The original French folktale, Beauty and the Beast by Madame de Villeneuve, the popular Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, and a short story simply titled Beast by Francesca Lia Block can all be analyzed using Vladimir Propp’s methodology. While these stories neither follow Propp’s linear formula nor have a traditional villain, they still hold many of the elements Propp defines in Morphology of the Folktale. Using a Roman numeral system, Propp calls “dramatis personae,” elements of these stories fall loosely under these categories: I, one member of the family is absent; II, an interdiction is addressed to the hero; III, the interdiction is violated; VIII, the villain causes harm or injury; IX, the hero is allowed to go free; XI, the hero leaves the home; XII, the hero is tested; XIV, the hero acquires the use of a …show more content…
Understandably, the greatest differences are seen in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast because the story is geared towards younger children and is in a movie format as opposed to a short story. This requires the addition of side characters to draw out and slow down the plot of the original folktale somewhat. These side characters remove some of the mystery of the castle itself, as the movie shows characters acting to lead Maurice to the food and fire. Unlike the other two stories, Belle does not trust Beast blindly, attempting to leave once, only regaining some trust through Beast’s rescue of her. The Disney movie also leaves out the enchanted ring from the original folktale, which opens up a plot device increasing suspense; unlike the original where she could immediately return, she is now stuck in a basement with her father. Finally, the original and the Disney version share a “happily ever after” differing only in the obviousness of the marriage; whereas, Beast breaks the mold of “happily ever after,” and allows for an unhappy