And He Let Her Go

I was lucky this year. My favorite Disney story was released in the movie theaters the weekend of my birthday. The live-action Beauty and the Beast (plus popcorn, Twizzlers and dinner) was an awesome gift. And the fact that Benjamin would take me, made it an even better treat.

It's a powerful story of true love - going beyond the surface and loving someone for who they really are.  From  the very beginning of the story, when the question "how could anyone ever love a beast?" is asked and we find him to be an unbearable, angry and cold creature, I think we subconsciously hope that he pulls it together to become prince charming. ​This is Disney, after all. 

​We find both Belle and the Beast to be incredibly stubborn. Naturally, she's kind of peeved to be the prisoner and he's just, well a beast. And we see it again when they argue about whose fault it is that he was attacked by wolves. "It wouldn't have happened if you didn't try to escape" and "I wouldn't have had to try to escape if..." But we also see that there is more to both of them - Belle could have run off once the Beast beat up the wolves, but she didn't and he didn't have to go looking for her, but knowing it was unsafe outside his castle walls, he did. And then she stayed to tend to his wounds. Kindness goes a long way in opening a person's eyes and heart. 

​And then we watch their friendship develop.  He gives her his library. "Do you like it? Then it's yours?" They realize they share a love of books - adventures and romance (she catches him reading about Lancelot and Guenevere, probably one of the most classically tragic and romantic stories ever). Suddenly, this prison in which Belle is trapped offers her the freedom to be herself, to read and dream and share this passion with someone else. 

Belle sees the depth of his soul, the hidden romance and passion and the kindness. She finds her soul mate in a creature who could not even love himself let alone anyone else. But she tames the beast inside of him, bringing out his best qualities. And he accepts the "peculiar girl."  Of course in true Disney fashion, she saves him with  "true love's kiss," breaks the curse and they live happily ever after. 

Seeing through someone's beast-like qualities, which I'm sure we all possess at some level, to their heart and soul is the essence of true love. Accepting someone, all of someone - their flaws and demons, the little annoying things they do and quirks they have, the times they have hurt us and we chose to forgive them  - is real love. Looking past those things allow us to see all of the good in a person - the small acts of kindness they perform without regard for acknowledgment, the way their eyes sparkle when they speak of the things for which they have a passion, the way they sing when they think no one is listening or talk to their pet, 

Getting to know a person, to truly understand what makes them tick, and loving them for all of their good and bad takes time. When she saw her father was in danger and needed her, the Beast let Belle go, and he let her go  because he loved her. It is then, even after the famous ballroom scene and song, that he is at his most vulnerable. It was when he let her go that he knew he loved her. And she returned and brought him back to life. That's a gut-wrenching, tear-jerking  scene in the movie. Gets me every time. 

 When it's real, love never really leaves. 

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