Villagers

The Villagers are supporting and background characters in Beauty and the Beast. They are all well meaning but towards the end of the film become antagonistic when they fear Beast will attack their village. Despite this, as well as giving full knowing and genuine support of Gaston falsely incarcerating Maurice into an asylum as a dangerous madman as blackmail to ensure Belle married him, they are not villains.

Beauty and the Beast
The Villagers first appear in the movie during the song "Belle" to which they sing about how their life is always the same and how they're all the same and how Belle is so different from them because she likes to read books to which they call Belle a beautiful yet odd girl. Later on when Gaston the Hunter decides to propose to Belle he has the Villagers all stand outside Belle's cottage to host a wedding that will take place after Belle accepts his proposal. However Belle turns Gaston's proposal down and has him thrown out the door and into a muddy pond nearby. In the French dub of the movie, they laugh at him when he falls into the pond. Later on the Villagers gather at the tavern to cheer Gaston up for being turned down by Belle. They manage to cheer Gaston up by singing the song "Gaston" and tell how Gaston is everyone's favorite guy and that there's no one in the village who can do things as good as he can. Then Belle's father Maurice comes into the tavern asking the Villagers to help him rescue Belle from a Beast in a castle but the Villagers laugh at Maurice and throw him out of the tavern calling him crazy to which gives Gaston a plan to make Belle his wife to which is have Maurice locked in the asylum unless Belle agrees to marry Gaston, to which the Villagers gave their full support.

Later on in the film when Belle and Maurice return home Gaston shows up with the Villagers and Monsieur D'Arque the owner of the asylum and has Maurice taken away and tells Belle that if she promises to marry him everything will be cleared up but Belle turns down Gaston's proposal for the final time and manages to show the Villagers that her father isn't crazy by using the Magic Mirror which shows the Beast. Gaston realizing that Belle has feelings for the Beast convinces the Villagers that the Beast is a monster that will abduct their children if they don't kill him to which the Villagers agree to and lock Belle and Maurice in their cellar so they can't warn the Beast. With Gaston leading the way on his horse the Villagers follow him into the woods to the Beast's Castle. Along the way they chop down a tree to use to burst into the doors. Unknown to the villagers Cogsworth, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts see them entering the castle gates and warn the other objects to be prepared for battle against the Villagers. Once the Villagers break into the castle they notice that everything is quiet but when LeFou grabs Lumiere all the objects come to life throwing stuff at the Villagers but Gaston manages to escape up the stairs.

LeFou and the rest of the Villagers chase Sultan the stool dog but as they corner him the Stove comes to life which scares LeFou and the villagers away out of the castle and the objects celebrate their victory.

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
Several of the Villagers arrive at the Prince's castle for a Christmas banquet. The fact that they were allowed in the castle indicated that at least some of the villagers were pardoned for the crime of nearly killing their prince which was set by Gaston.

House of Mouse
The villagers made a guest spot on House of Mouse in the episode "Everybody Loves Mickey", as the Angry Villager People (a parody of "the Village People," a disco band from the 1970s).

Disney Parks
Unfortunately, the villagers make no meetable appearances in the Disney Parks, but can only be seen in the Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In the Belle's Village area of New Fantasyland, they can be mentioned by their town's hero, however, but you'd still be confused as to where they are.

Trivia

 * The presence of a priest with a clerical collar and red robes during Gaston's failed wedding proposal, as well as their briefly saying "Praise the Lord" and "say a prayer" during The Mob Song, implies that the majority of the villagers hold to the Roman Catholic religion (which was also both the primary and sole Christian sect in France during the late 1700s due to the Huguenots being forced out of France a century earlier, although the Alsace region does hold some protestant sects due to it having some German influence). It should be noted, however, that Catholic doctrine forbids holding weddings in areas outside of a Church (this may have been inferred in the film, as the scene where Gaston reveals himself to the guests shows the priest to not be looking too happy about being present).