Belle

"Some people use their imagination."

- Belle

Princess Belle ("Belle" meaning "beautiful" in French) is the female protagonist of Disney's 1991 film Beauty and the Beast and the protagonist of its 1997-98 direct-to-video saga midquels the Enchanted Christmas and Belle's Magical World.

In all of the above media, her speaking and singing voices are provided by Broadway icon, Paige O'Hara, with the exception of House of Mouse, where she is voiced by Jodi Benson. In 2011, Julie Nathanson assumed the role as Belle's official voice actress, beginning with Kinect Disneyland Adventures.

A stage version of the 1991 film debuted on Broadway on April 14, 1994 with the 'live' role of Belle originated by Susan Egan (who would later go on to voice Megara in Hercules), and finalized by Anneliese van der Pol.

Belle is the 5th official Disney Princess.

Physical Appearance
Belle is an attractive young woman; however, she is modestly beautiful because she doesn't give much thought to her own appearance. Although she is known throughout her village for her beauty, she isn't vain or concerned about her looks, but ironically greatly aware that her fellow citizens think of her as "odd" and "peculiar". Belle pays very little attention to her appearance, unlike the very much conceited Gaston, whom only wishes to wed her because she is attractive. He cares very little for her personality, her intelligence (he hates the very idea of a woman thinking or reading) or the way she wants to live her life.

Belle has long brunette hair, most often tied back in a low ponytail, and possesses captivating hazel eyes, full lips, rosy cheeks, and a sculpted figure. One of her more distinct features are the strands of hair that are constantly slipping loose from her ponytail and falling in front of her face, she is often seen brushing them back into place when nervous or trying to be polite.

Throughout the film, Belle wears various outfits depending on the occasion. Her most elaborate and renowned is her golden ball gown, in which she shares her first dance with the Beast in the "Beauty and the Beast" sequence. With this outfit, she wears some of her hair in a neat bun, but the majority of it trails down her neck in a beautiful, flowing motion, resembling a ponytail.

The storywriters and producers of Beauty and the Beast wanted to give Belle's movements an air of elegance, so they studied the movements of ballerinas during the course of Belle's development. Like ballerinas, Belle walks diligently and swiftly on her toes no matter what types of shoes she is wearing, or where she is located. The designers and artists wanted Belle to be more noticeable in a crowd, so they payed extra close attention to her wardrobe, making sure that Belle would be the only member of the town to wear blue, whilst the other townsfolk sported more rustic and earthy colors, such as red, green, orange and brown.

It is made quite obvious in the early chapters of the film that Belle has a beautiful singing voice, courtesy of Broadway actress and singer Paige O'Hara.

Personality
Belle has gained a significant amount of intelligence over the years due to her love of books, providing her with a wide vocabulary, active imagination and open mind. She is very confident and outspoken in her opinions, and seldom likes being told what to do. Unlike most characters in the film, Belle isn't concerned about hers or other's appearances, and is able to look past how people appear and into their hearts. This is how Belle managed to break the Beast's enchantment, and restore love and laughter to the castle.

Belle is somewhat a women's-libber for her time, and refuses to be mistreated, undermined, demeaned or controlled by any man, especially and specifically Gaston (in fact, he makes it quite clear that his ideal marriage with Belle includes her having "six or seven" good-looking sons with him, massaging his feet, cooking his dinner, scrubbing the floors, and above all, no reading as he considers intelligence in women to be ridiculous; this is taken one step further in his song in the musical, in which he sings that womankind "occasionally" serves a purpose in marriage, specifically "extending the family tree"). However, Belle willingly listens to her father, Maurice, and considers the opinions and directions of the Beast, because they are both able to treat her as an equal (the Beast eventually learned how throughout the course of the film), while Gaston views Belle and all women of the village as property. She is quite obstinate when it comes to stating her points, upholding her opinions, and maintaining her ideas. Ironically, although she decries Gaston's conceit, she also proved herself to be slightly conceited and condescending in her opening song, where she decried her village as the "provincial life," as well as briefly rolling her eyes when the baker had to interrupt his conversation with Belle to get his coworker Marie to finish up the baquettes. In addition, she briefly referred to the village as being full of "little people" in the same song. Even though Belle had said in the film that she dream in adventure, she has also stated that she also wishes for a friend who accepts her for who she is, because of everyone in town criticize her because of how she does her own thing and they don't understand why. Which makes her feel that she does fit in but despite this even when people gave her a hard time she never changed, but came to a better understanding of herself; which made the biggest difference by her breaking the spell and charming the Beast just by being herself.

Belle's personality transforms throughout the film. At first, she frequently dreams about a life of adventure and romance, not realizing that sometimes adventures might take a turn for the worst. As Belle begins to spend more time with the Beast, and their relationship blossoms into a strong friendship, she begins to fall in love with him without realizing it. As she matures during the course of her imprisonment, her love for the Beast breaks the enchantment. Belle realizes that having dreams is great, but sometimes you need to look beyond them and find what you're truly looking for.

Official Description
"Far-off places, daring sword fights, a prince in disguise, Belle longs for so much more than a "normal life" in this small, provincial town - a town where girls don't aspire to more than marrying well. Still, adventure is the last thing on her mind when she rides her horse, Phillippe, into the forest to find her beloved father, who is missing. Thinking only of her father, she makes a bargain with a Beast who holds her father captive in his castle. Though the Beast now holds the key to Belle's prison, he doesn't have the key to her heart, and her yearning spirit won't be kept prisoner. But after he risks his own life to save hers, she begins to see past his appearance. She realizes that deep inside him there might be something more than she - or he - has ever dreamed."

- Official Diamond Editon Website

Abilities
Most of Belle's abilities are based on knowledge and intelligence, instead of physical strength.

One of Belle's more obvious abilities is her use of vocabulary. Possibly due to her love of books and constant reading, Belle is able to call out many words off the top of her head and use them in the correct context in order to prove a point or state a fact, such as "primeval" and "provincial".

Belle is quite witty, and is able to use this trait to her advantage. When in an argument with the Beast, Belle was able to hold her ground and challenge each of the Beast's points with a cunning comeback, such as "If you hadn't frightened me I wouldn't have run away", or "You should learn to control your temper." Each of these facts left the Beast stunned and at a loss for words. Belle managed to think of these comebacks without much thought or hesitation. When Lumière and Cogsworth were attempting to lead Belle's curiosity away from the West Wing, she challenged them by saying the West Wing wouldn't be forbidden if the Beast wasn't hiding something in it, also briefly stunning them. Belle's logic may also have helped her save Maurice by realizing that something was going on in the castle that she wanted to find out. Soon, in the West Wing, she is able to discover the true identity of the Beast, though she briefly forgets it in the end.

Belle has a strong sense of character, and is able to use this trait in a variety of ways, even to her own advantage. On Belle's first night in the castle, following the "Be Our Guest" sequence, she develops an urge to explore the castle, and asks for a guide. Observing Cogsworth's "authoritative" personality, she immediately knows that Cogsworth would be the best candidate. At first, Cogsworth is quite reluctant of the idea, but when Belle says she's sure he knows everything about the castle, he agrees.

Although Belle is quite ignorant of her own beauty, she does somewhat manage to use her feminine charm to her advantage. When Gaston proposed to Belle, she pretended to be clueless and at a loss for words, however, she was secretly leading Gaston toward the door, and when cornered against it, opened it and sent him flying into a mud pond.

Although Belle displays few athletic abilities, she is able to ride a horse at quite stunning speeds with ease and skill, and subconsciously navigate her way through a crowded street while reading, without colliding with any other people or objects (although having several near-misses), at one point even deflecting water that was about to pour on top of her while she was reading without once looking up. She also has enough strength to not only break free of Xaldin's hold, but also stun him with an elbow to the gut. She also may have had enough strength to lift the Beast, as evidenced by the Beast being placed onto Phillipe (although how she was able to put him on Phillipe's back was never shown on-screen). Later on, she was able to pull the Beast up on to a balcony.

Beauty and the Beast
Belle is a young woman living in a small unnamed village in France. She first appears at the beginning of the film (after the prologue) as she emerges out of the cottage she lives in and heads to a bookstore in the village, unaware that the villagers are noting her peculiarity and how she doesn't fit in with the rest of them due to her love of books. At the bookstore, Belle returns a book she has borrowed and takes the one she perceives as her favorite. While heading back home to the cottage, she is pursued by a conceited, arrogant, muscle-headed hunter named Gaston, who eventually stands in her way. Gaston takes the book from Belle, drops it into a mud puddle, and tells Belle to get herself out of reading and pay more attention to "more important things" like him. Just then, an explosion comes out from the basement of her cottage, prompting Belle to run back home.

Descending into the basement and coughing her way in, Belle finds her father, Maurice, who is about to give up on his latest contraption that he has built. Belle faithfully tells her father how she has believed he will get the machine working, win first prize at the fair, and become a world-famous inventor. Inspired by his daughter's beliefs, Maurice reworks on the machine, and once he thinks he has done fixing it, he gives it a test run. To both Belle and her father's surprise, the test run goes successfully. Belle waves goodbye to her father and wishes him luck as Maurice, riding on their horse Phillipe, goes off to the fair with the invention.

The following day, Belle hears a knock on a door. She uses the periscope, only to find that Gaston was at the porch, much to her dismay, but nevertheless lets him in. Gaston reveals to Belle that he wants to make her his little wife and the mother of seven handsome little boys; Belle is disgusted by this idea and slips away from Gaston, who continues to approach her. As Gaston has Belle cornered at the door and is about to plant a kiss on her, Belle opens the door, causing Gaston to fall into a large mud pond outside. After a furious and humiliated Gaston leaves the cottage, Belle goes outside to feed the chickens, shocked in disbelief at how Gaston has asked her to marry him. Not wanting to be the wife of that boorish, brainless man, she runs off into an open field, where Phillipe finds her. Seeing the horse without her father, Belle pleads the horse to take her to where her father is.

Belle rides to a mysterious castle on Phillipe in possibility of finding her father. She finds her father locked away in a dungeon, and begs the dungeon master to free him, offering her own freedom in exchange for her father's. On the condition that she stay with him forever, the dungeon master, a hideous beast, frees Maurice from the dungeon, however he is deeply moved by her beauty and affection towards her father, and can't help but feel touched by her boldness and bravery.

Belle is originally hesitant to interact with the Beast, but after he saves her from a pack of wolves and develops a more civilized manner, aided by enchanted furnishings, a bond is formed. The Beast gives Belle his enormous library and Belle helps him to act more like a gentleman. The Beast falls deeply in love with her, but fears that she will never love him in return. Belle is soon granted right to leave on behalf of her sickly father, who tries to rescue her. But after denying Gaston her hand in marriage again, a mob of villagers, led by Gaston, plots against the Beast. After a grueling tussle between Gaston and Beast, the Beast is fatally stabbed. Gaston falls to his death when he loses his balance. Belle is able to lay the Beast on a balcony, and he dies in her arms. Belle sobs over the Beast's dead body and confesses her love for him just as the last petal falls from the enchanted rose. As Belle continues to sob over losing her love, the Beast's body begin to float in the air and is enshrouded in a fog. Belle watches mysteriously as the Beast's fore-paws, hind-paws, and furry head respectively transform back into hands, feet, and head of a Prince. The Prince then turns to Belle, who initially looks at him skeptically, but then she recognizes him by his blue eyes. The Prince and Belle share their first kiss, a kiss of true love, which subsequently breaks the additional spell the Enchantress had placed on the castle: the dark, scary castle is restored into its original, shining state, and all the Prince's servants, including Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts, are transformed back into human. Belle and the Prince then dance in the ballroom with her father and his servants watching happily.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Belle also makes a cameo appearance in Disney's 1996 animated feature The Hunchback of Notre Dame. During the song Out There, Belle is seen walking through the streets reading her book, which would make some believe that both films take place at the same time. However, this is clearly impossible, based on the fashions, technology and politics seen in Beauty and the Beast, which placed her film in the latter half of the 18th century, pre-revolutionary (pre-1789) France. Glen Keane confirmed in the commentary that Belle's cameo was not intended to be canon.

Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
A midquel taking place during the winter segment of Beauty and the Beast, this is the story of Belle's attempt to bring back to the castle the one ceremony Beast hates most: Christmas. At the point the movie is supposed to take place, Belle still considered herself a prisoner in the castle, and was not truly friends with the Beast at that point, though she had begun to accept him.

A pipe organ called Forte is determined to do anything necessary to keep the spell from breaking, because he thinks that if the curse is broken, then the Beast won't need his depressing music anymore. Thus, he proves to be a real obstacle for Belle's plan.

After several attempts to get Beast to agree, Beast finally approves of the idea and allows Belle to prepare for Christmas, though he still bears a grudge, for Christmas is the day the Enchantress cast the spell on him and the castle residents.

With advice from Forte, Belle goes out into the woods to get a suitable tree for Christmas, but she falls into thin ice and almost drowns. Fortunately, she is rescued by Beast, who is enraged at her because Forte told him that she was trying to desert him again.

Belle is then thrown into the dungeon to rot, but Beast then finds a book that Belle had written for him earlier in the West Wing, and decides to set Belle free and they both continue to prepare for Christmas. But Forte doesn't give up there, even going as far as to attempt to bring the whole castle down with Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in order to prevent the spell from ending, as it can't if everyone is dead. Fortunately, Beast stops him in time by crashing his keyboard to pieces.

The viewers are soon taken back the actual Christmas taking place, and Belle is presented with a gift from her husband: a rose.

Belle's Magical World
In this movie, Belle is the only human character. She meets her new three enchanted object friends Webster, Crane and LePlume and is about to solve problems in all four segments.

In one of the stories, it is Lumière's anniversary with Fifi yet he does not know the proper way to confess how he truly feels. Belle assists him by taking the role as Fifi and practicing what he's going to do for their date. Fifi sees the two and believes Lumière is leaving her for Belle. Eventually all is straightened out.

In another story, Belle finds a wounded bird and takes it in. She spends most of her time hiding it from Beast originally until he grows to like. After a while another problem brews as the bird is healthy once more, but Beast wants to keep it for it's singing. Belle convinces him to let it free. In the end, they become closer and closer showing signs of feelings for each other.

House of Mouse
Belle made cameo appearances in many episodes of the House of Mouse television series. In "Ladies' Night", Belle was seen sitting with Jasmine during Clarabelle Cow's Dance of the Seven Veils. In Mickey and the Culture Clash, Belle attempted to read a book that Mickey was balancing on his head, but her hand was slapped away by Mortimer Mouse. She then asked what the commotion was about, and was informed by Clarabelle that Minnie was looking for someone more sophisticated than Mickey. In Ask Von Drake, Belle was seen sitting with Beast during The Ludwig Von Drake Song.

Belle also appeared aside Beast in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, and in some crowd shots in Mickey's House of Villains.

In the series Ariel's voice actress Jodi Benson took over as the voice of Belle, although Paige O'Hara did reprise her role as Belle in Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse.

Lilo & Stitch
In a special trailer for the film, Belle and Beast were seen engaging in the famous ballroom dance when Stitch is seen on the chandelier, causing it to crash down, thus tarnishing Belle and Beast's dance. Belle then storms off to her room in a huff telling Stitch to get his own movie. Paige O'Hara reprises the voice of Belle in the trailer. The trailer uses the same strong, powerful animation style as the movie.

Disney Princess Enchanted Tales
Originally, when the first installment of Disney Princess Enchanted Tales was to be released, it was to feature a new Belle story and a brand new Aurora story. The First chapter was entitled "A Kingdom Of Kindness". The plot of Belle's story featured Chip getting in trouble with the Beast after breaking some of his things. Terrified, Chip runs away. Belle finds him and convinces him to come back to the castle, and teaches Beast what it means to be kind. She also teaches Chip that even when people are mad with him, it still means they love him. All of the original Beauty and the Beast cast returned for "A Kingdom Of Kindness", with the exception to Jerry Orbach due to his death in 2004.

Only one known song has been written for Belle, this song is called "You'll Never Lose This Love", and is available to watch on the Enchanted Tales Website.

Sofia the First
Belle appears in the episode "The Amulet and the Anthem". She teaches Sofia that actions speak louder then words when apologizing about her bragging didn't break her croaking curse by singing "Make It Right".

Curiously, like Princess Jasmine before her, Belle's hairstyle is different than what her redesign shows. Rather than being waist length with a large sock bun and two free locks framing her face, the hairstyle she sports in the episode is only just past her shoulders with the bun being the previous fancy knot she had prior to her redesign. This is either because this version of the hairstyle was easier to animate and less time-consuming or animators combined aspects of her old hairstyle with her new one as a sort of homage to her original appearance.

Mickey Mouse
Belle makes a cameo appearance along with Beast in the episode "The Adorable Couple".

The New Adventures of Beauty and the Beast
This comic serial took place a few years before the events of the first film. At least one instance had her being attacked by a bear.

Beauty and the Beast (Marvel Comics)
This comic serial took place during Belle's stay at Beast's castle, similar to the midquels above. One of the issues had her as a child sledding alongside Gaston and the Bimbettes, suggesting that she had initially been friends with Gaston and the Bimbettes prior to the events of the first film.

Sing Me a Story With Belle
From 1995 through 1999 on both Disney Channel and in syndication, a series titled Sing Me a Story With Belle aired from the Disney-MGM Studios in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Actress Lynsey McLeod portrayed Belle, who was the owner of a book and music shop in France in her commoner costume.

Once Upon a Time
Belle (Emilie de Ravin) is the daughter of Sir Maurice, whose town will be destroyed in the Ogre Wars. Rumplestiltskin offers to protect them if Belle becomes his servant forever. Her father and her fiancée Gaston (Sage Brocklebank) refuse to agree to his terms, but Belle accepts the deal. Over time, the pair fall in love, and Rumplestiltskin asks her to go out and buy straw, expecting that she will not return. On the road, she meets the Evil Queen Regina and learns that true love's kiss will break any curse, including the one on Rumplestiltskin. Belle returns to the castle and kisses him, and he starts changing back into a human. However, he learns that she met the Queen and becomes convinced that she is a spy; this stops the transformation. In his rage, he rejects her love and locks Belle in his dungeon. He then breaks all of his dish ware, except the cup that she accidentally chipped. He throws her out of his castle, stating that his power is more important to him than she is. She admonishes him for not believing that she loves him and promises that he will regret it when he is left with an empty heart and the chipped cup. She then leaves and he does not see her again. She is later seen giving advice on love to Grumpy.

Her storyline in the Enchanted Forest involved Mulan's in one episode. The two of them hear of a fiery monster causing trouble in the Enchanted Forest. Belle hunts it down and douses it with water. The monster then writes "save me" on the ground. Belle uses fairy dust to help the creature and it turns back into its true form, Prince Phillip. He thanks Belle for saving him and reveals to her that Maleficent cast a spell over him to keep him away from his true love, Aurora. Belle then introduces Phillip to Mulan and leaves them to help her true love, Rumplestiltskin. However, soon after she is taken prisoner by Regina. In another episode, Hook goes to Belle's jail cell after hearing that she could be Rumplestiltskin's weakness. He asks her to help destroy him, but she refuses to do so. Hook then knock her out and leaves.

According to the Queen, Belle was allegedly shunned by her town for her association with Rumplestiltskin and was imprisoned and tortured until she threw herself off a tower and died.

However, this is later proven false by her existence in Storybrooke, where Regina keeps her locked in a secret room underneath the Storybrooke Hospital.

She is eventually released by Jefferson. He tells her to find Mr. Gold, who is actually Rumplestiltskin, and to tell Gold that Regina held her captive. She finds Gold, but does not remember who he is. When the curse on Storybrooke is broken, she regains her memories and professes her love for Rumplestiltskin. He then takes her to his shop, where she makes him promise he won't kill Regina. After Gold releases the Wraith to seek out vengeance on Regina, Belle storms out of the pawn shop, frustrated by his play on words. Later, she comes back to him, where he shows her the chipped cup and she says she will stay with him as "he's a monster."

At the beginning of "The Crocodile", Belle has a dream that Mr. Gold turns into Rumplestiltskin/The Dark One and throws a pickaxe into Leroy's chest. When she wakes up, she sees Mr. Gold in the basement of his house doing magic. The next morning, Belle asks him what he has been doing. Mr. Gold just says, "Magic is Power."

Later, her father, Moe/Maurice sends Smee to "kidnap" her so she could see her father but Moe finds out she still loves Mr. Gold. To fix this "little" problem, her father handcuffs her to a mining trolley and rolls it down hill, so she can have her memories erased (because when a person crosses the town border, they lose all memory of their true selves). She is rescued by Mr. Gold, Prince Charming/David Nolan and Red Riding Hood/Ruby. However, once she is rescued, she says she doesn't want to see Mr. Gold and Moe ever again.

Mr. Gold gives Belle the key to the Storybrooke Library and then explains everything from being a coward to Baelfire. He starts to go but Belle stops him, wanting to go with him for a hamburger at Grannies, to which he happily agrees.

Some time later, Archie is supposedly killed by Regina. Belle, along with the other townspeople, attend Archie's funeral where Mary Margaret gives a eulogy in remembrance of him. Afterwards, Belle meets up with Mr. Gold in which he happily tells her the potion for crossing the border works. She expresses wishes to go with him, but he regretfully says the potion is only enough for one person. She heads to the library later on to sort through books and notices a stranger standing in the corner and recognizes him as the man who broke into her cell in the Evil Queen's palace, Captain Hook. In a state of panic, she runs from him, but is unable to escape the building. Belle pushes a bookshelf, which topples and pins him to the floor as she scurries into the elevator. Pulling out her cellphone to call Mr. Gold, she is able to tell him about the man trying to kill her, but when she attempts to give more details, Mr. Gold is unable to hear her through the bad reception. Belle does not return to the library until Mr. Gold operates the switch to open the elevator shaft.

Reunited, they hurry back to the pawnshop together. On the way there, Belle demands to know Mr. Gold's history with Hook. Hesitantly, he finally tells her Hook stole his wife, Milah from him years ago. When she asks what happened to his wife, Mr. Gold can only say that she died. When Mr. Gold's cloak is stolen by William Smee, Mr. Gold wants to get back. He gives her a loaded gun to keep in case she needs to ever use it to protect herself. While Mr. Gold is away, Belle goes back into the library. There she finds a knot left behind from Hook, and searches through her books about it. Reading the books, she realizes the knot comes specifically from a ship.

Heading to the harbor, she looks up at the seagulls, and is surprised to see one of them land and stand on something invisible. Suspecting something is there but she can't see it, Belle takes a pinch of dust and throws it over, revealing stairs leading up to an invisible ship. She goes up the steps until she passes a barrier that leads her onto the ship's visible deck. Belle opens a door below deck, and discovers Archie tied up. She uses a sword to cut him free, and urges him to get back to town. Then, she proceeds to rummage around the shelves hoping to find Baelfire's cloak. In her distraction, she had put down the gun, and just then Hook makes himself known to her. She lunges for the gun, but Hook is faster. He threateningly points the gun at her forehead, and whilst they converse, he reveals to her a truth Mr. Gold did not tell her--that he killed Milah by ripping out her heart. Even knowing this, Belle still believes in Mr. Gold, and asserts that she knows he has changed and has good in him. She hits him with a rowing paddle, and runs away to above deck while taking the cloak with her.

Mr. Gold shows up to save Belle, and proceeds to beat Hook bloody with his cane. Belle pleads that they should leave, but Mr. Gold cannot contain his anger at Hook's presence. Finally, he stops when she reminds him of the hope she had in believing he changed, and that if he has, to walk away right now. They leave Hook's ship.

That night, Mr. Gold and Belle are at the town border. He uses the potion on himself, and steps to the other side of the border line while his memory stays intact. Belle is very pleased the potion will give him the opportunity to find his son. She promises to wait for him in Storybrooke. The heartfelt moment is interrupted when Belle is suddenly shot and pierced in the shoulder causing her to trip and fall over the border into Mr. Gold's arms, and thus loses her memories. Hook is then revealed to be the shooter, stating that now Gold knows how it feels to lose someone he loves. Mr. Gold yells her name in anguish, but she stares at him in confusion, asking, "Who is Belle?"

She is in a frantic and frightened state after she becomes amnesic. Mr. Gold is worried about her injuries, so he magically heals them. Belle is confused and asks him how he did it. An ambulance arrives at the scene and takes Belle to the hospital. While laying in the hospital bed, Mr. Gold tries to trigger her memory with true loves kiss. It is unsuccessful and Belle screams at Mr. Gold.

Later, Mr. Gold arrives at the hospital, with the chipped cup, which he magically charmed. He gives it to Belle in hopes that she remember her past from the Enchanted Forest. The plan does not work. Belle is confused and unsure when he mentions magic and tries giving the cup back to Mr. Gold, but he insists she try. Belle becomes angry and throws the cup, shattering it to pieces. She asks him to leave one final time, and Mr. Gold finally leaves her room in tears.

Ruby comes to the hospital to cheer her up. Belle questions Ruby about the accident and the man who magically healed her. Ruby, out of fear of exposing magic tells Belle that the tranquilizers the hospital gave her caused hallucinations. Belle becomes upset and the Severe Nurse must sedate her.

Belle is laying in her hospital bed, when she gets a call from Mr. Gold. She tells him again that she doesn't remember him, but she tells him she is sorry when he tells her that he is dying. Mr. Gold tells her that he knows she doesn't remember who she is, but that she was a beautiful woman who loved an ugly man, and adds that she creates goodness in people. Belle begins to tear up at his words, but he hangs up before she can respond.

When Mr. Gold visits again, Belle, touched by his sentimental speech, agrees to let him help her remember who she was. She is then visited by Regina who is displeased to hear Mr. Gold is going to help her. Thinking quickly, she bends down to pick up an item, and instead conjures a little red card of the town bar, The Rabbit Hole. and asks if it belongs to. Though Belle says no, Regina suggests she should take a better look at it. Belle glances down at the card, exclaims she remembers who she is. In reality, Regina gave her false memories to replace the memories she lost as Belle. With the false memories, she assumes a new personality and a new name, Lacey.

In the final episode of season 2 Grumpy gives Mr. Gold some magic from The Blue Fairy to help restore Belle's memories. Mr. Gold restores the chipped cup and pours the magic into it. Belle drinks from the cup and her memories come back. After Henry Mills is kidnapped Mr. Gold decides to go rescue him and tells Belle look after Storybrooke while he is gone.

In season 3, Belle had been appearing to Mr. Gold as a vision to guide him through Neverland but it is eventually revealed that she is actually Peter Pan's shadow in disguise. Back in Storybrooke, the real Belle has a difficult time accepting that Rumplestilskin is gone. Then, with the help of the Dwarfs and the Blue Fairy. she casts a protection spell over the town. Sometime later, Belle meets Ariel. Belle questions Ariel as to why she has come to Storybrooke to which Ariel replies she came from Neverland on a mission for Mr. Gold. Belle is then shocked and relieved Mr.Gold is alive and Ariel tells Belle Mr. Gold needs him to save everyone.

The two head go to Mr. Gold's shop where Belle is able to use the Sand Dollar given to her by Ariel from Mr. Gold to find the item capable of defeating Pan. However after finding the item which has turned out to be Pandora's Box the are ambushed by John and Michael Darling now working for Pan and the two of them tie Ariel and Belle up and take the item to destroy it. In order to get out of the ropes Belle removes Ariel's bracelet which allows Ariel to wiggle free from the ropes and undo Belle's bindings. Ariel then puts the braclet back on and go after John and Michael.

Belle and Ariel find Michael and George just before they destroy the box. Belle is able to stop them by activating a mine cart on the tracks, which throws Michael and John off their feet. Using time to her advantage, she grabs the box and kicks their gun away. John and Michael tell Ariel and Belle that Pan has Wendy hostage and if they don't do his bidding he will kill her. Ariel and Belle promise they will help save their sister. Ariel and Belle then go to the coast where she parts ways with Belle and returns to Neverland with Pandora's Box.

When Ariel returns to Storybrooke, Belle helps her reunite with Prince Eric. Mr. Gold and Belle also reunite, but it's only for a few days. Pan casts a curse to destroy Storybrooke and its residents, but Gold stops him and disappears. Regina then casts a spell to send everyone from the Enchanted Forest, including Belle, back to the world they came from.

Beauty and the Beast (musical)
A Broadway musical adaptation of the film premiered on Broadway on April 18, 1994 at the Palace Theatre with Susan Egan as the original Belle. Since then many actresses including Deborah Gibson, Toni Braxton, Andrea McArdle, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Christy Carlson Romano and Ashley Brown have played the role on Broadway. The show closed on July 29, 2007 at the Lunt-Fountanne Theater with Anneliese van der Pol as the show's final Belle.

Kingdom Hearts series
Belle is a character in the series, and plays a pivotal role as one of the Princesses of Heart.

In the first Kingdom Hearts game, Belle was captured by Maleficent's forces while she was living with the Beast, and was placed into an enchanted sleep alongside the other princesses. Her heart was used to open the Final Keyhole, which would open the door to darkness itself, and briefly stolen as well. However, Belle's heart is later restored and is able to awaken, and finally reunites with the Beast. After Sora seals Kingdom Hearts, Belle and the Beast are able to return home.

An illusion of Belle also appeared in Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, who acts cold towards the Beast in order to prevent Maleficent from stealing her heart. After the villain's defeat, she apologizes for deceiving the Beast, which the Beast forgives. The real Belle appears in 358/2 Days alongside Beast in Beast's Castle, where their peace was threatened by Xaldin, who intended to take the Beast's heart.

Her role is greatly expanded in the sequel Kingdom Hearts II and was voiced by her original voice actress, Paige O'Hara. Xaldin had continued to play on the Beast's anger to plunge his heart into darkness. When Sora, Donald, and Goofy are able to calm the Beast, Belle tries to confront Xaldin, but is met with a Heartless attack. After the creature was defeated, the Beast apologizes to Belle, who accepts it but scolds him for not trusting her. She later goes on a date with the Beast until Xaldin interrupts the dance. After Xaldin leaves, the Beast finds himself in despair when he sees that Xaldin had taken his rose, and asks Belle to leave out of shame for his actions. Belle finds the rose on her balcony later on, but it is revealed to be a trap by Xaldin, who them kidnaps her and forces the Beast to choose between her and the rose to leave behind. Beast chooses Belle, but Belle suddenly fights back against the Organization member and takes back the rose. After Xaldin is defeated, Belle returns the rose to the Beast, who then asks her to stay with him in his castle, to which she happily accepts. The credits reveal that the Beast has transformed back into a human, apparently ending the Beauty and the Beast story arc in the series, although Belle's status as one of the Princesses of Heart may still tie her in to future Kingdom Hearts adventures.

Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey
Unlike the other princesses featured in the game, Belle and her world play a minor role and acts as a mere mini-game. Belle and Lumière are featured in the world and asks the player to eliminate the game's enemies (Bogs) before Beast's finds out about their presence.

Kinect Disneyland Adventures
Belle appears as a meet-and-greet character in Fantasyland. She also takes part in the Mickey's Soundsational Parade and Princess Fantasy Faire mini-games.

Disney Parks and Resorts
Belle appears as a meetable character in the Disney Parks, wearing either her blue commoner dress (such as in "Storytime with Belle" at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World) or her gold princess outfit and appears in many shows such as Fantasmic! and every Disney Parks parade. She can be spotted on a float in Mickey's Soundsational Parade. Recently she's been appearing with Gaston at Disney World's New Fantasyland and Epcot, even though she didn't enjoy being near him in the film.

Belle has her own spell card in the attraction Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom known as "Belle's Mountain Blizzard".

Fantasy Faire
At Disneyland's Fantasy Faire, Belle tells her tale with help from Lumiere, Mister Smythe and Mister Jones in the Royal Theatre.

Storytime with Belle
In the former show held at the Magic Kingdom, Belle would tell her story to an audience, some of which were chosen to act as characters in the story. The show then became part of the attraction, Enchanted Tales with Belle.

Beauty and the Beast: Live
In the live show at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World Resort Belle appears in the stage adaption of the film. In the show Belle plays out her same role as in the film.

World of Color
Belle appears in the nighttime water show in Disney California Adventure park in the Disneyland Resort. Belle appears in the opening during the theme of the show shown ball dancing with Beast. She later appears starting the show's finale as she confesses her love for Beast and he transforms into a handsome prince.

Believe
The Disney Dream cruise ship holds a show called Believe where several Disney "magic makers" help an uptight father, Dr. Greenway, believe in magic. When Lumière takes the task, Belle and Mrs. Potts assists with success.

My Disney Experience
Belle has her own storybook adventure when she finds Beast and the enchanted friends who welcome her to the castle.

Kilala Princess
In the manga series, Kilala Princess, the main characters Kilala, Prince Rei and Princess Sylphy enter the world of "Beauty and the Beast" looking for magical gems to activate the Magic Tiara's power and awaken the princess within Kilala. When Belle first meets them, Kilala immediately asks to shake her hand. They become fast friends, and Belle asks the Beast to let them stay in the castle and work. Sylphy's egocentric attitude initially makes it unbearable for everyone, but it improves overtime. When Cogsworth accidentally loses the pocket watch that the Beast planned to give to Belle, Kilala and Rei go into town to find it. Though they manage to retrieve the watch, in a broken condition, the amber stored inside is stolen by Gaston.

The Beast remains unaware of this incident, and when it breaks in his hand, he bursts out angrily and hides in his room. In order to cheer him up, Kilala, Rei and Sylphy steal back the lost gem from Gaston. Kilala then tells him why he wanted to give Belle the watch in the first place, and that it doesn't matter if the gift is broken. Belle accepts the broken watch and gives the gem to Kilala as a token of gratitude, and turns into a gem of the Magic Tiara. She is last seen witnessing Kilala receive her own gem: an emerald.

Songs
Songs performed by Belle:
 * Belle
 * Belle (Reprise)
 * Stories
 * As Long As There's Christmas
 * Something There
 * If You Can Dream
 * Home (in the broadway musical)
 * You'll Never Lose This Love
 * Make It Right

Differences from the source material
While Belle keeps much of her original character continuity from the French fairy tale version by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, there are quite a few differences to be accounted for:
 * "Beauty" or "Little Beauty" was just a nickname not her actual name. Her actual name is never mentioned
 * Beauty had (besides three brothers) two older sisters in the original story, who were described as wicked and selfish and because of their wealth pretended to be great ladies and only associated themselves with people of quality. They were all very physically beautiful but only Beauty, was lovely and pure on the inside.
 * Unlike her sisters, whom liked to go to balls, public walks and plays, Beauty preferred to stay at home reading good books.
 * She at one point lived in a mansion, her father being a wealthy merchant, before he lost all his fortune at sea. Then the family had to move and live in a small farmhouse.
 * A rose is asked for by Beauty when her father learns that one of his ships had safely come in, since none grew around the farmhouse they were now living in.
 * The Beast, received Beauty graciously and informed her that she was mistress of the castle, and that he was her servant. They would hold lengthy conversations and he would give her lavish clothing and every night ask her to marry him, but she would always decline.
 * While looking upon a mirror soon after her arrival, does Beauty see a vision of her father returning back home.
 * While in the castle, Beauty would dream of a handsome prince asking her to marry him. Belle became convinced that the Beast was holding the prince captive somewhere in the castle. She looked but never found him.
 * Apparent invisible servants are present in the castle.
 * Beauty asks to see her family again and promises to return in 8 days time.
 * The two sisters purposely ask Beauty to stay longer than her time agreement with the Beast, just to see Beauty likely devoured by the enraged Beast cause she had broken her word.
 * Beauty returns to the castle because she finds out that the Beast is dying from a broken heart in her much longer absence which was achieved by the Beast's instructions to place her ring on a table when she wanted to return.
 * Beauty dreamt of a fairy who promised to grant her a wish because of her good heart.
 * At the end of the story she and the Beast get married and the sisters are punished by the fairy in Beauty's dreams to become statues for the malice in their hearts, but are to return back to their present shape after they recognize their faults.

Parallels to the 1946 adaption
Though often uncredited, Disney's Belle has many similarities to the 1946 character from the french film La Belle et la Bête. A film adaption by Lopert Pictures seems to have also been asource of inspiration.
 * The name "Belle" seems to be have been taken from this version, as the original fairytale's character never had a name.
 * The characterization and names of Belle's suitors were never mentioned in the orginal story, Avenant's character seems to have inspired Gaston.
 * The idea of the furniture being alivecomes from this version as there was no enchanted fruniture in the Beaumont story.
 * Much of Belle's attire comes from this story, including the style of her blue dress and the cloak she wears.
 * The idea of Belle asking the beast to return home because the mirror shows her that her father is ill, comes from this film. In the original story she left because she simply missed him.

Significance and Legacy
Part of Belle's legacy is the fact that she brought a new dawn of more adventurous, heroic and independent heroines to the world of film, although Ariel brought a new personality trend to heroines. Belle's pioneering role in Beauty and the Beast introduced more heroic heroines to the Disney scene, specifically with Pocahontas in 1995 and Mulan in 1998.

Belle is sometimes used as an advocate for women's liberation and intelligence among women around the world. She is also used to encourage children in their love of reading and literature.

Redesign
Belle received many changes in her late 2012 redesign.

Most striking of all is that her hair is much more wavy and curly in its appearance and is now more than twice its original length, all hanging down to her waist. While still parted in the middle at the front of her head, two locks of hair hang loose and frame the sides of her face. Some of her hair is swept back and pulled into a large sock bun instead of the previous fancy knot that was held in place by a gold hair clasp.

Her gown now possesses the same gold color from the film instead of the yellow color in the previous franchise, however, the bottom half is now decorated with glittery designs of roses.

The off-the-shoulder part of the dress is made of cream-colored organza and pinned in the front by three pearls of varying sizes. Her evening gloves match the color and material of the dress's shoulders.

There is a strong possibility that Belle's new appearance was very heavily based on Penélope Cruz's portrayal of her in Disney Dream Portrait Series; particularly with the waist length, curly and wavy hair.

In early redesigns, Belle's sleeves were covering her shoulders instead of revealing them.

Palace Pets
Belle's Palace Pets are Teacup and Petit.

Trivia

 * Belle is the second Disney Princess to not be of royal descent, after Cinderella in 1950. She is also the second to start out not of royal descent, with Cinderella being the first, and Tiana being the third.
 * Because of the few moments in the beginning and end of The Enchanted Christmas taking place after the original movie (where Belle and Adam had been implied to have been married), Belle is technically the first Disney Princess to appear as a queen.
 * Belle was the final Disney Princess to have the same actress play both her speaking and singing voices (both by Paige O'Hara) until Tiana in 2009.
 * Susan Egan, who voiced Megara in Hercules originated the role of Belle in Broadway's Beauty and the Beast.
 * Belle is the first Disney Princess to have a male villain in her story, followed by Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Merida, Anna and Elsa.
 * In the new Fantasyland, Belle's cottage shows a picture of her reading with her mother—a beautiful women with curly brown hair wearing a pink dress. One wall in the cottage also has height marks up until her 18th birthday, suggesting she may be 18 years old during the films. Based on this painting, her mother, when she was still alive, probably looked exactly like Belle but with lighter hair, and blue eyes instead of hazel eyes.
 * Belle is the first Disney Princess to "save" her prince at the film's climax by breaking the spell and returning the Beast to his human form. She is followed by Mulan, Tiana and Rapunzel.
 * Belle is the fourth Disney Princess to have a father present in the film, after Cinderella in 1950, Aurora in 1959 and Ariel in 1989, and before Jasmine in 1992, Pocahontas in 1995, Mulan in 1998, Tiana in 2009, Rapunzel in 2010, Merida in 2012, and eventually, Anna and Elsa in 2013.
 * Belle arguably saw the dawn of more heroic and independent Disney Princesses. Her legacy led to Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana and Rapunzel. However, some say this title rightfully belongs to Ariel.
 * Belle is the first and only Disney Princess to not sing the film's theme song, "Beauty and the Beast". Instead, it is sung by the supporting character, Mrs. Potts. Though her voice actress Paige O'Hara has sung the song on a few albums and live performances.
 * Before Paige O'Hara got the role of Belle, the producers first considered Jodi Benson, whom was best known as the voice of Ariel, to voice Belle. Benson however did voiced Belle in Disney's House of Mouse.
 * Belle is the second Disney Princess to deal with an unwanted marriage as a major or minor source of conflict. Aurora is the first (in which she did not know the boy she met was Prince Phillip), Jasmine is the third (in that her father is trying to marry her off before her next birthday), Pocahontas is the fourth (in that her father is trying to marry her off to Kocoum), and Merida is the fifth. Hers is because Gaston wants to marry her and make her his "little wife" to inflate his ego and have himself a baby-maker that will only bear him sons and do whatever he commands.
 * Belle is the second Disney Princess to have a horse companion, Phillipe. Cinderella was the first with Major, Mulan was the third with Khan, Rapunzel was the fourth with Maximus, and Merida was the fifth with Angus.
 * Belle is the first Princess to be thought of as crazy by the people in her town. The second being Tiana and the third being Elsa.
 * In Beauty and the Beast Belle's Magical World, Belle tells the Beast the Cinderella fairy tale during the first segment.
 * In the Alternate beginning, found on the Diamond Edition DVD, Belle's birthday is celebrated and on the cake it says "Happy 17th Birthday Belle", providing evidence that she is 17 in the movie.
 * Belle was nominated for AFI's 100 Year...100 Hero and Villain list, one of the three animated hero and one of three Disney animated hero, along with Peter Pan, Mary Poppins and Buzz Lightyear. Unfortunately, none of them made the cut.
 * Belle is the second Disney Heroine to save her love interest's life. The first being Ariel who saved Eric from drowning, the third being Pocahontas, fourth being Esmeralda, fifth being Meg, sixth being Mulan, and seventh being Rapunzel.
 * Belle was the last Princess to be of Caucasian descent until Rapunzel in 2010.
 * Belle is one of the three Disney Princesses to have her own individual eye color from the others. She's the only one with hazel eyes, Aurora with violet eyes and Rapunzel with green eyes.
 * Vanellope von Schweetz also has hazel eyes but she is an unofficial Disney Princess.
 * Belle's eyes were originally going to be colored gray.
 * Belle is the second Princess to be in a castle with dark themes inside. The first being Snow White, namely, The Queen's castle.
 * A costume of Belle, as well as the rest of the Disney Princesses (excluding Mulan and Pocahontas), has been released on the video game Little Big Planet 2 as downloadable content from the PlayStation Store.
 * Belle made a brief cameo during the songs "Out There" and "Topsy Turvy" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame along with Pumbaa and Carpet in a shot of a village square. Coincidentally enough, both films take place in France in the past.
 * Belle is the third and so far final Disney Princess to have her name be the title of the opening song to her feature film. She was preceded by Cinderella and Aurora.
 * Belle is the first Princess with brunette hair, the second being Rapunzel. Yet she is the first and only Princess to remain a brunette in the franchise and be a brunette throughout her entire debut film.
 * One poster for the film for some reason showed Belle in a pink-and-purple dress resembling Rapunzel's.
 * Not counting Kida, Belle is the second Disney Princess, after Ariel and before Rapunzel and Elsa, to become queen, but remains in the franchise as a princess. However, the Beast seemed not to be in charge of anything but his castle.
 * Belle, along with Aurora are the only two Princesses who weren't protagonists in their original stories, but shared a protagonistic role in Disney's version.
 * Belle is the second Princess to feature a "magic mirror" in her film. The first being Snow White. Unlike Snow White, however, Belle actually used it.
 * Belle is normally seen with Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel and more than the other Princesses.
 * Belle shares several similarities with Lilo from Lilo & Stitch, as both are considered "odd" by other people because they have different beliefs and interests. Both also befriended something that was considered a vicious monster (Beast and Stitch) and gradually developed a close bond. Another similarity is that both were also locked up by the antagonist (Gaston and Gantu) until they were freed later. Both also share a love for certain fiction (Belle's love for books and stories, Lilo's love for movies and science fiction).
 * Belle is the first Disney Princess to be treated condescendingly by a high-ranking male; the second is Mulan (who was bullied by the misogynistic consul of the Emperor, Chi-Fu) and the third is Anna (who was tricked by Prince Hans of the Southern Isles).
 * In an episode of Gargoyles, Elisa Maza dresses up as Belle.
 * Belle is the first Disney Princess be attacked by wolves, followed by Anna.
 * She is the first Disney Princess who does not get along with the male character at the beginning of the movie, the next being Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel and Anna.
 * Belle has some similarities with Anna.
 * Both are beautiful, loving, kind and strong-willed.
 * Both have a handsome enemy who wants to marry them for selfish reasons and don't really love the girl at all. As a possible reference, because Anna is actually attracted to this enemy she almost quotes the three blondes who are actually interested in Belle's enemy. While they say, "she's crazy" followed by "he's gorgeous", Anna says "I'm awkward" followed by "you're gorgeous." After discovering their true nature, Anna states a line similar to Belle's that compares the enemy to the person who was called a monster before, with the enemy being the true monster ("The only frozen heart around here, is yours!"). The only difference is that Belle never trusted Gaston from the start, while Anna did initially fall for Hans. Ironically, Elsa was initially distrustful of Hans similar to Belle's distrust of Gaston in the beginning of the film.
 * When someone close to them is exposed (Elsa and Beast) by themselves with unintended results, they both plead that he/she is not a monster, despite the crowds' fears of him/her.
 * Both are attacked by wolves.
 * Both are befriended by talking magical creatures (Olaf; The enchanted objects)
 * Both are locked up by the villain, but are rescued by their magical friend.
 * Albeit unintentionally, both nearly got their close loved ones killed due to the main villain's machinations:
 * Anna, along with causing Elsa's powers to be exposed to the public, during her search for Elsa, unknowingly placed her in grave danger to Hans due to her relationship with him.
 * Belle nearly got Beast and his enchanted servants killed as a result of her exposing the Beast's existence to the villagers when trying to save her father after Gaston riled up the already congregated mob's emotions.
 * Paige O'Hara, the first voice actor for Belle, does fan artwork of Belle on her official website and sells the artwork.
 * Despite her character being associated with her love of reading, Belle is in fact only the second Disney Princess to actually be seen reading. The first was Ariel during "Part of Your World".
 * Anna from Final Fantasy IV and its sequels resembles Belle, especially in the Nintendo DS and iOS/Android versions.
 * In The Enchanted Christmas, the book that Belle wrote and wrapped together was the original tale for Beauty and the Beast.
 * Belle is the first Disney Princess to sacrifrice herself because she gave up her dreams so her father (or another relative) can be free/survive. The second one to do this is Mulan who went to war so her father can live. And the third is Anna who sacrifice her life to protect her sister from being killed.
 * Contrary to popular belief, it is not made clear whether Belle was actually born a peasant, as she implies that she was not born in her home village in the opening song, but rather moved there.