Why Gaston is Disney’s Greatest Character | Beauty and the Beast

Disney has created some of the greatest movie villains of all time, but Gaston from Beauty and the Beast is a step above the rest: in fact, some would argue that he is the TITLE CHARACTER. In this video, we look at the evolution of Gaston's character as well as the reason he makes 'Beauty and the Beast' one of Disney's strongest films. My what a guy, that Gaston!
MATT’S MUSINGS: Are there any other Disney villains with a character arc??
Video clips are not mine, they are lovingly borrowed and are property of The Walt Disney Company, the CW Network and DisCina Film.
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#Disney #BeautyandtheBeast #DisneyVillains

[@TeacupForOne]

MATT’S MUSINGS: Are there any other Disney villains with a fully developed character arc??

[@kayten3537]

You forgot that in the original story Belle or Beauty had two wicked spoiled sisters who lie to her. I figured the animators considered adding the sisters but all versions were too much like the Cinderella step sisters and they were like 'Been there Done that'.

[@ingridsuperfreak]

The colors in this movie also plays a big role , Gaston always wear red jackets from the beginning to the end, the Beast also, but at the end and in the ballroom scene he wears blue as Belle, telling us he became as gentle and kind as Belle is portrayed in her blue dresa at the beginning. Both Gaston and Beast are very similar , both are rejected by Belle, but Beast instead respected her decision of not coming down to dinner and went away . And yes , Linda did a great work on Beast and Gaston

[@yukiphnx]

Oh, I 100% agree with everything you said!!! I've always argued that Gaston wasn't evil to begin with but was compelled by his sense of pride. I mean even in "Bonjour", he's super polite!! "Excuse me, please let me through!!" I don't like that people assume his brute character also means he's unintelligent. My favourite villains are Mother Gothel and Dr. Facilier. I actually wrote a paper on Rapunzel's emotional abuse by Gothel.

[@TeacupForOne]

Absolutely!! If he wasn’t legitimately charming the town wouldn’t love him so much. ALSO: that paper sounds amazing!

[@RedRanger9305]

Fantastic analysis. Gaston definitely went from decent to full on sociopath real quick.

[@exhaustedmomfriend342]

He didn’t go from decent to sociopath. He went from bad to sociopath. Because in the beginning Gaston was rude and disrespectful towards Belle and her father, but still tolerable. However, as the movie progressed, Gaston became worse and worse

[@RedRanger9305]

@@exhaustedmomfriend342 Very true. He also had a massive ego that needed to be sucked into the nearest black hole.

[@gonhunter3994]

The only thing I disagree with is "Gaston wasn't evil until Belle shows her love for Beast" he threatened to send Maurice IN AN ASYLUM! If you know anything about history you'll understand why it's fvcked up

[@salamzander]

THIS

[@jllife-s2t]

Oh my goodness!! That part about Gaston making a comment about lack of pictures in the book!!! Wow! Didn’t think about that! Your analysis of him from descent from narcissist to villain is amazing!! I totally agree!! My favorite villain is the Evil Queen. You must have played Gaston!! Did you? 🥰 Lora

[@TeacupForOne]

I LOVE the Evil Queen, she’s fascinating! And yup, I played Gaston last summer, it was so much fun!

[@robbiewalker2831]

@@TeacupForOne You guys mean “Queen Grimhilde”, also known in her Witch form as “Mizerabel”?

[@AdamSheffield-jx7ve]

"Bill Sikes" in Oliver Twist was a similar Gaston. "Civil tones Bill, Civil Tones." His character is chilling.

[@MsAngelique]

1. If Gaston was highly educated, he would be off living in a mansion or in a city and not associating with ordinary village folk as often. He'd be classified as a gentleman and have a very nice job, perhaps in law or religion, and he'd rub elbows with the middle and upper classes. Also, he didn’t understand why Belle's book didn't have pictures. That's not a sign of education. An educated man wouldn’t say that at all, not even to a woman. He'd probably say something like, "Is this book suited to you?" The remark on no pictures alone had no sexist implications. In fact, his one sexist remark about it not being right for a woman to read shows his LACK of education and class. Educated men of the ENCOURAGED women to read. It was considered desirable for women to be well educated. 2. Yeah no. My canon is that Gaston was evil from the beginning. Starting a wedding before a proposal? Trying to force a kiss on Belle? Red flags. He showed no signs of goodness. He didn't have an arc. He just showed his true colors.

[@Themainemouse]

This was really fun to watch! Gaston is an interesting character, and this was a fascinating character analysis! Thank you for sharing!!

[@Endgame707]

Gaston is American 🇺🇸

[@wandalflanagan]

You blew my mind I never thought about Gaston being beauty and beast .I don't think any other viallans really fit that mark .

[@TeacupForOne]

Thanks! He really is an incredibly written character...what did you think of Luke Evans’ portrayal in the live action movie??

[@DisneyTimePodcast]

I love Beauty and the Beast! Gaston is a great villain, thanks for sharing all the great insights!

[@TeacupForOne]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!!

[@flyhi8088]

The true villain was the witch who used her magic to bypass security, manipulate an 11 year old and curse that child and colleagues all for some moral, crap test.

[@ReadPrayDisney]

I totally have been saying! Gaston is the whole package.

[@williamfincher2260]

Anyone who thinks Gaston is a hero is being fooled by his charisma. He puts up an image of being a great man, but only to make himself look good. His selfish motivations go unnoticed by the townspeople.

[@Pastel_Dreams]

Or they're Alpha Chads that are extremely emotionally stunned

[@sudhanshupanta8108]

neo gastonism is inevitable

[@PlayCONtent]

I love any video that analyses gaston , this one is officially genius too, i wish more titles were open to interpretation

[@TeacupForOne]

AGREED! Gaston is a pretty fascinating character, and I hardly ever see him played onstage as anything beyond a brainless doofus...but he’s the beauty AND the beast!!

[@MouseMermaid]

OMG! You in costume. YESSSS. Also I feel like this should have been one of my college English essays. Great work!

[@TeacupForOne]

Haha the costume was tons of fun, and you can’t see them in the photo but I had really incredible riding boots! Thanks for watching 😺😺😺

[@libbywilbur9833]

omg you used a clip from Crazy Ex Girlfriend! I love that song, wonderful use. And love this video's idea. Very interesting to learn more about the history of making Beauty and the Beast and why Gaston is such a powerful villain. I love how he is not just evil because of magic, but he's actually a normal person, with some mean tendencies.

[@TeacupForOne]

I LOVE crazy ex girlfriend!! I made sure to use the term ‘love triangle’ just so I could drop in that clip 😹

[@tylerdodge5808]

i think maui from moana pretty closely fits this idea in where he stole the heart of tfiti and was mainly a villain to everyone but in the end returned it and became the heroo

[@TeacupForOne]

Woah, I didn’t think of that!! But yeah Maui is really in that moral grey zone...

[@directorabe13]

What a great character analysis. I have always had a soft spot for Gaston. He is the only Disney Villain that acts on his logical intentions.

[@TeacupForOne]

Exactly!

[@blackwidow5762]

And locking up your crush’s dad to manipulate her is logical?

[@1evonvielen]

wow, that was pretty interesting! it's so often a good villain who makes a good movie/story... but now I want to see the Aristocat-Gaston :/

[@TeacupForOne]

Aristocat Gaston deserves a whole film!!!

[@ChrisfromOrlando]

Yooo you played Gaston? I played Lefou!

[@TeacupForOne]

I sure did!! So what you’re saying is....we need to do a TikTok style duet of ‘Gaston (Reprise)’?

[@thefilmwatcher1216]

What they did with this character is so impressive.

[@PlayCONtent]

you're right about original frollo making the story a whole lot- even the more faithful versions where he's still a priest give him some selfish ulterior motive from the start that was totally absent in hugo's book (the french author not the jason alexandar gargoyle- his books are much less nuanced)

[@TeacupForOne]

Ok well now I have to seek out the complete works of Gargoyle Hugo....

[@HappiestGirlsonEarth]

This is super interesting! I had a guy one time in college in my political science class argue with me that there is no villain in the lion king. He said that since lions in real life fight their brothers that scar can’t be considered a villain. I’d be interested in seeing a video discussing this if you are looking for topics to discuss!

[@TeacupForOne]

Ooooh that IS cool! I did a video a few months ago comparing Scar to Shakespeare’s Richard III, but it’d be so cool to compare that against how lions behave in the wild....I’ll add it to the list!

[@captainhowlerwilson508]

I wouldn’t say he is the best character in this film, but he is a great villain and one of the best that Disney has produced.

[@PlayCONtent]

I love the black and white beauty and the beast too... it was honestly almost perfect until the end scene where he flies away ...at least i wasn't as immersed with grease when they did it

[@TeacupForOne]

Hahahaha I kinda consciously ignore the part where they fly away. If it’s not in a car it’s not worth the flight!

[@pedroguimaro8915]

Awesome video ! But also I think that ursula has a character arc (my opinion, and also I love her hahahah)

[@TeacupForOne]

Ooooh I never thought about Ursula...there are a ton of different takes on her backstory, mixed between canon and fan theory...THATS the live action mermaid movie they should be making!

[@joshiii]

Ohhhhhhhhh I love this idea so much!

[@TeacupForOne]

Ahhh me too, I’d even go as far as to say it’s one of the best music theatre roles of the past 30 years!

[@WaltLifeSaltLife]

Wow..already I’m shooketh Gaston is a beauty..and the beast. Whoa.🤯🤯🤯. Lmao sippin that tea though. Im so glad that original BATB villain didn’t get put into it I think Gaston was great! Weird how the original was gonna have beast transform into the same character that looked like the Gaston guy..interesting. The way you break it down makes total sense I never realized how they really like change roles. I think cruella definitely gets worse throughout the move. She definitely same was horrible at the beginning but definitely gets worse in time! Would love to see more break down videos on other villains!!

[@TeacupForOne]

Thanks! I actually haven’t seen 101 Dalmatians in ages, and the Cruella I automatically think of is Glenn Close...but it would be really interesting to look at her in the animated film since she’s Anita’s school friend in that one and not her boss...I think there could be something really fun and worth exploring there!! Keep an eye out, this may happen sooner than later 😺😺😺

[@kat_astrophe4279]

AYO WHERE MY NEOGASTONISTS AT???

[@TeacupForOne]

NOT HERE!

[@kvndreamteam]

Here is a story of Scar: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sIm8lJh9oKhsqJI Therefore, we can conclude that when he was young, he wasn't a villain, but later things changed for the worst...

[@ThePsychoguy]

I’m a neo-Gastonist, so I see Gaston as the true (but tragic) hero of the film. But you played him so you might know better. :)

[@justice_of_Youtube]

🤡

[@erikacanopener]

What the fuck are you on about

[@williamfincher2260]

Gaston tried to blackmail Belle by threatening to have her father put away. That was why he originally assembled the mob. He even stated to the director of the asylum that he wanted to set it up so Belle would submit to him. He was more selfish than the beast, but more charismatic.

[@captainhowlerwilson508]

Neo-Gastonists are not people I am willing to listen to. I can listen to people who say that he is more complex than most villains by Disney, but not people who hail him as the hero, which he obviously is not.

[@kozmosius]

@@williamfincher2260 but even before gaston did that... beast locked up maurice and belle was still willing to give him a chance but for some reason gaston gets no chance. Were even shown how much of a jerk beast is but i guess since hes rich and mysterious he gets a pass. Tbh all the main characters are jerks, even belle.

[@Ashibby93]

Maleficent has a beautiful character arc in my opinion ! Especially in the newer remakes ! I loved them! She went from this very dark and hate filled character, but as time went on you really start to see her molded in a different light !

[@TeacupForOne]

For sure, AND Maleficent was also written by Linda Woolverton! What did you think of ‘Mistress of Evil’??

[@Ashibby93]

Teacup For One Loved it ! I think they did a great job with that character arc, and recreating a classic but making it new .

[@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967]

​@@TeacupForOne I discovered one piece of info that shows that Angelina Jolie did tell Linda Woolverton that Maleficent is a villain in the animated film but it seems that she didn't listen and if she had, then the film would be only about how Maleficent became the Mistress of All Evil and not portrayed as an antihero which doesn't suit a purely wicked villain like her. I'II cut Linda some slack from her silly choice since she did great on Beauty and the Beast and other films but she needs to get her facts correct and understand that Maleficent truly is one of Disney's villains.

[@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967]

@@Ashibby93 I discovered one piece of info that shows that Angelina Jolie did tell Linda Woolverton that Maleficent is a villain in the animated film but it seems that she didn't listen and if she had, then the film would be only about how Maleficent became the Mistress of All Evil and not portrayed as an antihero which doesn't suit a purely wicked villain like her. I'II cut Linda some slack from her silly choice since she did great on Beauty and the Beast and other films but she needs to get her facts correct and understand that Maleficent truly is one of Disney's villains . So, not a good job to me.

[@emmapixiedust]

Another great and interesting vlog. I loved the bit about Frollo.

[@TeacupForOne]

Thank-you!!

[@TheMagicInTheMusic]

I'm dying to know if you played Gaston in a musical production of Beauty & The Beast and if so, will you sing for us?

[@TeacupForOne]

I sure did!! It was a dream role for years, and I never thought it would happen but I got pretty lucky and did a two month run of the show last year :) Keep an eye out, I think I’m going to do an acting breakdown/performance of a BATB song in the near future!

[@Tibor0803]

The Good, The Bad, The Beast and the Gaston.

[@ueIl]

neo-gastonists rise up

[@TeacupForOne]

gesundheit

[@AleAlejandro666]

Based and Gaston-pilled, John Doyle made a similar albeit lengthier, more politicised video regarding this

[@TeacupForOne]

The Globe and Mail’s Television Critic?!

[@adrianaparker5401]

Gaston From adriana Parker

[@Endgame707]

Gaston is Canadian 🇨🇦

[@milesbrooks9072]

I’ll tell you what happened to gaston he fell to his death 💀 😅

[@zacvines1425]

❤

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

"Villain"

[@TeacupForOne]

Villain.

[@emanueldesouza4482]

Actually the Beast is the real villain, not Gaston. Gaston was a good man with some defects.

[@jorgebersabe293]

If you are a whiny crybaby with a "woe is me" attitude who thinks women owe him something of course.

[@andorchadas7407]

Enjoy your comment section before a bunch of "Neo-Gastonists" start calling Gaston the true hero

[@TeacupForOne]

Wait, Neo-Gastonists are a thing?!?

[@kngnk815]

John Doyle for the win

[@TeacupForOne]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh ok, I just checked out John Doyle and it finally explains why all of a sudden a bunch of people are watching this video after it sat ignored for over a year 😅 I say bring on the Neo-Gastonists, I’m prepared to argue why he’s a horrible person (which goes hand in hand with why he’s an incredible character)!

[@andorchadas7407]

@@TeacupForOne Prepare yourself for some headaches, then

[@Thagomizer]

@@kngnk815 That guy's an idiot. At first you think his defense of Gaston is satire, but when you realize it's not, he's an edgelord cheerleading bullying, anti-intellectualism, and misogyny. He's like someone who wrote for "Return of Kings" or who read Maddox's "Alphabet of Manliness" without realizing it was satire.

[@avocetsunsets]

Maleficent

[@funtimeswithfefe242]

Laughing too hard

[@TeacupForOne]

Haha, which part?? I don’t usually laugh at my own jokes, but I was particularly proud of my ‘Chinatown’ homage (“I’m the beauty AND the beast!!!”) 😹