Or, How a Pretty Brunette Can Get Away with Anything

We are now three-deep on the Beauty and the Beast series, starting with the 1991 original, and the main thing that strikes me is that these films really struggle to add more depth to the relationship between Belle and the Beast. That is, of course, because all of the films are set during the same time period. Disney, right or not, wanted all of their characters to look, sound, and act in the direct-to-video sequels exactly how they looked, sounded, and acted in the 199 original. That means the characters can’t change, the setting can’t change, and even the time period where all these adventures take place has to remain exactly the same.

You could kind of accept it when it was one new adventure set during the holidays in the winter that Belle was staying at the Beast’s castle. Sure, it stretched credulity a little, especially when new characters were introduced for the interquel that then didn’t show up in later scenes of the original film. It’s a lot harder, though, to accept that all of these adventures happened in what was, effectively, a pretty short month or so (defined by a heavy snow coming in and then melting off right as the original film ended) when more and more adventures get added in.

That’s likely why Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World, which was originally pitched as an animated television series, was then converted into a three-segment (or four-segment, if you have the deluxe edition) direct-to-video film instead. Three more little adventures are one thing when added into this already packed timeline, but a whole series of these adventures? How long did Belle and Beast stay at this castle before his curse broke? Just how long was winter? It boggles the mind. It was the right call not to make a full television series based around this concept, although I would argue releasing this in any form at all was a bad call because, frankly, Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World is pretty awful.

The concept is simple: these are additional adventures set during Belle’s initial stay at the Beast’s castle, before she falls in love with him and decides that he’s her Prince Charming. They’re little slice of life adventures, with Belle interacting with the denizens of the castle – Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts, along with many more new faces – as she gets used to life living with the Beast. Meanwhile the Beast gets to learn lessons about kindness, courtesy, and all the other things that being a spoiled prince-turned-shaggy beast never seemed to impart to him before. It’s a series of stories about caring and sharing, all for little kids.

In the kindest reading, these are innocuous, cute little stories that probably would have entertained a six–year-old who really loved Belle. If this hypothetical child could already accept the conceit of Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, where that film took place during the same time period, then there’s no reason why they would have any issue accepting more adventure during that same span. I would have thought that the littlest kids might be confused by having the Beast as a Beast again when he was turned into a human at the end of the first film, but clearly we’re long since past that point.

And I’m sure, for a certain segment of the parental populace, a movie like this seems fine. It’s more adventures with Belle, which their little ones demand, and it keeps the kids entertained. At the same time it does teach little lessons about learning to apologize, sharing your feelings, and being kind to animals. None of those are bad stories on their own, and in a television series aimed towards little kids, those are the kinds of stories parents want imparted. All around, the intent behind this film seems solid enough.

The issue comes in the execution, and from a couple of perspectives Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World really fails. For starters, it looks absolutely awful. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas was already a step down in animation quality, looking a little rough around the edges (especially when it came to the designs of Belle and the Beast), but Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World is another step down in quality from there. It’s loose, flatly colored, and shoddily animated. Sure, the character designs are recognizable, but everything else about the art and design is as cheap and slapdash as it can be.

The writing, though, is even worse. As I noted in my review of Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, that interquel did a lot of damage to the relationship between Belle and Beast. What was originally a meeting of equals learning to find their soulmate in each other despite the awkward circumstances much more closely resembled Stockholm syndrome in the second film. It gets worse here, though, because of the episodic nature of this third film. Beast and Belle reset their personalities at the start of each segment, so where Beast will learn a lesson about kindness in one story, he’ll revert to being an asshole again by the next, and Belle just takes it.

It’s really a two-fold issue. First, the film writes Beast as an abusive asshole who throws tantrums any time he doesn’t get exactly what he wants. He shouts and yells and takes it all out on Belle (short of actually being physically abusive, although he does get close). Belle does fight back, calling him mean and rude, but then the second he shows even the tiniest bit of apologetic behavior, she instantly melts and gives him what he wants. He’s the abusive lover and she’s his meek female, and this film teaches kids that’s okay.

It’s not so bad in just three segments (or four, if we count the deluxe edition), but I shudder to think how much worse it could have seemed if this series had gone on for a whole season or more. The stories here do a lot of damage to the relationship between the leads, especially making Beast out to be a truly terrible person, and after watching this I have to wonder why, outside of Stockholm syndrome, Belle would ever want to be with him. When, in the original film, she says, “he’s honestly quite sweet, once you get to know him,” it now feels like she’s been cowed into accepting his worst behavior.

That’s the issue with fleshing out this time period, setting all these stories during the winter at the Beast’s castle before Belle broke the curse. The longer we stay here, having stories that have to show us, time and again, that Beast had to learn to be a real person, the harder it is for us to root for them to get together in the end. He’s a jerk, she takes it, and they both apparently will suffer through their relationship because they both have the memories of guppies. Maybe they’re made for each other, but it’s not a relationship I want to watch.

Wisely, after this film, Disney decided not to do even more adventures set during this time period. A different TV series, Sing Me a Story with Belle, was produced. Set after the events of the original film (in a slightly altered continuity), it features Belle at her own bookshop, having magical adventures with new, enchanted friends. This also led to a further film spin-off from that series, Belle’s Tales of Friendship. Neither are available on streaming, though, so we have been saved from having to suffer through those as well. I’ll take the little blessings where I can.