Maurice is a major character feature in the 2017 live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. He is an artist and a music box maker.
Maurice is loosely based on Beauty's father from the original fairy tale, but is mostly based on the character of the same name from the 1991 animated film.
Role in the film[]
Maurice is a stern, but kind and protective father, due to the loss of Belle's mother to the Black plague. He spends his time creating an array of music boxes as well as artistic paintings. Some of these music boxes represent different countries and were tailored as, such so that Belle may experience the world without actually leaving their town.
Because Maurice lost his wife, Belle means the world to him and does not want anything to happen to her. He plucks a rose and is punished by Beast as a result. Belle comes to his rescue and convinces the Beast to free Maurice in exchange for taking his life sentence upon herself.
When Maurice returns to town to ask for help, only Gaston and LeFou are willing. After hours of searching on their carriage, Gaston and LeFou quickly get tired of Maurice's supposed nonsense, especially when Maurice is unable to retrace his steps to the castle.
Upon learning that Gaston only came with him in the hopes of getting his blessing for marrying Belle, as well as learning of his true violent nature and intentions, Maurice angrily and vehemently refuses. As a result, Gaston furiously knocks Maurice out, ties him in a tree, and leaves him to die at the hands of the wolves, but he was rescued and nursed back to health by Agathe, the disguised Enchantress and was brought back to Villeneuve, where he tries to prove to the townsfolk of Gaston's crimes of trying to murder him.
But without Agathe's and LeFou's testimonies, since the latter was intimidated and silenced by Gaston to prevent LeFou from making a confession, Maurice is deemed insane by Gaston and is taken away by Monsieur D'Arque towards asylum before Belle arrives back to Villeneuve, with Phillipe to prove Maurice's sanity. But Gaston has Maurice and Belle locked in the asylum wagon while he leads the townsfolk to the Beast's Castle.
Belle shows Maurice the rose pen that belonged to her mother, revealing that she knows what happened. Maurice than tells Belle that is why he was protective of her, and is convinced the Beast has good intentions. With Belle's help, Maurice is able to pick the lock and escape, leaving Monsieur D'Arque stunned as he and Maurice watched while Belle returns to the Beast's castle to save him. During the ending celebration, Maurice is seen painting the dancing scene of Belle and the Prince, and the servants as his latest creation.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Unlike Maurice's animated counterpart, he is an artist and a music box maker, instead of an inventor.
- Kevin Kline who portrayed Maurice previously voiced Phoebus in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II
- It's also a coincidence since Belle made a cameo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and that The Hunchback of Notre Dame was also directed by the same directors who directed the original Beauty and the Beast.
See also[]