Why Gaston is the Real Beast

[@_The_Archive_]

Fun Fact: Rupert Everett auditioned for the role of Gaston, but was told by the directors he didn't sound arrogant enough. He remembered this when he voiced Prince Charming in Shrek 2 (2004).

[@brainflash1]

Ironic that Prince Charming does sound arrogant enough, but he's not nearly scary enough to be Gaston.

[@StonedHunter]

To his credit, I think he took the critique to heart cuz he was amazing as Prince Charming in that movie.

[@rubemartur8239]

@@StonedHunter also got role of main villain for the next movie... until dreamworks revive him by some magic or ulterior motives

[@team10leader1]

Ironically, it sounds like a villain origin story. Only the "villain" doesn't go on a rampage and instead finds better prospects.

[@axe-tq2wn]

Now that’s a fun fact

[@mistingwolf]

Gaston and mirrors is a pretty big theme in this movie. He only ever uses a mirror to admire himself. However, when Belle has a mirror and is looking into it to see someone else with a smile on her face, I think that's what really sets him off. He cannot comprehend someone looking into a mirror to love not themselves, but someone else.

[@Pastel_Dreams]

Not to mention her loving another man that's 'ugly' when she had someone as 'beautiful' as him right there, ready to have her 😡🤢

[@AdriannaDaFox98]

The Mirror was a Witch's glass which is why it could show things it was crafted to scry on people and places

[@jorgebersabe293]

Gaston himself is also a dark mirror of the Beast.

[@TLB7476]

Gaston can't comprehend a book without pictures.... It's not a hard leap from that to not understanding basic social cues.

[@laranadesign4764]

Great observation

[@jilliantavares8249]

Funny enough, Gaston kinda has a similar attitude Prince Adam had in the prologue in the movie: spoiled, selfish, and unkind. So when the Beast fought Gaston, it was like the Beast was looking in a mirror of his past self and putting an end to this behavior for good. The Beast learned his lesson, but Gaston didn’t, and was punished with a fatal fall from the castle.

[@SimsyHazel]

So deep

[@katymbeke8400]

Wasn’t Adam a child when he met the Enchantress? Im not letting some stranger in my house either.

[@SimsyHazel]

@@katymbeke8400 That enchantress was perhaps, the real villian of the movie

[@StonedHunter]

@@katymbeke8400 true but insulting her was a bit much, idk if it was worth being cursed for a decade. you can say 'no' and not be a dick about it (and at least offer her some food or something. also he's surrounded by servants and guards so it's not like he was all alone and without protection)

[@als3022]

@@StonedHunter French noble on the cusp of the Revolution. Surprised he didn't get one of the servants to physically throw her out. He showed quite a bit of self control.

[@emilythigpen3198]

When Belle pleads to the Beast, "I'll do anything", she is trying to save her father. When Gaston pleads with the Beast, he also says, "I'll do anything", but he is trying to save himself. The motivation behind that one simple line makes all the difference.

[@adamantiiispencespence4012]

Kind of but not really. Gaston was being choked and dangled over a ravine. He was under threat of immediate mortal peril and at another's mercy. Belle wasn't. So it's not a direct equivalent but I still see what you mean.

[@feartheghus]

Yeah but even if he was the good guy and the beast is just evil, wouldn’t it make sense and be a good thing to a consequentialist to beg for mercy if necessary to defeat the evil monster?

[@jaeydec]

@@feartheghus something interesting about that is a truly evil monster wouldn't grant you mercy. gaston was fully aware that belle was telling the truth and the beast was kind (and also he probably just didn't wanna die), so he begged for mercy. now lets say Gaston truly thought the beast was evil, and then the beast granted him mercy. wouldn't that at least make you re-evaluate how evil the monster is? if he spared you with no good reason to?

[@OminousZombie]

Remember you are looking from Belle's point of view. You don't know why he said that.

[@circeowaggles]

The part that I've have seen anyone bring up is that belle asked to take her father place in prison. She thought that she would be in a crappy dungeon for the rest of her days to save the father she loved so dearly.

[@TheValiantMoon]

The reason Gaston is so scary to me is because his "evil" is so easily seen in our real world.

[@animeotaku307]

And the fact that there are people who think he’s the real hero makes him even scarier. Dude is basically anyone in the Manosphere.

[@Sarah_H]

Just scrolling through the comments and I already see a bunch of men claiming that Belle was a useless woman who contributed nothing and Gaston was an "alpha chad". These guys definitely look up to Andrew Taint

[@MrCookieCat]

The lead animator for Gaston said something like, "Oh my God, I know people like this. Hollywood is full of them."

[@TheZamaron]

@@Sarah_H Dude, I think they're just joking, it's obvious Gaston is a terrible person.

[@anomalousanimates]

@@Sarah_H andrew paint

[@ThyFloorestFloor]

I think Gaston could be read as a mirror of Beast/Prince Adam an arrogant and spoiled boy who didn't value those around him. Gaston is a reflection of the man he used to be.

[@lonewolf9578]

Gaston is just Kronk if Kronk was portrayed as more villainous

[@dustymcwari4468]

And he undergoes a reverse development to Beast, while Beast learned to be more caring and forgiving, to the point of putting Belle and everyone above him, Gaston just became more selfish and cold-blooded as time went, to the point of he wanting to murder whoever gets in his way to reach a shallow perfect image of himself

[@BeeWhistler]

There was a character like him in the Jean Cocteau film of Beauty and the Beast, and that seemed very much the approach they took to portraying him.

[@evilannie8884]

​@@lonewolf9578you. Take. That. Back. Kronk is too sweet for this world.

[@lonewolf9578]

@@evilannie8884 I’m not wrong though If Gaston was portrayed as more of a loveable meathead instead of a douchey meathead then he’d just be a French Kronk

[@StonedHunter]

Gaston is the perfect depiction of the cruelty of society towards those who do not conform to the norms. He's everything society dictates a "real man" should be. Part of what's scary about his obsession with Belle is that the way he talks to her and about her gives of the vibe that he thinks that he can "fix" her by marrying her and forcing her into the box society demands of her, and how on board the village is with her getting said "fix". Also RIP Tony Jay, he was so good as the Asylum Director and so many other characters from my childhood.

[@wind64a39]

Perhaps that's why some people defend him. Instead of celebrating differences, they look upon them with fear and hatred.

[@rhysoneill7399]

Belle literally just reads fantasy books all day. Gaston brings something to the table for his community He hunts for food he runs the local tavern aka accepting of the common worker. Belle seems to ignore others hardships and marries a Prince so she can keep up reading the same books. Gaston was also honest with belle about her lifestyle(no one's saying hobbies are bad)mainly that she literally just does her hobby she likes reading why not teach literature to people in the village? Or read books that have some merit aka books about nursing or medicine .

[@burtonthegrape9217]

I mean if a giant hairy monster had a girl in her castle and all you knew was that the person living in said castle was a giant hairy monster you'd be inclined to try to stop it right? Especially considering the time they were in that wasn't abnormal.

[@SasukeTheCursed]

Ok hold on there, someone needs to reel their hipster back in. Gaston is absolutely NOT what society depicts a man should be. He's a played up trope about stereotypically male things but he acts in absolutely opposition to many traits that society says a man should have. For example honor and courage are two things society hold in very high regards for men both of which Gaston actively displays opposing traits to. He shows he is dishonorable by using his scheme to try and force Belle into marrying him by holding her father hostage and stabbing beast in the back, and he shows cowardice again by stabbing the beast in the back and then immediately wimping out when he has to fight him even after getting a cheap shot in, not to mention he rallies the towns people to attack as a mob both against Belle's family and the Beast instead of doing it himself. On top of that humility is also a trait that is said by society to be virtuous for men (and women alike) by Gaston's entire character displays the opposite of that. Society does not look favorable upon a man who does nothing but sings his own praises. We aren't ancient Norway with Vikings Boasting in the mead halls. If you actually think Gaston represents what society says a man should be instead of an extremely played up superficial version of that you REALLY need to adjust your perspective of society over the past century because it horribly skewed. The only things Gaston really has going for in that department is that he is physically strong and confident. Those are about the only two male ideals he actually embodies and I would argue the second one is debatable as he shows many time how fragile his confidence is by allowing his ego to be so easily bruised.

[@Snowmon89]

You missed the point of the video (and the story as a whole). He doesn't give a single thought about "fixing" her. To do that, he would have to give a thought about someone other than himself. Heck, he doesn't even care about what social norms are either. It's just straight up: I want, I should&will have, How dare you keep it away from me. It's all about CONTROL. It's not, "why wouldn't she love me" it's "how dare She reject ME". It's called Narcissism. We see it all the time in today's world. Not to be confused with what I went through in my personal life, which was a relationship with a Control Freak. Narcissists and manipulators like Gaston are much worse. Also, no he is not everything that society "dictates" a real man should be. He is an ideal physical example, but society did not declare "this is what men should be like". If it did, then half the town would be Gaston clones and wannabes, not admirers. Which, as we can see, most of the townsfolk aren't trying to be Gaston at all. As Abitfrank put it with the first song, the town are more interested in Belle than him. Which for any narcissist, simply will not do. (Regardless of if he admits it or not, he wants popularity and admiration. In today's world, Gaston would be a Dylan Mulvany.) Belle herself, is weirder than you think. She's not weird for reading. Contrary to Gaston's comments may suggest, he can read and not just ones with pictures. (Someone else analyzing this movie notices that Gaston is actually quite well read. When he said that line, he was actually suggesting she isn't well read. But that's a topic for another time.) No, what makes her "a little odd" is the fact that she's reading instead of working. Most people at Belle's age would already have jobs or seeking work as a intern. Arguably, Belle (ultimately) does nothing to contribute to the town. Almost as if she is rich (which we can all assume the blond triplets are), but they know she isn't. She doesn't even buy the book she's reading, she borrows/exchanges for it. She is someone who (even outside the townsfolk's thoughts) is living in a fantasy world. Isn't that same attitude not almost just as dangerous as what Gaston was already doing?

[@AceSpadeThePikachu]

Gaston would fit in perfectly with the age of "internet influencers."

[@ifyourepeatalieoftenenough8500]

Yes 😂😂😂

[@MrDannymations54]

Definitely can see that, don't forget the entitled celebrity (actor, model or sports athlete) who's always uses his fame and power to get what he wants

[@tayloredwards4968]

What I really like about Gaston he's the exact opposite of the prince charming. Although he is a hunter and is handsome. he's the beast because he doesn't see Bell as a person only an object to have.

[@Pbarz554]

Same!

[@Good_luck_.]

Fhats the same ad snow whites prince

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

@@Good_luck_. Snow White's prince is Prince Florian.

[@ShinyAvalon]

@@Good_luck_. - No, he met Snow White before, and they sang at each other and everything. Granted, an infatuation isn't love, but infatuations can _grow_ into love with a little time.

[@ifyourepeatalieoftenenough8500]

A trophy wife 🥇🏆

[@Pazz_ARTZ]

Rumor has it that some of the female members on the writer's team used experiences with exes they've had to help add on to Gaston's character; which somewhat makes sense. Gaston as a villain terrifies more so since there's a lot of partner that can be like him irl...

[@HantwoTimeline]

source *trust me bro*

[@Pazz_ARTZ]

@@HantwoTimeline Well this rumor is a rather old one; I heard it around 6 years ago. So I don't remember where I first saw it...

[@OminousZombie]

He's not the real villain actually

[@Pazz_ARTZ]

@@OminousZombie Yes and no; Gaston acts a reflection of the Beast, but that's something else entirely. The real villain of Beauty & the Beast is the Enchantress that cursed Beast in the first place

[@MrDannymations54]

​@@OminousZombieum yes he is He's always there to threaten Belle and disrespect Maurice

[@stm7552]

I think the reason that Gaston acts the way he does is because he says in the movie, nobody says no to Gaston, that might suggest that as a child he was spoiled by his parents and always got his way all the time, but when Belle rejected him, he gets in a bad mood like a spoiled child, and a there is a couple of villains I'd like to hear more about is hades and Ursula please.

[@chlyri]

hades and ursula actually make for likeable villains because they- in the original disney movies- were cast out and villainized by the other characters for no reason, and they wanted payback, which a lot of people understand, even if they wouldn't go so far... or they would, they just don't have the power. they also have humorous personalities that are likeable. gaston, frollo, mother gothel, and any orher purely human villains are a bit more interesting if you ask me because they don't have any truly likeable personality traits, and they have no justification or relatability. they're just a shallow bully and two majorly abusive pseudo-parental figures.

[@stm7552]

@@chlyri I like this villains so I'd like to learn more about them, but if there is nothing more to know, how about a video about Hercules or hunchback qusemodo

[@jorgebersabe293]

Basically like the Beast at the beginning. But unlike the Beast, Gaston never learnt to keep a lid on his selfish desires.

[@tymotekaitis3872]

Well in during production he started out as a foppish Nobleman by the name of Marquis Gaston Legume and wore blue until they changed him but it’s implied that he’s still rich in the final version, they should’ve kept his surname Legume and probably made Belle’s aunt Marguerite his mother instead.

[@LevelUpEevee3165]

I can't believe people are defending this guy! He only loved Belle for her looks. He just saw her as a trophy wife. These are probably the same people who thought Belle falling in love with the Beast was "Stockholm Syndrom" even though the Beast tried to become a better person and learned to love Belle for who she was. Not who he wanted her to be.

[@howstrangerous13]

I feel like they only considered it Stockholm Syndrome because she was technically kidnapped tbh. If it were ONLY that, then they'd be right... but I'm with you 100%.

[@als3022]

I have no idea why anyone even likes this movie in the first place.

[@Pastel_Dreams]

I said this before and I'll say it again. The Gaston Apologists & Defenders are most likely the same people that defend real world trash like Andrew Tate.

[@TheEccentricJester]

​@@als3022 I liked it. ☹ The songs are good, the humor is good, it's emotional in all the right ways. And I personally love the idea of a being who is classified as a "monster" due to their physical appearance eventually finding love and compassion when they so desperately need it.

[@Ben_c-j4u]

The song is really funny tho Most people don’t remember the small details about a movie they probably haven’t watched in years so the parts that stick like his song or various other funny moments most people who defend him will drop that point when you remind them of what Gaston did Plus I still love him as a character he is hilarious and in the end he gets what he deserved

[@gemaster14]

Actually the egg thing is more serious than you think. Food Theory did a video where they showed that Gaston’s egg eating habits could tank the town’s economy because even if every villager kept three chickens, the village still wouldn’t produce enough eggs to feed Gaston and make bread, which was an important staple in these kinds of settlements.

[@z2yn]

Also the amount of protein and nutrients could cause health problems to him. Something similar happened to a guy who consumed a lot of carrots and died from an overdose of vitamin a.

[@gemaster14]

@@z2yn True, but that’s more self harm or accidental. It’s not really villainous. It could be villainous if he was forcing someone else to eat 5 dozen eggs. Then that would be causing harm to someone else.

[@nkbujvytcygvujno6006]

Assuming anyone actually believes he ate 5 dozen eggs per day.

[@gemaster14]

@@nkbujvytcygvujno6006 That is true. Gaston does seem like the type to tell tall tales to make himself seem more impressive.

[@daniellemusella1594]

@@z2yn We'd also have to think about the high cholesterol he likely had, as well as the brief risk of food-poisoning when he swallows three of them RAW, during his name-song. (7/15/2023)

[@seeleunit2000]

Yep both Gaston and the towns people are equally responsible for Belle's & Maurice's misery. Which is another lesson you can take from this movie: That lesson being "Bullies and the people who enable them." How bullies get away with gang up and tormenting people who are "different " with their enablers turning a willful blind eye at the bully's actions. And this happened so very often the real life that is both terrifying and frustrating.

[@als3022]

I don't think the village was the reason that Belle and Maurice are miserable. A ton of people go that route, but excuse or miss the two characters themselves. Maurice: He lives on the outskirts of town because of his career. He's an inventor, one that his inventions have a way of exploding. We meet Maurice just after an explosion. Also, the machine he made that gets them out of the basement has an out-of-control swinging axe. That's ultra dangerous. People who had dangerous or gross jobs in the past lived on the outskirts, why? Pollution. How many chemicals is Maurice using to make his inventions? How many of those chemicals are toxic? He needs to be downriver of everyone lest he pollute the drinking supply, or if something explodes it doesn't damage the others. Belle: Isolates herself. Listen to the first song where she is mocking the others because they don't read. That they are "provisional" which is an insult, in that time period which also goes to the colonies. You are less than. Also noticed what everyone else is doing while she gets a little bread and sits to read, working. You never see Belle work; she just lives out with her father. I know the song is the regular "I want something more than my life" from other princess songs, but its framed with disdain for them. The villagers themselves on the other hand just think of her as weird. If they hated her the idea of her marrying the town hero would be revolting. They do as Gaston asks because they, unlike her, think of her as weird or strange rather than maliciously. Its why I don't like any of the characters. All of them have huge flaws that are glossed over and never really faced other than Gaston. Beast suddenly stops having rage, a rage that he used to destroy a ton of furniture that yeah lets say all of it was inanimate. Belle never really belongs; she just does a noble upgrade to become a princess and live happily ever after.

[@rhysoneill7399]

Belle and Maurice are literally people who bring nothing to their respective community. Belle is lazy and reads childish fantasy books all day whilst Maurice invents things that are of no use to the society they live in. Now if Belle was reading actual books that taught her something then yeah sure and if Maurice was a davinci type inventor who brought something useful to others they'd maybe not be looked upon as idiots

[@realmoftheouroboros8313]

@@als3022 Agreed It's a shame Gaston didn't learn who Belle is as no villager would be intrested in a selfish arogant woman.

[@angelwings967]

@@realmoftheouroboros8313 Why didn’t Gaston pursue literally any other woman in the village? It’s because men like him say they want a certain type of “traditional relationship”, but they don’t. They want to chip away at smart and kind women because they want the conquest. Gaston is a villain, always has been. Always will be.

[@jorgebersabe293]

​@@realmoftheouroboros8313 Dude, you just sound like the Soulsborne whiners who want an easy mode because they didn't understand what the game was all about.

[@slothsprite5066]

As a kid, the scene where he plans to put Maurice in an asylum always terrified me. People always overlook Gaston when talking about Disney villains, but he is definitely just as bad, if not more evil because he has some sort of reasoning and thoughts behind his evil actions. Awesome video, as always 💛

[@decoraqueena6413]

What's actually scary about Gaston is that people like him walk among us, unlike the scheming, alien, over - the - top villains we see in the movies.

[@altinaykor364]

saying that people only overlook Gaston as villain is an understatement! for some people, either Gaston sympathizers or fans of that Stockholm Syndrome nonsense, the scene where Gaston plans and tries to put Maurice in an asylum, simply doesn't exist or is just blurry

[@BytheCaye]

It is super odd to me how people don't see him as the villain. Like reasonings aside for how he acts the dude still tries to murder and condemn folks lmao.

[@als3022]

He is basically an ultra jock. It's not that he isn't a villain it's that he's a caracture. Not to mention that Belle and the Beast are not really good people either. One is an arrogant bookworm who thinks she is superior because she reads fantasy and romance and doesn't work. You never see Belle work, she just walks around and judges the townspeople who are when the song begins, working. And the Beast is a violent spoiled brat who destroys things when he is angry. I gather you think that al that smashed furniture in his room was ALWAYS furniture.

[@BytheCaye]

@@als3022 that's a weird thing to assume about someone but go off

[@chadatchison145]

@@als3022 Gaston is a narcissist not a caricature of an uber jock. Narcissist can be far more evil than most people realize, it's considered a disorder that has a spectrum and Gaston would be on the extreme end of that spectrum. I know uber jocks, they may be vain but they're not Gaston.

[@destroyerofyorks]

​@@als3022Belle never once believes she is better than the townspeople? They are the one judging her, not the other way around. How long has it been since you watched the movie?

[@FriendlyGhost-rf7tq]

@@destroyerofyorks she dose not owe them any thing

[@mysticloverfairy1]

It’s laughable that people are trying to defend Gaston and don’t see what an absolutely terrible person he is.

[@MasterZebulin]

That says a chilling amount about society today.

[@wildtk123]

Same I also don't get why do people defend him he is not a nice person.

[@shellpoptheepicswordmaster755]

Probably because they relate to him.

[@fizzy69o.0]

​@@shellpoptheepicswordmaster755but how can they relate to him if 🎶nobody *insert almost anything* like Gaston🎶 lol

[@taleladar]

But but but he didn't have horns, glowing eyes, nor an undead skeletal army! How could he possibly be evil?!

[@Nariasan]

An analysis of Claude Frollo would be great to have! The "monster vs man" trope is also fantastic in Hunchback of Notre-Dame. I find Frollo so unutterably terrifying because he is so REAL. Genuinely real... some of us will have the misfortune of encountering his type in our lives... a true monster indeed.

[@als3022]

He is an antihero in the book struggling between his better and worse halves until he finally becomes the villain in the end. Disney split his character between Frollo and the priest.

[@edgardeitz2784]

Ironically, both those movies share a similar plot outline; takes place in France, misunderstood girl shows the world the "freak" isn't really a freak, the "hero" is the real monster who lusts for the girl, etc.

[@dylanintendisney]

I think man vs beast works well with Tarzan, too. Tarzan is seen as an animal but is noble and protective, while Clayton presents himself as a gentleman but is violent and greedy.

[@JenniferPoole.33272]

True. For each realistic yet fictional villain. I would be one of those unfortunate and scared to death if I ever encounter dudes and ladies who are like Frollo, Clayton, Gaston, etc. Even Scar and Shere Khan, Shenzi, Banzai, Ed, Kaa, etc. why? Cause wild animals are also very scary and dangerous in real life. They’re cute too. Except for snakes. XD but still scary and deadly.

[@jf_kein_k8590]

Gaston is a textbook example of "the most inflated egos are often the most fragile".

[@snakes3425]

What makes Gaston's threat about sending Maurice to the Asylum all the worse is that he knows full well that sending Maurice there would essentially be a death sentence, and would destroy Belle's reputation in the village.

[@campizzapasta8655]

I feel like its weird but I genuinely like that Gaston was a legitimate garbage human being who has the potential to be someone inherantly in need of care, mentally. He absolutely COULD be so empty inside because of superficial reasons but also he could just be that way just because. Seeing him get wound up and watching him go is like. A trainwreck you just wanna watch go on and on. Hes just so entirely messy as a person and thats why I adore him. Hes a blatant reminder of what we all could be and why we shouldnt be that way if we can help it. Its hard to put into words but tl;dr hes a disgusting lil man and I just wanna watch him like a lizard in a terrarium.

[@ceinwenchandler4716]

Hey. Don't insult lizards.

[@fizzy69o.0]

​@@ceinwenchandler4716huzzah a man of quality

[@ShinyAvalon]

@@ceinwenchandler4716 - Maybe they should have phrased it "I just wanna watch him like a herpetophobe watching a lizard in a terrarium."

[@goddessdeedeebubblesofimag7789]

You've got some weird, out-of-place periods in places; I might edit my comment to show where. Ok nvm at least one unnecessary period and multiple missing commas

[@neoqwerty]

@@goddessdeedeebubblesofimag7789 Have you thought about scratching your itch by becoming a beta reader in a fandom? I know people who would adore you for complaining about punctuation.

[@HobGungan]

Belle: Refuses to take anyone's crap. Beast: Is motivated to become a better person because Belle won't take his crap. Gaston: Shows more and more of his ingrained crappiness as Belle consistently keeps on not taking the crap. Confused Internet Critics, The DTV Sequels, and the Live Action Movie: "Belle was totally a Stockholm Syndrome victim and Gaston had a point"

[@daniellemusella1594]

@HobGungan Me, observing all the ignorance: "I need a strawberry margarita." (7/15/2023)

[@masedaace5473]

I see where their coming from with the Stockholm thing, but I could never understand those who sympathize with and defend Gaston. Maybe he's mind controlled them like he did the village!!!

[@fractalgem]

​@@masedaace5473agreed. Belle DID get roundabout kidnapped, so maybe theres some stockholme syndrome there, but gaston? Gaston is a creep.

[@cmaden78]

Sounds a lot like my 20s😂 sadly. But keep looking girls(and boys) there are other good people out there going through the same crap. I promise.❤

[@nikradameri6106]

The scary point is that people like Gaston or judge Claude Frollo actually exist in our world

[@daniellemusella1594]

@nikradameri6106 I know, right? I've seen my share of them. One, in particular, is very popular across the pond in the field of entertainment and royal news coverage. It appears that he's about to get his comeuppance in the court system, though. (7/15/2023)

[@nightowl2190]

you can like a character and NOT approve of their actions. The problem is when people defend these actions and make them seem less terrible than they are in canon

[@JenniferPoole.33272]

That’s worse, bro! 😭 also there are people that are like Hans, Gothel (stealing babies part), Scar, Jafar, etc.

[@team10leader1]

I like your analysis of Gaston! In a way, it highlights Belle and the Beast's respective character arcs. Belle was introspective enough to know what she wanted, while Gaston never thought about what he wanted and was rather miserable for it. The Beast was a brooding creature who became a beautiful soul, while Gaston was an arrogant fool-hard who became an ugly-hearted monster

[@Stratelier]

Fun fact: There's at least one retelling of Beauty and the Beast where at the end, the Beast is turned back but the curse got transferred to a more deserving soul.

[@cmaden78]

Oohhh I would have liked that ending even more!

[@rockandtoon2112]

Something I realized later on in life is that Belle was gone for days (or months, who knows) and apparently no one in the village noticed or cared? I get initially blowing off Maurice's story, but you'd think after a while they'd wonder if she was kidnaped by a normal dude, or maybe even she was killed by a bear or something.

[@Rixec2]

Gaston is certainly toxic, but many people miss that because, well, he's a well written and entertaining character. Even with the worst of people in fiction, you still want to entertain with them in some way. But just because a character is entertaining, it doesn't mean you want to hang out with them irl. In fact, that's also what makes Gaston so dangerous. That kind of charisma along with the danger he poses to get people to do as he says. As for other villains to be talked about like this, Maleficent might be good.

[@JenniferPoole.33272]

True, bro. True. I love Gaston and other villains from Disney (except Chernabog), Disney and Pixar, anime, and other fandoms. If they were real, though, I wouldn’t love them. I would be more terrified and disgusted with them and wouldn’t want to hang out with them at all.

[@TheZamaron]

@@JenniferPoole.33272 And that's the thing with villains, we can have 2 kinds of hate. You either hate them for being just a terrible character, or you LOVE TO HATE THEM because they're either written well or there's some aspect of them that draws you into want to see more of them. Whether it be the level of evil and cruelty they are willing to enact, their charming charisma, or their wit and humor that makes them fun to watch, maybe even their danger and level of combat skill or abilities. Gaston is fun to hate because of his ego, his phisyque, his awesome theme song, and just how dangerous he is, and satisfying watching him try and fail so hard with Belle as she refuses him.

[@chadatchison145]

Narcissism can be far more insidious than a lot of people realize, not all narcissist are dangerous, some are just annoying but others can be outright evil. There's nothing more dangerous than an evil narcissist and their fan club.

[@samtbenjamin]

And unfortunately too many evil narcissists end up being in charge of/damaging a nation or company…

[@friendly.felidae]

This mans is literally causing the egg shortage that makes that one mother say "I need six eggs" to have the vendor respond "that's too expensive!".. this real villain out here taking food from the mouths of his mob.

[@figaroismycat]

I only just realised that gaston saw his own perfect reflection in every mirror except for the magic one wich shows a growling beast. Wich could be interpreted as both showing beast as in Adam, or as gastons true reflected self in that instance.

[@daniellemusella1594]

@figaroismycat I never put that together before. Great catch! "He's no monster, Gaston. YOU are!" (7/15/2023)

[@mb33669]

Gaston is literally physically forcing himself on Bella. Why tf people are defending him?

[@nkbujvytcygvujno6006]

Because they’re the same as him. Haven’t you seen all the trolls hating on Belle, too, and making ridiculous assumptions that she doesn’t work and thinks she’s better than everyone because she reads, rather than the other way around, everyone in town judging her for petty differences? Because they obviously got turned down by people like Belle at some point? S’obvious.

[@drewo.127]

@@nkbujvytcygvujno6006life imitates art imitates life

[@dylanintendisney]

⁠@@nkbujvytcygvujno6006 I noticed that, too. If you ask me, not fitting in is not the same as arrogance. She even asks her father if he thinks she’s odd, showing that being a misfit can hurt. Of course someone who doesn’t feel like they belong and are only treated relatively well because of looks would want to get out of town. I did. But back to Gaston: I have definitely known those people in real life. Becoming a Gaston is a legitimate fear I have.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

At least the Beast learned to let go of Belle.

[@dylanintendisney]

@@nuclearcatbaby1131 Exactly! All these Gaston apologists are conveniently ignoring the fact that the Beast changes. True, he begins selfish, bad-tempered, and nasty, but he develops the self-awareness to realize that his attitudes weren’t helping him or anyone else, learns empathy, and becomes a better person as a result. Gaston is given chances to change and learn empathy; he could have helped Maurice find Belle, could have just forgotten his obsession, could have walked away when the Beast spared him, but he chose not to, which sends him past the moral event horizon into the black hole of evil.

[@amberlynightengale8382]

People constantly forget that Gaston wasn't a villain because he was trying to kill the beast-- he was a villain because from the very beginning, HE WAS A PREDATOR. His first scene is just him sexually harassing Belle, and his second, where he proposes to her, shows very clearly when his harassment escalates into full-blown assault, which Belle just barely avoids! Beauty and the Beast was my favorite movie as a little kid, but I hadn't watched it in a long time. When I finally did rewatch it when I was seventeen, I was HORRIFIED by Gaston. His entire character is the exact kind of person girls are warned about, the reason us ladies don't feel safe walking alone downtown at night. The reason Gaston is so terrifying is because he is so _real._

[@gerardsotxoa]

No he does not. Gaston never dares to actually hurt or even really touch belle. He has a very wrong understanding of showing confidence so degenerates in utter cocky attitude but he understands and observes the golden rule he knows of ''don't (sexually) touch the woman''

[@amberlynightengale8382]

@@gerardsotxoa How long has it been since you watched the film? He literally physically pushes Belle against a door and attempts to forcibly kiss her even when she is giving clear signs that she is uncomfortable. Before that he is following her around HER OWN HOME, with the way he is walking being very intentionally similar to a predator stalking his prey. He constantly touches her, not necessarily sexually, but in ways she is clearly uncomfortable with, and ignores her boundaries because why would she have any? He's irresistible, every girl wants him to touch her in even the smallest way so why shouldn't Belle?

[@trashman11]

It’s pretty ironic that people are like “oh he’s not that bad” they literally fell for his charm

[@lsmmoore1]

That's the same thing that happens with one of the villains in the anime Sword Art Online, Administrator, who reminds me a lot of the special ed teachers who abused me. People fall for her charm too. Spoiler warning for those who have not seen Sword Art Online: Alicization (season 3): That villain is a woman - a female Saruman, but also very much like a lot of real women who abuse people and have a kind of vision shaped by Orwellian definitions, where sure, they seem to like certain things but only if it's a perfect tableau, and they care deeply about it (until one of the pieces of the tableau strays and makes the tableau less pretty and less perfect). A mindset commonly referred to as "having one's head up one's a$$". And there are people who believe Administrator really did love the people she looked after - never mind that when her life flashes before her eyes, unlike with good guys who die and accompany a person they got to know and love, she's just hovering above the kingdom seeing it laid out in, as I said, a perfect tableau. Because she doesn't love the people. She loves the tableau that is the pretty little kingdom she gets to rule over. And yet her charm is such that even though the protagonist, Kirito, hates her as he fights her in the battle that ultimately leads to her demise, and for VERY good reason (her bragging about wanting to commit an atrocity that is several times worse than the H0locaust relative to the proportion of the population she can affect) he falls a bit for Administrator's charm secondhand after her death and sees her as someone whose hopes are worth fighting for because he sees a distorted image of Administrator through someone ELSE who fell for her charm, and that someone else, Bercouli, an experienced warrior, does not relay to Kirito the doubts he had as to the veracity of that image (though the audience can see said doubts) because he's using that image solely to help cheer on Kirito in another battle (and this is a version of Kirito who did not hear of the way in which Administrator made lust for murder sound grand, which would have been an instant turn-off to him had he known about it).

[@fizzy69o.0]

I think its interesting that Gaston isnt just a stereotypical brute with two braincells, he's actually intelligent manipulator and that, combined with his physical skills, makes him an even more dangerous villain. Also it would be great if u made more videos like this about other villains, especially the ones from Disney and Pixar ^w^

[@PixieLady45]

Thanks for the video! It disturbs me how some people think Gaston "wasn't that bad." Yikes!

[@lonewolf9578]

Stockholm syndrome is a very real thing That’s all I’ll say

[@brainflash1]

Usually the sort of people who act like Gaston in real life.

[@unluckyone1655]

The people who think that pretty people could never truely be evil

[@als3022]

I think all three of them are terrible people, and don't like the movie. So, shouldn't defend any of them.

[@RedRoseSeptember22]

Yeah I've seen certain channel types praise Gaston's name and act like he's something to aspire to.

[@Catpuff818]

This was such a good deep dive into the villinous character of Gaston. I also like the sinsiter implication that the village raises Gaston up when he's down because they rely on him as being that guy, that mouth piece that they can hide behind. By the end of this film you realize it didn't take the village much to turn into a blood thirsty mob and as you pointed out they themselves are the ones opposed to anything outside the norm. That means they're not so far off from Gaston as we think. The opening song shows us that they don't understand Belle but by the end the implications that their tolance for anything different is very superficial. And this is scarily simlar to our own reality today. I would love to see a deep dive of Maleficent like this.

[@ravenclawfairy3648]

Yes, Gaston is the beast. He is manipulative. He is cruel. He doesn't care about Belle outside of the fact that she is "the best". Growing up, anytime I saw or heard people acting like Gaston, I turned the other direction, or got my friends away from people like that. You knitting in the end credits is SO CUTE ❤️❤️

[@cmaden78]

I honestly cannot believe that people old enough to type comments are having to be told how Gaston is the bad guy!!?! Preschoolers I have watched this movie with totally get it. This is disturbing.😮

[@mc_zittrer8793]

Never really dawned on me till now, but Beast and Gaston are actually on a parallel journey through this story. They come to represent two completely different spectrums of love - Beast being a nice, unassuming chum who has plenty of hopes, but no real expectations of Belle ever choosing him; and Gaston, a narcissistic stalker that literally forced himself in Belle's house for marriage after she had repeatedly rebuffed him. Gaston paradoxically has zero hopes and a wealth of expectations that he'll be the one to finally tame this elusive book girl and make her have like 50 of his sons. Beast actually winds up leaning on his old crutch of acting like a spoiled, narcissistic prince, and ends up detaining Belle as his prisoner, since he's hella anxious that the curse is gonna become permanent soon. Then he blows up at Belle when her curiosity finally overtakes her, and that's when he finally realizes he has nowhere else to run from his shame - it's cornered him, and it is just as much his fault that the mansion was cursed as it is his fault that Belle sprinted off in the night. So he brawls with a pack of wolves and gets injured(preem sigma move), and is kinda dumbstruck yet sullen that she brought him back to the castle and stayed to nurse him. He knows she'll likely be heading home once the temperatures outside get warm, so at this point, he doesn't really care if the curse takes hold anymore. After all, if it's not meant to be, he now knows better than to try to force anything. He has a new wonderful friend that chose being kind to him even after he'd showed his ass to her, and that's good enough for him. She was the one he had to thank for helping him learn how to be a human, even if he no longer looked like one. Oh, and Beast also gives her a whole freaking library. Then she learns her dad got lost looking for her and is wasting away in the cold, so the Beast releases her so she can go get him. Just like that, he accepts he's probably never gonna see her again, but wishes her safe travels. Gaston tries some gaslighting, then tricks the villagers to grab some torches and pitchforks to put the Beast in his place, because I think instinctively Gaston is actually really nervous about taking the Beast on solo. This way he gets his quarry with overwhelming numbers, and he solidifies the town's support for marrying Belle after he exterminates his only real rival. Not a hint of the valor and gallantry in Gaston that was always there in Beast. It's a kid's movie(or at least I had been watching it since I was little), but I'm actually kinda floored by how much thought was actually put into writing these two dudes that just want the girl. Sorry about the essay, there was a lot to unpack, lol.

[@MrJinglejanglejingle]

...That's... That's not remotely who The Beast was. Did you even watch the movie? He was a selfish, arrogant dick throughout 90% of the movie, and that was precisely why he got cursed in the first place.

[@mc_zittrer8793]

@@MrJinglejanglejingle I'm not sure what's more mangled - your reading comprehension or your math. Like really, Beast was a narcissist? I had no idea, given that I illustrated that in my original post. Every adult male in this movie is a narcissist, Gaston by far being the worst of them. Regarding Beast, he rescues Belle from a pack of wolves at the halfway point. So, you know, 50 does not equal 90. But just in case I missed something, you're more than free to cite any self-serving statements or decisions he made after the halfway point. One narcissist wanted Belle to service his ego. The other recognized his ego was self-sabotaging the first wonderful thing he found in his life. I think this discourse is a little too advanced for you, son. Paw Patrol might be more on your level.

[@addictedtofauna3838]

Exactly. Gaston is technically just Beast's dark foil.

[@mcfaning]

I remember when this came out when I was a kid. I never understood why bell didn't ask if she could go and get her father and just stay in the Castle because that hole town was not worth it being apart of. Best line for the live action remake was when Bell talked about the village she came from the Beast replied "Your village sounds terrible"

[@danielraiber3639]

Gaston obviously has his own little gang in the town, as seen in the pub cheering him up. But as for the rest of the town, maybe he has blackmailed several of the more powerful people in town (as he was willing to do to bell) and because he controls the power, those who are not in his gang or under his control, fear what he can do to them so they just follow him so that he will not destroy them (like he tries to do to Morris)

[@als3022]

I hate to give the live action any credit, but they did explain why he is loved better. He's a war hero who fought for the kingdom and returned home. Not that they did well with that, but at least they explained it better.

[@alpyki2588]

I think more than likely he owns the tavern. Makes sense why his stuff's there.

[@LocaChoca]

Let’s not forget Gaston selfishly driving up the cost of eggs, due to his 5 dozen a day binges every morning, leaving the town with an egg scarcity. Film Theorists did a video about that awhile back. It’s even sang about at the beginning.

[@michaelsnow1736]

I like to imagine in a Beauty and the Beast AU, that Gaston didn’t die from his fall. Instead, he landed on a precipice, probably injured, and, when the Beast turned back into the Prince, the curse passed to Gaston.

[@BeeWhistler]

You could look at Madame Medusa. People don’t consider her enough when talking about worst Disney villains. The sheer cold cruelty of her villainy raises her, imho, to a point just shy of Mother Goethel. And her lackey is no better, just weaker.

[@mysticloverfairy1]

Oh yeah she's horrible she kidnapped a child just to force her to go onto a dark cave to get a diamond for her and lied to her saying she'd be adopted then turned around and told her no one would want a child like her because she was an orphan. The Rescuers was one of my favorite movies as a kid,Rescuers Down Under,not so much,apart from the funny "Home on the range " song the villain sang

[@alpyki2588]

I think she might be actually worse than Gothel. Rapunzel, besides being trapped in a tower, at least seems healthy and happy. Medusa didn't care whether Penny lived or died so long as she got the diamond, and I'm also positive if she did die, she'd grab another orphan.

[@JenniferPoole.33272]

Yup! And don’t get me started on other villains like Percival McLeach! Bro literally tried to kill a young boy named Cody. He tried to feed the kid to the fu*king crocodiles!!

[@JenniferPoole.33272]

And Shan Yu, who killed villagers including little kids. Like that little girl that wanted her doll back.

[@JenniferPoole.33272]

And Maleficent who cursed a baby to die, Evil Queen who wanted her 14 year old stepdaughter SW to die by having the huntsman cut her heart out, and more.

[@mevb]

One thing you didn't mentioned about when Maurice comes into the tavern asking for help, when he tells them that a Beast have locked in Belle, they laugh at him because they don't believe him (as they don't know that the Beasts exist until Belle proves it later).Usually people think someone is crazy for believing in things that don't exist such as ghosts and goblins unless they're children, then adults brushes it off as childish fantasies. THIS is what Gaston gives him the idea for blackmailing Belle into marrying him, because the villagers think Maurice have become mad now that he believes there is a beast around, which nobody knows, seen or heard of at this point.

[@undeadfroggo6349]

Frank: Gaston sucks. Random people: No! He'S a HerO! Frank: ... No. You're wrong. And here's a video as to why. Well done, Frank.😂

[@adamk-paxlogan7330Sucks]

people really think gaston's a hero? IN WHAT UNIVERSE?! O.O;; I can't belive how stupid people are that they think he's a hero,he'll never be a hero,he's pure evil

[@ciarameehanbravo7690]

WHYYY he is just so cruel, perverse and vain why & how in the name of mother mary do people think Gaston and Belle would be a couple/ or he is a hero? 🤢

[@undeadfroggo6349]

@@ciarameehanbravo7690 A lot of people are shallow.

[@ciarameehanbravo7690]

@@undeadfroggo6349 Hi ! thanks for the reply , i like to think there’s good in all people but that’s just really sad. Beauty IS subjective

[@Chibi-Fisch]

The people who watch the movie and think Gaston is the hero don't realize they are the villagers eager to form an angry mob irl

[@dramaprincess0119]

I think Gaston has some strong similarities to Narcissus from Greek mythology. Except instead of breaking hearts of others so they waste away or kill themselves to prove their love to him (until he faces the music through the furies and wastes away himself), Gaston doggedly chases the one person he sees as worthy of him until he too faces the consequences of his actions and likewise dies. On another note I also wonder if he just ignores the three triplets, who obviously are smitten with him, because there are three of them and therefore not uniquely beautiful enough to be his match, even though they are all obviously beautiful.

[@kamatari1220]

I think for the three triplets, he didn't want them because they wanted him. In my opinion, because he was a hunter, he was used to chasing what he wanted and always getting it. Belle's continual refusals triggered something in him. He continuously chases her but because she's a person with her own wants, he can't stand that she doesn't want him. He knew he could have any of the three triplets but they would have been easy prey.

[@nuclearcatbaby1131]

Belle is like Artemis. The most hard-to-get of the Greek goddesses.

[@TheZamaron]

Simply put, he keeps harrassing Belle to marry him, and he even bullies her a bit by criticizing the fact that she reads. Dude is only digging his own hole deeper by doing this, as Belle is too sensible to fall for him, later he resorts to having Belle's father locked up and labeled insane, then proceeds to go after the Beast anyway. He doesn't even listen at all to Belle if she tried to reason with him, he's vain, egotitical, self absorbed, and has no care about who or what he does to get what he wants. He truley is a villain.

[@shojodraws3399]

I actually really like your description of Gaston, as a black void, collecting more and more things in a vain attempt to fill itself.

[@mollyshadows9726]

Ok I never liked Gaston as anything but a great villain. But your video made me realize something, if Gaston had rallied the villagers to attack the castle just going by what Maurice told him, he’d be the hero of this story. All he knows about the beast at this point is that he locked an innocent old man in a dungeon and then kidnapped that poor old man’s daughter! I’d go after him too if that’s all I knew! If Gaston had acted then he’d have every right to kill the beast in order to save Belle. But because he didn’t do it then and only decided to kill the beast after Belle showed more interest in the beast then Gaston, it makes him a villain. It shows he doesn’t love her or care about the town but only his own ego.

[@dracoscorpio753]

Fun fact: Gaston death was going to be like scar only it's wild wolves instead of hyenas

[@MonkeySimius]

You'd have to really ignore a lot of the story to think Gaston was a hero. Like... All the way down to "Gaston found out there was a monster in the woods who abducted a young girl and so he led the townsfolk to end the threat." But... Yeah. Once you look at the actual story he is rather awful. Unredeemable bad.

[@daniellemusella1594]

@MonkeySimius It's plausible that this narrative is exactly what Gaston fed to the villagers, as a way to paint himself as the good guy, and how everyone who didn't side with him was mentally ill and/or had to be eliminated. (7/15/2023)

[@Horticarter41]

He is also much older than Belle. I think my friend who worked at Disneyland said he's supposed to be at least 25, though in the movie the way he's drawn seems like he's closer to 30, like 27-28. Belle is I believe 18, and Beast is explicitly said to be nearly 21. So, if Gaston is a full decade older than Belle, or at minimum 7 years older, it adds a massive creep factor to his already despicable character.

[@kingandrewcecil348]

The way you put it, that makes Gaston come off as a creepy pedophile 😱😱😱😱😱

[@Horticarter41]

@@kingandrewcecil348 yup, it's horrifying.

[@kingandrewcecil348]

@Horticarter41 Co-incidentally, you know who's the other Disney villain that is also guilty of pedophilia like Gaston? Jafar from "Aladdin" (1992). Think about it - compared to Belle and Gaston; there's a MASSIVE age gap between Jafar (a middle-aged man in his 40s) and Princess Jasmine (a teenage girl of age 16), and Jafar is a much bigger pervert than Gaston, as ge outright LUSTS over Jasmine only for her sexy appearance and not her personality unlike that of Aladdin (a teenage boy of age 18). It reaches a point where the Genie himself felt uncomfortable when Jafar requests the Genie to grant his wish for Jasmine to fall desperately in love with him and is outright shocked when Jafar's wish came true (though not outright explicitly shown on Genie's part), and even Al, Abu and Iago all were utterly disgusted when Jafar and Jasmine kissed (even though it was all a ruse on Jasmine's part) 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮

[@kingandrewcecil348]

Point is, in the cases of both Belle×Gaston and Jasmine×Jafar, none of these lustful relationships are shown in a positive light; instead we're supposed to be utterly disgusted at these couples' toxic relationships with the villains, and we root for these Princesses (Belle and Jasmine) to get out of the lustful advances of these male villains (Gaston and Jafar) in favor of their respective true Prince Charmings who treats them way better (Beast/Adam and Aladdin), and therefore find satisfaction when these perverted villains get punished in the end of their respective films.

[@Horticarter41]

@@kingandrewcecil348 absolutely! Really well said 👏 👏👏😊

[@RiveroftheWither]

I've always enjoyed this movie but it wasn't until I became an adult that I noticed the use of shadows. Showing Gaston in the light when hes just an annoying himbo but casting harsh shadows on hes face when he reveals just how deviece and cruel he really is. While doing the opposite for Adam/Beast, bathing him and even the destroyed painting in shadow until the save each other with the wolf attack and then softening uo the lighting as they start to bond.

[@hannahmabbott7370]

Don't forget that most of the villagers are uneducated as well which is another reason Gaston is liked, he is seen as being knowledgeable whilst Belle who is a bookworm is seen as someone to be despised.

[@HeatherNickless-vt8zr]

If Gaston's plan had gone through completely with sending Maurice to the asylum; Maurice probably would've died within about two and a half weeks of his stay.

[@Torichan888]

Have you ever done a video on the theory that the Enchantress actually SAVED Prince Adam when she changed him into the Beast, because he was supposed to open the door to an assassin? I mean, who lets a child answer a door in the middle of night? Especially a prince, who, from the suits of armor throughout the castle, had guards. That's their job. And notice nobody gives him grief over getting them turned into furniture and housewares. Likely because they know the fairy was there for them too.

[@jorgebersabe293]

The Enchantress saved the realm as a whole. Because we see in Gaston the consequences of what would have been if the Prince was never cursed.

[@fractalgem]

That got me to thinking- What if someone DID hire her as an assassin, but she told them that shed take him out of the picture HER way, not theirs.

[@DezAmmySel]

Gaston is definitely a good example of a villain whose evil is all the more terrifying because it could easily happen in real life. Hearing you talk about this really makes me wish you'd do a video on Judge Claude Frollo!! "Who is the monster and who is a man?" I don't think disney would have the GUTS to make a movie like this one, especially in this day and age! It would be wonderful to hear about this movie from you. It's okay if you don't want to though!!!! I respect boundaries lol if you have no passion for what you make the quality will suffer. Just wanted to make a suggestion here! :3

[@mr.x2567]

Welcome to capitalism, where every participator is a cowardly status quo defender

[@emilyzee7483]

I once knew someone who was this kind of evil. They where twisted and cruel. They couldn't love anyone else but themselves. They couldn't even love their own children. Every time they looked at their children they looked disgusted. These people exist, and they can be you're own parents, your own mother.

[@jessicaclakley3691]

Hey Frank, if you haven’t already, I’d be super intrigued on your perspective of Ursula. You know her personality, motives, etc. from both the animated and live actions film are both topical and relatively unexplored as far a villains go.

[@lonewolf9578]

Because not every villain has to be deep or sympathetic Some can be evil just for the sake of being evil and make for entertaining villains. Just look at Jack Horner

[@redwolf121990]

Ya just know in an evil timeline where Gaston got what he wanted he’d be cheating on Belle like crazy after the marriage. Like, dude is incredibly scummy.

[@ifyourepeatalieoftenenough8500]

Probably, after all he is a hunter and belle a trophy wife 🥇🏆

[@sarahcatemusic]

In the staged version is says to the silly girls that after he gets married he will still be going on “rendezvous” with them

[@emademad3435]

The beast didn't try to hurt belle no only because he loved her but he thought he can never be loved by a woman ever again, so when belle left his castle to see her father, he understood that she only pretended to love him just to get out from the castle but when she came back for him and only him, he fought against gaston

[@ShinK_319]

Nobody gets hated like Gaston!

[@jasminkrieger8464]

Nope i hated frollo more especially in the book and real life movie of hunchback so well prince charming Shrek Roland strange magic chuck dorniges Röschen geschichten aus der gruft beat him

[@almamater7427]

beast

[@vampirthelop8442]

Film theory made a video about how Gaston's eating habits are drivening the town in an economic crisis

[@als3022]

Since its timeline is the 18th century around the 1750's to 1760;s, they would be heading to a massive famine anyways.

[@angelwings967]

“I need 6 eggs…. That’s too expensive.” 😮!

[@altinaykor364]

well, good thing that they at least have someone to blame which actually does deserve the blame

[@wind64a39]

I've seen people talk about how Disney tends to use gloves to represent deception, so him favoring them might also play into how he tries to make everyone, including himself, buy his abusive bravado.

[@mariclark2845]

There’s a Gaston redemption fic on AO3. I actually really like the story, it goes off the idea that Gaston didn’t actually die at the end of the movie, just transformed as the curse moved to him

[@daniellemusella1594]

@mariclark2845 I read something like that once, but it's been so long, that I can't remember the title. I do remember, though, how the plot involved Gaston, being turned into A WOMAN. It was the Enchantress's way of both punishing him, and also teaching him about the true plight of females in their society. (7/15/2023)

[@PeruvianPotato]

What is it called? I'm genuinely interested in that premise now

[@Torry316]

The more I think of this story the more I realize that even if Gaston hadn't gotten the town into a rage they could have turned on Belle and her father anyways due to the mirror. Calling her a witch for having an enchanted item that showed them. Blaming her for misfortune in the village.

[@qwisp5618]

When she was talking about how Gaston didn’t want competition, just to be the best, I remember him and his “friend” talking about how he shoots animals when they least expect it. The song lyrics literally say “is it fair? I don’t care”. For someone who strives to be a brute, he really is a coward. Without his control, he would be nothing

[@ayoutubechannelwithnohope6650]

If the animals expected it, they would run... The point of hunting is to kill animals, and to do it quick and sneaky.

[@RoninCatholic]

I love this video. I remember about a decade or so ago there was a trend online of removing the context from guys like this and Jafar from Aladdin, removing all the parts where they scheme to murder people and the like, then claim they're "the real good guy of the story" - and some people taking those short "comedy" videos at face value. I had someone on a forum argue at length that Gaston was, without irony or flaw, a good person and _legitimately_ believed the Beast to be a threat and so on.

[@hanadunn7297]

Yes! Thank you for saying how I perceived as adult. People are too busy with painting the beast as villain and tossing around the Stockholm theories about him to realize the reason why Belle choose him over the town “heart throb”. And personally I don’t find self important, entitled, possessive jocks attractive.

[@MonsterGal9870]

@hanadunn PREACH IT FRIEND!!

[@breezy8133]

This is the channel I watch when i'm about to sleep because I'm already an insomniac, so I don't have to worry about being so scared I can't sleep

[@SkepticalChris]

Extra creep factor, that the Asylum Keeper is voiced by Tony Jay, who also would later voice Judge Frollo in the animated Hunchback of Notre Dame.

[@daniellemusella1594]

@SkepticalChris ANOTHER disgustingly bigoted, evil misogynist. (7/15/2023)

[@vineaccount6832]

Okay, you know the enchantress that cursed the Beast in the first place? Imagine her showing up and turning Gaston into a beast because he was behaving even worse. I could accept that as an ending too.

[@StoryMing]

I never got the sense that Gaston’s mistreatment of others, had anything to do with a secret hatred of himself. He didn’t seem insecure or self-reflective enough for that. Likewise, I also didn’t get the idea that the villagers, led by LeFou, praising Gaston in his own song. was out of fear from his dark mood, but blindness to who and what he really is. He’s like the local hometown football hero. They truly do admire him that much, and of course they want to cheer him up. And Gaston does not call Belle “as crazy as the old man”, until _after_ she has proved the existence of the Beast with the magic mirror, defended him as being “really kind and gentle”, and identified Gaston as the real monster. And- interesting… I never thought about Belle being next on his hit list, but according to typical “Nice Guy” behavior, that does make a lot of sense.

[@DJR641]

I find it crazy how Gaston progressively turns from absurdly rude to actual psychopath.

[@huntercool2232]

Probably the cruelest thing about Gaston is that despite sharing what he thought about the Beast in the song “Kill Beast” and that he described the Beast as a bloodthirsty savage, he was obviously aware of the Beast’s intelligence and knew that he wasn’t just some dumb animal as he made everyone else to believe. He talks to Beast throughout the fight showing that he clearly knows he can understand him. This might be giving him too much credit, but It’s possible that Gaston might’ve even realized that the Beast was a human being who had been cursed. But Gaston didn’t care about any of this, he just knew that Bell had feelings for him and he wanted to get rid of him.

[@LamanKnight]

Without mentioning names, there is a certain abusive narcissist in the public sphere, who could commit some of the most horrifying atrocities, and people would still support this person. I could never understand how people could be so fanatical, and so dissociated from reality, to continue acting like this person is a wonderful, virtuous person we should all adore. But that part you said about the people who follow Gaston really makes it clear: "The town has readily delegated him as their mouthpiece --- their voice of hatred that they don't dare say themselves." Yeah... that's the sad reality of how mob mentality works. I think I get it now. That's why there are people who honestly believe Gaston is a good guy who did nothing wrong; people like the villagers in Belle and Maurice's community aren't the only ones who love having someone to speak their hatred for them. There are a lot of people like that still alive and thriving in this world. And that's why Gaston-like villains are some of the most terrifying real-life villains, whom we still have to deal with.

[@daniellemusella1594]

@LamanKnight I am quite familiar with the person you hinted about at the beginning of your comment. I've often heard him compared to a very popular brand of orange-colored snack food. (7/15/2023)

[@MaevieTheSongbird]

Nothing about Gaston, you were very thorough but I do have a comment about everyone saying Belle has Stockholm syndrome. She doesn’t excuse anything he does. She outright says she wants nothing to do with him and runs away when he pushes too far. She only starts to tolerate him after he saves her life and starts to show his gentler side. She never tries to change him. He changes FOR her

[@SaiseiSekiVA]

This retrospect makes me rethink again about the comparison between OG Gaston and live-action Gaston. With the live-action, the townspeople would probably have some reason to love him since he supposedly just came back from the battlefield, a "war hero" considerably, so it's fair to say he thinks he deserves the best because of that, on top if his already inflating ego. But with the OG Gaston, hes just,,,,,another village jock whose ego need to be fed and fanned 24/7 and, like you mentioned, doesnt know wtheck he really wants, and sees Belle as nothing but a trophy for him. That despicably disgusting "if i cant have her, nobody else can" mentality. It's much scarier because of how ordinary Gaston is. And we often, if not always, encounter this sort of dangerous toxic masculinity in our lives.

[@92JazzQueen]

Yep, i think both beast and gaston being made parallels gives us foils and shows both of them can choose to be a good or bad person and gaston evolved to get worse and worse.

[@SilverMichi]

Gaston often gave me the feeling of a self declared hero who is actually the bully that the whole town encourages and ignores the wrongs he does.

[@creepy_nj5098]

The worst villain of all will always be Frollo in the Huntchback of Notre Dame. He's a dispecable man who really thinks he's righteous. Gaston doesn't think he's wrong but it doesn't seems like he cares to be the bad guy.

[@chlyri]

gaston's idea is that it doesn't matter what he is, people will always see him as the hero. there's a book called "as old as time" where the disney movie plot was re-written, and at the end, gaston is seen by the villagers as the psychotic overgrown child who has to always be seen as the hero, and he becomes completely undone. it might be an officially printed fanfiction, but i really thought it was true to character in every way.

[@jasminkrieger8464]

No lyle in George of jungle you hate his guts same asprince charming in Shrek or Roland in strange magic Heck frollo beats even gaston at being hateable

[@Shadowluigi-pj9nq]

Gaston is just so evil he honestly doesn't care. It's terrifying 😬

[@ColoTobe]

There are some startling similarities with this man and real figures in our world 😳

[@katt-the-pig]

Anybody who thinks Gaston was defending the town from a beast is forgetting how he mocked the Beast for being kind while trying to kill the Beast. Gaston was well aware the Beast was not an actual threat.

[@snowangelnc]

A minor thing that stands out for me is the way Gaston confidently calls out for Belle and Maurice when he barges into their empty house. For sake of argument, let's say that Maurice really was just imagining the story that he told everyone at the tavern. Odds are it wouldn't have come out of nowhere. There's a good chance that _something_ happened, even if it wasn't as outlandish as Maurice was describing. Belle could very realistically have been attacked and dragged away, possibly by a large bearded vagrant, possibly by a wild animal, and Maruice's imagination simply embellished it into a beast taking her to a dungeon. It's possible if his mind was simply a little off. His mind would have to be in an extremely bad state if he had come up with that entire thing out of thin air. If Gaston, or anybody else in the village for that matter, really did care about Belle's safety, the most reasonable thing to do at that moment would be at least to go by the house to check on her, his feelings edged with a little worry even though he was telling himself that everything was probably fine. But no, he goes in like he owns the place, fully expecting both of them to be there just going about their normal business. No other possibility even entered his mind. It's a combination of his complete contempt for Maurice and his utter lack of concern for Belle's well-being.

[@anahitbabajanyan3085]

Exactly thinking the same. Also after finding Belle's home empty he could thought that something indeed happened to Belle, also she wasn't at town for several days. And some people seriously saying that he went to fight the monster to save Belle. Oh yeah, he locked up Belle who was actually free, and went to save her from Beast who freed her. Totally makes sense.

[@topstar231]

Excellently put! While watching it made me think about how Gaston treats mirrors vs the Beast, whereas one only looks for himself and the other for what he could be/go/do, everything BUT himself, because he had come to hate his own reflection and what it meant that it was there to be seen. An internal beast vs an external one. I'm rambling, but you get what I'm trying to say haha

[@omegazxable1520]

finally someone sees gaston as the demon he is instead of defending him great video

[@totentanzthewolf]

It’s amazing to think that had the beast gone unchecked by the witches curse, he could’ve turned out just like Gaston, If not worse! :0

[@chlyri]

worse. he had more power than gaston ever could. at least until the revolution, when gaston would likely be the one working the guillotine.

[@melissaheaney5777]

I think this is the beginning of a fun new series. You have to do Frollo next!

[@whynot1716]

I believe Gustavo's villainy comes from being the Small Town Hero. Essentially, it is where a town idolizes someone to the point of being above reproach

[@christopherrcarter3047]

I imagine that if he survived the finale, somehow, that he'd probably try and take credit for being the reason the curse was lifted. It would be somehow added to his theme song, and he'd boast about how he saved the kingdom or something.

[@windsmith4048]

The one thing more dangerouse then a villain that everyone fear is a villain everyone loves

[@KitzelTheMuse]

as a lover of fairy tails, and having taken psychology courses, I felt the need to pause and leave a small additional note to your ow character deep dive of Gaston. One of the character traits, along with a few others, does give him the red flags of someone with NPD. Narcissistic Personality Disorder. The first hint is his entire schtick / obsession with his own reflection. His need for external Validation, the very real smear campaign towards not only Maurice, but also the "Beast.". Also, La Fou, is literally his scape goat / enabler that absolves him of his very real wrong doings, and in a creative twist, also his flying monky (the person that gives Gaston all the gossip and information.). Just my 2 cents.

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

For other villains, I’d be interested in hearing you analyze Chernobog in Disney’s “A Night on Bald Mountain”. That segment practically traumatized me as a kid, and now I’m kinda fascinated by it - looking at all the horrific little details and symbolism that the nightmarish visuals contain.

[@oindrilasen2895]

The major difference this movie has from other Disney films is that here, a scary, beastly creature forbidden by the human society is the hero, & Gaston, is probably the only or the first villain in Disney fairytale films, who is a normal human, with no frightening appearance, no magical powers, good looks, & even accepted & worshipped by human society. This is a brilliant irony of this movie, emphasizing on the fact that both beauty or evil lies within the mind, not the apparent looks. Iconic movie!

[@daniellemusella1594]

We're led to assume that Gaston is part of the nobility, which, even now in real-life, often gives a person influence over the lower social classes. This would explain why so many of the citizens fall over themselves to appease and otherwise support him. They believe in mostly the same way he does, especially in terms of misogyny. Gaston wasn't the only villain there. When he showed up at Belle's house to propose, pretty much the entire village goes along for what they assume will be a wedding. NONE OF THEM considered what Belle's wishes might be. In a way, he was symbolic of their collective ideals, though he was much more bold in expressing them. Throwing Gaston out of her house, stinky boots and all, was the biggest, clearest, most definitive "NO" she could've possibly given. And yet, just like him, the villagers ignored that. Later, in the tavern, despite having witnessed the rejection, they cheer on Gaston's plans to continue to push for what he wanted, even saying, "His marriage we soon will be celebrating." They don't care that Belle said no, and this is what I meant about him being a symbol for them. After that point, it was about so much more than just a nobleman's wedding to a pretty girl. In their minds, it was about silencing who was probably the only free-thinking woman in their entire community. That's why I love this movie so much. Beyond the surface of a love and respect-vs.-lust and possession triangle with the three central characters, it's social commentary for EVERYONE. The even scarier part is that we still see those attitudes, being enacted today. (7/15/2023)

[@L337M4573RK]

Yes, Gaston is the real BEAST in the movie. That was the underlying message.

[@user-ht8pn6dv9j]

Yeah! In the live-action, LeFou (Josh Gad) actually implies in the Mob Song: ♫ There's a beast running wild, there's no question; but I fear the wrong monster's released~ ♫ The Korean dub (ROK), sadly, did not even try to do any justice for that part. They just re-used the part from the original film (♫ Through a mist, through a wood, where within a haunted castle; something's lurking that you don't see every day! ♫) - LAZY!!!

[@ofcatsandcrepes2080]

The scariest thing about Gaston? There are countless men like him in real life. Yes there are women and peeps who have this entitled viewpoint but it's especially rampant with men. LBR if you're femme presenting you've met one or two people like this.

[@chinyang1200]

I Think it's not as rampant in men as you think considering some recent stuff where lots of women take advantage of men and y'know all those false accusations that happened from Women And everyone somehow just rallies behind them even without proof

[@PeachBoba1523]

The screenwriter Linda Woolverton based Gaston on some of her exes so he feels even more real.

[@ofcatsandcrepes2080]

@@PeachBoba1523 WELL DAMN!

[@Ladyhybrid1631]

This made me reflect not only of the Worst of Humans that Gaston exemplifies to all around him; but it shows me the the way the village sees things as well. Their blind acceptance isn’t just a way of ignoring and pacifying an enormous Man-Child, it is a blind support if how they feel things are perceived to be. To support something isn’t just survival-it is built on a system of ideals that Gaston seems to summarize for the village. They are all awful people and if I were to wish for the Beast to burn their village to the ground; I would be no better than Gaston or the underlying support system he has in the village citizens itself. Maybe I am overthinking the whole thing. Idk

[@UnholyCameraman]

Mythology Note: The horse that Gaston was riding on during "Kill the Beast" sequence is depicted as a black horse with red eyes. This is a reference to a mythological horse called a Nightmare, which gallops into people's dreams and corrupt it into various forms of ghastly, horrific, and terrible phantasms that forces victims to have sleepless nights or even become insane with morbid visions. Sometimes it is depicted to have flaming mane and tail, but not always the case. It can materialize in physical form like the Kelpie and the Phooka, but usually to cause more fear and madness to its victims. It RARELY accepts riders, but if it does, it is usually those who are already condemned to Hell or came from Hell to cause psychological mayhem.

[@kingandrewcecil348]

You know what's funny? I just realized that the black horse Gaston is riding on is literally the exact same one that the Headless Horseman rode on in Disney's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow (1949). Well that adds up more to the nightmare factor in Gaston's villainy in that musical number 😱😱😱😱

[@RoseBaggins]

@@kingandrewcecil348 not just that, Gaston basically has the same look as Brom Bones, similar personality and status in town too.