Beauty & the Beast: 2 Teachable Moments

This past weekend I had the opportunity to see the re-release of Beauty & the Beast (in 3D!).  After adjusting to the (somewhat) cheesy-ness of the 3D, I immediately did what any good DRE does, think about how this film applies to our Catholic faith.  As I did with the Lion King re-release in 3D, here are two key faith and moral moments/themes to talk about with your children after the movie.

Belle's Selfless Love
Belle's father, thrown in prison at the hands of an angry beast, is sick with a potentially deadly illness.  Upon seeing her father, Belle feels like she only has one choice: to save his life by offering herself in a prisoner exchange.

Highlights

• Belle's love for her father and her desire to save his life drives her to selflessly give up her future in exchange for her father's life.  Although we're not always faced with such a high stakes choice, we decide daily how to love and interact with our family.  Self-sacrifice in small things goes a long way.
• Even though Belle knew what she did was right, it still hurt and caused her much sadness.  The same is true for us.  Sometimes doing the right thing hurts emotionally, but at the end of the day we need to follow our conscious to love one another.
• Lumiere (the candlestick) stands up to the bully, suggesting that the Beast let Belle stay in better living condition.  We should always be concerned with how others are treated, especially the downtrodden and the poor.  But our concern needs to move us to action, like it does for Lumiere.

Love: the Foundation of Good Relationships

Love, love, love.

A much wider theme throughout Beauty & the Beast is the importance of love in a relationship.  The reason Gaston wants to marry Belle is not because he feels a great love for her, but rather because desire to have "the best" in everything in life, even at the expense of other's freedom -- he's willing to throw Belle's father into the insane asylum if she doesn't marry him!  Furthermore, Gaston has no respect for Belle's desires and interests (throwing her book into the mud).  He doesn't love her, but wants to use her for his own benefit.

Contrast that to the relationship between the the Beast and Belle.  Although it starts a little rocky (the Beast has anger issues), the Beast develops a genuine concern and love for Belle, even allowing Belle to return home at the risk of remaining a Beast forever.  Before that, the Beast risks his life to go after Belle, protecting her from a pack of wolves.  And of course, in the memorable scene, the Beast gives Belle what she most desires (well, after her freedom) -- a room full of books.  The Beast takes the time to get to know Belle so that he gets to know how to best love her.  

Then there's Belle.  Her love is not based on the exterior, but on the interior of the person.  Gaston's physical strength and appearance isn't enough to offset his arrogance and conceited nature.  The Beast's physical appearance is appalling (as is his temper), but she looks past the former and helps him with the latter as she falls in love with who the Beast is on the inside.

Summary

• Don't be like Gaston.  In any circumstance.  Pretty much at any point ever.
• Like the Beast, we need conversion of heart to love well.
• Love like Belle.  Look into the heart and past the exterior and help your friend overcome difficulties.

Which moments in Beauty & the Beast do you find helpful to talk about with your children?

Image credit: epSos.de of flickr