Children who decided to grow up (i.e boring adults) sometimes have the tendency to ruin things, and sadly, that includes Disney princesses. Snow White has come under fire for someday wanting her prince to come, Cinderella for wanting to attend the Prince's ball, and even Ariel for wanting to have legs (and may I remind you, she wanted legs before she met Eric). And with the upcoming release of the live action Beauty and the Beast, Belle and her Prince are now on the hit list, with many claiming the entire story is about Bestiality.
How about Belle's intellect, her love for her family or her ability to treat everyone with kindness? No, we have forgotten all about that and gone straight for the bestiality argument.
Beauty and the Beast has always been my all-time favourite Disney movie. I have always identified with Belle; a girl who felt like she didn't fit in with the other folks in her town and longed for her own adventures to distant lands. I wanted to be Belle. In fact, I'm writing this now sitting next to my very own Enchanted Rose. Growing up, I never ever thought it was odd that Belle fell in love with a beast and I still hold that view now. Know why?
Well, apart from the fact that she could see beyond appearances (which those well-meaning adult are always telling us to do) it's a darn kids movie!
I'm not silly enough to believe that the Walt Disney Company made a film about something so wrong, nor am I naïve enough to ignore it's meaning: that looks are not important when it comes to love. Yes, the Prince is a giant beast for the majority of movie, but have you forgotten that he was under a spell? He never was an animal in the first place. He was a human stuck in the form of a beast. And I believe Belle knew this because she figured out that the castle was enchanted, so surely she must've believed the master of the castle was enchanted also. I mean, he talks for goodness sake! I feel that Disney were very careful to make sure there could be no connotations of bestiality, she didn't even kiss the Prince until he was human!
I understand why people are angry and immediately insult the film with the word 'Bestiality', but let's not try to tarnish the story's reputation by making it about something it isn't. There are some very narrow-minded people out there who are offended by a gay character in the upcoming film. Really, it's 2017 people! I think this is a huge, positive leap forward for Disney, let's face it, its been a long time coming. However, Beauty and the Beast is a story loved by so many, and I would hate for children to grown up believing that there is something wrong with Belle because she fell in love with the man inside the beast. Belle has a lot to teach young people, I find her a very aspiring Princess. She is the first to ever show interest in reading and literature. She is strong minded and different. She doesn't follow the crowd and refuses to be anyone other than herself. Just because she fell in love with a Prince under a curse does not mean the film is about bestiality.
I long for the day that we leave the Disney Princesses alone and let them be the inspiring characters they are. Can we all just stop looking too much into their films and let them be fictional stories? Can we just let them be kids movies? Can we let fairy tales and fiction be just that? A little bit of wonderment, enchantment and pixie dust never harmed anyone. And maybe some adults could do with, just for a small moment, viewing the world through a child's eyes. It really is an inclusive, magical place