3. The Beauty and the Beast, the village – Alsace. With names like Belle, Le Fou, Gaston and Lumière, it's no secret that the Beauty and the Beast takes place in France.
And France's Rococo interiors and romantic châteaux have inspired many a Disney set. So when it came to creating the 1991 animated version of Beauty and the Beast, the producers could think of no better setting for Belle's home than Alsace.
The massive movie set of the fictional provincial town of Villeneuve (named after the author of the original fairy tale, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve) was inspired by the town of Conques in southern France and measured 28,787 square feet (2,670 m2).
However, as opposed to an undated alternate fairy tale universe, the story is set in a specific time and place: mid-18th century France, the village Villeneuve named after the author of the original tale La Belle et la Bête [1740]. Keying off of that, every detail and line is embraced and enhanced.
3. The Beauty and the Beast, the village – Alsace. With names like Belle, Le Fou, Gaston and Lumière, it's no secret that the Beauty and the Beast takes place in France.
The Real-Life Couple That Inspired Beauty and the Beast
What era did Beauty and the Beast take place?
However, Belle's yellow dress certainly has many more differences. After looking at French gown fashions from the 1800s (the film took place between 1790-1880), I feel that the animated dress is actually more historically accurate overall, specifically being most similar to French dresses in 1860.
In the 2017 live-action film, the village was given the name Villeneuve, which is a reference to the original author of the fairy tale, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. The design of the village in the 2017 film is based on that of the French village of Conques.
Inspired by the real villages of Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé, two neighboring towns in France's Alsace region, Belle's hometown is practically a real-life destination where fans of the classic, animated Beauty and the Beast can walk a mile in Belle's dainty, size six ballet flats.
Like the song says, Beauty and the Beast is a 'tale as old as time'. A bookish girl, bored of her life in a French village, must save her father after he is held prisoner by a palace-bound Beast for breaking into his home.
The Eiffel Tower is seen during "Be Our Guest". It is displayed by Lumiere, the plates, and the silverware as an anachronistic way of illustrating the "After all, this is France" line.
Many Disney and Disney Pixar films also pay tribute to our architectural heritage, including Ratatouille, which is set in Paris, just like The Aristocats and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
It is located deep within a forest. The castle was inspired by the Chateau De Chambord in Loir-Et-Cher, France. An enchantress places a powerful spell on the castle as punishment for the prince's arrogance and cruelty, turning the castle into a dark and mysterious fortress, eliminating its original beauty.
Belle is the female protagonist of Disney's 1991 and 2017 film Beauty and the Beast. She is an intelligent and undeniably beautiful young woman whose traits are looked down upon in her small French village.
What is the real story behind Beauty and the Beast?
This is the story of Petrus Gonsalvus, of his family, as well as of those who, just like them, were turned into objects of wonder or entertainment by a discriminatory and exploitative ruling class. The Beast of this story is Pedro González, born in 1537 in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
The original printed version of Beauty and the Beast is credited to a French writer called Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. She included it in a 1740 story collection called The Young American or Tales of the Sea.
Alsace is a region in north-eastern France that borders Switzerland and Germany. In fact, it is so close to Germany that you can travel by tram from the regional capital Strasbourg, to Kehl, the nearest German city, in just 15 minutes. Although Alsace is part of France, its borders have not always been clear.
What village in France is like Beauty and the Beast?
Eguisheim is located in France's Alsace wine region. It's just 15 minutes by car from Colmar, and 20 minutes from Riquewihr. All three of these towns are said to be part of the inspiration for Beauty and the Beast.
Gaston (25-40): Gaston is the story's antagonist - a handsome, muscular, and extremely narcissistic hunter who is relentless in his pursuit of Belle. His self-centeredness is highlighted by his belief that Belle should naturally want to marry him.
Belle's last name isn't expressly given in the 2017 Beauty and the Beast movie. It's one of those interesting little details that Disney decided to leave to the imagination. In the original fairy tale, she's simply known as 'Belle,' which means 'beautiful' in French.
Through historical facts and timeline speculation, many fans agree that Gaston fought for France in the Seven Year's War (1756-1763). The events of the film take place twelve years after 'the war'.
We all know that Beauty & the Beast is set in France. From the bakeries to the books, there is a distinct French quality to both the 1991 and 2017 films. But did you know that there are several real-life places throughout Europe that are said to have inspired Beauty & the Beast that you can actually visit?
What is the moral of the story of the beauty and the beast?
The moral of Beauty and the Beast is that we should value inward characteristics such as kindness over other superficial qualities, such as wit and appearance. This moral is presented by showing that Beauty valued the inward characteristics of Beast, and fell in love with him despite his outward appearances.
