A Disney theory gives a twist to Beauty and the Beast by explaining Gaston wasn’t a villain, but a hero, but it might not be entirely convincing. Although Disney has been a powerhouse in animation for decades, it has gone through some rough times at different points. After a couple of critical and commercial failures, Disney went through what’s now known as the Disney Renaissance, the period between 1989 and 1999 when the studio produced critically and commercially successful movies again. Among them is Beauty and the Beast, released in 1991, and directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise.
Based on the 1756 fairy tale of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast tells the story of Belle (voiced by Paige O’Hara), a young woman who, in exchange for her father’s freedom and safety, is imprisoned in a castle by the Beast (Robby Benson), a prince transformed into a talking beast by an enchantress as punishment for his arrogance and selfishness. However, the villain in Beauty and the Beast was Gaston (Richard White), but a theory puts this into question by explaining he was actually a hero, though he still wouldn’t be able to earn that title.
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Beauty & the Beast Theory Claims Gaston Wasn’t A Bad Guy
Gaston Probably Had Good Intentions But The Wrong Approach
A Reddit user shared their perspective on Gaston and his actions in Beauty and the Beast, explaining that he wasn’t the bad guy and could actually be a hero. Gaston is a hunter living in the same town as Belle and who wants to marry her, despite her many rejections. Gaston is depicted as a handsome man whom all the women in town have a crush on… except Belle. Gaston is a direct contrast to the Beast: while he’s physically attractive and the Beast isn’t, Gaston has an unattractive personality, being sexist, selfish, narcissistic, and aggressive, while the Beast, with time, learns to soften and leave his ego behind.
At various points in Beauty and the Beast, Gaston shows that he doesn’t care about anyone except himself and his own benefit, which is why he can’t stand that Belle doesn’t want him back. At the end of Beauty and the Beast, he leads the townspeople to the Beast’s castle to kill him, but while fighting the Beast at the castle, Gaston loses his footing and falls to his death. Despite all this, a Reddit user explained Gaston isn’t entirely the bad guy in Beauty and the Beast, though first admitting that his attitude isn’t the best nor the most appealing.
The author of the theory explains that as soon as Gaston learns about the Beast, who imprisoned the girl “he’s always been in love with”, and who also had her father prisoner, he leads the villagers to the castle in order to save not only Belle but the whole town from the Beast – problem is, he doesn’t know that the Beast isn’t a bad man. Under the lens of the theory, Gaston has the right purpose and intentions, but his approach and way of doing things, along with his attitude, are not aligned.
Beauty & the Beast’s Live-Action Remake Debunks The Theory
The Live-Action Beauty & the Beast Remake Made Gaston A Lot Worse
Beauty and the Beast got a live-action remake treatment in 2017, and while it kept the same story as the animated version, it made many changes to it. Gaston was made into a much more ruthless and irredeemable villain, completely debunking the above theory as it can’t be said that he had other interests beyond himself. Among the worst things the live-action version of Gaston did was agree to help Maurice rescue Belle so he could win her hand in marriage, but when Maurice discovered his real motive, Gaston abandoned Belle’s father in the forest to be eaten by the wolves.
Like in the animated movie, Gaston then convinced the townspeople to send Maurice to a mental institution, and when realizing that Belle was in love with the Beast, he locked her and Maurice in the asylum carriage. There was not one moment in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast where Gaston didn’t think of himself and what would benefit him, so the theory can’t be applied to all versions of the story and character.
Why This Theory Isn’t Enough To Redeem Gaston
Gaston Still Can’t Be Considered A Disney Hero
Even when giving Gaston the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his possible interest in saving the town from the Beast, there’s a lot more against him that makes the “hero/good guy” theory hard to believe. Gaston bribed the warden of the town’s mental institution to declare Maurice insane and lock him up, which he would use to blackmail Belle into marrying him in exchange for her father’s release. Gaston doesn’t go after the Beast out of concern for the town’s safety, but because Belle had fallen in love with the Beast, and Gaston wasn’t going to tolerate that.
That, of course, is without mentioning how sexist Gaston was, how he tried to force Belle into being with him multiple times, how he disrespected her, Maurice, and other people around town, and how badly he treated LeFou, his sidekick who looked up to him. While the theory can give another perspective on some of Gaston’s actions in Beauty and the Beast, it’s not enough to make him a “good guy”, let alone a hero.
Source: Reddit.
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
G- Director
-
Gary Trousdale
, Kirk Wise - Release Date
-
November 21, 1991
- Cast
-
Paige O’Hara
, Robby Benson
, Angela Lansbury
, Jerry Orbach
, David Ogden Stiers
, Bradley Pierce
, Jesse Corti
, Richard White - Runtime
-
84 Minutes
Beauty and the Beast
PGThis live-action remake of a classic Disney fairy tale tells the love story of two outcasts. When Belle agrees to live in a monstrous prince’s enchanted castle in exchange for her father’s release, she is at first wary of the Beast, but romance blooms between them.
- Director
-
Bill Condon
- Release Date
-
March 17, 2017
- Cast
-
Emma Watson
, Ian McKellen
, Gugu Mbatha-Raw
, Dan Stevens
, Emma Thompson
, Stanley Tucci
, Ewan McGregor
, Kevin Kline
, Luke Evans
, Josh Gad - Runtime
-
129 minutes
