You probably watched Beauty and the Beast a ton as a kid, but you may not have been able to fully appreciate all the intricacies of the movie at that time. When you revisit the Disney classic as an adult, you pick up on things that may have gone over your head when you were six; for example, the fact that Belle's name means "beautiful" in French (duh). But even if you've re-watched the movie more than once in recent years, I'd wager that there are still some things you never noticed in Beauty and the Beast . And this is totally not your fault.
Beauty and the Beast is filled with tiny details, some of which are only on the screen for an instant. Also, Disney is known for playfully including Easter Eggs in many of its movies (this one included), and these are intentionally very subtle. Finally, there are some things in the movie that you would only notice if you had some background knowledge about the production process. But once you do have that knowledge, re-watching Beauty and the Beast feels like a totally new experience because you notice so much more. Here are some things in the movie that you probably missed, but which warrant another viewing.
1. Bambi's Mother
Bambi's mom makes a quick cameo in the forest in the very beginning of the movie.
2. The Beast's Age
The rose is enchanted to drop its last petal on the prince's 21st birthday, meaning that during the events of the movie, he is 20.
3. Belle's Unique Style
Belle is the only person in the village wearing blue, which serves to show how different she is from everyone else in her small town.
4. Belle's Book
It's clear that the book Belle is reading is essentially the story of the movie, and a glimpse at the inside reveals an illustration of a girl in a blue dress similar to Belle's. You can also see that the book is in French.
5. The Signs In The Woods
The signs that Maurice looks at when he's lost point toward two Disney-relevant cities. Valencia is the location of Disney Animation Studios, while Anaheim is the home of Disneyland.
6. The Crazy Weather
In the afternoon, Belle lies in a field of dandelions. The night, as Gaston is singing in the pub, it's snowing outside.
7. The Beast's Different Features
Animator Glen Keane researched a variety of different animals for inspiration for the Beast, and ultimately pulled features from each in order to make the character as expressive as possible.
8. The Art in The Castle
Some of the sculptures in the Beast's castle were early concept artwork of the Beast himself.
9. All The Character Name Meanings
Most characters' names are related to their functions, either in English or in French. This applies to both the enchanted objects in the castle (Lumière, Mrs. Potts, etc.), and the human characters (LeFou, Monsieur D'Arque).
10. Gaston's Death Scene
As Gaston is falling, small white skulls briefly appear in his pupils, symbolizing that he dies.
11. The Final Dance Scene
The last dance sequence in Beauty and the Beast is actually reused animation from the finale of Sleeping Beauty.
Learning all the things you never noticed in Beauty and the Beast gives you a great reason to watch it again. These little details add even more to an already amazing movie, the message of which is as relevant today as it was in 1991.
Images: Disney (7), Giphy (4)
