Two things I think I should mention: 1. The title of the video is supposed to be a quick way to refer to the remake version of Belle (differentiating it from the original animated version). Most of the problems I have with the BATB remake is in the writing. (That said, I have seen several interviews that suggest (from Emma's own words) she played a significant role in sculpting the character of Belle in the remake, so Emma isn't completely off the hook either. But I don't know her level of involvement, just that she *was* involved, which is why I chose to focus my video mainly on writing decisions and didn't really discuss anything about who was to blame). 2. linjingshui was the first to comment on this, so I had her comment pinned for about a year - Cinderella is not weak, and I was wrong to say she was. I made that implication sort of off-handedly and hadn't seen the movie in a while when I said it. I take back my opinion on Cinderella. You can see my reply to linjingshui for further details. Hope that clears things up!
I wish that Hollywood would realise that "strong female character" means "well written female charcter", you know with real strenghts and weaknesses and flaws, that actually have a negativ impacte on their lives. Also I wish that Hollywood would realise that masculinity does NOT equal strong and femininity does NOT equal weak. A charakter can have feminin and masculine traits. A woman who loves romance novels, make-up and fashion is NOT lesser then a woman who loves video games and football. Also, you can love both at the same time! (Sorry for mistakes. English is not my native langauge.)
yES I hate it when ppl think that a woman who has no flaws is a strong woman. if you have no flaws, you're not human. that is why so many of these female characters are so irritating to me. I can't relate to someone who is literally flawless -_-
And also like this girl said, femininity can be a strong trait When they try to make a strong female character they seem to make them more masculine instead of making them actually stronger (nowadays that is)
so true! People complained about the gentle and delicate women in movies because most of the time, it was used to objectify the woman as something pure and perfect. The problem was never the traits of the character, but how it was used to create a fantasy of a flawless woman, rather than a character. Now some people miss that point and don't realize that the "strong female character" is just hiding that real problem, which is : creating a women that are flawless and not deep characters. They just change the qualities they associated with women (being strong, don't need anyone, etc), but not the reason we see the characters as problematic (the idealization of female characters). In short : we just want deep and well written characters!
@Aurora Nightingale Love them both. Though I don't know how feminine either of them are - they seem to be more in-between (having a mix of both masculine and feminine traits). But it's been a while since I read either series so I may not be remembering them accurately.
@Aurora Nightingale I suppose it depends on what you consider femininity. To me it's traits like sensitivity, patience, warmth, compassion, nurturance(?)... whereas masculinity is ambition, drive, aggression, having initiative, etc. I feel like Violet has a healthy mix of both feminine and masculine qualities; that's why I wouldn't immediately classify her as a distinctly feminine character. (Good manners, for example, is a traditionally gender-neutral trait imo) Ofc, you may have a different way of defining femininity/masculinity than I do.
I hate that so many people read Cinderella as a weak-willed damsel who only wanted a man rather than a child abuse survivor who stayed strong and optimistic, then eventually earned her happy ending.
I would argue that Merida's mother is depicted as both strong and feminine. She carries herself with grace and dignity and commands the respect of the clans.
When I watched the movie I actually felt bad for Gaston. The Gaston in the original movie was an asshole all the way, there was nothing that could be saved about its character, he didn’t want Belle because he liked her, he wanted her because she was what he couldn’t have. The Gaston in the new movie is actually concerned for Belle, and at least tries to be interested in the things she is interested in. They made her (Belle) seem like an asshole with the way she regentes this version of Gaston. Belle was already an amazing character, and a feminist one if you will, but now they made her a little bit more like an asshole, honestly. In the past, she showed us that you could save the day by being kind and compassionate, without needing to be manly, that you could stand up for yourself and still be feminine. The new Belle lost all of that, Emma Watson and the writers (whoever is at fault for the changes) turned Belle, who was a unique character, into the same strong-female-character trope with no flaws who’s always perfect.
And it's so shallow the way they did it too! I missed it on my first viewing, but other reviewers have since pointed out that the very thing Belle appears annoyed at Gaston for doing (stomping on her cabbages) is something *Belle herself* almost did (when she almost walked all over the kids' freshly washed laundry!). They went for the whole "perfect flawless female lead" and just made her into a cold hypocritical stuck-up... who *still falls for the Beast.* What?! Lmao
AMEN! I hate how there’s no character development in the live action bc they just made her an asshole. In the OG she was scared but had to be brave for her father’s sake. Also yeah most of the changes were Emma’s idea 🤢🤮
And add to Gaston’s character and personality that he has post-traumatic syndrome. So... yeah, they kinda justified him being an asshole. But there’s no excuses for Belle.
he wanted belle because she was "the prettiest in town" and he - as a god's gift to earth - is entitled to the best pieces of meat. that's all. he was actually flabbergasted that he couldn't have her and was in denial for a while.
I agree with you about being strong and independent doesnt mean we have to act tough or bold etc like a man. Feminine qualities doesnt undermine our strength as a girl. But I disagree when you said there's only one girl like that in disney which is Belle. Have you forgotten Cinderella? She's kind, warm, patient and compassionate. She as strong as Belle in that aspect, but why you hinted her as a weak character? I get it that people love to tied the classic Cinderella story as a damsel in distress that only wait to be saved by the Prince Charming. But does she only count that much? Her resilience and endurance towards her stepmother and stepsisters' abuse while still treat them with kindness is already enough to show us what a strong lady she really is. Also, when you think about it, Cinderella is the one who actually save herself from the abuse she had, not the prince. She's the one who made an effort to sew herself a gown for going to the Ball, tho it was destroyed afterwards. It wasn't the Prince who provided her the materials and stuffs. She didn't go to the Ball for seeking asylum to the prince, but she went because she just wanted to. As a result she met Prince Charming and danced together, alas, she doesnt even know he's a Prince. People might say she's a passive character, because she's never really stood up against her abusers, but she's definitely not a weak character. She still keeps holding on to her dream (which is to be freed from her evil step mother, not marrying a prince) even at the darkest time of her live and finally she got the justice she deserves. You can watch this video about Cinderella if you still think she is weak. ua-cam.com/video/huLSdm6IH0g/v-deo.html Anyway, good video about Belle.
Hi, you are actually 100% right. I saw that Screenprism video after I made this video of mine and it is actually one of my UA-cam favourites :) I hadn't seen Cinderella in a long time when I made my video on Belle, and watching that Screenprism video totally changed my perspective on Cinderella. If I could make my video again I would edit it to say that actually, Cinderella is a very under-appreciated character and possesses strengths that are often overlooked. I will say that I do think Belle has more agency and shows more assertiveness in BatB than Cinderella does, and that makes for a more interesting movie and gives us more to analyse. I certainly believe BatB is a richer movie and so allows us to see more depth in the characters including Belle. But that's more to do with the stories - BatB grants the heroine more opportunity to be bold and strong so we see it more. I also think feminine strength is a major *theme* in BatB - more than it is in Cinderella. Belle's strengths drive the story and explicitly save the day when the story reaches its climax, whereas in Cinderella the happy ending comes from a combination of the heroine's strengths and a bit of good fortune (even some divine intervention). But Cinderella is not a weak character by any means and I was wrong to say she was 😊 Glad you liked my video though!
Ever After is vastly superior to both Disney versions, imho :P That one's my favourite Cinderella adaptation. A Cinderella who has agency and grit and where the romance is properly developed. So far, my favourite Disney "remake" has been Maleficent. Actually tried to do something different than the original movie!
much of the rewriting of Belle was done by Emma Watson. She wanted belle to be more like her, seen as a modern feminist. However, I haven't seen Emma Watson play a Strong Feminine Character as her type of role is usually more aggressive, witty, or serious rather than the traditional feminine traits of patience, tenderness, and kindness. I'm not dissing Emma at all, I just think she misunderstood who Belle was and made the character an Emma Watson self insert. In the special features, she compares the many similarities of her as the actor and the character she plays and there's no mention of an homage to the original character of Belle. It sounds more like "I'm connected to this character because she's so much like ME" rather than "I had to learn how to embody this ideal feminine woman who is so warm and open that she falls in love with a literal beast".
I think Emma’s perspective has become more nuanced since she worked on this movie. Take a look at her work in Little Women! When I heard she was going to be in the new movie I assumed she would be Jo, but she was instead cast as Meg, who is the more traditionally feminine, delicate sister. Emma captures Meg’s personality really well (aside from not having the best American accent), and I love the scene where she tells Jo “just because my dreams are different from yours doesn’t mean they aren’t important.”
I agree with everything you said. This modern version of Belle made the story less romantic. Belle was already a feminist icon in the original film, and now she lost her delicate behavior. Why be delicate and gentle is bad?? Women can be strong in femininity, too.
The cartoon Belle learned to see through the Beast's exterior to his heart, and helped him to bring it out. If that's not a strength worth having, I'd like to know what is.
@@foxesofautumn But that's the thing. Kindness, gentlesness etc. it's a feminine trait. The opposite of that are masculine traits. Gentlesness is a desirable trait in anyone but it is still a feminine trait. Every human being embodies both feminine and masculine energy. It's just that in most women feminine energy is the dominant energy while in men the masculine energy is the more dominant energy.
Tiana is my favorite modern princess. She’s patient and works hard to slowly build her dream up from nothing, and dreams of the glamour and beauty that will come with it. She doesn’t belittle Charlotte’s fairy tale dreams and aesthetic, just recognizes that if she wants the same thing she has to put in the work for it. And when Naveen comes along and essentially throws a wrench in all her hard work, she’s resourceful and tough but also kind and generous to the friends they make along the way. Another aspirational princess imo 💖
I love Tiana! I thought it was wonderful how they could have made Charlotte a bully or even a villain, such an easy path! But instead, Disney went with the friendship between two women of different backgrounds and statuses. Lotty would have made Tiana's dreams come true in a heartbeat but she respected her when she wanted to work hard and do it herself. They were both so admirable. Tiana and Lotty have one of the best Disney friendships.
Watson's Belle always seems to consider herself intellectually and morally better than those around her, and she comes across as snobbish and superior. The original Belle was frustrated with her situation ("I want much more than this provincial life") but she never saw herself as 'better' than the people around her, just different. Adding the Paris element to Belle's backstory made her seem like something of an eleitist who considered herself too good for the rural community that she found herself in.
Emma's Belle always looks so uncomfortable, like she hates her life. The animated Belle had a sense of wonder and happiness even though she wanted more, she stayed curious and optimistic.
One of the many issues I have is that Emma Watson is playing Belle as if she's Hermione and audiences are just letting it slide. Hermione and Belle are *NOT* synonymous AT ALL. I _hate_ it when people (especially Emma Watson fans) try to justify the casting by using the "bibliophile" rationale. _Hermione_ is a SCHOLAR. She reads because she has a thirst for KNOWLEDGE. She's the quintessential know-it-all and overachiever. _Belle,_ on the otherhand, is a DAYDREAMER. She has a rich inner world and reads because it feeds her IMAGINATION. She's seen as a weirdo because she's dreamy and vague and always has her head in the clouds. In conclusion, no two bookworms are the same and it's about time people realize that basic fact.
Exacly. Love to read books ≠ Scholar Which mean 'Belle ≠ Hermione' Seem like many people don't get this point (even Watson herself misinterpreted Belle by far)
I haven't seen many address that. People talk about Hermione but it's not a good comparison to Belle..... she played Hermione well, she kept to the source material because in the books Hermione was a snobby know it all and very arrogant. But she totally stayed from the original belle when she played Belle like Hermione because 1991 Belle was none of those things, quite the opposite
Hermione also reads books to compensate for her deep seeded anxiety about being in a completely unfamiliar world. In video games there are two types of gamer: the type that reads all the strategies to min-max their run and the type that goes in blind. Hermione is a strategy guide addict and as one myself I can tell you the unknown scares her more than she’d ever be willing to admit. Belle dreams of the unknown, Hermione fears it.
I don’t think anyone liked this Emma Watson Belle. She made it Emma and the Beast. Not Beauty and the Beast. Not good. Re make of Cinderella was way better.
I don't hate Emma but I really, really don't like her as Belle. So much so I want to forget the movie entire existence. Emma's version is very different from the animated version. Maybe others enjoyed this version of Belle (I don't blame you, like what you like) but I don't enjoy it at all.
True Emma is my favourite actress but I also didn't like her as Belle Maybe because it was just Emma we were looking at not belle or maybe because I don't like Disney princesses
I always felt like being a brave and strong character doesn't mean you have to give up your femininity or your morality. Sure, we have to conduct what is good for ourselves, but we need to think about others too. A woman's strength is just as powerful as a man's and we shouldn't overlook that. The exchange between characters in the live action movie are rather thoughtless--inconsiderate even--especially on Belle's part.
Well said. NOR do you have to intimidate, belittle and attack men to look powerful, as some so-called "feminists" believe today. I am so turned off by that. That's not a powerful woman, that's a bully.
@@thunderbird1921 It is! I always have been drawn to the classic films because it portrays what a real woman is: nurturing, kind, and standing up for what's right. Not like today where they're making snarky remarks, being pushy, and making men seem idiotic and weak.
@@ThePoeticAngel AGAIN well said! As a guy, I love well written heroines, they make the stories so much more amazing. Possibly my favorite is Olivia De Havilland's Lady Marian in the 1938 Robin Hood: Tender, but bold, brave and willing to speak up for the oppressed common Englishmen (plus, her interactions with Errol Flynn's Robin are straight up HILARIOUS!). I HATED Toy Story 4. They took a fascinating character in Bo Peep and completely wrecked her, plus made Dolly a TYRANT. And what does the humble but strong heroine Jessie get? She gets tossed to the side and weakened for the sake of making Bo look "strong". And DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on what they did to Buzz! That movie almost felt like a straight up ATTACK on men at times (and the women who love them). Disney is out of their dadgum mind these days. I'll mostly stick with classics stuff until Hollywood gets their sanity back.
Truuue. If she hadn’t felt the need to be an aggressively strong female character I’m sure it could have improved the movie at least a little bit. Plus being soft but strong could have showed her range as an actress
@@Mothman_In_a_T-Pose yes!! that I think words my issues with it so well. It really didn't feel like watching Belle in this story, but watching Emma. Also I just truly didn't feel her acting skills were strong enough to be acting against all these props. She seems really nice and is a good activist, but I've been pretty underwhelmed by all of her performances since harry potter
Yes, Cinderella's actress, Lily James has a much better range. I've seen her in Downton and she's playing two different characters. Emma has just become one dimensional as an actress.
That's what a lot of people have said. Personally I think Emma's vision would have been great if it was practically any other Disney movie - if she was cast as Sleeping Beauty? or even Ariel? Ignoring the appearance factor, her revisions might have made the characters bolder and more interesting/independent in stories where that would have been refreshing. But to do that to Belle is just sad, imo.
@ruperts cute actually it does- she did not wear a corset because of her feminist beliefs.. Which wasnt correct for the part and kinda ruined her dress she said she deserved the role- but her voice clearly didnt cut it due to hiw robotic it ended up being her acting was stiff and i personally just was not a fan...
@@Squeakz_030 It wouldn't even have been a corset, it would've been a stays which just shows Watson had no idea what people in the time period wore and shouldn't have had a say in its design.
Belle in the original's quirkiness was that she was a dreamer who wasn't just happy with the here and now hum drum life- in a way, her dad is too given he's an inventor, and they're just dreamers who try to make some of their dreams a reality. Belle believed in fantasy and fairy tales- thats why the book she was so in love with reading had "far off places, daring swordfights, a prince in disguise" etc, and why her first reaction to the castle was "Is this an ENCHANTED castle?" In a sense, the rest of the town thought she was "odd" because they all were grounded in their own reality and didn't have any dreams of anything unobtainable. I guess you can say they thought Belle was immature, and probably needed to wake up eventually.
Ariel has been my fave.. i think she's a strong character.. fun and doesnt quite think things through, but you gotta live life and she makes the most of it. We don't have to be perfect to be strong women ^^' I like that about her. Curious, passionate and adventurous.
Mulan is a great character because she flawed, and she but determined to bring honor to her family. She works hard to make up for her shortcomings. And the biggest payoff is when her father puts aside the gifts from the emperor, embraces her, and says “The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter.”
@@SneezyReviews No, Mulan was kinda clumsy and lacked confidence in herself, but she was always had the best intentions. She wasn’t too feminine in certain things, but she drew the line when it came to bathing so that she didn’t smell like a corn chip.
@@reikun86 Yeah - I was mainly trying to point out that Belle is strong and (imo) distinctly feminine, not just a strong female character with some feminine traits (like Mulan/Jasmine is) :)
There's an odd inversion in media these days. Ever notice how the strongest expression of masculinity is reserved usually for male villains and female heroes? masculine man =bad masculine woman =good
@@ThisCallumPerson that’s because Hollywood clearly lacks an understanding of actual feminism, so to them not only masculine man= bad but also anything feminine=bad. It’s really twisted, I wonder how tiring it is for young girls of today.
She’s not warm. Belle’s loveliness comes from within. She’s kind, compassionate, and a good friend. Emma is pretty, but there’s a detached haughtiness to her that never goes away in the movie. She only has two modes in the movie: bland face or near tears. She can’t even SMILE during the dance sequence, FFS. She looks like she’s trying to remember the choreography instead of gazing at the being she loves. I can’t buy the Beast falling for her because of it. I was so disappointed because I wanted the movie to really dive into their relationship. The animated movie flies by, and the live action could have and SHOULD have shown the two of them awkwardly, sweetly coming together. That doesn’t happen.
I got fed up with how Once Upon a Time portrayed their female characters for the same reason. There were some great female villains, but the 'good' female characters had to all be 'strong' in the same way, by physically fighting. I was hoping for a breath of fresh air when Belle came along - she showed she was strong and capable in a different way, through her knowledge and intelligence, and ability to solve mysteries. But instead of using this to show how women are strong and amazing and varied in lots of different ways, they managed to bugger it up in making her 'prove' herself by defeating the Yaoguai and weilding a sword like everyone else. To me it reeks of fake feminism - they get everyone praising them for showing 'strong female characters' when actually the real message they're sending is women aren't strong unless they act the same way and do the exact same things. Or that a woman isn't strong unless she fights and acts like the men. Which is actually a terrible message to be sending and can make girls/women feel insecure if they feel they don't fit that cookie cutter image of what a 'strong' woman should look like. I've not seen all of OUAT (just the first 3 seasons) so can't speak for all of it, but did anyone else feel the same way?
No, for me it made sense that in a dangerous world with those type of creatures, women had to be able to fight or at least know how to defend themselves. I mean, even they thoghen up Tinker Bell for being in a dangerous place without magic powers. Also, fighting wasn't Belle's strenght, it would have been really weird if it was. Anyway, that's how I remember feeling, haven't rewatched the series in a long time.
Also go rewatch The Little Mermaid again because I’ll make the argument that Ariel walked (or swam?) so Belle could RUN as a strong feminine character. She’s known for her beautiful voice and also has a vested interest in human life/anthropology (she sing a whole song about it!). She is then the FIRST Disney Princess to rescue a Disney Prince from certain danger & distress. But also she allows herself to be vulnerable and express a wide range of emotions: elation, fear, disgust, wonder, determination, cautiousness, embarrassment, despair, hope, regret, playfulness, anger, gratitude, and many more. Her story wasn’t initially centered around romance, all she wanted was to be part of a world she always felt she truly belonged in, and then she met someone she fell in love with who came from that world and by rescuing him she realized she just might have a chance at making her wildest dreams a reality. She was written to be more of a tomboy than the princesses that came before her, yet she is still graceful and feminine in a lot of her attributes and her story does eventually become one of romance. Without Ariel, we wouldn’t have Belle. Honestly I think Belle is a bit /too/ perfect of a character, I find it hard to find flaws that make her relatable like Ariel is to me. Ariel can be impulsive, forgetful, too zoned into her special interest, thinks with her heart before her head, has a strained relationship with her father - all very relatable to me. I like & relate to characters that aren’t “perfect”. Not to say I don’t like or relate to Belle at all, but I think they could’ve gone even further with the push and pull of her talking back and realizing she does do the whole “judge a book by its cover” thing. Anywho just wanted to share my thoughts on that, this video was really well done and I love your analysis!
I tend to agree. Belle seems too perfect and a bit of an NLOG for believing all of the women in the village are shallow for no reason. She never really grows or changes in the movie, Adam/The Beast does. Ariel is a bit more relatable and believable as a lead. Like you said, she has actual character flaws and messed up sometimes.
I was gonna reply about how right you are but like my original response was obviously showing favoritism and mostly because I'm baised so ill just say yes your right :)
But she already do the whole JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER. She realized in the wolf's scene that she judged the Beast as the people in the village judged her.
Belle is hands down my favourite Disney princess. It’s therapeutic watching your analysis because it’s what I’ve thought and how I’ve felt but I actually felt afraid to voice it strongly because people have really laid into the whole Stockholm syndrome jokes etc. and it’s such a terrible reduction of what was and is a well made story and an exemplary female lead character. Belle was perfect just as she is!
Ugh the Stockholm syndrome nonsense pisses me off. As a psychology major, a movie critic, and a Belle fan, it pisses me off on every level 😂 If you haven't seen it already, I highly highly recommend Lindsay Ellis' video debunking the Stockholm Syndrome thing. It's also a great video to send to the haters 😂
All these comments and this video make me so happy! Everyone is saying what I've been thinking and feeling for years! I'm so glad I found Sneezy Reviews videos. They made my day 😭❤😁
@@SneezyReviews ooh thanks for the recommendation! And also she wasn’t responsible for him and it wasn’t her “job” to change him which seems to be another criticism levelled at it, she just happened to call his behaviour out and he was inspired to change. People come into people’s lives all the time and can spark growth etc. it’s a general human condition thing not a antifeminist they made a passive female responsible for a man’s growth thing.
Cinderella... Of course you were talking about Cinderella when mentioned a "weak characters"... Someone who considers Cinderella a weak character but says she(/he)'s a feminist needs to rethink twice. Cinderella is a victim of abuse by her step family but she remains kind to others (a feminine trait in dead but is it weak?) and she still saves herself. It's not the prince that takes the key from the stepmother. It's Cinderella with her intelligence and her animal friends. People also like to say that she wanted to go to the ball to meet the prince witch is completely wrong. She doesn't even look at him and don't ask his name. She just wants to have the night of her life. You really irritated me with this one. Belle is not the only feminine and strong character. You only believe that strong characters need to show some time of aggressiveness (masculine traits)
Absolutely agreed.. I don't understand why all the polite and kind female characters are considered weak now.. people find both kindness and masculinity in a male character charming and so do I.. but why does it differ when it comes to female characters? Maybe kindness in a female is just defined to be weak now.. I believe a true feminist character must portray her kindness and caring nature.. cause that's a natural mother-ly trait every woman has.. I understand why 'masculine' female characters are considered more strong.. but it just comes out as aggressive and rude sometimes defeating the whole purpose of the character.. not specifically animated movies but other feminist movies too.. most feminist movies have this male bashing, male hating and men are bad plot to it.. just because they don't want to be saved by a men.. they don't even consider taking help from them.. how is this bringing equality? I really don't understand.. For example:this is why character's and movies like Wonder woman and Alita:the battle angel worked.. while Captain Marvel and Charlie's Angels failed even when they had masculine female character which people consider 'strong'. ( sorry for my poor vocabulary.. English is not my first language)
And like you said.. Cinderella is mentally strong.. even though people won't consider her physically strong.. I find mentally strong characters more of an inspiration than physically strong one's.. people really need a role model like Cinderella especially during times like these.. at times people loose hope easily and mental health is extremely valued.. I don't understand why can't people dig more deeper into her character rather than just focusing on a prince who 'saved' her.. She saved herself cause she still had hope and didn't give up.. her kindness and caring nature is what saved her..the prince fell in love with that.. not because he had sympathy for her.. You defined her character really well though..
Cinderella absolutely has a feminine strength to her! In a world that’s constantly unkind to her, she chooses kindness every day and has a beautiful quiet strength to her. I think that’s incredibly brave and she’s a remarkable character for abuse victims to look up to, (tw: what I experienced wasn’t anything like Cinderella experienced but I try to choose kindness in a world that’s not so kind to me every single day because of her). And to all who say she was just waiting around for a prince to a miracle or whatever, go rewatch the movie! She is working with every fiber of her being trying to hopefully get a break from doing all this unpaid labor eventually. Her own family rips the clothes right off her back after she had her mother’s gown restored, gosh that scene is always so hard to watch, and that’s why she runs off all forlorn and hopeless and starts sobbing (which isn’t a sign of weakness, what else are you to do when you’ve been attacked like that????) Except she didn’t lose hope entirely, or else the fairy godmother wouldn’t have appeared! She doesn’t even know that the man she danced at the ball was the actual prince, she was happy to have make a genuine connection with someone and didn’t even care if he was royalty or not- all she wanted was a day off of being an indentured servant and enjoy life around other people for once!!!! She has immense gratitude for the entire experience and was perfectly content if it ended right then and there, but the realization that the mystery man was not only the prince but looking to reconnect with her rocked her entire world (that scene is always one of my favorites!!). She wasn’t even looking for love, but it came and found her anyway and she was so deserving of finding someone who could truly love her for who she was, even if she wasn’t born royal she has the true heart of a princess. I was positively livid when Emma Watson said Cinderella was a bad role model for kids!! I feel like she hasn’t watched most Disney movies in a very long time if that’s what she’s getting out of them.
Thank you Lara! It took me a while to see the quiet strength of Cinderella, because I had listened to many other people claim that she was a damsel in distress whose only goal in life was to marry the prince, and believed what I had been told. It wasn't until I had rewatched the movie many years later, that I finally discovered that Cinderella had a subtle strength to her by continuing to be patient and kind, and just wanted a night off to go to a party, where she surprisingly enough met and fell in love with the prince of all people.
Exactly. I found this video today.. and I support yours thoughts about new Belle. We can't compare this old and new version cause.. original version was at top.. No one can replace the characters. When I first saw new version it feels like so emotionless, so rigid and stiff..
I found your video because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie and the remake is just B.S, so I wanted to see your arguments and I totally agree 😁👍
To be honest, I don't believe that characters like Snow White and Cinderella are purely just damsels in distress. Yes, there are problems with how women are portrayed in their stories (in a few different ways) and they do become damsels in distress saved by men. However, I don't like how often people discredit that while they were saved by men, they themselves were STRONG characters. Snow White and Cinderella both lived lives of abuse from their step mothers for years and yet remained kind and still loved the world as much as could. Snow White even ran away from someone who was literally trying to murder her, into the woods, with no supplies, to save her life. She did not know the dwarfs were out there. She did not know that she would have help. Snow White and Cinderella are full of kindness, compation, and understanding, and try to see the best in everybody. They also had a LOT of emotional strength to still love the world and see its beauty after years of being told that they were worthless. While they did not fight bad guys or take down monsters, they are still strong characters and deserving to be role models in some ways. Like I said, are their problems with the stories and how they portray their role is women? Yes. But are the characters themselves just weak, personality-less pictures? No.
I don't even think its necessarily a bad thing that they are "saved" by men at the end. For Snow White especially, the prince seemed more allegorical, especially with the whole pale white horse and glowing castle in the sky.
THANK YOU. I know I’m 3 years late but THANK YOU. I am so sick of “strong female characters” only being masculine tomboys that always have to be better than men at masculine things. The most frustrating thing is that feminists eat that crap up! It’s so funny how modern feminists are so loud about wanting strong women, but have a “correct” version of how women should be, that is somehow more alike to men! It’s a strange oxymoron,, It’s kind of sad because I relate more to Belle than any of our rough and tough princesses. Even though I’m a powerlifter, i hate conflict and am super quiet. If I was written by Disney they’d probably “fix” me by making me a meathead who beats all the boys in arm wrestling and would erase the fact that I love pink, shopping, and makeup.. because that’s not what a “strong woman” would like 🙄 Sorry for rambling, I really like your channel!
Ps, look at what they did to Mulan too! They took every single quirk about her and totally erased it to make her as good, hell even better then all the men, and not even because of hard work, but because she was born like that. Original Mulan knew she couldn’t compete with her biology and so she always won by using her brain, not brute force.
@@fabiofuoco YESS. That’s why Mulan is my favorite Disney princess movie, it’s so well done. I honestly couldn’t bring myself to watch the remake because I knew that Disney would do what Disney does and make it worse for quick money 🤧
Agh yes! I hate the de feminization of muscular women. I’m on the smaller side but I personally relate more to the outspoken, fiery princesses so looks can be deceiving. But I still love the soft, sweet princesses because those traits are still parts of my identity too.
I think you finally put into words what I’ve been trying to explain for years. Belle has been my favorite Disney Princess for a long time but I couldn’t quite explain why. When you mentioned that she’s the only one who is both strong and feminine I was like, OMG that it!! I’ve always hated how 2017 Belle was portrayed. She lost all of her kindness and gentleness. She actually a real jerk.
“To Howard Ashman, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul” This movie felt like a big insult to Ashman. He was battling illness while working on this movie. They moved the whole production just to be close to his hospital. He passed away seven months before the movie’s release. The movie was dedicated to him. He was able too achieve what Walt Disney wanted but couldn’t achieve. Beauty and the beast was the first animated film to be nominated for best picture. And then came the remake. It truly hurts to see Ashman’s passionate work be treated like this. Disney probably would’ve exist today without Ashman
Hollywood, Emma, Disney and most movie makers out their have strongly misunderstood feminism. Emma needs some serious acting lessons while she is still young or she should just quit. Disney needs to stop shovelling these re-makes down our throats and brains. Hollywood should re- think on the whole "creativity liberty/freedom" or whatever that SH** is! I am glad UA-cam recommended your video. Belle was, is and will always be my favourite! I am in love with French everything and this was rather disappointing😔and oh that DRESS!!
Yes, I agree with you about the 'modern strong female character' - it seems the majority of media shows all strong female characters to be super confident and as you say more aggressive. As a quieter and more gentle character myself, it does make me feel a little sad that there are so few protagonists with these kinds of personality traits. It's almost like the media are implying that it is a negative thing to be of a quieter and kinder disposition. There are many different ways to show strength and I think this should be portrayed more often!
Exactly - exactly - this is what I've been thinking about the live action Belle ever since this movie came out - your video and analysis are excellent. And don't get me wrong I don't mind Emma Watson in some things - she's great in "Harry Potter", she's good in "Ballet Shoes" and also in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" but in "Beauty and the Beast" her active feminist approach along with the filmmakers' radical idea of 'improving' the character of Belle don't mix - and more especially because of the way they set the story in the time period in which it was originally written in which Belle has always been feminist about being feminine anyway. Put Emma Watson's brand of feminism and a totally mad desire to make Belle a touch more brash and badass than buxom and bookish like a more accurate woman of those times and it all adds up to far less of the young and bright, kind hearted gentlewoman that you would have found in 17th century France given the setting of the film and in whom an equally strong minded modern woman of a similar disposition can easily relate to. Talk about slamming down hard on the natural strength that an outwardly feminine woman in touch with her deeply loving and nurturing personality in a 'remake' of Belle's character and how beautifully ironic it is that the 1991 film actually celebrated her natural femininity and her overall character in the beginning. It is also interesting to note the stark contrast between both of these Disney adaptations of "Beauty and the Beast" and how they portray Belle so differently to each other when compared to the 1950 "Cinderella" and its 2015 remake. Both the original and the remake of "Cinderella" celebrate the very same beauty of the very same title character who shows kindness, generosity and even forgiveness to her abusers while also suffering huge emotional losses - and even more so at the end of the remake in fact since the stepsisters do go against their mother and apologize for being abusive at last which Cinderella takes with good grace while also offering her stepmother a degree of pity that is truly touching. Emma Watson's Belle does none of this with the Beast - she doesn't take any real outright offense with him for displaying outright disgust towards her favourite book for "all of the heartache and pining" in it which are both at the core of their own original love story when he allows her to leave only to come back and find him utterly heartbroken. In the remake however, - well he never does seek her forgiveness for his rudeness, no, not even with his time turning magic book because it can't reverse the fact that he was rude and as a result she never does forgive him with simple words for being such a prick over said book that describes the Beast's awful conundrum in a nutshell both before and after she finally cracks it - so he never apologizes to her at all - the end. So what - is that it? No pay off for that? Well this is where the chance for them to inject some attempt at a bond and finding love in their love story over a book that should tug at both of their heartstrings stops and dies. Way to totally ruin the Beast and laugh in the face of the original fairytale by making him laugh at his own tragic circumstances in a remake that turns the original tormented tragic character into a parody of himself while Belle gets to save the day simply because she has to save the day. It's not funny - it's stupid and makes zero sense when it comes to the Beast's side of the story. Instead of nursing and feeling his own pain and allowing Belle to help him work through it one on one as patient and therapist he puts the needs of his staff before himself which was the lesson he was supposed to learn from her after being saved by the end of the movie. Perhaps what makes the "Cinderella" remake so good at staying true to the fact that showing deep, heartfelt and subtle femininity which becomes all the stronger for its subtlety is only natural as well as beneficial and of very real, great value to a woman while also showcasing the very real tragedies the character faces for what they all are while taking them seriously rather than downplaying them or Cinderella's pain is Lily James's performance, in contrast to Watson's far too strong attempts to make a statement about womanhood rather than tapping into its super strong subtleties. Lily James is not a big ass name with a bucket load of fame and fortune or a barrel of activist ideas attached to her since becoming an uber-hyped child actor and more importantly, she didn't hold the role so tightly to the chest or change it beyond already accepted recognition. You also get Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine - she makes it clear that the abuse she dishes out is as real and keenly meant as the heartbreak that the Beast feels in the 1991 film of "Beauty and the Beast" when he roars at the moon in anguish rather than singing what sounds like a dirge to romance in dire monotones. It speaks to Kenneth Branagh's directing as well. He didn't give James the chance to indulge any kind of outside ambitions too much whereas Bill Condon did and it really shows. Emma Watson's "weakness" is being and doing exactly that with the character of Belle - and the director let her do it to the point of downplaying some far more seasoned actors like Stanley Tucci whose time and talent ended up being wasted (as after all he has his head in his hand in one interview where Josh Gad jokes that the wattage from everyone is the Emma Wattage and # Tucci's right to be put off because it's not that much of a joke actually - it doesn't appear to be about all of them at all - it's all about her). You can see in interviews like this that she holds the role of Belle far too tightly to her chest - she's far too precious about the idea of playing at being Belle and 'improving' the character rather than actually trying to become Belle because she already thinks and believes that she is a Hollywood Belle sooo - why bother trying? I'm already an actress now so I don't really have to act the part do I? Alright then let's make everyone else including the Beast himself except perhaps Gaston look bad so that I - no, no I mean Belle can look good. That's alright then - solved it. Bad move Watson, this was just a bad move. Feeling far too personally about getting the role of any character in any film and getting all attached and precious over them because you feel your life is synonymous with them is one of the worst thing an actor can do. Why? Well the thing is with Watson it's only about her idea of feminism and she's attached to it so in addition she attached that to the character of Belle whom she feels is a reflection of her and it doesn't and will never compute with me because she doesn't become this character in attitude whatsoever. She doesn't share or emote any of Belle's sweet and gentle attitude or her romantic outlook on life and makes no pretense about it even on film because at times her version of Belle is actually really stiff around the Beast and sometimes rude with a fairly decent Gaston and it's really hard to tell when she even tries to melt the Beast's heart if she does at all since he first dismisses her love of reading romance and continues to doubt that she can even be his salvation, let alone one which will result in earning her affection which is very telling. Well you could apologize for hating on that book you moron. Also her response to this is "I don't know". What is this? It ain't love - it's you're so out of my league that there's nothing I can ever say or do to get your attention and oh I don't know but actually secretly thinking yes, I know I am. She's not even dreamy and bookish enough because she goes around with a holier than thou expression about herself as an active teacher of reading and a humble washerwoman in her "poor provincial town" rather than wending her way dreamily while reading and then showing off her book to a flock of sheep. When pitted against Lily James as Cinderella in terms of celebrating the big hearted, strong nature of a deeply feeling woman as well as actually acting as the lead role Emma Watson as Belle wobbles and falls like a far too tall overdressed blancmange. Lily James on the other hand shows us that she can take the character of Cinderella and actually become the live action counterpart while honouring the character's original femininity thus cementing the hugely underrated Cinderella of the 1950 film and her own performance in the title role in the 2015 remake as one and the same character that share the exact same strong female fortitude alongside Paige O'Hara's Belle from 1991 as beautifully as a well done French soufflé.
Wow, that was definitely a lot to take in! Honestly you pretty much said it all, I can't really think of anything to add. Well, except the fact that I personally think Ever After manages to do better than both Disney versions of Cinderella - I feel like Danielle is highly motivated and relatable, and I guess she's probably even more masculine than she is feminine, but it works because she's still a flawed character and you can relate to her struggles and her passion. And it's always good to have a Cinderella with some agency :)
Emma Watson just can’t act. I’m sorry, but she just can’t. Don’t even get me started on her singing. I hated Emma’s Belle because like you said, she doesn’t embody that feminine, quirky, kind and caring persona. Emma’s Belle is stand-off-is, hostile, brash, and just not at all what Belle is supposed to be.
Or sing. All those songs were put through recording and filter. But I kinda blame Disney for this. They had the money to give Emma the tools to play the part. I mean seriously! They could have hired acting coaches and voice coaches for her! But for who knows what reason they did not. Another mistake they also did was that they let Emma choose the outfits and changes. Which I say was a poor choice because yes the blue town outfit was okay and historically accurate.... but! When it came to the yellow gown it’s uhhh..... to me it looked like a pile of melted plastic cheese. It was super disappointing as I was hoping for a beautiful French gown from back then. But just because Emma did not want to wear a corset (which is bonkers and even more her reason to not wear it was “because corsets were for unfemenist ideals” which again it’s nonsense (seriously have you tried to wear one of those old dresses without a corset? You can break your back if you try as those dresses were so heavy! The corset brought back support and helped distribute the weight, it had practical purpose). I was so upset. To me they ruined belle. I will stick with my 1990’s belle.
@@lespena3722 right? Emma ruined the film. She claims to be a feminist yet knows nothing about feminist history evident in her anti corset tantrum. Corsets were actually invented by a woman, and they worked like bras work today. Corsets were made to support the breasts and back. Like you said, dresses back then were very heavy, and corsets eased the heaviness. The dress was indeed terrible. It looks like one of those cheap prom dresses you find on the clearance section at J.C. Penney. Lily Collins should have been Belle IMO
@@missblackcat4655 I know!!! Super disappointing. I wanted a beautiful French gown... not that depressing dress.... (To be honest the best live action dress that was down correctly was definitely Cinderella, yes it was new, but! It was recognizable and very impressive) In all honesty I think corsets are better than regular bras even now as the corset provide more support and even protection (there were stories where corsets saved women from being stabbed to death even shot). (Also the whole corset hour glass exaggerated figure only happened during the 1900’s and it was because of women taking it too far, but other than that corsets are practical and it’s sad it gets a bad reputation due to misinformation) (and yes I personally know this is true as I love historical dresses and participate in a lot of historical recreations, the dresses are heavy! I needed a good corset and also the proper crinoline to help balance out the weight of the dresses.... and whoever says that women back then we’re not strong has never worn one of those dresses... trust me sometimes I swear that the dresses weight more than me)
@@lespena3722 Cinderella's dress, even tho it wasn't historically accurate, was divine. Hell, I liked it better than the original XD. When you look at it, it definitely screams princess dress. One thing I will never forgive Kenneth Branagh for is not adding in the musical numbers. Lily James has such a beautiful voice.
@@missblackcat4655 it’s true. Yes it was not historically accurate but it was beautiful as you said and in truth yes I also agree as I too like it better than the Cinderella dress in the original movie. (Not sure why, but the one in live action seem to have a certain flow, the way all those blues were used.... it was truly a work of art!) it’s not like the belle live action dress which is.... blah.... also to make matters worse the cost to make the live action belle dress dress was supposedly around 150,000 or so.... I want to laugh because not only makes you wonder what that money was really used on cause it most certainly was not used on that dress. (Also cosplayers have made better belle dresses with less money than that, seriously! Disney dropped the ball on this) I know!!! I kinda wish they had sung ten minutes ago or even better! Do I love you because your wonderful from Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella.
Awesome video! I feel it's, ironically, extremely misogynistic to equate the stereotypical idea of "feminity" with weakness. And I say this as a tomboish woman who is usually one of the guys
Classical femininity is a basic trait of the Belle character. It doesn't mean weak or silly. She is intelligent, resilient, capable of adjusting and dealing with potentially stressful situations without losing her head. And she's also sweet, compassionate and gentle, as well as graceful. She is necessarily the opposite of the Beast. Femininity is her power. Emma Watson's performance is loud and grating and totally graceless. She seems too hard, to self absorbed to actually empathize with the Beast. Her personality was the wrong one for the character.
What I absolutely loved about Mulan was that she was the perfect intersection of traditional masculine and feminine characteristics. We see her in the original film struggling to keep up with the men at climbing, at fighting, at everything until she learns to approach it in a feminine way - by using brains over brawn. The entire climax comes about because she weaponizes that femininity. She realizes she doesn't have to sacrifice her womanhood in order to win, and that she doesn't have to 'be a man' in order to take on traditionally masculine roles and characteristics. Live action Beauty and the Beast looked at that and went 'oh we get it' and then did pretty much the opposite.
Thank you! Belle didn't need to be more "fiercely independent" than she already was. She was already awesome! In fact, their attempts to do so not only served to make Belle actually annoying, but it took away from Maurice's character. Belle was already obsessed with books and living an exciting life of adventure - she didn't need to be an inventor too. That was Maurice's thing. That was part of what made HIM unique as a character.
Girl... You are awesome. You hit the nail right on the head with everything you said in your video. I couldn't agree more. I love the old Belle so much. She is one of a kind. ❤ It made me sad how much they changed her in the remake. 😕
I know I'm 3 years late to this video, but gosh darn! I hope more people see this because it's really a good message that people need to take note of. I can also relate to tomboy rowdy characters, but seeing very feminine characters like belle inspire me to be more proud to express my feminine side. Love the video!
I once had a dream about belle ( cartoon version) she had the sweetest presence and nicest voice I had ever been around even though it was a dream and she was a cartoon lol. She felt like a angel
People are giving Cinderella credit for being a strong female character in the comments and I totally agree, but let’s not forget Snow White and Aurora. Snow White is so resilient. She continues to push onwards even when her stepmother persecuted her. She never gave up on her goals, and she didn’t drown in self pity. Aurora was underdeveloped, but from what we have seen of her in the original movie (and even in that silly Enchanted Tales thing from 2007), she’s very independent. Also, she shows a great level of responsibility to people depending on her. Instead of running away when told she’d be married to someone she didn’t love (well it turned out to be Philip in the end anyways), she went home with the fairies anyways and didn’t complain. I wish people would just look deeper into the Disney Princesses and they would see so much more depth.
I agree. Snow White actually has a lot in common with Cinderella. I feel like a lot of people don't take context into account when it comes to lobbying criticism.
Dude! Someone gets it! I love hearing your take. Animated Belle all the way! I think there should be more strong feminine roll models for people to look up to, interact with, and understand
Great video. The only reason Emma Watson was selected to play Belle was because the person in charge of the film had known Emma since she was little on Harry Potter. To summarize, the film’s team didn’t genuinely try to look for a Belle that DESERVED the role, they just gave it to someone they already knew. I like Emma Watson, but every time I watch the live-action, I always say, “They should have checked for another actress.” Belle is my favorite princess, and I hoped for a stronger “Belle” to play her if that makes sense. I’m tired of Disney thinking being feminine is “wrong” and allowing someone who genuinely loves you to protect you and “save the day” is wrong. I definitely agree with you. The remake botched our girl.
I know I've said this a few times, but I think Eleanor Tomlinson could have been a good fit for a live action Belle. She has beauty and intelligence, is quite feminine, can also portray kindness and gentleness without being a pushover. And she also sings quite well. I don't know how she would have done in regards to Broadwayesque tunes as opposed to the soft ballads that she has sung but she definitely has a much better voice.
Emma Watson was playing herself as Belle. 🙄 In interviews that she had, she talked about the changes she wanted to make to Belle’s character to make her more “empowering”. Changing her character completely killed the movie for me!
To empower is the same as ruining a Character? Especially when it comes to a Woman who happens to be a feminist. FOR THE RECORD, FEMINISM, BY DEFINITION, IS THE BELIEF THAT MEN AND WOMEN SHOULD HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES EMMA WATSON BRAVE GIRL
I think classic Disney princess and modern Disney princesses are plagued by the same problem: they are practically indistinguishable from each other. Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Rapunzel are all niave, hopeful women with an affinity for animals and kindness. Jasmine, Merida, Moana, and Anna are all outspoken, quirky, sarcastic women, who only become more intensive iterations of their previous selves. That just leaves Belle, Pocahontas, Tiana, Mulan, and Elsa. And I'd argue that Pocahontas and Elsa are underdeveloped. That leaves only three Disney princess who both stand out from the crowd and have a character worth analyzing. That's not a great variety for such a long running and influential brand.
The original Belle is superior on so many levels. After watching the live action one it made me think it was trying too hard to look like the earlier French movie starring Vincent Cassel. The whole look of that movie works along with the costumes and such but it felt to me that the Disney version felt it was actually competing with that on a visual level. If you haven't you should watch it xx
I've watched that version before. Every frame was absolutely stunning, and I liked what they did with the beast's past. The romance was kinda flat though.
i love emma watson but i just dont think she was the best for this role. i feel like Belle needed a actress who was softer, more mature, and with a more classic beauty (emma watson IS gorgeous, but she has a very modern face/style/energy, compared to someone like, for example, felicity jones, who has the perfect face for historical characters, or lily collins, who looks slightly more young/modern but still has that softness) to convey the nuanced strength and softness in Belle's character. i think on top of not suiting Belle's character, that emma also had a fundamental misunderstanding about who Belle actually is within the movie. Belle isnt the kind of person who holds a grudge or refuses to move past something, but she also isnt the type to be a doormat. she's very careful to do/say just enough to get rid of obstacles (like Gaston's proposal) that get between her and her objectives (protect her father, read her books, have her freedom), and she knows herself well enough to know which order she values them in (her fathers life/freedom over her own, immediately, in the Beast's prison). she is just as stubborn and direct with the beast as he is with her, until she sees him put forward the effort to meet her where she is (rescuing her from the wolves) and even after that she doesnt extend her kindness until AFTER shes said her piece (the scene cleaning the beasts wounds - she argues back and forth with him until he sits quietly, and THEN she thanks him for saving her). she is nice to all of the villagers even while she knows they gossip about her, because none of them actually matter to her as long as they leave her alone, its only when they refuse to help her father/help her save her father that she gets angry/upset - because she would help, so why wouldnt they? i get so mad when people act as if Belle just floated through her movie reading books until she got imprisoned by the beast, and then she just went "oops. guess i'll develop stockholm syndrome so i can get at that library." like she is a consistent character with wants, desires, and a direction!!
Holy crap amen! I got in a huge word-salad battle in the Pinterest comments of all places a while back because I basically said masculine traits in females doesn't automatically equal a "strong female character". As a modern society we're all to willing to trash stereotypically feminine chicks as "living in the past" or somehow abnormal, when that couldn't be further from the truth. There's nothing wrong with tough girls or even weaker, more feminine guys, but it's great to see someone else point this out as well. I loved what you had to say here, and I'm glad that there are people who feel the same way.
Goodness... I hated Emma's Belle... Despite me wanting to love the movie, despite me liking Emma for her role in the HP series. The "auto-tuned to hell" singing was really put me off the most. But as for her portrayal, I highly agree with you on your points. Heck, compare the 2 Mulans and you will more or leas have the same comparison. The new one was "brave, strong and stunning" girl power. The original saved the day thru her cunning and wits, and she's just a NORMAL HUMAN WOMAN who joined the army to save her dad, risking death either by invaders or by execution.
I heard that Emma herself spoke a lot to the new character of Belle. Proposed a lot of changes and such. For example took the inventing away from Belle's father and gave it to her. You know, strong independent woman. I hate feminism. I hate this new Beauty and the Beast and what I hate most that when googling, you have to add "old" or else this new monstrosity will jump at you.
I don't hate feminism personally. I just think the original was already feminist and there was no need to "fix it", and in fixing it they actually made it worse and ironically *less* feminist imo. I have also seen the interview in question where Emma has taken credit for her changes to the character. The sad part is I don't think anyone on the creative department had bad intentions when they were recreating Belle, though I do find their take on feminism is kind of shallow and, well, it's very "white feminism" imo. But that's a rant for another day.
@Tangential_Tangine I really do not want to make general assumptions, it is just that, unfortunately, these people are louder and much more to be seen. And, unfortunately for them, their views ruined my favourite movie. I know that i should apply critical thinking in situation like this, but i can't help but to think subjectively. I love the original movie and really wanted this one to be good. I apologize.
@@isobelduncan there are extremists in literally all political and belief systems, feminism is no exception. I always recommend the book Them:Adventure's with Extremists by Jon Ronson. It's a book of anecdotes about Jon's adventure meeting extremists in various belief systems.
I have a little problem with people calling Cinderella "weak". If you never walked in her shoes it's hard if not impossible to judge her. I myself have made the horrible experience of being treated like trash by my own family as a child, and I had my mental problems because of it yet I never took it out on other people, not even on my family. Had I tried to defend myself I would have been beaten up like ceazy. Sometimes, the bravest thing to do is to "play along". It's not weakness. And being Cinderella and still keeping that warm heart, the kindness and the supportive side for her friends? Now that's something to admire. She could have turned out the exact opposite, which wouldn't have been a surprise but she stayed strong. Kindness is NOT a weakness.
@@SneezyReviews nooo no no, I didn't mean it in a 'mean' way. Oh, that was poorly expressed. It's all good, that was just my view on it. I really liked the rest of the video and could agree to everything - especially the femininity part! Girls/women don't have to show manly qualities to be strong or to be taken seriously by men. You're absolutely right about that! And Belle in the original movie has all the awesome qualities you mentioned. And I completely agree with you: the Belle in the remake doesn't quite work for me, and the beast?? Jesus, he was AWFUL. Those childish pouty moments alone were an absolute no-no for me. 😑😂😅🙅🏻♀️
I think I didn't realize this before watching the video, but- (original) Belle is said to be an infp, a personality type known for seeing the good in everyone (among other characteristics); a healthy infp would be like Belle, helping people be their best self; an unhealthy one would be prone to have toxic relationships, more of the "they will change, I know deep down they are good" type. As an infp myself, I struggle with that, so Belle tends to be a really good role model, and (I don't know how other people might feel about this, but-) seeing that they changed her so much "so she can be strong", feels like being told that people *like us* aren't strong enough, because we're idealists? Because we care about other people's feelings I guess? Trying to make her stronger, they changed everything that made her an infp, which I must admit it feels a little bit too personal, even though it's not
I agree with you. Belle is powerful because she is feminine. I'd take it even further and say that media has been anti-feminist with characters. Brienne's words to Catelyn Stark are much deeper than they appear on the surface. Brienne, a masculine woman who has lived a man's life still understands the strength a feminine woman can hold, the kind of bravery that men envy.
I would argue that Cinderella is also a good example of being strong but feminine. She endures lots of hardship living with her stepfamily, but she never loses hope in her dreams and stays a kind, selfless person who never even asked to be saved by the Prince. But I completely agree that it's a shame feminity is seen as weak if you don't fight back or are sassy or something.
Well Im subscribed now, I just came from watching your first 2hour Zutara video and love your insights on these literature topics. Feels familiar. That said on this video, Belle was always one of my favorite characters as was the movie bcse of how different it felt then the rest of the disney movies. I never understood this whole wave of only physical strong and aggressive woman can be "strong" when the wife, mother, or caring individual like my gma who cant even shout are just as strong. Like the nurse at peoples bedsides, or my wife taking care of the elderly in their final years. This also makes me realize my personal preference in a significant other, that of the gothic lady like Morticia Addams, or my childhood crush of the sorcerous Raven from Teen Titans, OR just witches in general. I mean Succubus are devastating and strong but are entirely feminine...but that just might be me there. Keep up the great videos, love the thoughts.
Amen. Just-- amen. That's exactly how I feel about it. The positive feminine is waaaaaaaaay under represented. There still seems to be this weird dynamic of girly=weak/manly=strong. How about strong the girly way and strong the manly way? True strength comes from the inside, and manifests in different ways depending on personality.
I prefer old Belle definitely. I'm sorry but I just cant get with Emma Watson. Shes a bland actress and seems really pretentious plus shes a liberal feminist.
I would have thought Raps, Ariel, Anna and Elsa were very feminine as well, Jane as well to some degree is very feminine and proper. Despite their softness and kindness, they are strong people and especially dreamers. I like this palette that Disney puts out there of women. We're a mix of soft and tough. I wouldn't say there are many tomboy characters, though. Merida, definitely, but she's Pixar, maybe Moana, and Mulan definitely embrace her feminine side despite her lacking most of it. She's my tomboy heroine since I was a child.
Emma Watson had a lot of influence in shaping the character. I don't think she really understood Belle's character. Or just didn't bother. It reminds me of Keira Knightley, who once said in an interview that girls shouldn't follow Ariel or Cinderella as an example because one gives up her voice for a man and the other just sits around waiting for a prince to save her. That is mega ignorant if you take a closer look at the stories. Ariel is certainly not a virgin in needs, she saves the prince's life and is an extremely independent character who prevails against her father and had a fascination for humans even before she knew Eric. And Cinderella doesn't go to the ball because of the prince, she meets him by chance and he falls in love with her. If they were just the typical helpless women, young girls wouldn't have a fascination for them to this day. And Watson extremely underestimated Belle's character. Her Belle has lost everything that made her character and turned her into a Hermione Granger.
There were things I liked about the live-action Beauty and the Beast, but Emma Watson's Belle was not one of them. I definitely agree that femininity is being frowned upon in princess media, which is a shame because the whole princess archetype that Disney practically invented revolves around being super feminine. If you have a moment to read my thoughts, I wrote more about it here: www.theprincessblog.org/2020/09/feminism-vs-femininity.html I don't think that Belle is the only example of a character who is both strong and feminine, though. Ariel is my favorite Disney Princess because her strength comes from her love. She rescued Prince Eric even though you can see her struggling to haul his body to the shore. Her passion gave her the strength to make a huge sacrifice and chase after her dreams. When Ursula backstabs her at the end of the movie, she doesn't have the power or strength to fight back, but she has so many people who love her that they are able to defeat this all-powerful sea witch out of their sheer desire to protect her and make her happy. That's the power of femininity.
As someone who is “feminine” I really relate to belle and Rupunzel. :) I definitely think society needs to change the way we think about these traits too! Compassion, empathy and willingness to help or side with others rather than “fight” despite differences can be true strengths. The ability to ignore ones own ego and put someone else first... that needs to be considered an incredible strength and I think if we are to solve more of the worlds problems, it’s a strength we desperately need. If we are all born fighters, all we get is war and literally everyone dies. Yay. To get spiritual on this: It’s yin and yang. It’s moon and the sun. Society needs to have a balance of masculine and feminine power to live in harmony and how can this happen if we only value one? (our energy is related to but not attached to gender, we all have both energy but one is usually stronger than the other. Eg. A man can be more feminine and a woman can be more masculine)
I love your perspective on this. It’s super refreshing. I love that you are talking about how women can be strong without trying to suppress distinctly feminine attributes.
You forgot to mention that Belle was created for the first female screenwriter Linda Wolverton, she protected Belle's character to the end , specially since all the rest of the cast were men. She said she was inspired by the character of Jo (I know the name of the book but in Spanish, sorry I am Latin) Edit: the character named Jo is from the movie and book called Little Women, Jo is the older sister of three and she was like Belle in some way
Yes, I feel the same , I've watched Aladin and Hercules, tangled and the Princess and the Frog, they are all good characters but Belle stands out because she is the most balanced woman, she can be sweet and bold, kind and assertive. linda did a great work on her
@@latroletteeeee 1. Nobody , especially YOU is gonna tell me to shut up 2. Linda Wolverton was called to arrange a previous script, so if the movie was a half passable us because of her, it could have been worse 3.She also wrote The Lion King ....well, as you can see, she was responsible for the two Disney masterpieces, so the one that SHOULD shut up it's you...
THANK YOU. I was so mad when I saw this movie, I was only 13 or so but I then already understood that Watson portrayed her as a neo-feminist, not as a kind and nice independent woman. There is so much power in kindness, I hated that Watson didn't portray this
Not a princess but Elle woods from legally blonde. Legally Blonde excels not just as an uplifting comedy, but as a feminist affirmation of femininity. Elle loves fashion, cosmetics, and the color pink, interests that we are supposed to deride as shallow, because our culture implicitly devalues anything that is perceived as feminine. also characters from Miyazaki movies like Chihiro from Spirited Away and Sophie from how's moving castle are great female, strong characters. Both of them are forced to adapt to living in a world that they did not choose upon them (Chihiro working in Yubaba’s bathhouse, and Sophie living in the body of an elderly woman). Both also are perform menial tasks in order to get by, given some of the harshest jobs to perform and are of little rank if any.
I can’t wait for the day that a woman can choose to be a woman however she wants without being told she’s doing it the right or wrong way. Great video!
Great analysis! I'm not a fan of the idea of remakes, and so far the executions have been horrendous. This analysis makes me already disappointed about how Ariel is going to be changed. As a feminist, I think she's perfect in the original.
This may be a bit controversial, but I think Ariel has (just a little!) room for improvement/growth. I don't trust Disney to do it well, mind you, but have you seen the alternate ending for TLM, for example? I personally prefer that ending, as it fleshes out Ariel's arc just a little bit more. Also, I think TLM had a slightly missed opportunity - in the sense that, in 'Part of Your World' Ariel sings about wanting to know about how life works up there, how does a fire burn, do fathers "reprimand their daughters"? I know for plot-related reasons she had to spend much of her time on land trying to win Eric's affections, and I also totally get the angle of "she's not going on land just to be with Eric, she's always wanted to go on land and Eric is just the cherry on top" - but I think they could have fleshed out the whole "discovering herself now that she's where she wants to be" just a liiiiiiiiittle bit more, and it would have helped flesh out her character and show that she has agency and motives beyond the "nabbing the hottie" part. Like, I totally get that that's probably what they were *going* for, but they could have executed it a little better, imo. But like I said, I don't really trust Disney's competence in actually fixing this properly in the remake. *shrug*
@@SneezyReviews every take of yours is so interesting (and I’m sorry of all the notifications you’re gonna get from me lol) but, for the sake of the argument, yes New Ariel should totally explore that side much more since it was her interest in the first place BUT, let’s not forget her deal of having to get the true love kiss in three days! That sure put her in too much of a hurry to just sit there and read books etc lol, and conversely, it’s even less easy to explore that side or have her ask more questions when she’s literally mute! I would be interested in how you envision Disney will butcher TLM according to what they been doing up to now to their material!
@Gaming Miser she did have her "bratty" moments, but tbh, even as an adult I find Triton's "putting his foot down" to be intensely triggering. I struggle to watch that part. I get that he has his moment of regret, but I also feel like that could be fleshed out a bit more too. (Part of this is personal experiences with my own childhood, and though we have now managed to move past it for the most part, my relationship with my mother was very difficult for a very long time, because she had no concept of boundaries and when I was younger, would regularly mete out extreme punishments for the smallest infractions. Triton trashing the one thing Ariel truly loved and cared about with every fibre of her being hit *really* close to home for me, and I know he does later "make it up" to Ariel, I also felt like it wasn't quite enough given the scale of his wrongdoing either. I would have liked it if he actually apologised to Ariel about it specifically. But he has the "what have I done" moment when he's alone, and it came off - to me at least - as more like, he felt bad about it because she ran off afterwards, and not that he felt bad about it because it was an absolutely horrific thing to do. But anyway, that could be my own biases/trauma speaking, lol)
@Gaming Miser "Because what I see is that he's only guilty of judging humans as a whole by the worst traits of the worst few." I think it goes deeper than that, yes. I know it's not really the focus of the story, but if this was real life, Triton's decision is one of those things that Ariel would bring up to a therapist in 10 years as part of a "This is why I'm estranged from my father" counselling session, lol. I do think it would have been weak if he'd apologised straight away, but the ending would have been a good opportunity for both father and daughter to apologise to each other. And Triton definitely owed Ariel an apology - regardless of if he'd been right or wrong about humans, he absolutely took it waaaaay too far. I know he loves her and cares about her, I know his heart was in the right place, but I don't think he even tried to empathise with her once, which was his biggest flaw, and which he never actually was shown to overcome. Triton and Ariel never actually have a heart to heart about anything, and I feel like they deserved one in the end.
@Gaming Miser "You think that stash of crap was so important that it should have overridden Triton's belief that contact with humans would get Ariel killed?" That's not what I said. Actually, I'm not sure if you realise this, but reacting to "Hey, please don't parent like this, it shows you don't value their emotional wellbeing, it destroys their trust in you and you'll end up pushing them away and if anything, increasing the chance of rebellion" with "well what, I'm supposed to just ALLOW them to destroy their lives??" is 100% the rhetoric of narcissistic abusers. (Same with "eh, she'll get over it and realise I'm only doing it out of love"). This is not a zero sum game. You can be protective while also not violating every shred of the kid's hopes and dreams and trust in you as a parent. (Imagine that!) "He empathized with her" He did not. At no point did he actually understand how she felt. He didn't actually think it was *important* to try to understand how she felt. He just thought he needed to protect her. This is the very reason his destruction of the grotto was such a gross miscalculation on his part, and caused Ariel to go seek out Ursula. If he truly was empathetic, he would have known that "all that junk" meant all the world to Ariel, and destroying it wouldn't magically make her lose interest in the world of humans. It would only destroy her trust in him and drive her further away from him. It was 100% counterproductive on his part and yes, I acknowledge that Triton had his heart in the right place and wasn't trying to do a bad thing. But a little effort to understand Ariel's perspective would (or at least could) have made him realise just how egregious an error that would have been.
What I don't understand is, you have the cartoon writer, and you have the same women writer for the Broadway show and the other productions of Beauty and the Beast, why not just do what most musical films do, base it on the Broadway show. keep the female writer from both Beautys and keep within the style the film and the broadway show did but give us little changes or scenes that were cut put back in. I mean really, And the actor should not have as much say in her or his character if its based off a book or a already established film or cartoon. i like the little new admins from the original folk tale, but They didn't need to change maurice or Belle at all.
love the video! and beside belle, my favorites are also annaliese and erika from princess and the pauper who are feminine but very strong and independant women who follow their desires, multi dimensional and likable!
I love your point on Belle. I want to be identified as a strong person but feminine as well. In fact, I look to the three original princesses as my role model, girls don’t need to show strength with fist, I see kindness and love as strength. The new Belle is ok but will never fit the original idea of what Disney’s Belle was like
I thought this was gonna be a video about the actor. Been obsessed with this movie since I was an infant. My grandma took me to see the original when I was only a year old. To me, Emma Watsons Belle was Hermione Granger in a dress, that is all...
i actually love the original belle and i related to her quite a lot growing up. i too lived in a small town, picked on for liking books and being weird. belle is the princess i wished to be kind, patient, yet brave and stands up for herself. the remake belle i felt was a bit stuck up, she wasn't patient getting mad easily and when gaston was trying to actually be nice to her, she was just shutting him down with no real reason. the og bell would never do that if gaston was actually trying to be nice and ask if he could come to dinner, og belle would say yes or maybe another time my father is going to the market. an actual response not just a long no response. watson's belle i felt was cold, distant, and a tad stuck up. so, yeah i liked the og belle, don't fix what isn't broken in my opinion.
The beast from this movie was so unbearable that I left the theater in the middle. The animated Beast, at least, didn't lock Belle up and gave her a more confortable room. He was rude yes, but showed REMORSE for being an ass, and eventually learned how to be pleasant. Their romance convinces; the one of 2017 no.
Hey, I resent that! Most of them get out of danger by themselves. If anything the guy is the reward since he was the physical representation that their trials and hardships are at an end. Take Cinderella. All her life she was abused mentally, emotionally, and physically but managed to remain kind and gentle but still longed to be able to explore beyond the walls of her abusive home for even just one night and this night she inadvertently attracts the prince which ends up with her leaving her cruel home and living happily ever after.
Yeah if you see my other comments on this thread I've taken back my point about Cinderella. I hadn't seen the movie for years when I made my vid and when I rewatched it, plus Screenprism's take on it, I changed my mind about her. (Though I still think Ever After did a better job of granting Cinderella agency :P)
@@SneezyReviews Alright and I'm sorry if I seemed harsh but I just really hate when people think Cinderella is a ditzy damsel in distress when she worked her ass off in every scene while keeping a positive attitude which is not easy.
Definitely the old version of Belle was best, and as far as Disney Princess? It would have to be Mulan. That character I could feel close to. Not because she was a warrior, but because I felt myself in her trying to find her place in the world. I felt myself in her trying to be the best person she could be, and try to do some good in the world. I cried at Reflection. Because her failures. Her attitude toward herself. It felt so real to me. So close to home.
I know this video was made several years ago, but i wanted to raise the point about Moana being a balance between disney's 'woke' kickass heroine AND saving the day with ultimately her kindness! people usually group her into the mulan, merida sort of princesses with more traditionally masculine strengths, but it was her recognising te fiti beyond the fiery facade (again, a feat of not judging someone by their looks!) that stopped the destruction- the ocean chose HER, it couldn't have been anyone else like Maui (or hell, even do it themselves) because although they do have the physical strength, none of them have the humane compassion moana has for te ka. this vid was probably made before its release though, so I get why this wasn't here- again, just an observation I had. disney really is capable of writing female characters who are in touch with both their (traditionally regarded as) feminine and masculine traits- Moana needed both to succeed- and it's a LET DOWN to see the remakes absolutely destroy whatever made their heroines so likeable
I agree actually! I think the modern princesses tend to have a mix of both masculine and feminine traits, which I definitely don't dislike. I wouldn't mind seeing pure femininity celebrated more often though 😊
@@SneezyReviews that was a lightning-fast reply lmaoo, and yes I agree! femininity should never be seen as a weakness and it'd be cool if the media could celebrate it that way
Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket is another great example of a female character that is both strong and feminine. If you haven’t seen or read Fruits Basket then I HIGHLY recommend you do so. Let’s just say it’s got it’s own Beauty and the Beast themes going for it that I think you may appreciate.
I wish they could make female characters to take responsibility or make brave decisions to show that they're strong. Strength doesn't come from the personality. It's in the heart.
I was trying to name film characters who are strong but feminine...this is what I got. 1) Sansa Stark. Yeah, she's annoying for half the show. But she is very much feminine, and she does end up Queen in the North, so...she's on the list. 2) Catelyn Stark. See 6:47. 3) Wonder Woman. True, she does have physical prowess and the powers of a typical male superhero. But it's ultimately her humanity and compassion and love that make her a true hero, so...I count her as feminine. 4) Mulan. I know she's often read as a tomboy, but the way she approaches problems is the exact opposite of "masculine." Mulan uses her intelligence (using the weights to her advantage to climb a pole, the avalanche strategy, the fireworks), which is juxtaposed with her fellow soldiers' brute strength (hammering down a door, firing cannons directly at the enemy). 5) Cinderella. She's on here for the same reasons as Belle. Most people in her situation would have given up on life and become the worst of pessimists. Cinderella didn't. And especially in the 2015 remake, they underscore her capacity for forgiveness and how that makes her incredibly unique -- and, indeed, strong. 6) You win. Couldn't name more than five.
4. Mulan strikes me as a tomboy with a girly streak (kinda like I was, pretransition). Like, she can still kick butt (working smarter, not harder, as you said) and isn't a paragon of femininity, but she does like her matchmaker makeover and *wants* to be more feminine to make her family proud.
@@PhoenixRising87 that makes sense. Though you could also argue for an even less gendered interpretation of Mulan's intentions. I can't tell if she liked the matchmaker makeover for its own sake... My reading of it was always that she wanted to do whatever would bring her family honor, and she just believed that the matchmaker was the only way to do it. And the rest of the film is about her capitalizing on both her masculine and feminine traits in various ways -- yin and yang, if you will. But her end goal stays the same throughout the entire film: to bring her family honor through whatever means she can.
@@athenavictoria9731 true. If Mulan actually enjoyed the more feminine performance act of it all, she sure would have put more effort into it. She clearly just did it for her family, but she clearly wasn’t in her element (the results are more than clear when she sets the matchmaker on fire lmao)
I actually never liked Arya as a character, partially for how mocked Sansa for being girly. Yes Sansa was naive because she was sheltered but she did learn from it and became wiser for the better. And she's good at emotional manipulation.
6. Judy Hopps from Zootopia. Her greatest strength is her Compassion, she doesn't really start to succeed until she reaches out to Nick and they become friends.
I agree with everything you said about the original Belle being a strong character! Emma's changes and the media praising how she was "finally strong and independent" were such an insult to us more quiet and traditionally feminine types.
Femininity is not a weakness. Thats the line! If you love cooking, baking, cleaning for your beloved ones, for your friends for your partner your family you are not weak! If you love to grow your hair long you are not weak. If you love to serve your partner/family you are not weak. If you love dresses instead of pants you are not weak. And crying is also not a weakness.
Thank you! This is what I’ve been saying! Femininity doesn’t mean weakness. Femininity can give women strength too. That’s why Bell from the original Disney film is one of my favorite Disney princesses.
Theres a video promoting Maleficent and Elle Fanning said that there’s nothing wrong with embracing femininity and wanting to be a mother or falling in love….that those women can be just as strong without having to sacrifice them to be considering a strong lead or role model. Not quoting her directly but I thought it was a beautiful and insightful opinion
please create more reviews! I've seen your most recent video on the beauty and the beast remake and couldn't agree more, so I had to watch this one. I hate that Belle's character was so drastically changed. It doesn't feel like the original at all, and watching your analysis and the clips makes me realize even more how she was strong and brave but traditionally feminine, soft, and warm. I love characters like this! And you never really see it properly done anymore. Especially in Disney's reboots.
Belle was always ALWAYS my favorite Disney Princess. I'm a 90's kid and actually fairly traditional and conservative. I liked the other Disney Princesses but Belle was what I always aspired to be and honestly? I never understood why until I saw this video and now I realize why I HATE the remake so much.
I liked the "middle princesses" the most. As you said; Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty...were too much about weak female personalities who need help from someone else (a prince, a dwarf or a sorcerer). The later princesses get too masculine and arrogant. I was shocked when I saw the film Brave, I found the character of Merida despicable. The princesses I loved and respected were Jasmine, Mulan and Belle. Each has their way of strong feminine sweetness, and while the other princesses are all tied to a romantic date or no male at all, these 3 princesses show respect and love to their dads. I found their relations the healthiest ones. Thank you for your ideas, I agree with you
Two things I think I should mention:
1. The title of the video is supposed to be a quick way to refer to the remake version of Belle (differentiating it from the original animated version). Most of the problems I have with the BATB remake is in the writing. (That said, I have seen several interviews that suggest (from Emma's own words) she played a significant role in sculpting the character of Belle in the remake, so Emma isn't completely off the hook either. But I don't know her level of involvement, just that she *was* involved, which is why I chose to focus my video mainly on writing decisions and didn't really discuss anything about who was to blame).
2. linjingshui was the first to comment on this, so I had her comment pinned for about a year - Cinderella is not weak, and I was wrong to say she was. I made that implication sort of off-handedly and hadn't seen the movie in a while when I said it. I take back my opinion on Cinderella. You can see my reply to linjingshui for further details.
Hope that clears things up!
I wish that Hollywood would realise that "strong female character" means "well written female charcter", you know with real strenghts and weaknesses and flaws, that actually have a negativ impacte on their lives. Also I wish that Hollywood would realise that masculinity does NOT equal strong and femininity does NOT equal weak. A charakter can have feminin and masculine traits. A woman who loves romance novels, make-up and fashion is NOT lesser then a woman who loves video games and football. Also, you can love both at the same time! (Sorry for mistakes. English is not my native langauge.)
yES I hate it when ppl think that a woman who has no flaws is a strong woman. if you have no flaws, you're not human. that is why so many of these female characters are so irritating to me. I can't relate to someone who is literally flawless -_-
Yeah nothing wrong with a gentle lady like Belle. Not tomboy Belle which is not wrong but not fit for the character
And also like this girl said, femininity can be a strong trait
When they try to make a strong female character they seem to make them more masculine instead of making them actually stronger (nowadays that is)
Also stop the Mary sues
so true! People complained about the gentle and delicate women in movies because most of the time, it was used to objectify the woman as something pure and perfect. The problem was never the traits of the character, but how it was used to create a fantasy of a flawless woman, rather than a character.
Now some people miss that point and don't realize that the "strong female character" is just hiding that real problem, which is : creating a women that are flawless and not deep characters. They just change the qualities they associated with women (being strong, don't need anyone, etc), but not the reason we see the characters as problematic (the idealization of female characters).
In short : we just want deep and well written characters!
Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender is a good example of a female character who is strong and feminine.
Or Tye Lee!
@@Dilara-ei4dl its Ty Lee ;__;
How about
Hermione?
@Aurora Nightingale Love them both. Though I don't know how feminine either of them are - they seem to be more in-between (having a mix of both masculine and feminine traits). But it's been a while since I read either series so I may not be remembering them accurately.
@Aurora Nightingale I suppose it depends on what you consider femininity. To me it's traits like sensitivity, patience, warmth, compassion, nurturance(?)... whereas masculinity is ambition, drive, aggression, having initiative, etc. I feel like Violet has a healthy mix of both feminine and masculine qualities; that's why I wouldn't immediately classify her as a distinctly feminine character. (Good manners, for example, is a traditionally gender-neutral trait imo) Ofc, you may have a different way of defining femininity/masculinity than I do.
No, I think Cinderella is also feminine and strong. She’s just misunderstood by modern feminists.
I agree - this is an opinion I suggested in the video that I now take back. Please see my reply to linjingshui for more detail ☺
I don't really like Cinderella, but I'm just not fan of the story, the princess is honestly very cool and I love her
There’s a great video out there called Stop Blaming The Victim that talked about Cinderella’s strength. It’s wonderful!
I hate that so many people read Cinderella as a weak-willed damsel who only wanted a man rather than a child abuse survivor who stayed strong and optimistic, then eventually earned her happy ending.
Agreed. Cinderella is an OG hero for me. Reminds me to stay optimistic and UNSHAKEN when faced with tough times.
I would argue that Merida's mother is depicted as both strong and feminine. She carries herself with grace and dignity and commands the respect of the clans.
I agree with you.
You're not wrong
I use to not like her when i was a kid but now i understand her
This youtuber explains Meridas mom power perfectly here's the link ua-cam.com/video/wRjHL8kbkZk/v-deo.html
She’s like the saying “the man is the head but the woman is the neck, the head can only move because of the neck.”
When I watched the movie I actually felt bad for Gaston. The Gaston in the original movie was an asshole all the way, there was nothing that could be saved about its character, he didn’t want Belle because he liked her, he wanted her because she was what he couldn’t have. The Gaston in the new movie is actually concerned for Belle, and at least tries to be interested in the things she is interested in. They made her (Belle) seem like an asshole with the way she regentes this version of Gaston.
Belle was already an amazing character, and a feminist one if you will, but now they made her a little bit more like an asshole, honestly. In the past, she showed us that you could save the day by being kind and compassionate, without needing to be manly, that you could stand up for yourself and still be feminine. The new Belle lost all of that, Emma Watson and the writers (whoever is at fault for the changes) turned Belle, who was a unique character, into the same strong-female-character trope with no flaws who’s always perfect.
And it's so shallow the way they did it too! I missed it on my first viewing, but other reviewers have since pointed out that the very thing Belle appears annoyed at Gaston for doing (stomping on her cabbages) is something *Belle herself* almost did (when she almost walked all over the kids' freshly washed laundry!). They went for the whole "perfect flawless female lead" and just made her into a cold hypocritical stuck-up... who *still falls for the Beast.* What?! Lmao
AMEN! I hate how there’s no character development in the live action bc they just made her an asshole. In the OG she was scared but had to be brave for her father’s sake. Also yeah most of the changes were Emma’s idea 🤢🤮
In sum: a mary sue
And add to Gaston’s character and personality that he has post-traumatic syndrome. So... yeah, they kinda justified him being an asshole. But there’s no excuses for Belle.
he wanted belle because she was "the prettiest in town" and he - as a god's gift to earth - is entitled to the best pieces of meat. that's all. he was actually flabbergasted that he couldn't have her and was in denial for a while.
I agree with you about being strong and independent doesnt mean we have to act tough or bold etc like a man. Feminine qualities doesnt undermine our strength as a girl. But I disagree when you said there's only one girl like that in disney which is Belle. Have you forgotten Cinderella? She's kind, warm, patient and compassionate. She as strong as Belle in that aspect, but why you hinted her as a weak character? I get it that people love to tied the classic Cinderella story as a damsel in distress that only wait to be saved by the Prince Charming. But does she only count that much? Her resilience and endurance towards her stepmother and stepsisters' abuse while still treat them with kindness is already enough to show us what a strong lady she really is. Also, when you think about it, Cinderella is the one who actually save herself from the abuse she had, not the prince. She's the one who made an effort to sew herself a gown for going to the Ball, tho it was destroyed afterwards. It wasn't the Prince who provided her the materials and stuffs. She didn't go to the Ball for seeking asylum to the prince, but she went because she just wanted to. As a result she met Prince Charming and danced together, alas, she doesnt even know he's a Prince. People might say she's a passive character, because she's never really stood up against her abusers, but she's definitely not a weak character. She still keeps holding on to her dream (which is to be freed from her evil step mother, not marrying a prince) even at the darkest time of her live and finally she got the justice she deserves.
You can watch this video about Cinderella if you still think she is weak.
ua-cam.com/video/huLSdm6IH0g/v-deo.html
Anyway, good video about Belle.
Hi, you are actually 100% right. I saw that Screenprism video after I made this video of mine and it is actually one of my UA-cam favourites :) I hadn't seen Cinderella in a long time when I made my video on Belle, and watching that Screenprism video totally changed my perspective on Cinderella. If I could make my video again I would edit it to say that actually, Cinderella is a very under-appreciated character and possesses strengths that are often overlooked.
I will say that I do think Belle has more agency and shows more assertiveness in BatB than Cinderella does, and that makes for a more interesting movie and gives us more to analyse. I certainly believe BatB is a richer movie and so allows us to see more depth in the characters including Belle. But that's more to do with the stories - BatB grants the heroine more opportunity to be bold and strong so we see it more. I also think feminine strength is a major *theme* in BatB - more than it is in Cinderella. Belle's strengths drive the story and explicitly save the day when the story reaches its climax, whereas in Cinderella the happy ending comes from a combination of the heroine's strengths and a bit of good fortune (even some divine intervention). But Cinderella is not a weak character by any means and I was wrong to say she was 😊
Glad you liked my video though!
Agreed!
Ever After is vastly superior to both Disney versions, imho :P
That one's my favourite Cinderella adaptation. A Cinderella who has agency and grit and where the romance is properly developed.
So far, my favourite Disney "remake" has been Maleficent. Actually tried to do something different than the original movie!
@@SneezyReviews Yes finally someone that appreciates maleficent
I especially liked that it drew inspiration from Magbeth
Thank God there are still people who see and realize the true divinity and power of feminine nature.
much of the rewriting of Belle was done by Emma Watson. She wanted belle to be more like her, seen as a modern feminist. However, I haven't seen Emma Watson play a Strong Feminine Character as her type of role is usually more aggressive, witty, or serious rather than the traditional feminine traits of patience, tenderness, and kindness. I'm not dissing Emma at all, I just think she misunderstood who Belle was and made the character an Emma Watson self insert. In the special features, she compares the many similarities of her as the actor and the character she plays and there's no mention of an homage to the original character of Belle. It sounds more like "I'm connected to this character because she's so much like ME" rather than "I had to learn how to embody this ideal feminine woman who is so warm and open that she falls in love with a literal beast".
Sadly. I could imagine that. And the shame of it is that Emma Watson could probably do a feminine but quirky Belle very well.
@@Redrosewitch yeah! Hermoine was intelligent and sassy but was also kind and soft. Would have loved to see Emma do both and tap into her quirky side
Now she's become what Snape once said, "An insufferable know-it-all".
Agreed. I was excited when U heard she was to play Belle but was very let down by the modern day feminist revision I saw.
I think Emma’s perspective has become more nuanced since she worked on this movie. Take a look at her work in Little Women! When I heard she was going to be in the new movie I assumed she would be Jo, but she was instead cast as Meg, who is the more traditionally feminine, delicate sister. Emma captures Meg’s personality really well (aside from not having the best American accent), and I love the scene where she tells Jo “just because my dreams are different from yours doesn’t mean they aren’t important.”
I agree with everything you said. This modern version of Belle made the story less romantic. Belle was already a feminist icon in the original film, and now she lost her delicate behavior. Why be delicate and gentle is bad?? Women can be strong in femininity, too.
The cartoon Belle learned to see through the Beast's exterior to his heart, and helped him to bring it out. If that's not a strength worth having, I'd like to know what is.
I agree but can we drop the idea gentleness is a feminine trait? It’s a desirable trait in anyone.
@@foxesofautumn But that's the thing. Kindness, gentlesness etc. it's a feminine trait. The opposite of that are masculine traits. Gentlesness is a desirable trait in anyone but it is still a feminine trait. Every human being embodies both feminine and masculine energy. It's just that in most women feminine energy is the dominant energy while in men the masculine energy is the more dominant energy.
Tiana is my favorite modern princess. She’s patient and works hard to slowly build her dream up from nothing, and dreams of the glamour and beauty that will come with it. She doesn’t belittle Charlotte’s fairy tale dreams and aesthetic, just recognizes that if she wants the same thing she has to put in the work for it. And when Naveen comes along and essentially throws a wrench in all her hard work, she’s resourceful and tough but also kind and generous to the friends they make along the way. Another aspirational princess imo 💖
I love Tiana! I thought it was wonderful how they could have made Charlotte a bully or even a villain, such an easy path! But instead, Disney went with the friendship between two women of different backgrounds and statuses. Lotty would have made Tiana's dreams come true in a heartbeat but she respected her when she wanted to work hard and do it herself. They were both so admirable.
Tiana and Lotty have one of the best Disney friendships.
Tiana is my favorite to.
I have a feeling that this is just me, but Emma Watson’s Belle looks like she constantly has a problem and just seems unlikeable to me.
It’s not just you. I completely agree. Belle in the remake always had that look on her face like she’s so superior to everyone else.
Watson's Belle always seems to consider herself intellectually and morally better than those around her, and she comes across as snobbish and superior. The original Belle was frustrated with her situation ("I want much more than this provincial life") but she never saw herself as 'better' than the people around her, just different. Adding the Paris element to Belle's backstory made her seem like something of an eleitist who considered herself too good for the rural community that she found herself in.
That's why I couldn't get into this one. OG Belle was so much more expressive.
@Madyson Moore Welcome to the "remakes" : complete unnecessary, PC balderdash.
Emma's Belle always looks so uncomfortable, like she hates her life. The animated Belle had a sense of wonder and happiness even though she wanted more, she stayed curious and optimistic.
One of the many issues I have is that Emma Watson is playing Belle as if she's Hermione and audiences are just letting it slide. Hermione and Belle are *NOT* synonymous AT ALL. I _hate_ it when people (especially Emma Watson fans) try to justify the casting by using the "bibliophile" rationale. _Hermione_ is a SCHOLAR. She reads because she has a thirst for KNOWLEDGE. She's the quintessential know-it-all and overachiever. _Belle,_ on the otherhand, is a DAYDREAMER. She has a rich inner world and reads because it feeds her IMAGINATION. She's seen as a weirdo because she's dreamy and vague and always has her head in the clouds. In conclusion, no two bookworms are the same and it's about time people realize that basic fact.
This is an important distinction; it's something I sort of intuited but you put it into words for me. Thank you for that!
Exacly.
Love to read books ≠ Scholar
Which mean 'Belle ≠ Hermione'
Seem like many people don't get this point (even Watson herself misinterpreted Belle by far)
I haven't seen many address that. People talk about Hermione but it's not a good comparison to Belle..... she played Hermione well, she kept to the source material because in the books Hermione was a snobby know it all and very arrogant. But she totally stayed from the original belle when she played Belle like Hermione because 1991 Belle was none of those things, quite the opposite
Belle is like Luna Lovegood
Hermione also reads books to compensate for her deep seeded anxiety about being in a completely unfamiliar world. In video games there are two types of gamer: the type that reads all the strategies to min-max their run and the type that goes in blind. Hermione is a strategy guide addict and as one myself I can tell you the unknown scares her more than she’d ever be willing to admit. Belle dreams of the unknown, Hermione fears it.
I don’t think anyone liked this Emma Watson Belle. She made it Emma and the Beast. Not Beauty and the Beast. Not good. Re make of Cinderella was way better.
YES. Not even type cast, just the type.
I don't hate Emma but I really, really don't like her as Belle. So much so I want to forget the movie entire existence. Emma's version is very different from the animated version. Maybe others enjoyed this version of Belle (I don't blame you, like what you like) but I don't enjoy it at all.
True Emma is my favourite actress but I also didn't like her as Belle
Maybe because it was just Emma we were looking at not belle or maybe because I don't like Disney princesses
I always felt like being a brave and strong character doesn't mean you have to give up your femininity or your morality. Sure, we have to conduct what is good for ourselves, but we need to think about others too. A woman's strength is just as powerful as a man's and we shouldn't overlook that.
The exchange between characters in the live action movie are rather thoughtless--inconsiderate even--especially on Belle's part.
Well said. NOR do you have to intimidate, belittle and attack men to look powerful, as some so-called "feminists" believe today. I am so turned off by that. That's not a powerful woman, that's a bully.
@@thunderbird1921 It is! I always have been drawn to the classic films because it portrays what a real woman is: nurturing, kind, and standing up for what's right. Not like today where they're making snarky remarks, being pushy, and making men seem idiotic and weak.
@@ThePoeticAngel AGAIN well said! As a guy, I love well written heroines, they make the stories so much more amazing. Possibly my favorite is Olivia De Havilland's Lady Marian in the 1938 Robin Hood: Tender, but bold, brave and willing to speak up for the oppressed common Englishmen (plus, her interactions with Errol Flynn's Robin are straight up HILARIOUS!). I HATED Toy Story 4. They took a fascinating character in Bo Peep and completely wrecked her, plus made Dolly a TYRANT. And what does the humble but strong heroine Jessie get? She gets tossed to the side and weakened for the sake of making Bo look "strong". And DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED on what they did to Buzz! That movie almost felt like a straight up ATTACK on men at times (and the women who love them). Disney is out of their dadgum mind these days. I'll mostly stick with classics stuff until Hollywood gets their sanity back.
I love Emma but her acting was kinda lukewarm I got more emotion from Cinderella
And she can't sing
Truuue. If she hadn’t felt the need to be an aggressively strong female character I’m sure it could have improved the movie at least a little bit. Plus being soft but strong could have showed her range as an actress
My frustration about Emma’s portrayal is that it’s only Emma on the screen. Belle as a character doesn’t exist; Emma herself is in the narrative.
@@Mothman_In_a_T-Pose yes!! that I think words my issues with it so well. It really didn't feel like watching Belle in this story, but watching Emma. Also I just truly didn't feel her acting skills were strong enough to be acting against all these props. She seems really nice and is a good activist, but I've been pretty underwhelmed by all of her performances since harry potter
Yes, Cinderella's actress, Lily James has a much better range. I've seen her in Downton and she's playing two different characters. Emma has just become one dimensional as an actress.
Emma Watson had a lot of say about creating the New Belle. Emma Watson's feminism ruined this brilliant classic movie.
That's what a lot of people have said. Personally I think Emma's vision would have been great if it was practically any other Disney movie - if she was cast as Sleeping Beauty? or even Ariel? Ignoring the appearance factor, her revisions might have made the characters bolder and more interesting/independent in stories where that would have been refreshing. But to do that to Belle is just sad, imo.
Belle was already a pretty feminist character so no idea why they felt the need to change her.
@ruperts cute actually it does- she did not wear a corset because of her feminist beliefs.. Which wasnt correct for the part and kinda ruined her dress she said she deserved the role- but her voice clearly didnt cut it due to hiw robotic it ended up being her acting was stiff and i personally just was not a fan...
@@Squeakz_030 and corsets are literally meant to be like bras-
@@Squeakz_030 It wouldn't even have been a corset, it would've been a stays which just shows Watson had no idea what people in the time period wore and shouldn't have had a say in its design.
Belle in the original's quirkiness was that she was a dreamer who wasn't just happy with the here and now hum drum life- in a way, her dad is too given he's an inventor, and they're just dreamers who try to make some of their dreams a reality.
Belle believed in fantasy and fairy tales- thats why the book she was so in love with reading had "far off places, daring swordfights, a prince in disguise" etc, and why her first reaction to the castle was "Is this an ENCHANTED castle?"
In a sense, the rest of the town thought she was "odd" because they all were grounded in their own reality and didn't have any dreams of anything unobtainable. I guess you can say they thought Belle was immature, and probably needed to wake up eventually.
Ariel has been my fave.. i think she's a strong character.. fun and doesnt quite think things through, but you gotta live life and she makes the most of it. We don't have to be perfect to be strong women ^^'
I like that about her. Curious, passionate and adventurous.
Mulan is a great character because she flawed, and she but determined to bring honor to her family. She works hard to make up for her shortcomings.
And the biggest payoff is when her father puts aside the gifts from the emperor, embraces her, and says “The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter.”
I do genuinely love Mulan. I don't think she's feminine like Belle is, but she's great 😊
That was the most wonderful scene from that movie. :)
@@Bunny23723 my twin sister and I still tear up during that scene. 😭
@@SneezyReviews No, Mulan was kinda clumsy and lacked confidence in herself, but she was always had the best intentions.
She wasn’t too feminine in certain things, but she drew the line when it came to bathing so that she didn’t smell like a corn chip.
@@reikun86 Yeah - I was mainly trying to point out that Belle is strong and (imo) distinctly feminine, not just a strong female character with some feminine traits (like Mulan/Jasmine is) :)
There's an odd inversion in media these days. Ever notice how the strongest expression of masculinity is reserved usually for male villains and female heroes?
masculine man =bad
masculine woman =good
i don't see the same the other way round, feminine female characters, and feminine male characters don't often get much focus.
@@ThisCallumPerson that’s because Hollywood clearly lacks an understanding of actual feminism, so to them not only masculine man= bad but also anything feminine=bad. It’s really twisted, I wonder how tiring it is for young girls of today.
@@fabiofuoco it's such a mess. I jumped ship from the movement long ago.
I KNOW RIGHT!? I CAN’T STAND IT! Ahhh!!!!!!
Check out "the attack on femininity" by the authentic reader. She analysed it perfectly and explained it well. It's worth watching
Couldn't agree more! Feminine does not mean ineffectual.
She’s not warm. Belle’s loveliness comes from within. She’s kind, compassionate, and a good friend. Emma is pretty, but there’s a detached haughtiness to her that never goes away in the movie. She only has two modes in the movie: bland face or near tears. She can’t even SMILE during the dance sequence, FFS. She looks like she’s trying to remember the choreography instead of gazing at the being she loves. I can’t buy the Beast falling for her because of it.
I was so disappointed because I wanted the movie to really dive into their relationship. The animated movie flies by, and the live action could have and SHOULD have shown the two of them awkwardly, sweetly coming together. That doesn’t happen.
I got fed up with how Once Upon a Time portrayed their female characters for the same reason. There were some great female villains, but the 'good' female characters had to all be 'strong' in the same way, by physically fighting. I was hoping for a breath of fresh air when Belle came along - she showed she was strong and capable in a different way, through her knowledge and intelligence, and ability to solve mysteries. But instead of using this to show how women are strong and amazing and varied in lots of different ways, they managed to bugger it up in making her 'prove' herself by defeating the Yaoguai and weilding a sword like everyone else.
To me it reeks of fake feminism - they get everyone praising them for showing 'strong female characters' when actually the real message they're sending is women aren't strong unless they act the same way and do the exact same things. Or that a woman isn't strong unless she fights and acts like the men. Which is actually a terrible message to be sending and can make girls/women feel insecure if they feel they don't fit that cookie cutter image of what a 'strong' woman should look like.
I've not seen all of OUAT (just the first 3 seasons) so can't speak for all of it, but did anyone else feel the same way?
No, for me it made sense that in a dangerous world with those type of creatures, women had to be able to fight or at least know how to defend themselves. I mean, even they thoghen up Tinker Bell for being in a dangerous place without magic powers. Also, fighting wasn't Belle's strenght, it would have been really weird if it was. Anyway, that's how I remember feeling, haven't rewatched the series in a long time.
I agree with you. Ouat was good but messed up female characters. I identified more with the villains since they were more feminine.
Also go rewatch The Little Mermaid again because I’ll make the argument that Ariel walked (or swam?) so Belle could RUN as a strong feminine character. She’s known for her beautiful voice and also has a vested interest in human life/anthropology (she sing a whole song about it!). She is then the FIRST Disney Princess to rescue a Disney Prince from certain danger & distress. But also she allows herself to be vulnerable and express a wide range of emotions: elation, fear, disgust, wonder, determination, cautiousness, embarrassment, despair, hope, regret, playfulness, anger, gratitude, and many more. Her story wasn’t initially centered around romance, all she wanted was to be part of a world she always felt she truly belonged in, and then she met someone she fell in love with who came from that world and by rescuing him she realized she just might have a chance at making her wildest dreams a reality. She was written to be more of a tomboy than the princesses that came before her, yet she is still graceful and feminine in a lot of her attributes and her story does eventually become one of romance. Without Ariel, we wouldn’t have Belle. Honestly I think Belle is a bit /too/ perfect of a character, I find it hard to find flaws that make her relatable like Ariel is to me. Ariel can be impulsive, forgetful, too zoned into her special interest, thinks with her heart before her head, has a strained relationship with her father - all very relatable to me. I like & relate to characters that aren’t “perfect”. Not to say I don’t like or relate to Belle at all, but I think they could’ve gone even further with the push and pull of her talking back and realizing she does do the whole “judge a book by its cover” thing. Anywho just wanted to share my thoughts on that, this video was really well done and I love your analysis!
A lot of fans are too hard on Ariel; she's much cooler than many people give her credit for.
I tend to agree. Belle seems too perfect and a bit of an NLOG for believing all of the women in the village are shallow for no reason. She never really grows or changes in the movie, Adam/The Beast does. Ariel is a bit more relatable and believable as a lead. Like you said, she has actual character flaws and messed up sometimes.
Yeah Ariel actually seems more like a normal teenage girl the Belle which is probably why many people dislike her unfortunately 😔
I was gonna reply about how right you are but like my original response was obviously showing favoritism and mostly because I'm baised so ill just say yes your right :)
But she already do the whole JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER. She realized in the wolf's scene that she judged the Beast as the people in the village judged her.
Belle is hands down my favourite Disney princess. It’s therapeutic watching your analysis because it’s what I’ve thought and how I’ve felt but I actually felt afraid to voice it strongly because people have really laid into the whole Stockholm syndrome jokes etc. and it’s such a terrible reduction of what was and is a well made story and an exemplary female lead character. Belle was perfect just as she is!
Ugh the Stockholm syndrome nonsense pisses me off. As a psychology major, a movie critic, and a Belle fan, it pisses me off on every level 😂
If you haven't seen it already, I highly highly recommend Lindsay Ellis' video debunking the Stockholm Syndrome thing. It's also a great video to send to the haters 😂
All these comments and this video make me so happy! Everyone is saying what I've been thinking and feeling for years! I'm so glad I found Sneezy Reviews videos. They made my day 😭❤😁
@@SneezyReviews ooh thanks for the recommendation! And also she wasn’t responsible for him and it wasn’t her “job” to change him which seems to be another criticism levelled at it, she just happened to call his behaviour out and he was inspired to change. People come into people’s lives all the time and can spark growth etc. it’s a general human condition thing not a antifeminist they made a passive female responsible for a man’s growth thing.
@@infinitesummers Yes! Me too! 💕
@@charleneosullivan4175 100%!! Lindsay goes into all of this in her vid, so I know you're gonna love it haha
Cinderella... Of course you were talking about Cinderella when mentioned a "weak characters"... Someone who considers Cinderella a weak character but says she(/he)'s a feminist needs to rethink twice. Cinderella is a victim of abuse by her step family but she remains kind to others (a feminine trait in dead but is it weak?) and she still saves herself. It's not the prince that takes the key from the stepmother. It's Cinderella with her intelligence and her animal friends. People also like to say that she wanted to go to the ball to meet the prince witch is completely wrong. She doesn't even look at him and don't ask his name. She just wants to have the night of her life. You really irritated me with this one. Belle is not the only feminine and strong character. You only believe that strong characters need to show some time of aggressiveness (masculine traits)
Please see my reply to linjingshui :)
Absolutely agreed.. I don't understand why all the polite and kind female characters are considered weak now.. people find both kindness and masculinity in a male character charming and so do I.. but why does it differ when it comes to female characters? Maybe kindness in a female is just defined to be weak now.. I believe a true feminist character must portray her kindness and caring nature.. cause that's a natural mother-ly trait every woman has..
I understand why 'masculine' female characters are considered more strong.. but it just comes out as aggressive and rude sometimes defeating the whole purpose of the character.. not specifically animated movies but other feminist movies too.. most feminist movies have this male bashing, male hating and men are bad plot to it.. just because they don't want to be saved by a men.. they don't even consider taking help from them.. how is this bringing equality? I really don't understand..
For example:this is why character's and movies like Wonder woman and Alita:the battle angel worked.. while Captain Marvel and Charlie's Angels failed even when they had masculine female character which people consider 'strong'.
( sorry for my poor vocabulary.. English is not my first language)
And like you said.. Cinderella is mentally strong.. even though people won't consider her physically strong.. I find mentally strong characters more of an inspiration than physically strong one's.. people really need a role model like Cinderella especially during times like these.. at times people loose hope easily and mental health is extremely valued..
I don't understand why can't people dig more deeper into her character rather than just focusing on a prince who 'saved' her..
She saved herself cause she still had hope and didn't give up.. her kindness and caring nature is what saved her..the prince fell in love with that.. not because he had sympathy for her..
You defined her character really well though..
Cinderella absolutely has a feminine strength to her! In a world that’s constantly unkind to her, she chooses kindness every day and has a beautiful quiet strength to her. I think that’s incredibly brave and she’s a remarkable character for abuse victims to look up to, (tw: what I experienced wasn’t anything like Cinderella experienced but I try to choose kindness in a world that’s not so kind to me every single day because of her). And to all who say she was just waiting around for a prince to a miracle or whatever, go rewatch the movie! She is working with every fiber of her being trying to hopefully get a break from doing all this unpaid labor eventually. Her own family rips the clothes right off her back after she had her mother’s gown restored, gosh that scene is always so hard to watch, and that’s why she runs off all forlorn and hopeless and starts sobbing (which isn’t a sign of weakness, what else are you to do when you’ve been attacked like that????) Except she didn’t lose hope entirely, or else the fairy godmother wouldn’t have appeared! She doesn’t even know that the man she danced at the ball was the actual prince, she was happy to have make a genuine connection with someone and didn’t even care if he was royalty or not- all she wanted was a day off of being an indentured servant and enjoy life around other people for once!!!! She has immense gratitude for the entire experience and was perfectly content if it ended right then and there, but the realization that the mystery man was not only the prince but looking to reconnect with her rocked her entire world (that scene is always one of my favorites!!). She wasn’t even looking for love, but it came and found her anyway and she was so deserving of finding someone who could truly love her for who she was, even if she wasn’t born royal she has the true heart of a princess. I was positively livid when Emma Watson said Cinderella was a bad role model for kids!! I feel like she hasn’t watched most Disney movies in a very long time if that’s what she’s getting out of them.
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK
Thank you Lara! It took me a while to see the quiet strength of Cinderella, because I had listened to many other people claim that she was a damsel in distress whose only goal in life was to marry the prince, and believed what I had been told. It wasn't until I had rewatched the movie many years later, that I finally discovered that Cinderella had a subtle strength to her by continuing to be patient and kind, and just wanted a night off to go to a party, where she surprisingly enough met and fell in love with the prince of all people.
Is youtube recommending my 3yr old video all of a sudden or something? It's like I blinked and then suddenly there's 1600 views on my video :O
Guess so! :D not complaining though, it’s great!
Yes! 🙂 Cheers! 🙂
Exactly. I found this video today.. and I support yours thoughts about new Belle. We can't compare this old and new version cause.. original version was at top.. No one can replace the characters. When I first saw new version it feels like so emotionless, so rigid and stiff..
I found your video because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite movie and the remake is just B.S, so I wanted to see your arguments and I totally agree 😁👍
@@ingridsuperfreak i disagree ngl Emma Watson isn't perfect (no one is) but you cant hate her she is phenomenal and gorgeous!
90s Belle : I love everyone
2019 Belle: Everyone loves me
Well, Anne Hathaway was busy
But she already played the Cinderella role
i really love her, strong, femenine, beatiful, she was the perfect belle, i like Emma to, but she kinda ruin the character
@@tamaracheng5984 I have a guilty pleasure for Emma Enchanted. 😅
@@reikun86 i think it was Ella* enchanted but I understand the mistake haha
@@fabiofuoco Whoops haha my bad 😅
To be honest, I don't believe that characters like Snow White and Cinderella are purely just damsels in distress. Yes, there are problems with how women are portrayed in their stories (in a few different ways) and they do become damsels in distress saved by men. However, I don't like how often people discredit that while they were saved by men, they themselves were STRONG characters. Snow White and Cinderella both lived lives of abuse from their step mothers for years and yet remained kind and still loved the world as much as could. Snow White even ran away from someone who was literally trying to murder her, into the woods, with no supplies, to save her life. She did not know the dwarfs were out there. She did not know that she would have help. Snow White and Cinderella are full of kindness, compation, and understanding, and try to see the best in everybody. They also had a LOT of emotional strength to still love the world and see its beauty after years of being told that they were worthless. While they did not fight bad guys or take down monsters, they are still strong characters and deserving to be role models in some ways. Like I said, are their problems with the stories and how they portray their role is women? Yes. But are the characters themselves just weak, personality-less pictures? No.
I don't even think its necessarily a bad thing that they are "saved" by men at the end. For Snow White especially, the prince seemed more allegorical, especially with the whole pale white horse and glowing castle in the sky.
THANK YOU. I know I’m 3 years late but THANK YOU. I am so sick of “strong female characters” only being masculine tomboys that always have to be better than men at masculine things. The most frustrating thing is that feminists eat that crap up! It’s so funny how modern feminists are so loud about wanting strong women, but have a “correct” version of how women should be, that is somehow more alike to men! It’s a strange oxymoron,,
It’s kind of sad because I relate more to Belle than any of our rough and tough princesses. Even though I’m a powerlifter, i hate conflict and am super quiet. If I was written by Disney they’d probably “fix” me by making me a meathead who beats all the boys in arm wrestling and would erase the fact that I love pink, shopping, and makeup.. because that’s not what a “strong woman” would like 🙄
Sorry for rambling, I really like your channel!
Ps, look at what they did to Mulan too! They took every single quirk about her and totally erased it to make her as good, hell even better then all the men, and not even because of hard work, but because she was born like that. Original Mulan knew she couldn’t compete with her biology and so she always won by using her brain, not brute force.
@@fabiofuoco YESS. That’s why Mulan is my favorite Disney princess movie, it’s so well done. I honestly couldn’t bring myself to watch the remake because I knew that Disney would do what Disney does and make it worse for quick money 🤧
@@courtneycalvert185 sameee I basically watched it through the reviews lmao I basically know it from start to end without having watched it
Agh yes! I hate the de feminization of muscular women. I’m on the smaller side but I personally relate more to the outspoken, fiery princesses so looks can be deceiving. But I still love the soft, sweet princesses because those traits are still parts of my identity too.
I think you finally put into words what I’ve been trying to explain for years. Belle has been my favorite Disney Princess for a long time but I couldn’t quite explain why. When you mentioned that she’s the only one who is both strong and feminine I was like, OMG that it!! I’ve always hated how 2017 Belle was portrayed. She lost all of her kindness and gentleness. She actually a real jerk.
“To Howard Ashman, who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul”
This movie felt like a big insult to Ashman. He was battling illness while working on this movie. They moved the whole production just to be close to his hospital. He passed away seven months before the movie’s release. The movie was dedicated to him. He was able too achieve what Walt Disney wanted but couldn’t achieve. Beauty and the beast was the first animated film to be nominated for best picture. And then came the remake. It truly hurts to see Ashman’s passionate work be treated like this. Disney probably would’ve exist today without Ashman
Old Belle allways!
Hollywood, Emma, Disney and most movie makers out their have strongly misunderstood feminism. Emma needs some serious acting lessons while she is still young or she should just quit. Disney needs to stop shovelling these re-makes down our throats and brains. Hollywood should re- think on the whole "creativity liberty/freedom" or whatever that SH** is!
I am glad UA-cam recommended your video. Belle was, is and will always be my favourite! I am in love with French everything and this was rather disappointing😔and oh that DRESS!!
Yes, I agree with you about the 'modern strong female character' - it seems the majority of media shows all strong female characters to be super confident and as you say more aggressive. As a quieter and more gentle character myself, it does make me feel a little sad that there are so few protagonists with these kinds of personality traits. It's almost like the media are implying that it is a negative thing to be of a quieter and kinder disposition. There are many different ways to show strength and I think this should be portrayed more often!
And this goes for male characters also!
Exactly - exactly - this is what I've been thinking about the live action Belle ever since this movie came out - your video and analysis are excellent. And don't get me wrong I don't mind Emma Watson in some things - she's great in "Harry Potter", she's good in "Ballet Shoes" and also in "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" but in "Beauty and the Beast" her active feminist approach along with the filmmakers' radical idea of 'improving' the character of Belle don't mix - and more especially because of the way they set the story in the time period in which it was originally written in which Belle has always been feminist about being feminine anyway. Put Emma Watson's brand of feminism and a totally mad desire to make Belle a touch more brash and badass than buxom and bookish like a more accurate woman of those times and it all adds up to far less of the young and bright, kind hearted gentlewoman that you would have found in 17th century France given the setting of the film and in whom an equally strong minded modern woman of a similar disposition can easily relate to. Talk about slamming down hard on the natural strength that an outwardly feminine woman in touch with her deeply loving and nurturing personality in a 'remake' of Belle's character and how beautifully ironic it is that the 1991 film actually celebrated her natural femininity and her overall character in the beginning.
It is also interesting to note the stark contrast between both of these Disney adaptations of "Beauty and the Beast" and how they portray Belle so differently to each other when compared to the 1950 "Cinderella" and its 2015 remake. Both the original and the remake of "Cinderella" celebrate the very same beauty of the very same title character who shows kindness, generosity and even forgiveness to her abusers while also suffering huge emotional losses - and even more so at the end of the remake in fact since the stepsisters do go against their mother and apologize for being abusive at last which Cinderella takes with good grace while also offering her stepmother a degree of pity that is truly touching. Emma Watson's Belle does none of this with the Beast - she doesn't take any real outright offense with him for displaying outright disgust towards her favourite book for "all of the heartache and pining" in it which are both at the core of their own original love story when he allows her to leave only to come back and find him utterly heartbroken. In the remake however, - well he never does seek her forgiveness for his rudeness, no, not even with his time turning magic book because it can't reverse the fact that he was rude and as a result she never does forgive him with simple words for being such a prick over said book that describes the Beast's awful conundrum in a nutshell both before and after she finally cracks it - so he never apologizes to her at all - the end. So what - is that it? No pay off for that? Well this is where the chance for them to inject some attempt at a bond and finding love in their love story over a book that should tug at both of their heartstrings stops and dies. Way to totally ruin the Beast and laugh in the face of the original fairytale by making him laugh at his own tragic circumstances in a remake that turns the original tormented tragic character into a parody of himself while Belle gets to save the day simply because she has to save the day. It's not funny - it's stupid and makes zero sense when it comes to the Beast's side of the story. Instead of nursing and feeling his own pain and allowing Belle to help him work through it one on one as patient and therapist he puts the needs of his staff before himself which was the lesson he was supposed to learn from her after being saved by the end of the movie.
Perhaps what makes the "Cinderella" remake so good at staying true to the fact that showing deep, heartfelt and subtle femininity which becomes all the stronger for its subtlety is only natural as well as beneficial and of very real, great value to a woman while also showcasing the very real tragedies the character faces for what they all are while taking them seriously rather than downplaying them or Cinderella's pain is Lily James's performance, in contrast to Watson's far too strong attempts to make a statement about womanhood rather than tapping into its super strong subtleties. Lily James is not a big ass name with a bucket load of fame and fortune or a barrel of activist ideas attached to her since becoming an uber-hyped child actor and more importantly, she didn't hold the role so tightly to the chest or change it beyond already accepted recognition. You also get Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine - she makes it clear that the abuse she dishes out is as real and keenly meant as the heartbreak that the Beast feels in the 1991 film of "Beauty and the Beast" when he roars at the moon in anguish rather than singing what sounds like a dirge to romance in dire monotones. It speaks to Kenneth Branagh's directing as well. He didn't give James the chance to indulge any kind of outside ambitions too much whereas Bill Condon did and it really shows. Emma Watson's "weakness" is being and doing exactly that with the character of Belle - and the director let her do it to the point of downplaying some far more seasoned actors like Stanley Tucci whose time and talent ended up being wasted (as after all he has his head in his hand in one interview where Josh Gad jokes that the wattage from everyone is the Emma Wattage and # Tucci's right to be put off because it's not that much of a joke actually - it doesn't appear to be about all of them at all - it's all about her). You can see in interviews like this that she holds the role of Belle far too tightly to her chest - she's far too precious about the idea of playing at being Belle and 'improving' the character rather than actually trying to become Belle because she already thinks and believes that she is a Hollywood Belle sooo - why bother trying? I'm already an actress now so I don't really have to act the part do I? Alright then let's make everyone else including the Beast himself except perhaps Gaston look bad so that I - no, no I mean Belle can look good. That's alright then - solved it. Bad move Watson, this was just a bad move. Feeling far too personally about getting the role of any character in any film and getting all attached and precious over them because you feel your life is synonymous with them is one of the worst thing an actor can do. Why? Well the thing is with Watson it's only about her idea of feminism and she's attached to it so in addition she attached that to the character of Belle whom she feels is a reflection of her and it doesn't and will never compute with me because she doesn't become this character in attitude whatsoever. She doesn't share or emote any of Belle's sweet and gentle attitude or her romantic outlook on life and makes no pretense about it even on film because at times her version of Belle is actually really stiff around the Beast and sometimes rude with a fairly decent Gaston and it's really hard to tell when she even tries to melt the Beast's heart if she does at all since he first dismisses her love of reading romance and continues to doubt that she can even be his salvation, let alone one which will result in earning her affection which is very telling. Well you could apologize for hating on that book you moron. Also her response to this is "I don't know". What is this? It ain't love - it's you're so out of my league that there's nothing I can ever say or do to get your attention and oh I don't know but actually secretly thinking yes, I know I am. She's not even dreamy and bookish enough because she goes around with a holier than thou expression about herself as an active teacher of reading and a humble washerwoman in her "poor provincial town" rather than wending her way dreamily while reading and then showing off her book to a flock of sheep. When pitted against Lily James as Cinderella in terms of celebrating the big hearted, strong nature of a deeply feeling woman as well as actually acting as the lead role Emma Watson as Belle wobbles and falls like a far too tall overdressed blancmange. Lily James on the other hand shows us that she can take the character of Cinderella and actually become the live action counterpart while honouring the character's original femininity thus cementing the hugely underrated Cinderella of the 1950 film and her own performance in the title role in the 2015 remake as one and the same character that share the exact same strong female fortitude alongside Paige O'Hara's Belle from 1991 as beautifully as a well done French soufflé.
Wow, that was definitely a lot to take in! Honestly you pretty much said it all, I can't really think of anything to add. Well, except the fact that I personally think Ever After manages to do better than both Disney versions of Cinderella - I feel like Danielle is highly motivated and relatable, and I guess she's probably even more masculine than she is feminine, but it works because she's still a flawed character and you can relate to her struggles and her passion. And it's always good to have a Cinderella with some agency :)
Emma Watson just can’t act. I’m sorry, but she just can’t. Don’t even get me started on her singing. I hated Emma’s Belle because like you said, she doesn’t embody that feminine, quirky, kind and caring persona. Emma’s Belle is stand-off-is, hostile, brash, and just not at all what Belle is supposed to be.
Or sing. All those songs were put through recording and filter.
But I kinda blame Disney for this. They had the money to give Emma the tools to play the part. I mean seriously! They could have hired acting coaches and voice coaches for her! But for who knows what reason they did not.
Another mistake they also did was that they let Emma choose the outfits and changes. Which I say was a poor choice because yes the blue town outfit was okay and historically accurate.... but! When it came to the yellow gown it’s uhhh..... to me it looked like a pile of melted plastic cheese. It was super disappointing as I was hoping for a beautiful French gown from back then. But just because Emma did not want to wear a corset (which is bonkers and even more her reason to not wear it was “because corsets were for unfemenist ideals” which again it’s nonsense (seriously have you tried to wear one of those old dresses without a corset? You can break your back if you try as those dresses were so heavy! The corset brought back support and helped distribute the weight, it had practical purpose).
I was so upset. To me they ruined belle. I will stick with my 1990’s belle.
@@lespena3722 right? Emma ruined the film. She claims to be a feminist yet knows nothing about feminist history evident in her anti corset tantrum. Corsets were actually invented by a woman, and they worked like bras work today. Corsets were made to support the breasts and back. Like you said, dresses back then were very heavy, and corsets eased the heaviness. The dress was indeed terrible. It looks like one of those cheap prom dresses you find on the clearance section at J.C. Penney. Lily Collins should have been Belle IMO
@@missblackcat4655 I know!!! Super disappointing. I wanted a beautiful French gown... not that depressing dress.... (To be honest the best live action dress that was down correctly was definitely Cinderella, yes it was new, but! It was recognizable and very impressive)
In all honesty I think corsets are better than regular bras even now as the corset provide more support and even protection (there were stories where corsets saved women from being stabbed to death even shot). (Also the whole corset hour glass exaggerated figure only happened during the 1900’s and it was because of women taking it too far, but other than that corsets are practical and it’s sad it gets a bad reputation due to misinformation) (and yes I personally know this is true as I love historical dresses and participate in a lot of historical recreations, the dresses are heavy! I needed a good corset and also the proper crinoline to help balance out the weight of the dresses.... and whoever says that women back then we’re not strong has never worn one of those dresses... trust me sometimes I swear that the dresses weight more than me)
@@lespena3722 Cinderella's dress, even tho it wasn't historically accurate, was divine. Hell, I liked it better than the original XD. When you look at it, it definitely screams princess dress. One thing I will never forgive Kenneth Branagh for is not adding in the musical numbers. Lily James has such a beautiful voice.
@@missblackcat4655 it’s true. Yes it was not historically accurate but it was beautiful as you said and in truth yes I also agree as I too like it better than the Cinderella dress in the original movie. (Not sure why, but the one in live action seem to have a certain flow, the way all those blues were used.... it was truly a work of art!) it’s not like the belle live action dress which is.... blah.... also to make matters worse the cost to make the live action belle dress dress was supposedly around 150,000 or so.... I want to laugh because not only makes you wonder what that money was really used on cause it most certainly was not used on that dress. (Also cosplayers have made better belle dresses with less money than that, seriously! Disney dropped the ball on this)
I know!!! I kinda wish they had sung ten minutes ago or even better! Do I love you because your wonderful from Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderella.
Awesome video!
I feel it's, ironically, extremely misogynistic to equate the stereotypical idea of "feminity" with weakness. And I say this as a tomboish woman who is usually one of the guys
Classical femininity is a basic trait of the Belle character. It doesn't mean weak or silly. She is intelligent, resilient, capable of adjusting and dealing with potentially stressful situations without losing her head. And she's also sweet, compassionate and gentle, as well as graceful. She is necessarily the opposite of the Beast. Femininity is her power. Emma Watson's performance is loud and grating and totally graceless. She seems too hard, to self absorbed to actually empathize with the Beast. Her personality was the wrong one for the character.
I think we can all agree when Emma Watson acts as someone all we see is Hermione Granger
What I absolutely loved about Mulan was that she was the perfect intersection of traditional masculine and feminine characteristics. We see her in the original film struggling to keep up with the men at climbing, at fighting, at everything until she learns to approach it in a feminine way - by using brains over brawn. The entire climax comes about because she weaponizes that femininity. She realizes she doesn't have to sacrifice her womanhood in order to win, and that she doesn't have to 'be a man' in order to take on traditionally masculine roles and characteristics.
Live action Beauty and the Beast looked at that and went 'oh we get it' and then did pretty much the opposite.
Thank you! Belle didn't need to be more "fiercely independent" than she already was. She was already awesome!
In fact, their attempts to do so not only served to make Belle actually annoying, but it took away from Maurice's character. Belle was already obsessed with books and living an exciting life of adventure - she didn't need to be an inventor too. That was Maurice's thing. That was part of what made HIM unique as a character.
Girl... You are awesome. You hit the nail right on the head with everything you said in your video. I couldn't agree more.
I love the old Belle so much. She is one of a kind. ❤ It made me sad how much they changed her in the remake. 😕
OMG SAME! The first time in the movies I saw the actor Emma Watson as Belle, I wasn't interested at all
I know I'm 3 years late to this video, but gosh darn! I hope more people see this because it's really a good message that people need to take note of. I can also relate to tomboy rowdy characters, but seeing very feminine characters like belle inspire me to be more proud to express my feminine side. Love the video!
Thank you so much for the love!
I once had a dream about belle ( cartoon version) she had the sweetest presence and nicest voice I had ever been around even though it was a dream and she was a cartoon lol. She felt like a angel
People are giving Cinderella credit for being a strong female character in the comments and I totally agree, but let’s not forget Snow White and Aurora.
Snow White is so resilient. She continues to push onwards even when her stepmother persecuted her. She never gave up on her goals, and she didn’t drown in self pity.
Aurora was underdeveloped, but from what we have seen of her in the original movie (and even in that silly Enchanted Tales thing from 2007), she’s very independent. Also, she shows a great level of responsibility to people depending on her. Instead of running away when told she’d be married to someone she didn’t love (well it turned out to be Philip in the end anyways), she went home with the fairies anyways and didn’t complain.
I wish people would just look deeper into the Disney Princesses and they would see so much more depth.
I agree. Snow White actually has a lot in common with Cinderella. I feel like a lot of people don't take context into account when it comes to lobbying criticism.
Dude! Someone gets it! I love hearing your take. Animated Belle all the way! I think there should be more strong feminine roll models for people to look up to, interact with, and understand
Great video. The only reason Emma Watson was selected to play Belle was because the person in charge of the film had known Emma since she was little on Harry Potter. To summarize, the film’s team didn’t genuinely try to look for a Belle that DESERVED the role, they just gave it to someone they already knew.
I like Emma Watson, but every time I watch the live-action, I always say, “They should have checked for another actress.”
Belle is my favorite princess, and I hoped for a stronger “Belle” to play her if that makes sense. I’m tired of Disney thinking being feminine is “wrong” and allowing someone who genuinely loves you to protect you and “save the day” is wrong. I definitely agree with you. The remake botched our girl.
I know I've said this a few times, but I think Eleanor Tomlinson could have been a good fit for a live action Belle. She has beauty and intelligence, is quite feminine, can also portray kindness and gentleness without being a pushover. And she also sings quite well. I don't know how she would have done in regards to Broadwayesque tunes as opposed to the soft ballads that she has sung but she definitely has a much better voice.
This was spot on. I couldn't put into words why I hated Emma as Belle. And this is why. Great job!
Emma Watson was playing herself as Belle. 🙄 In interviews that she had, she talked about the changes she wanted to make to Belle’s character to make her more “empowering”. Changing her character completely killed the movie for me!
To empower is the same as ruining a Character?
Especially when it comes to a Woman who happens to be a feminist.
FOR THE RECORD, FEMINISM, BY DEFINITION, IS THE BELIEF THAT MEN AND WOMEN SHOULD HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
EMMA WATSON
BRAVE GIRL
I think classic Disney princess and modern Disney princesses are plagued by the same problem: they are practically indistinguishable from each other. Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, and Rapunzel are all niave, hopeful women with an affinity for animals and kindness. Jasmine, Merida, Moana, and Anna are all outspoken, quirky, sarcastic women, who only become more intensive iterations of their previous selves. That just leaves Belle, Pocahontas, Tiana, Mulan, and Elsa. And I'd argue that Pocahontas and Elsa are underdeveloped. That leaves only three Disney princess who both stand out from the crowd and have a character worth analyzing. That's not a great variety for such a long running and influential brand.
The original Belle is superior on so many levels. After watching the live action one it made me think it was trying too hard to look like the earlier French movie starring Vincent Cassel. The whole look of that movie works along with the costumes and such but it felt to me that the Disney version felt it was actually competing with that on a visual level. If you haven't you should watch it xx
I've watched that version before. Every frame was absolutely stunning, and I liked what they did with the beast's past. The romance was kinda flat though.
i love emma watson but i just dont think she was the best for this role. i feel like Belle needed a actress who was softer, more mature, and with a more classic beauty (emma watson IS gorgeous, but she has a very modern face/style/energy, compared to someone like, for example, felicity jones, who has the perfect face for historical characters, or lily collins, who looks slightly more young/modern but still has that softness) to convey the nuanced strength and softness in Belle's character. i think on top of not suiting Belle's character, that emma also had a fundamental misunderstanding about who Belle actually is within the movie.
Belle isnt the kind of person who holds a grudge or refuses to move past something, but she also isnt the type to be a doormat. she's very careful to do/say just enough to get rid of obstacles (like Gaston's proposal) that get between her and her objectives (protect her father, read her books, have her freedom), and she knows herself well enough to know which order she values them in (her fathers life/freedom over her own, immediately, in the Beast's prison). she is just as stubborn and direct with the beast as he is with her, until she sees him put forward the effort to meet her where she is (rescuing her from the wolves) and even after that she doesnt extend her kindness until AFTER shes said her piece (the scene cleaning the beasts wounds - she argues back and forth with him until he sits quietly, and THEN she thanks him for saving her).
she is nice to all of the villagers even while she knows they gossip about her, because none of them actually matter to her as long as they leave her alone, its only when they refuse to help her father/help her save her father that she gets angry/upset - because she would help, so why wouldnt they?
i get so mad when people act as if Belle just floated through her movie reading books until she got imprisoned by the beast, and then she just went "oops. guess i'll develop stockholm syndrome so i can get at that library." like she is a consistent character with wants, desires, and a direction!!
Holy crap amen! I got in a huge word-salad battle in the Pinterest comments of all places a while back because I basically said masculine traits in females doesn't automatically equal a "strong female character". As a modern society we're all to willing to trash stereotypically feminine chicks as "living in the past" or somehow abnormal, when that couldn't be further from the truth. There's nothing wrong with tough girls or even weaker, more feminine guys, but it's great to see someone else point this out as well. I loved what you had to say here, and I'm glad that there are people who feel the same way.
Goodness... I hated Emma's Belle... Despite me wanting to love the movie, despite me liking Emma for her role in the HP series. The "auto-tuned to hell" singing was really put me off the most. But as for her portrayal, I highly agree with you on your points. Heck, compare the 2 Mulans and you will more or leas have the same comparison. The new one was "brave, strong and stunning" girl power. The original saved the day thru her cunning and wits, and she's just a NORMAL HUMAN WOMAN who joined the army to save her dad, risking death either by invaders or by execution.
I heard that Emma herself spoke a lot to the new character of Belle. Proposed a lot of changes and such. For example took the inventing away from Belle's father and gave it to her. You know, strong independent woman. I hate feminism. I hate this new Beauty and the Beast and what I hate most that when googling, you have to add "old" or else this new monstrosity will jump at you.
I don't hate feminism personally. I just think the original was already feminist and there was no need to "fix it", and in fixing it they actually made it worse and ironically *less* feminist imo.
I have also seen the interview in question where Emma has taken credit for her changes to the character. The sad part is I don't think anyone on the creative department had bad intentions when they were recreating Belle, though I do find their take on feminism is kind of shallow and, well, it's very "white feminism" imo. But that's a rant for another day.
@Tangential_Tangine I really do not want to make general assumptions, it is just that, unfortunately, these people are louder and much more to be seen. And, unfortunately for them, their views ruined my favourite movie. I know that i should apply critical thinking in situation like this, but i can't help but to think subjectively. I love the original movie and really wanted this one to be good. I apologize.
Feminism really is about gender equality, trouble is a lot of people who claim to be feminists don't actually understand that.
@@isobelduncan there are extremists in literally all political and belief systems, feminism is no exception.
I always recommend the book Them:Adventure's with Extremists by Jon Ronson. It's a book of anecdotes about Jon's adventure meeting extremists in various belief systems.
Cinderella was a damsel in distress but she wasn’t weak. She was patient and had to deal with regular abuse
I swear nobody reads the pinned comments 😂😩
I have a little problem with people calling Cinderella "weak". If you never walked in her shoes it's hard if not impossible to judge her.
I myself have made the horrible experience of being treated like trash by my own family as a child, and I had my mental problems because of it yet I never took it out on other people, not even on my family.
Had I tried to defend myself I would have been beaten up like ceazy.
Sometimes, the bravest thing to do is to "play along". It's not weakness.
And being Cinderella and still keeping that warm heart, the kindness and the supportive side for her friends?
Now that's something to admire.
She could have turned out the exact opposite, which wouldn't have been a surprise but she stayed strong.
Kindness is NOT a weakness.
You're quite right, Cinderella isn't weak. I wish I could go back and edit my video but sadly I can't :(
@@SneezyReviews nooo no no, I didn't mean it in a 'mean' way. Oh, that was poorly expressed.
It's all good, that was just my view on it. I really liked the rest of the video and could agree to everything - especially the femininity part! Girls/women don't have to show manly qualities to be strong or to be taken seriously by men. You're absolutely right about that! And Belle in the original movie has all the awesome qualities you mentioned. And I completely agree with you: the Belle in the remake doesn't quite work for me, and the beast?? Jesus, he was AWFUL. Those childish pouty moments alone were an absolute no-no for me. 😑😂😅🙅🏻♀️
I think I didn't realize this before watching the video, but- (original) Belle is said to be an infp, a personality type known for seeing the good in everyone (among other characteristics); a healthy infp would be like Belle, helping people be their best self; an unhealthy one would be prone to have toxic relationships, more of the "they will change, I know deep down they are good" type. As an infp myself, I struggle with that, so Belle tends to be a really good role model, and (I don't know how other people might feel about this, but-) seeing that they changed her so much "so she can be strong", feels like being told that people *like us* aren't strong enough, because we're idealists? Because we care about other people's feelings I guess? Trying to make her stronger, they changed everything that made her an infp, which I must admit it feels a little bit too personal, even though it's not
I agree with you. Belle is powerful because she is feminine.
I'd take it even further and say that media has been anti-feminist with characters.
Brienne's words to Catelyn Stark are much deeper than they appear on the surface. Brienne, a masculine woman who has lived a man's life still understands the strength a feminine woman can hold, the kind of bravery that men envy.
I would argue that Cinderella is also a good example of being strong but feminine. She endures lots of hardship living with her stepfamily, but she never loses hope in her dreams and stays a kind, selfless person who never even asked to be saved by the Prince. But I completely agree that it's a shame feminity is seen as weak if you don't fight back or are sassy or something.
Well Im subscribed now, I just came from watching your first 2hour Zutara video and love your insights on these literature topics. Feels familiar.
That said on this video, Belle was always one of my favorite characters as was the movie bcse of how different it felt then the rest of the disney movies. I never understood this whole wave of only physical strong and aggressive woman can be "strong" when the wife, mother, or caring individual like my gma who cant even shout are just as strong. Like the nurse at peoples bedsides, or my wife taking care of the elderly in their final years. This also makes me realize my personal preference in a significant other, that of the gothic lady like Morticia Addams, or my childhood crush of the sorcerous Raven from Teen Titans, OR just witches in general.
I mean Succubus are devastating and strong but are entirely feminine...but that just might be me there.
Keep up the great videos, love the thoughts.
Amen. Just-- amen. That's exactly how I feel about it. The positive feminine is waaaaaaaaay under represented. There still seems to be this weird dynamic of girly=weak/manly=strong. How about strong the girly way and strong the manly way? True strength comes from the inside, and manifests in different ways depending on personality.
I prefer old Belle definitely. I'm sorry but I just cant get with Emma Watson. Shes a bland actress and seems really pretentious plus shes a liberal feminist.
OG Belle is my all time favorite Disney princess but yeah, they did her dirty in the remake
I wonder if one of the reasons she's a bit stiff is because she played only one character, Hermione for so long during her formative years.
I cannot STAND her as an actress! I can kinda see how, on paper, she would have made a good Belle, but in practice I hate it
I would have thought Raps, Ariel, Anna and Elsa were very feminine as well, Jane as well to some degree is very feminine and proper. Despite their softness and kindness, they are strong people and especially dreamers. I like this palette that Disney puts out there of women. We're a mix of soft and tough. I wouldn't say there are many tomboy characters, though. Merida, definitely, but she's Pixar, maybe Moana, and Mulan definitely embrace her feminine side despite her lacking most of it. She's my tomboy heroine since I was a child.
Emma Watson had a lot of influence in shaping the character. I don't think she really understood Belle's character. Or just didn't bother. It reminds me of Keira Knightley, who once said in an interview that girls shouldn't follow Ariel or Cinderella as an example because one gives up her voice for a man and the other just sits around waiting for a prince to save her. That is mega ignorant if you take a closer look at the stories. Ariel is certainly not a virgin in needs, she saves the prince's life and is an extremely independent character who prevails against her father and had a fascination for humans even before she knew Eric. And Cinderella doesn't go to the ball because of the prince, she meets him by chance and he falls in love with her. If they were just the typical helpless women, young girls wouldn't have a fascination for them to this day. And Watson extremely underestimated Belle's character. Her Belle has lost everything that made her character and turned her into a Hermione Granger.
There were things I liked about the live-action Beauty and the Beast, but Emma Watson's Belle was not one of them. I definitely agree that femininity is being frowned upon in princess media, which is a shame because the whole princess archetype that Disney practically invented revolves around being super feminine. If you have a moment to read my thoughts, I wrote more about it here: www.theprincessblog.org/2020/09/feminism-vs-femininity.html
I don't think that Belle is the only example of a character who is both strong and feminine, though. Ariel is my favorite Disney Princess because her strength comes from her love. She rescued Prince Eric even though you can see her struggling to haul his body to the shore. Her passion gave her the strength to make a huge sacrifice and chase after her dreams. When Ursula backstabs her at the end of the movie, she doesn't have the power or strength to fight back, but she has so many people who love her that they are able to defeat this all-powerful sea witch out of their sheer desire to protect her and make her happy. That's the power of femininity.
As someone who is “feminine” I really relate to belle and Rupunzel. :) I definitely think society needs to change the way we think about these traits too! Compassion, empathy and willingness to help or side with others rather than “fight” despite differences can be true strengths. The ability to ignore ones own ego and put someone else first... that needs to be considered an incredible strength and I think if we are to solve more of the worlds problems, it’s a strength we desperately need. If we are all born fighters, all we get is war and literally everyone dies. Yay. To get spiritual on this: It’s yin and yang. It’s moon and the sun. Society needs to have a balance of masculine and feminine power to live in harmony and how can this happen if we only value one? (our energy is related to but not attached to gender, we all have both energy but one is usually stronger than the other. Eg. A man can be more feminine and a woman can be more masculine)
I love your perspective on this. It’s super refreshing. I love that you are talking about how women can be strong without trying to suppress distinctly feminine attributes.
You forgot to mention that Belle was created for the first female screenwriter Linda Wolverton, she protected Belle's character to the end , specially since all the rest of the cast were men. She said she was inspired by the character of Jo (I know the name of the book but in Spanish, sorry I am Latin)
Edit: the character named Jo is from the movie and book called Little Women, Jo is the older sister of three and she was like Belle in some way
I actually did not find this out until yesterday. Definitely explains why I love her character and personality so much compared to the others :)
Yes, I feel the same , I've watched Aladin and Hercules, tangled and the Princess and the Frog, they are all good characters but Belle stands out because she is the most balanced woman, she can be sweet and bold, kind and assertive. linda did a great work on her
@@latroletteeeee 1. Nobody , especially YOU is gonna tell me to shut up
2. Linda Wolverton was called to arrange a previous script, so if the movie was a half passable us because of her, it could have been worse
3.She also wrote The Lion King ....well, as you can see, she was responsible for the two Disney masterpieces, so the one that SHOULD shut up it's you...
@@ingridsuperfreak ignore that child, they just wants to feel edgy on the net.
@@fabiofuoco @Ingrid Moscoso jeez what a moron. Instant block lol
I HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEARS. THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. I was so mad when I saw this movie, I was only 13 or so but I then already understood that Watson portrayed her as a neo-feminist, not as a kind and nice independent woman. There is so much power in kindness, I hated that Watson didn't portray this
Not a princess but Elle woods from legally blonde. Legally Blonde excels not just as an uplifting comedy, but as a feminist affirmation of femininity. Elle loves fashion, cosmetics, and the color pink, interests that we are supposed to deride as shallow, because our culture implicitly devalues anything that is perceived as feminine. also characters from Miyazaki movies like Chihiro from Spirited Away and Sophie from how's moving castle are great female, strong characters. Both of them are forced to adapt to living in a world that they did not choose upon them (Chihiro working in Yubaba’s bathhouse, and Sophie living in the body of an elderly woman). Both also are perform menial tasks in order to get by, given some of the harshest jobs to perform and are of little rank if any.
I can’t wait for the day that a woman can choose to be a woman however she wants without being told she’s doing it the right or wrong way. Great video!
Great analysis! I'm not a fan of the idea of remakes, and so far the executions have been horrendous. This analysis makes me already disappointed about how Ariel is going to be changed. As a feminist, I think she's perfect in the original.
This may be a bit controversial, but I think Ariel has (just a little!) room for improvement/growth. I don't trust Disney to do it well, mind you, but have you seen the alternate ending for TLM, for example? I personally prefer that ending, as it fleshes out Ariel's arc just a little bit more.
Also, I think TLM had a slightly missed opportunity - in the sense that, in 'Part of Your World' Ariel sings about wanting to know about how life works up there, how does a fire burn, do fathers "reprimand their daughters"? I know for plot-related reasons she had to spend much of her time on land trying to win Eric's affections, and I also totally get the angle of "she's not going on land just to be with Eric, she's always wanted to go on land and Eric is just the cherry on top" - but I think they could have fleshed out the whole "discovering herself now that she's where she wants to be" just a liiiiiiiiittle bit more, and it would have helped flesh out her character and show that she has agency and motives beyond the "nabbing the hottie" part. Like, I totally get that that's probably what they were *going* for, but they could have executed it a little better, imo.
But like I said, I don't really trust Disney's competence in actually fixing this properly in the remake. *shrug*
@@SneezyReviews every take of yours is so interesting (and I’m sorry of all the notifications you’re gonna get from me lol) but, for the sake of the argument, yes New Ariel should totally explore that side much more since it was her interest in the first place BUT, let’s not forget her deal of having to get the true love kiss in three days! That sure put her in too much of a hurry to just sit there and read books etc lol, and conversely, it’s even less easy to explore that side or have her ask more questions when she’s literally mute!
I would be interested in how you envision Disney will butcher TLM according to what they been doing up to now to their material!
@Gaming Miser she did have her "bratty" moments, but tbh, even as an adult I find Triton's "putting his foot down" to be intensely triggering. I struggle to watch that part. I get that he has his moment of regret, but I also feel like that could be fleshed out a bit more too.
(Part of this is personal experiences with my own childhood, and though we have now managed to move past it for the most part, my relationship with my mother was very difficult for a very long time, because she had no concept of boundaries and when I was younger, would regularly mete out extreme punishments for the smallest infractions. Triton trashing the one thing Ariel truly loved and cared about with every fibre of her being hit *really* close to home for me, and I know he does later "make it up" to Ariel, I also felt like it wasn't quite enough given the scale of his wrongdoing either. I would have liked it if he actually apologised to Ariel about it specifically. But he has the "what have I done" moment when he's alone, and it came off - to me at least - as more like, he felt bad about it because she ran off afterwards, and not that he felt bad about it because it was an absolutely horrific thing to do. But anyway, that could be my own biases/trauma speaking, lol)
@Gaming Miser "Because what I see is that he's only guilty of judging humans as a whole by the worst traits of the worst few."
I think it goes deeper than that, yes. I know it's not really the focus of the story, but if this was real life, Triton's decision is one of those things that Ariel would bring up to a therapist in 10 years as part of a "This is why I'm estranged from my father" counselling session, lol.
I do think it would have been weak if he'd apologised straight away, but the ending would have been a good opportunity for both father and daughter to apologise to each other. And Triton definitely owed Ariel an apology - regardless of if he'd been right or wrong about humans, he absolutely took it waaaaay too far. I know he loves her and cares about her, I know his heart was in the right place, but I don't think he even tried to empathise with her once, which was his biggest flaw, and which he never actually was shown to overcome. Triton and Ariel never actually have a heart to heart about anything, and I feel like they deserved one in the end.
@Gaming Miser "You think that stash of crap was so important that it should have overridden Triton's belief that contact with humans would get Ariel killed?"
That's not what I said. Actually, I'm not sure if you realise this, but reacting to "Hey, please don't parent like this, it shows you don't value their emotional wellbeing, it destroys their trust in you and you'll end up pushing them away and if anything, increasing the chance of rebellion" with "well what, I'm supposed to just ALLOW them to destroy their lives??" is 100% the rhetoric of narcissistic abusers. (Same with "eh, she'll get over it and realise I'm only doing it out of love"). This is not a zero sum game. You can be protective while also not violating every shred of the kid's hopes and dreams and trust in you as a parent. (Imagine that!)
"He empathized with her"
He did not. At no point did he actually understand how she felt. He didn't actually think it was *important* to try to understand how she felt. He just thought he needed to protect her. This is the very reason his destruction of the grotto was such a gross miscalculation on his part, and caused Ariel to go seek out Ursula. If he truly was empathetic, he would have known that "all that junk" meant all the world to Ariel, and destroying it wouldn't magically make her lose interest in the world of humans. It would only destroy her trust in him and drive her further away from him. It was 100% counterproductive on his part and yes, I acknowledge that Triton had his heart in the right place and wasn't trying to do a bad thing. But a little effort to understand Ariel's perspective would (or at least could) have made him realise just how egregious an error that would have been.
What I don't understand is, you have the cartoon writer, and you have the same women writer for the Broadway show and the other productions of Beauty and the Beast, why not just do what most musical films do, base it on the Broadway show. keep the female writer from both Beautys and keep within the style the film and the broadway show did but give us little changes or scenes that were cut put back in. I mean really, And the actor should not have as much say in her or his character if its based off a book or a already established film or cartoon. i like the little new admins from the original folk tale, but They didn't need to change maurice or Belle at all.
love the video! and beside belle, my favorites are also annaliese and erika from princess and the pauper who are feminine but very strong and independant women who follow their desires, multi dimensional and likable!
I love your point on Belle. I want to be identified as a strong person but feminine as well. In fact, I look to the three original princesses as my role model, girls don’t need to show strength with fist, I see kindness and love as strength. The new Belle is ok but will never fit the original idea of what Disney’s Belle was like
I thought this was gonna be a video about the actor. Been obsessed with this movie since I was an infant. My grandma took me to see the original when I was only a year old. To me, Emma Watsons Belle was Hermione Granger in a dress, that is all...
i actually love the original belle and i related to her quite a lot growing up. i too lived in a small town, picked on for liking books and being weird. belle is the princess i wished to be kind, patient, yet brave and stands up for herself. the remake belle i felt was a bit stuck up, she wasn't patient getting mad easily and when gaston was trying to actually be nice to her, she was just shutting him down with no real reason. the og bell would never do that if gaston was actually trying to be nice and ask if he could come to dinner, og belle would say yes or maybe another time my father is going to the market. an actual response not just a long no response. watson's belle i felt was cold, distant, and a tad stuck up. so, yeah i liked the og belle, don't fix what isn't broken in my opinion.
The beast from this movie was so unbearable that I left the theater in the middle. The animated Beast, at least, didn't lock Belle up and gave her a more confortable room. He was rude yes, but showed REMORSE for being an ass, and eventually learned how to be pleasant. Their romance convinces; the one of 2017 no.
Hey, I resent that! Most of them get out of danger by themselves. If anything the guy is the reward since he was the physical representation that their trials and hardships are at an end. Take Cinderella. All her life she was abused mentally, emotionally, and physically but managed to remain kind and gentle but still longed to be able to explore beyond the walls of her abusive home for even just one night and this night she inadvertently attracts the prince which ends up with her leaving her cruel home and living happily ever after.
Yeah if you see my other comments on this thread I've taken back my point about Cinderella. I hadn't seen the movie for years when I made my vid and when I rewatched it, plus Screenprism's take on it, I changed my mind about her. (Though I still think Ever After did a better job of granting Cinderella agency :P)
@@SneezyReviews Alright and I'm sorry if I seemed harsh but I just really hate when people think Cinderella is a ditzy damsel in distress when she worked her ass off in every scene while keeping a positive attitude which is not easy.
@@annieandelsieofarendelle3294 Agreed! No need to apologise ^^
Definitely the old version of Belle was best, and as far as Disney Princess? It would have to be Mulan. That character I could feel close to. Not because she was a warrior, but because I felt myself in her trying to find her place in the world. I felt myself in her trying to be the best person she could be, and try to do some good in the world. I cried at Reflection. Because her failures. Her attitude toward herself. It felt so real to me. So close to home.
I totally agree with you. Cinderella (2015) will always be the best live action - and one of the best overall Disney films - ever made
Great assessment!! I always preferred Belle for a variety of reasons, but you just clarified one of the reasons why she stands out.
I know this video was made several years ago, but i wanted to raise the point about Moana being a balance between disney's 'woke' kickass heroine AND saving the day with ultimately her kindness! people usually group her into the mulan, merida sort of princesses with more traditionally masculine strengths, but it was her recognising te fiti beyond the fiery facade (again, a feat of not judging someone by their looks!) that stopped the destruction- the ocean chose HER, it couldn't have been anyone else like Maui (or hell, even do it themselves) because although they do have the physical strength, none of them have the humane compassion moana has for te ka. this vid was probably made before its release though, so I get why this wasn't here- again, just an observation I had.
disney really is capable of writing female characters who are in touch with both their (traditionally regarded as) feminine and masculine traits- Moana needed both to succeed- and it's a LET DOWN to see the remakes absolutely destroy whatever made their heroines so likeable
I agree actually! I think the modern princesses tend to have a mix of both masculine and feminine traits, which I definitely don't dislike. I wouldn't mind seeing pure femininity celebrated more often though 😊
@@SneezyReviews that was a lightning-fast reply lmaoo, and yes I agree! femininity should never be seen as a weakness and it'd be cool if the media could celebrate it that way
@@saltandshiitakes7587 hahaha just happened to be on my phone when I got the notification 😂 agreed tho!
Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket is another great example of a female character that is both strong and feminine. If you haven’t seen or read Fruits Basket then I HIGHLY recommend you do so. Let’s just say it’s got it’s own Beauty and the Beast themes going for it that I think you may appreciate.
I wish they could make female characters to take responsibility or make brave decisions to show that they're strong. Strength doesn't come from the personality. It's in the heart.
I was trying to name film characters who are strong but feminine...this is what I got.
1) Sansa Stark. Yeah, she's annoying for half the show. But she is very much feminine, and she does end up Queen in the North, so...she's on the list.
2) Catelyn Stark. See 6:47.
3) Wonder Woman. True, she does have physical prowess and the powers of a typical male superhero. But it's ultimately her humanity and compassion and love that make her a true hero, so...I count her as feminine.
4) Mulan. I know she's often read as a tomboy, but the way she approaches problems is the exact opposite of "masculine." Mulan uses her intelligence (using the weights to her advantage to climb a pole, the avalanche strategy, the fireworks), which is juxtaposed with her fellow soldiers' brute strength (hammering down a door, firing cannons directly at the enemy).
5) Cinderella. She's on here for the same reasons as Belle. Most people in her situation would have given up on life and become the worst of pessimists. Cinderella didn't. And especially in the 2015 remake, they underscore her capacity for forgiveness and how that makes her incredibly unique -- and, indeed, strong.
6) You win. Couldn't name more than five.
4. Mulan strikes me as a tomboy with a girly streak (kinda like I was, pretransition). Like, she can still kick butt (working smarter, not harder, as you said) and isn't a paragon of femininity, but she does like her matchmaker makeover and *wants* to be more feminine to make her family proud.
@@PhoenixRising87 that makes sense. Though you could also argue for an even less gendered interpretation of Mulan's intentions. I can't tell if she liked the matchmaker makeover for its own sake... My reading of it was always that she wanted to do whatever would bring her family honor, and she just believed that the matchmaker was the only way to do it. And the rest of the film is about her capitalizing on both her masculine and feminine traits in various ways -- yin and yang, if you will. But her end goal stays the same throughout the entire film: to bring her family honor through whatever means she can.
@@athenavictoria9731 true. If Mulan actually enjoyed the more feminine performance act of it all, she sure would have put more effort into it. She clearly just did it for her family, but she clearly wasn’t in her element (the results are more than clear when she sets the matchmaker on fire lmao)
I actually never liked Arya as a character, partially for how mocked Sansa for being girly. Yes Sansa was naive because she was sheltered but she did learn from it and became wiser for the better. And she's good at emotional manipulation.
6. Judy Hopps from Zootopia. Her greatest strength is her Compassion, she doesn't really start to succeed until she reaches out to Nick and they become friends.
I agree with everything you said about the original Belle being a strong character! Emma's changes and the media praising how she was "finally strong and independent" were such an insult to us more quiet and traditionally feminine types.
Femininity is not a weakness. Thats the line!
If you love cooking, baking, cleaning for your beloved ones, for your friends for your partner your family you are not weak!
If you love to grow your hair long you are not weak.
If you love to serve your partner/family you are not weak.
If you love dresses instead of pants you are not weak.
And crying is also not a weakness.
Thank you! This is what I’ve been saying! Femininity doesn’t mean weakness. Femininity can give women strength too. That’s why Bell from the original Disney film is one of my favorite Disney princesses.
Theres a video promoting Maleficent and Elle Fanning said that there’s nothing wrong with embracing femininity and wanting to be a mother or falling in love….that those women can be just as strong without having to sacrifice them to be considering a strong lead or role model. Not quoting her directly but I thought it was a beautiful and insightful opinion
FOR THE RECORD, FEMINISM, BY DEFINITION, IS THE BELIEF THAT MEN AND WOMEN SHOULD HAVE EQUAL RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES
EMMA WATSON ©
BRAVE GIRL
please create more reviews! I've seen your most recent video on the beauty and the beast remake and couldn't agree more, so I had to watch this one. I hate that Belle's character was so drastically changed. It doesn't feel like the original at all, and watching your analysis and the clips makes me realize even more how she was strong and brave but traditionally feminine, soft, and warm. I love characters like this! And you never really see it properly done anymore. Especially in Disney's reboots.
Belle was always ALWAYS my favorite Disney Princess. I'm a 90's kid and actually fairly traditional and conservative. I liked the other Disney Princesses but Belle was what I always aspired to be and honestly? I never understood why until I saw this video and now I realize why I HATE the remake so much.
I liked the "middle princesses" the most.
As you said; Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty...were too much about weak female personalities who need help from someone else (a prince, a dwarf or a sorcerer).
The later princesses get too masculine and arrogant. I was shocked when I saw the film Brave, I found the character of Merida despicable.
The princesses I loved and respected were Jasmine, Mulan and Belle. Each has their way of strong feminine sweetness, and while the other princesses are all tied to a romantic date or no male at all, these 3 princesses show respect and love to their dads. I found their relations the healthiest ones.
Thank you for your ideas, I agree with you
You should check out The Take's video defending Cinderella, it's quite interesting. Also a lot of it applies to Snow White as well.