Beauty and the Beast is one of the classic Disney Princess movies that little girls are expected to love. Although it wasn’t released until the 1990s, Belle is an integral part of the princess line of the franchise. In the movie, Belle’s father, Maurice, is shown as a wreck of a man who cannot even take care of himself. This is a stark contrast to Disney’s usual controlling, protective, quick-tempered father figures, but problematic nonetheless.
Maurice and his horse are first to encounter the Beast while on their way to show off Maurice’s invention. The Beast then captures him, with Maurice being of no help to himself. Belle finds out about this imprisonment and ultimately saves her father by sacrificing herself. This does show a woman saving a man, something that is an oddity for Disney, and even teaches selflessness in the actions of Belle giving up herself to be a prisoner instead of her old and weakened father. However, the fact that Maurice is dependent on his daughter and unable to self sufficient portrays men in a negative light. This type of father figure, ho seems to be dumb and preoccupied gives off the vibe that men are incompetent parents. Belle thankfully turns out to be a fine young woman but it is almost despite the actions of her father.
Maurice’s incompetence as a father shows all children that men cannot be good fathers. Though breaking their usual model father, Disney, instead of showing a loving give and take relationship between a father and a daughter shows a daughter taking on the role of parent. For women this perpetuates the stereotypical “need’ for women to mother, while for men it says that they cannot be good, responsible, reliable fathers. The cycle of male and female roles will only be continued if this is an acceptable family dynamic.
Disney Dads 