Belle’s mother is an unnamed character in the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast. She was the late mother of Belle and the wife of her father, Maurice.
Background[]
While the character was removed during the production of the film, Belle’s mother is alluded to in other materials surrounding her background. In the musical adaptation, she is mentioned in the song “No Matter What” where Belle’s father compares her to her late mother (“You are your mother’s daughter; therefore you are class. … creme de la creme“), hinting that Belle’s mother might have originally been from the upper-classes of high society; further suggesting that Belle’s mother was a daughter of a ‘vieux riche’ family, and went on to marry a nouveau riche (Maurice). Since Belle mentions that her family having not been from the Village originally (“Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came, to this poor provincial town“), it could be argued that Belle’s mother had passed away before Belle and Maurice had moved to the village.
In addition, a portrait of her reading to a younger Belle can be seen on the wall inside the replica of Belle’s cottage that is a part of the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction at Magic Kingdom. Also, she was seen with the same book that Belle got from the bookseller, indicating that she was the reason why the book was her favorite and why the bookkeeper allowed her to keep it.
Appearances[]
Beauty and the Beast[]
In the 1989 version of the original screenplay of the film, Belle’s mother was planned to have been mentioned as the deceased mother