Jezebel determined that Belle " is often held up as the standard of the ' feminist ' Disney princess . " According to '' Tales , Then and Now : More Folktales as Literary Fictions for Young Adults '' author Anna E. Altmann , Disney heavily promoted '' Beauty and the Beast '' as " a feminist fairy tale " due to Belle 's characterization and role in the film . In his book '' Hearing a Film , Seeing a Sermon : Preaching and Popular Movies '' , author Timothy B. Cargal agreed that the character indicated " Disney 's ... continued efforts to reshape their heroines for a more feminist age . " According to '' Girl Culture : An Encyclopedia '' author Claudia Mitchell , Belle 's feminism was influenced by third-wave feminism and the relatively new concept of girl power during the 1990s . Feminist critics have been generally mixed in their analyses of Belle , arguing over whether or not the character is in fact " feminist enough . " Although '' Beauty and the Beast '' was initially lauded upon release for starring a " forward thinking and feminist " heroine , critics tend to agree that , in spite of Belle 's independence and resentment towards Gaston , '' Beauty and the Beast '' essentially remains a romance about a girl who finally " meets her ideal man . " Acknowledging that Belle " represented significant change from her sweet , mop-wielding predecessors , " '' Twilight and History '' author Nancy Reagin observed that " the end result of fulfillment through marriage has been maintained . " Kathleen Maher of '' The Austin Chronicle '' cited Belle as an example of " pseudo-feminism " because she rejects one man , Gaston , in favor of another , a prince . While commending Belle for " seeing past the beast 's appearance , " Judith Welikala of '' The Independent '' in the end accused the character of " melting back into the role of wife when he turns back into a handsome prince . " '' Fairy Tale '' author Andrew Teverson referred to Belle as Disney 's attempt to address " feminist criticism of its representation of women in earlier films , " but ultimately criticized the character 's curiosity for " extend ing only to romance , " additionally accusing her of being " a zealous individualist with a pathological hostility to common men and women . " Meanwhile , '' Stylist '' ranked Belle among the most feminist Disney characters , describing her as an " incredibly intelligent " woman who " does n't stand for a man who considers her as just a piece of meat ... she wants someone who loves her for her mind too . " Acknowledging the character 's " feminist longings , " Daniel Eagen , author of '' America 's Film Legacy : The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry '' , cited Belle as Disney 's " modern-day corrective to Snow White . " '' Beyond Adaptation : Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works '' author Phyllis Frus wrote that , initially , '' Beauty and the Beast '' does not seem " remotely feminist . " However , the author did acknowledge Belle as " an appealing character with a noticeable feminist streak , " but in the end criticized Disney 's Consumer Products of reversing what the film had nearly accomplished by inducting the character into the Disney Princess franchise . In Refinery29 's " Definitive Ranking Of Disney Princesses As Feminist Role Models , " author Vanessa Golembewski ranked the character eighth but described her personality and ambitions as " confusing . " '' Complex '' 's Tara Aquino described Belle as " a kinda feminist ... who 's well-read , self-sufficient , and with standards high enough that she does n't fall for the town 's brain-dead pretty boy . " Commentators have generally reacted more cynically towards Belle 's relationship with the film 's male characters , particularly the Beast , questioning its morality . Writing for the University of Central Florida , Faith Dickens felt that after Belle 's introduction , the character becomes little more than " a vehicle for exploring the Beast 's dilemmas , " while her initial pining for adventure is replaced by romance . Dickens went on to criticize the fact that while Belle appears to be " perfect the way she is , " the Beast " need s to be reformed . " Anna E. Altmann , author of '' Tales , Then and Now : More Folktales as Literary Fictions for Young Adults '' , disliked the fact that Belle appears to share a motherly relationship with both the Beast and Maurice . Altman also panned the fact that Belle 's interest in reading appears to be limited to fairy tales , ultimately dismissing the character as little more than " a feisty North American version of " Beaumont 's heroine . '' Orange Coast '' writer Henry A. Giroux felt that Belle serves as little more than " a prop for resolving the Beast 's problems . " Sonia Saraiya of '' Nerve '' '' '' ranked Belle the sixth most feminist Disney Princess , writing that , unlike Ariel , " Belle 's sass does n't come from teenage rebellion , but rather from intellectual acuity . " Saraiya commended Belle for resisting " her village 's expectations of what her life should look like , " crediting her with being " the first princess to express some skepticism about married life . " While calling Belle 's sacrifice " brave , " the author also labeled it " not much of a step for womankind , " in the end accusing her of falling " for a domineering man . " Similarly , Kit Steinkellner of HelloGiggles expressed concern over the " abusive undercurrents running through Belle and Beast ’s relationship . " Meanwhile , Bustle 's Mary Grace Garis also commended Belle 's aspirations and love of reading , but criticized her relationship with the Beast , concluding , " Though the ’90s showed a move toward princesses wanting to buck conventions and free themselves from their fathers ( or the town misogynist ) the endgame is the still the same , elaborating , " When the movie ends , they ’re still solidly with a man , their dreams of adventure abandoned . Therefore , the Disney renaissance is characterized more by theoretical want of adventure rather than a genuine pursuit . " Deemed an " iconoclast " by '' Boxoffice '' , Belle continues to garner strong recognition for her role in '' Beauty and the Beast '' . Established as a cultural icon , the character holds the distinction of being Disney 's first feminist princess . Commentators believe that the character 's role in '' Beauty and the Beast '' as one of Disney 's first strong female characters is responsible for changing the way in which women would be depicted in subsequent animated films . According to Kevin Fallon of '' The Daily Beast '' , before Belle " being a Disney princess meant singing songs about how much you love combing your hair with a fork and giving away your voice if it meant you got to marry the guy with that dreamy chiseled jaw " . The '' Los Angeles Times ' '' Charles Solomon considers Belle to be among four Disney Princesses responsible for breaking " the bonds of convention . " About.com 's David Nusair agreed that Belle successfully " updated the princess formula for an entirely new generation . " '' The Atlantic '' 's Lindsay Lowe echoed Nusair 's sentiment , citing Belle as the character responsible for ending Disney 's " history of ... docile heroines . " The '' Daily Campus ' '' Cathy Schmidt recognized Belle and Ariel as " the beginnings of the more modern Disney princesses . " Writing for Virgin Media , Limara Salt believes that the character " proved that audiences could fall in love with a brown-haired intellectual . " A survey conducted by Disney after the film 's release determined that Belle 's love of books inspired young women to read . Justin Humphreys of '' The Hook '' expressed , " Belle remains a most successful princess because people can relate " to her . Elina Bolokhova of '' Parenting '' believes that Belle 's " bravery and independence helped redefine the meaning of a Disney princess . " According to Justine McGrath of '' Teen Vogue '' , Belle has " become one of the most popular classic Disney princesses of all time . " Commending her intelligence and lack of vanity , the character was placed at number one on E! 's ranking of the Disney Princesses , while '' Cosmopolitan '' ranked her fourth . In the magazine 's " Definitive Ranking Of Disney Princesses " , '' Seventeen '' ranked Belle fifth . Similarly , BuzzFeed also ranked the character fifth , praising her love of reading . A reader poll conducted by BuzzFeed also determined that Belle is the most popular Disney Princess , having garnered 18 % of votes . Belle is the fifth most successful Disney Princess in terms of box office revenue , with '' Beauty and the Beast '' having grossed over $ 350 million . However , Belle was the lowest-selling Disney Princess on eBay in 2013 , with sales of less than $ 7,000 despite the fact that she is often cited as a customer favorite . Belle is considered to be among Disney 's most beloved animated heroines , and has been called one of Disney 's most beloved princesses . According to Scott Huver of '' People '' , the character 's " popularity remains a force to be reckoned with " even 25 years after the film 's release . Belle was the only animated heroine nominated for the American Film Institute 's greatest heroes in film ranking ; only eight women were included on the final list . CNN ranked Belle among " Merida and other animated heroines " , a list recognizing some of Disney 's greatest heroines . According to the '' Daily Mirror '' , Belle is Disney 's second most iconic character , behind only Mickey and Minnie Mouse , describing her as a " portrait of bravery , teaching us to look beyond appearances and stand up for what we believe in . " Meanwhile , '' PopMatters '' ranked Belle Disney 's second best hero . Considered to be both a sex symbol and fashion icon , Belle has garnered accolades for both her appearance and costumes . The character was ranked 64th on UGO 's list of the most attractive female cartoon characters , while being ranked 14th on '' Complex '' 's " 25 Hottest Cartoon Women of All Time " . E! ranked Belle the second best-dressed Disney Princess , crowning her " the most couture of all the Disney princesses . " Author Emily Popp went on to praise the character 's ballgown for being " off the Oscar de la Renta runway , " while '' Vogue '' included it among the " Most Famous Dresses " , with author Sarah Karmali dubbing it " One of the most instantly recognizable dresses in Disney history . " Revered as iconic , the dress is currently among the most famous in film history 25 years after its debut . Belle appeared on BuzzFeed 's " Definitive Ranking Of 72 Disney Princess Outfits " four times , ranking the character 's green , blue , pink and yellow dresses 51st , 37th , 31st and 15th , respectively . Similarly , Belle 's blue , pink , yellow and green costumes were ranked 18th , 10th , ninth and fourth by Official Disney Blogs , whose author believes that the character 's ballgown " went down in the history books . " Belle appeared on '' Stylist '' 's list of the " Best beauty looks in Disney " twice , both for the character 's hairstyles . '' Entertainment Weekly '' ranked Belle 's hair fifth in the magazine 's " Disney Princesses : Ranking Their Hairdos – and Do n'ts ! " Belle helped establish Woolverton as a " legendary screenwriter " ; the writer continues to be commended for her dedication to creating strong female characters ; ever since Belle , the majority of Woolverton 's female characters have been headstrong , independent women , namely Nala in '' The Lion King '' ( 1994 ) , Mulan in '' Mulan '' ( 1998 ) , Alice in '' Alice in Wonderland '' ( 2010 ) and Maleficent in '' Maleficent '' ( 2014 ) . Susan Wloszczyna of Indiewire wrote that " Woolverton set a new standard for fully fleshed-out fairy-tale heroines ... with Belle " , in turn paving the way for '' The Hunger Games ' '' Katniss Everdeen , and '' Frozen '' 's Anna and Elsa ( 2013 ) . Woolverton remains protective of Belle , explaining , " she was my first-born child , so there ’s a little bit of possessiveness , which really I had to let it go " . '' Beauty and the Beast '' , Belle performs the film 's opening number , " Belle " , which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 64th Academy Awards in 1992 . In 1998 , O'Hara was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production for reprising her role as Belle in the second of '' Beauty and the Beast '' 's three direct-to-video sequels , '' Belle 's Magical World '' . To commemorate her work on '' Beauty and the Beast '' and various contributions to Disney , O'Hara was honored with a Disney Legends award on August 19 , 2011 . Disney hired Spanish actress Penélope Cruz to pose as Belle in photographer Annie Leibovitz 's Disney Dream Portrait Series , while actor Jeff Bridges posed as the Beast . The '' Daily Mail '' described the image as Cruz " wearing Belle 's gorgeous yellow gown and being lifted high into the air by her prince , " accompanied by the phrase " Where a moment of beauty lasts forever . "
64th Academy Awards
64th Academy Awards
Belle (Beauty and the Beast)