Belle (Disney)

Belle (Disney)

Belle is a fictional character and the female protagonist of Walt Disney Pictures' thirtieth animated feature film Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991. Belle reprises her role as the protagonist in the film's two direct-to-video midquels, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Belle's Magical World, direct-to-video spin-off Belle's Tales of Friendship, and a live-action television series, Sing Me a Story with Belle. From 1991 to 2011, Belle was voiced by American actress Paige O'Hara. In 2011, O'Hara was replaced by American actress Julie Nathanson.

Created by screenwriter Linda Woolverton and animated by James Baxter and Mark Henn, Belle is the daughter of an inventor named Maurice, with whom she lives in a small town in France. Though perceived by her fellow villagers as the most beautiful girl in town, Belle is considered "strange" because of her love of reading and non-conformity. Romantically pursued by a handsome but arrogant hunter named Gaston, to whom she shows no interest, Belle dreams of leaving her provincial village life in favor of having adventures "in the great wide somewhere," like the ones she reads about in her books. Intelligent, strong-willed, outspoken and brave, Belle is a feminist who refuses to submit to her village's primeval view on the role of women in society. Belle is a member of the Disney Princess line-up.

Belle was based on the heroine of the French fairy tale La Belle et la Bête by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont but developed into a stronger character for the Disney film adaptation. Belle has received mostly positive reception from critics, many of whom praised her intelligence, bravery and independence. Feminist criticism towards Belle has also been positive, with critics praising her independence and the fact that her goals are unrelated to marriage.