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.
What was the inspiration for Beauty and the Beast France?
Château de Chambord was the inspiration behind Prince Adam's/ Beast's enchanted castle in the film Beauty and the Beast. It's no surprise as for the reason; the spectacular building, commissioned in 1519 by Francis I, blends the best of French Renaissance and Medieval structures.
Is Eguisheim the inspiration for Beauty and the Beast?
Eguisheim is in France's Alsace wine region, just 15 minutes by car from Colmar (you might remember us posting about this as being Europe's most beautiful Christmas market), and only 20 minutes from Riquewihr. All three of these towns are said to be part of the inspiration for Beauty and the Beast.
Near the beginning of Beauty and the Beast, Gaston says he doesn't know what "Je ne sais quoi" means. Besides highlighting his dim wit, this is humorous because the literal translation is "I don't know what" and, of course, Gaston is French.
This French town looks exactly like the village from ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Did Beauty and the Beast originate in France?
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. She claimed that a chambermaid told it to a young lady, while on board a ship to America.
Gévaudan gained notoriety in the 18th century as the roaming ground of a mysterious Beast of Gévaudan (Bête du Gévaudan), which inspired much popular literature and contemporary excitement.
What village does Belle from Beauty and the Beast live in?
FANS of Beauty And The Beast will never be able to enjoy Belle's library in the castle or dance with a candlestick, but they CAN prance through the heroine's home village of Villeneuve.
The closest place in real life to the fictional town of Villeneuve is the village of Conques in the Aveyron in southern France. This Occitan village features many narrow medieval streets and plenty of Romanesque-style architecture.
Is Colmar the inspiration for Beauty and the Beast?
Colmar was apparently the inspiration for the village in the Disney film Beauty and the Beast. While Walking through its streets is like seeing childhood fairy stories come to life.
Beynac-et-Cazenac, Dordogne. Dordogne's quaint charm and cobbled streets may as well be Belle's fictional hometown. Wander the streets, browse the local shops and even peep inside the chateau that sits atop the village like a true Disney princess would.
Although Alsace is part of France, its borders have not always been clear. The region has been passed between French and German control several times since 1681, when Strasbourg was conquered by French forces. As a result, Alsatian culture is a unique mix of French and German influences.
Major Hollywood icon Walt Disney had close ties with Europe, particularly France, where his family originated from. 100 years after the creation of The Walt Disney Company, these ties are as strong as ever, and can be seen in both the films and the Disney parks, beginning with Disneyland Paris.
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.
As the classic Disney song reminds us, “Beauty and the Beast” possesses a rich history and a powerful legacy of enchantment. While most of the versions we see and hear today are retellings of the iconic eighteenth-century French tale by Madame Beaumont, the roots of the tale go back thousands of years.
Is Beauty and the Beast set during the French Revolution?
The time period adds up to approximately 1740. This means that not only will Belle and the Beast have decades of years together before the French Revolution, they are both so physically isolated and so far down the list of royals, there's good chance they and their family will be spared from the Reign of Terror.
FANS of Beauty And The Beast will never be able to enjoy Belle's library in the castle or dance with a candlestick, but they CAN prance through the heroine's home village of Villeneuve. It turns out that charming provincial village in the movie where she grows up is a real town in France.
Disney fans are in for a real treat, as you can now visit the breathtaking castle which inspired Beauty and the Beast, in France. Set in the beautiful French countryside, Chateau de Chambord will exceed your expectations, no matter how great.
Villeneuve (French pronunciation: [vilnœv]; Occitan: Vilanòva) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. Villeneuve is located in Durance valley.
'Admont' means "at the mountains", referring to the gorgeous surroundings. But it's not the Alpine scenery which has visitors agasp here. So dazzling are the monastery's 13-metre-high Baroque-style shelves, it's said to have been the inspiration behind the castle library in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
The one thing we know for sure: this is France, where the original story was written and which has always formed the background for the tale. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont penned the original fairy tale in the 1750s, which the filmmakers took as the basic cue for the costumes…and technology level.
The savage 'Beast of Gévaudan' rampaged across the French countryside between 1764 and 1767 and killed as many as a hundred people. The true nature of the attacks and the creature itself remains a mystery. In this 18th-century engraving, royal huntsman François Antoine kills the wolf believed to be the beast in 1765.
During the terrible conflict of the Battle of Verdun, nine villages were totally razed from the map: Beaumont-en-Verdunois, Bezonvaux, Cumières-le-Mort-Homme, Douaumont, Fleury-devant-Douaumont, Haumont-près-Samogneux, Louvemont-Côte-du-Poivre, Ornes and Vaux-devant-Damloup.
The Beast of Gévaudan (French: La Bête du Gévaudan, IPA: [la bɛt dy ʒevodɑ̃]; Occitan: La Bèstia de Gavaudan) is the historic name associated with a man-eating animal or animals that terrorised the former province of Gévaudan (consisting of the modern-day department of Lozère and part of Haute-Loire), in the Margeride ...
What is the origin of the beast in Beauty and the Beast?
Cursed by an enchantress because he has no love within his heart, a prince is transformed into a terrible beast. The fearful spell can only be broken when he truly learns to love - and can earn the love of another. But who can love a beast? All seems hopeless until fate brings Belle into his world.
