Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

"Well, some people use their imagination."

- Belle

Belle is the deuteragonist of the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast and the protagonist of its direct-to-video follow-ups The Enchanted Christmas and Belle's Magical World. She is an official Disney Princess, the 5th in order of release, after Ariel and before Jasmine and one the two Disney Princesses to not be the main protagonist for the entire first movie (the other being Jasmine). In Beauty and the Beast, she was the Prince Adam's love interest after the end of the movie.

Paige O'Hara did both her speaking and singing voices.

A stage version of the 1991 film debuted on Broadway on April 14, 1994 with the 'live' role of Belle originated by Susan Egan (who would later go on to voice Megara in Hercules), and finalized by Anneliese van der Pol. In the 2017 live action remake, she is portrayed by Emma Watson, who also portrayed Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series.

Beauty and the Beast
Belle is a young woman living in a unnamed village in France. She first appears at the beginning of the film (after the prologue) as she emerges out of the cottage she lives in and heads to a bookstore in the village, unaware that the villagers are noting her peculiarity and how she doesn't fit in with the rest of them due to her love for books. At the bookstore, Belle returns a book she has borrowed and takes the one she perceives as her favorite. While heading back home to the cottage, she is pursued by a conceited, arrogant, muscle-headed hunter named Gaston, who eventually stands in her way. Gaston takes the book from belle, drops it into a mud puddle, and tells Belle to get herself out of reading and pay more attention to "more important things" like him. Just then, an explosion comes out from the basement of her cottage, prompting Belle to run back home.

Descending into the basement and coughing her way in, Belle finds her father, Maurice, who is about to give up on his latest companion that he has built. Belle faithfully tells her father how she has believed he will get the machine working, win first prize at the fair, and become a world-famous inventor. Inspired by his daughter's beliefs, Maurice reworks on the machine, and once he thinks he has done fixing it, he gives it a test run. To both Belle and her father's surprise, the test run goes successfully. Belle waves goodbye to her father and wishes him luck as Maurice, riding on their Philippe, goes off to the fair with the invention.

The following day, Belle hears a knock on a door. She uses the periscope, only to find that Gaston was at the porch, much to her dismay, but nevertheless lets him in. Gaston reveals to Belle cornered at the door and is about to plant a kiss on her, Belle turns the doorknob, and Gaston accidentally pushes the door open and falls into a mud puddle outside. After a furious and humiliated Gaston leaves, Belle runs outside, shocked in disbelief at how Gaston has asked her to marry him. Not wanting to be the wife of that boorish, blunderous, brainless man, she runs off into an open, fields where Phillipe finds her. Seeing the horse without her father, Belle pleads the horse to take her to where her father is.

Belle rides to a mysterious castle on Phillipe in possibility of finding her father. She finds her father locked away in a dungeon, and begs the dungeon master to free him, offering him her own freedom in exchange for her father's. On the condition that she stay with him forever, the dungeon master, a hideous beast, frees Maurice from the dungeon, however he is deeply moved by her beauty and affection towards her father, and can't help but feel touched by her boldness and bravery.

Belle is originally hesitant and suspicious to interact with the Beast, but he saves her from a pack of wolves and develops a more civilized manner, aided by enchanted furnishings, a bond is formed. The Beast gives Belle his enormous library and Belle helps him to act more like a gentleman. The Beast falls deeply in love with her but fears that she will ever love him in return. Belle is soon granted right to leave on behalf of her sickly father, who tries to rescue her. But after denying Gaston her hand in marriage again, a mob of villagers, led by Gaston, plot against the Beast. After a grueling tussle between Gaston and Beast, the Beast is fatally stabbed. Gaston falls to his death when he loses his balance; Belle is able to lay the Beast on balcony, and he dies in her arms. Belle sobs over the Beast's dead body and confesses her love for him just as the last petal falls from from the enchanted rose. Belle's love for the Beast revives him and releases him from the curse, and he along with his furnishings return to human beings. Belle and the Prince then dance in the ballroom with her father and his servants watching the couple happily.

Sofia the First
Belle made a guest appearance in the episode "The Amulet and the Anthem".

She teaches Sofia that actions speak louder than words when apologizing about her bragging didn't break her croaking curse by singing "Make It Right".

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
A midquel taking place during the winter segment of Beauty and the Beast, thus is the story of Belle's attempt to bring back to the castle the one ceremony Beast hates most: Christmas. It has not been well received because it ignores the movie's continuity, and that at the point the movie is supposed to take place. Belle still considered herself a prisoner in the castle, and was not truly friends with the Beast at that point, through she has begun to accept him.

A pipe organ called Forte is determined to do anything necessary to keep the spell from breaking, because he thinks that if the curse is broken, then the Beast won't need his depressing music anymore. Thus, he proves to be a real obstacle for Belle's plan.

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

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

Belle is then thrown into the dungeon to rot, but Beast then finds a book that Belle has written for him earlier in the West Wing, and decides to set Belle free and they both continue to prepare for Christmas. But Forte doesn't give up there, even going as far as to attempt to ring the whole castle down with Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in order to prevent the spell from ending, as it can't if everyone is dead. Fortunately, Beast stops him in time by crashing his keyboard to pieces.

The viewers are soon taken back the actual Christmas taking place, and Belle is presented with a gift from her husband: a rose.

Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World
In this movie, Belle is the only human character. She meets her new three enchanted object friends Webster, Crane, and LePlume and is about to solve problems in all four segments.

In the first story, a love triangle ensues, when the Beast's dictionary servant, Webster gives synonyms to Belle's insults, until an apology letter is written. When he realized it was a forgery, the "betrayed" Beast was afraid that his plan to love Belle and become human would be ruined by Webster, so he banished the servant and his friends from the castle, until Belle allows them back in, assuring them that he "has a good heart."

In the second story, it is Lumière's anniversary with Fifi yet he does not know the proper way to confess how he truly feels. Belle assists him by taking the role as Fifi and practicing what he's going to do for their date. Fifi sees the two and believes Lumière is leaving her for Belle. Eventually all is straightened out.

In the fourth story, Belle finds a wounded bird and takes it in. She spends most of her time hiding it from Beast originally until he grows to like. After a while another problem brews as the bird is healthy once more, but Beast wants to keep it for it's singing. Belle convinces him to let it free. In the end, they become closer and closer showing signs of feelings for each other.

Trivia

 * The name 'Belle' means 'Beauty' or 'Beautiful' in French.
 * Belle's mannerisms and beautiful appearance were inspired by Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, and Katharine Hepburn.
 * Belle made a cameo as a background character from the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
 * In an early draft of the film, Belle had a younger sister named Clarice as well as a snobbish aunt named Marguerite (who would have moved in with Belle, Clarice and Maurice to help them out after Maurice's fortune was lost at sea. She also wished for Belle to marry Gaston so her family could have a better life).
 * Emma Roberts, Kristen Stewart, Amanda Seyfried, Lily Collins, and Emmy Rossum were considered for the role of Belle, before Emma Watson was cast.
 * Belle's eyes were originally going to be gray, but in the final cut, they were hazel. Belle is currently the only official Disney Princess to have hazel eyes.
 * In the comic adaptation of the film, Belle wears her pinny more often and her ponytail like Gaston's stays intact even though it is raining.