Together with my friends Racquel & Sharon, we're hosting a week-long celebration for Beauty and the Beast, fittingly titled A Tale As Old As Time because we love it so! We'll be talking books and movies inspired by the original fairytale, which should be lots of fun. Hope you'll stick around to check out our posts!
Beauty and the Beast has always been one of my favorite Disney films, and fairy tales. There's just something tremendously compelling about the story -- a prince caught in an enchantment, a beautiful girl who sees his true self, and the transformational romance that blossoms between them. It's truly one of the most wonderful love stories I know.
I'll admit that most of the reason I'm partial to this story is because of how Belle is portrayed by Disney. She's a bookworm, who longs for adventure and places unknown. She's also kind and loyal and sweet, and I identify with her so much.
Anyway, in order to kick things off, I'm going to share one of my favorite Disney moments of all time which just so happens to be from the Beauty and the Beast film. It's a song that perfectly describes what it means when you start to recognize a budding kinship that might eventually lead to something more, which is why I adore it. Enjoy (and feel free to sing along)!
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One of the first Disney Princess films I ever remember watching was Beauty and the Beast. It immediately became one of my favorite movies! I was utterly fascinated with this wonderful fairytale, besotted with Belle and quickly picked up the lyrics of most of the songs on the soundtrack. I even dressed up as Belle for one Halloween, which was definitely one of my favorite costumes of all time.
In honor of this week's Beauty and the Beast Celebration (co-hosted by Racquel and Sharon), I wanted to highlight the top three reasons that I enjoy the Disney film so much!
1. The soundtrack rocks (pun intended). Seriously, I'm in love with this soundtrack! I've pretty much had most of it memorized since I was little. The lyrics are clever, the tunes are catchy and the message in some of the songs (two in particular - Something There and Belle Reprise) is wonderful.
2. The characters are incredibly memorable. Who could forget Chip's adorable question about the burgeoning relationship between Beast and Belle? Or Cogsworth's serious tour of the castle? Or Lumiere's chasing one of the feather dusters? Not to mention Belle's devoted father and her ill-suited suitor Gaston? Seriously, this cast is unforgettable, whether they're on the side of good or evil.
3. Belle is basically me in Disney Princess form. Nose stuck in a book? A beauty but a funny girl? Wants adventure in the great wide somewhere? Yep, those few qualities are definitely big parts of who I am! I love that Belle is courageous, kind and loyal too.
Basically, I just wanted an opportunity to watch the film again for the umpteenth time because Beauty and the Beast is just that wonderful. If you've never seen it, I hope you're convinced by my three reasons to give it a watch!
YOUR TURN -- Are there any fellow Beauty and the Beast fans out there? Give me a shout out in the comments!
Update: We're hosting a giveaway! You can win a copy of Wicked Designs by Lauren Smith, which is a fantastic historical romance (and here's my review!). Enter to win below!
Basically, I just wanted an opportunity to watch the film again for the umpteenth time because Beauty and the Beast is just that wonderful. If you've never seen it, I hope you're convinced by my three reasons to give it a watch!
YOUR TURN -- Are there any fellow Beauty and the Beast fans out there? Give me a shout out in the comments!
Update: We're hosting a giveaway! You can win a copy of Wicked Designs by Lauren Smith, which is a fantastic historical romance (and here's my review!). Enter to win below!
Beauty and the Beast holds a special place in my heart for countless memories of when I was little. It was the first Disney movie I can remember seeing in the movie theater. My mother told me I was Belle (but I thought she just said that because we both had brown hair, haha). That Christmas Santa brought me Belle and Beast Barbie dolls. I was in heaven. A few years down the road, I went to Disney World for the first time and got to see the characters themselves. I remember feeling so giddy. Lots of lovely memories wrapped up in this Disney film.
ReplyDeleteBeauty and the Beast is my all-time favorite Disney movie! My kids don't even appreciate it as much as I do. I get all teary eyed whenever I watch it. It's such a beautiful story, and they did a great job on the movie.
ReplyDeleteI don't think words can adequately describe how excited I am about this collaboration between you and The Book Barbies, Alexa! Beauty and the Beast was always one of my favourite Disney films when I was growing up, predominantly because Belle was the princess I was most able to relate to and identify with. I mean, a fully-stocked personal library? Best gift ever. I also really enjoy the 'beauty and the beast' trope in general, and particularly like it when it comes to the historical romance genre. In fact, given how much I know you enjoy the historical romance genre too, I would highly recommend Tesaa Dare's Romancing The Duke. I just finished reading it the other day and I absolutely adored it. It follows a similar pattern and it was so much fun :)
ReplyDeleteAlso re: The soundtrack. YES! It's definitely one of my favourite Disney soundtracks of all time. I made it my mission in life to memorize the lyrics of 'Gaston' and I love so many of the other songs too, particularly 'Belle', 'Be Our Guest' and 'Beauty and the Beast'. There are SO many iconic songs in that film.
I am so excited that you're celebrating Beauty and the Beast! This is my favorite Disney movie/princess! I definitely relate to Belle like you. I remember meeting 'Belle' and her saying that I was her twin! The soundtrack is wonderful- did you ever see the anniversary edition they did with the song Human Again that was cut from the movie but they had it in the anniversary edition? I love the song Belle, because I definitely relate to her there. Once I'm reading, I'm in the book's world, and I'm sure it's strange to everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see what other posts you and The Book Barbies have for this series, and thank you so much for celebrating one of my favorites!
Violet
Beauty and the Beast (and Belle!) has been my favourite since I was a little girl! I loved that she was a reader because I felt like she was my princess because I loved to read too! I got to go the the musical of Beauty and the Beast with one of my best friends and I just loved it so much- I may have even shed a few tears!
ReplyDeleteAlso I can pretty much sing the entire soundtrack and its one of the only Disney movies where I love ALL of the songs!
Beauty and the Beast fan, right here!!! It's my favorite Disney movie, too, although growing up I actually loved The Little Mermaid more (I just loved the song Part of Your World (reprise). But now, as an adult, BatB is my favorite. I identify with Bella, a lot too, about the bookworm thing. And although I've become a bit of a homebody, sometimes I do want adventure. But I also identify with Belle because she feels so different from everyone in her town. I think so many of us feel that way
ReplyDeleteAnd "Something There" is my favorite song from BatB. I think we talked about that on Twitter. Have you seen the Broadway musical? Or listened to the Soundtrack? I do like the animated movie the best, but I love the song "If I Can't Love Her" from the Soundtrack. What do you think of it?
YES, I AM A HUGE FAN! I recently wrote a post about 'My love for Disney' and this one was number 1 in my top 3 favorite Disney movies :D My avatar is not without a reason Belle and my design is inspired by it too. It has the best songs, the most beautiful library, a growing romance and an awesome main character. I've seen the movie countless of times. My old tape is completely worn and I even re-watch the movie a couple of times each year on DVD.
ReplyDeleteI love Beauty and the Beast too! Belle was definitely the character I most identified with and the songs are timeless. I think my favorite moment in the film is during this song when the Belle and the Beast are throwing snowballs together. It's so adorable! Great post, looking forward to more of this feature!
ReplyDeleteI love Beauty and the Beast, too, but I gotta admit I only watched the actual movie in the past decade or so. I wasn't a big fairy tale watching as a kid *gasp* I know it surprises all bloggers lol. I do like that she's a bookworm, and dude he gives her a library! Yes please! Now you give me the urge to watch it again especially to recall the soundtrack! I love the soundtrack of almost all Disney movies, though!
ReplyDeleteI love Beauty and the Beast. I'm so glad you are hosting this event. I think Belle is one of the more complex Disney princesses in the fact that she speaks her mind. The music and everything about the movie is amazing, but not judging a book by its cover is the most important lesson.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I came across your project! I love re-tellings, especially Beauty and the Beast. I even used them as part of my thesis in college... I'm so glad I get to share enthusiasm with other people!
ReplyDeleteThe soundtrack is awesome :)
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