This animated Disney princess movie broke a 54-year-old villain trend

The films that are part of the official Disney Princesses Zweig have many similarities that ultimately place them in this particular group, but one of them broke a 54-year-old villain trend and started a new one. Disney is home to a variety of animated films, but the most famous are those featuring female characters, often princesses. Disney is also known for its family-friendly adaptations of various legends and fairytales, and all of this paved the way for the Disney Princess franchise, although not all female characters in animated Disney films can be part of it.

Disney officially recognizes 13 characters as official Disney Princesses, and while there are no set requirements to become one of them, they have a few key things in common. These characters either marry into the royal family, are born into it, or perform a heroic deed, they usually have an animal sidekick, and in most cases, sing at least one song. Their movies also share many similarities, especially when it comes to their villains, but one popular film from the Disney Renaissance broke a decades-long villain trend… and started a new one that was broken nearly two decades later.

Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney princess film with a male villain

Gaston ended up making Disney history

The Disney Princess branch started with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsfollowed by Cinderella, SleepbeautyAnd TheFewMermaid. The latter marked the beginning of the period known as the Disney Renaissance, in which the studio's animated films were once again critical and commercial hits. The third film from the Disney Renaissance and the second princess film from it Beauty and the BeastDirected by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise.

Based on the story of the same name by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont from 1756. Beauty and the Beast introduces the audience to Belle, who is imprisoned in a castle by the Beast in exchange for her father's freedom and safety. The Beast was a prince who was turned into a talking animal by a curse as punishment for his arrogance and selfishness. Belle and the Beast eventually fall in love and the real villain in the story is Gastona hunter who lives in the same town as Belle and insists on marrying her despite her numerous rejections.

Gaston has gone down in Disney history as one of the most hated villains, but he also earned a place as the first male villain in a Disney princess film. Before Gaston, the Disney Princess series only featured female villains: the evil queen in Snow White and the Seven DwarfsLady Tremaine in CinderellaMaleficent in sleeping Beautyand Ursula in The little mermaidThis also made Gaston the first villain to pursue the main character for supposedly “romantic” reasons.

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“Tangled” broke the “Beauty and the Beast” villain trend after 19 years

What Gaston started was finished by Mother Gothel

Gaston broke with the Disney Princess tradition of having only female villains, but a new one has begun: only male villains. In the Disney Princess industry Beauty and the Beast followed Aladdinin which the villain was Jafar, the Grand Vizier of Agrabah, who at one point, and as part of his plan to take the Sultan's place, wanted to marry Princess Jasmine. Next came Pocahontas, with Governor Ratcliffe as the villain; then came Mulan, which introduced Shan Yu, the Hun chieftain; And The Princess and the Frogthe one with Dr. Facilier, a voodoo bokor, gave birth to one of Disney's most terrifying villains.

Tangled came in 2010 to break the trend of male villains started by Gaston by introducing Mother Gothel as the evil antagonist. Tangled has not reduced the Disney Princess franchise to exclusively female villainsand has experienced a fair amount of both since then Brave, Vaiana – The wonderful world of loveAnd Raya and the Last Dragon. Gaston is one of the most hated villains in Disney history and, fitting for his role, he broke one trend to start a new one.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

director

Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise

Release date

21 November 1991

Pour

Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Bradley Pierce, Jesse Corti, Richard White

Duration

84 minutes