of Disney Princess Enchanted Tales was to be released, it was to feature a new Belle story and a brand new Aurora story. The First chapter was entitled "A Kingdom Of Kindness". The plot of Belle's story featured Chip getting in trouble with the Beast after breaking some of his things. Terrified, Chip runs away, where Belle finds him and convinces him to come back to the castle, and teaches Beast what it means to be kind, and teaching Chip that even when people are mad with you, it still means they love you. All of the original Beauty and the Beast cast returned for "A Kingdom Of Kindness", with exception to Jerry Orbach.

Only one known song has been written for Belle, this song is called "You'll never lose this Love", and is available to watch on the Enchanted Tales Website.[1]

Kingdom Hearts Series

Belle appears as an important Disney character in the renowned video game series of Kingdom Hearts, but her roles differ in each game.

• Kingdom Hearts: At some point in her life, while she is living in Beast's Castle, Belle is kidnapped by Maleficent and her homeworld is destroyed. Belle is then taken to Hollow Bastion, where she finds that she is one of seven maidens of purest heart, namely the Princesses of Heart, along with Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Jasmine, Alice and Kairi, and is needed to open the door to the heart of all worlds, known as Kingdom Hearts. However, Belle is rescued by Beast, who escaped their homeworld's destruction, and Sora, but she refuses to return home, telling Sora and Beast that she has to hold the darkness back with the other princesses. To help Sora in his journey to destroy the darkness, Belle presents him with the Divine Rose Keyblade.

• Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories: Here, Belle is merely a figment of Sora's memories. Once again, Beast and Belle are separated by Maleficent, and Beast must aid Sora in battle once again to rescue Belle.

• Kingdom Hearts II: After Sora defeated Xehanort's Heartless in the first game, all the destroyed worlds were restored, including that of Belle. Returning home, Belle and Beast go back to their normal lives, until a mysterious and blinded rage overcomes the Beast and changes his attitude, causing him to lock the entire staff in the tower and forbid Belle to free them. Belle is too frightened of Beast at the time, but fortunately, Sora, Donald and Goofy arrive in Belle's world to seal its keyhole and ensure its survival. Belle tells Sora that Beast is acting strangely, leading to Sora's offer of help. It is later revealed that Beast was being manipulated by a member of Organization XIII, Xaldin, who was hoping to turn Beast into a Heartless and a Nobody. Later on, Belle and the rose are held hostage by Xaldin. Xaldin attempts to force the Beast to choose what is truly important to him. While the Beast himself stands helpless, Belle demonstrates her courage-she elbows Xaldin in the stomach. As he reacts, she snatches the rose from his arms and dashes back into the castle, allowing a safe battle. After Xaldin's demise, Belle and Beast's life returns to normal, and by the end of the game, Beast has turned back into Prince Adam, embracing Belle once again.