10 questions from the animated 'Beauty and the Beast' the live-action movie finally answers

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the live-action "Beauty and the Beast."

Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast" is in theaters and if you head out to see it, you'll notice there are a lot of differences from the original animated classic.

While some are unnecessary departures or additions, others expand on the story, answering lingering fan questions and fixing plot holes from its 1991 counterpart.

Keep reading to see 10 questions the live-action "Beauty and the Beast" resolves from the animated classic. 

Why doesn't the village seem to know anything about the Prince or his castle?

One of the most problematic parts of the animated "Beauty and the Beast" film is that no one seems to know anything about the prince or the huge castle even though they aren't far from Belle's small village. 

The live-action movie clears this up by saying the Enchantress not only cursed the Beast and his servants, but also erased the villagers' minds of any memories they may have had of the prince and his castle.

Why do people even like Gaston?

Gaston is easily the most-liked and admired character in Belle's small French village, but it's never clear why. The self-absorbed huntsman comes across as sexist and misogynistic in the animated tale. 

The live-action movie gives us some more backstory to the character by making him a war hero who also loves to hunt. In fact, the live-action version of the film delivers a slightly watered-down version of the Gaston you may remember. Instead of tossing Belle's library book carelessly into a pile of mud at the film's start, he takes an interest in her hobby and asks about her text. Instead of speaking down to Belle, Gaston offers her flowers and asks if he may join her for dinner. She refuses. 

Later, when Maurice comes barging into the town pub claiming his daughter is being held prisoner by an enormous beast, everyone is quick to dismiss him except Gaston. Instead of throwing him out of the pub like in the animated movie, Gaston and LeFou head out with Maurice in search of Belle.

Things go downhill from there for Gaston, but up until that point, he doesn't sound like much of a monster.

What happened to Belle's mom?

While the animated film never gives any explanation for the absence of Belle's mother, the live-action movie makes it an entire plot point. In a flashback, we learn she died from the plague in Paris shortly after Belle was born.

What happened to the Beast's parents?

We also never hear about the Beast's family in the animated tale. During one of the live-action film's new songs, "Days in the Sun," it's shown that his mother also succumbed to an illness and Mrs. Potts said he grew cruel because of his father.

It's not clear what became of his father, though. 

Why was everyone in the castle put under the enchantment?

In the animated tale, it's a no-brainer that the young prince is put under a curse by an Enchantress because he judges her by her appearance. It's less evident why his servants are also subjected to the same fate.

This still isn't crystal clear in the live-action adaptation, but the film does offer a hint at why it's not just the Beast who is cursed. When the Enchantress shows up disguised as an elderly woman to the Beast's castle, it's not just the prince who laughs at her. Everyone at a ball for the prince joins in the laughter. From there, she reveals her true self and casts the spell on those who live in the castle.

How did Belle manage to get the Beast onto her horse Philippe?

After the Beast fended off a pack of wolves in the animated movie, he collapsed onto the snowy terrain. When Belle decides not to leave him, we instantaneously see him go from being on the ground one moment to suddenly being on the back of Philippe. Are we supposed to believe Belle magically picked him up?

In the live-action film, the transition makes more sense. Belle tells the Beast he's going to have to stand up and help her. 

How long was Belle at the Beast's castle?

There's no official answer in the animated movie, but, if you watch, it's clear Belle couldn't have been at the castle for more than a few days. This is primarily because her father, Maurice, goes out in the woods in search of her and struggles on his journey. It's unlikely Maurice is out in the woods for months on end looking for his daughter, something "Beauty and the Beast" co-director Kirk Wise has said in an interview. 

The topic has become one that fans continue to debate. Some believe Belle was only there for a few days. Others believe she was there for several months, mostly because of the timeframe of two straight-to-video sequels.

The live-action film changes up Maurice's story in significant ways so it's clear Belle is at the castle for around a week. While you may think she's there for months because there's snow around the castle, the seasons change so quickly because the Beast's castle has been enchanted to be forever stuck in the throes of winter. You can read more about the change in Maurice's plot line here. 

Does Chip have tons of brothers and sisters?

At one point in the animated movie, Mrs. Potts tells Chip to get in the cupboard with his brothers and sisters. When they're all transformed back into humans, only Chip becomes a little boy. What about all of those other teacups? Are they stuck as cups for all eternity or were they never kids to begin with?

The live-action movie skirts away from this topic by never introducing any teacups other than Chip.

How do Gaston and the villagers get to the castle so fast when Maurice can't even remember his way back there?

Belle's father, Maurice, spends hours or even several days trying to crawl his way back to the castle to no avail. However, when Gaston rallies together the villagers, they have no problem finding the Beast's castle in what feels like mere minutes. Though it was never explicitly stated, it appeared the villagers may have used the magic mirror to fast-track their way to the castle.

In the live-action movie, Gaston clearly uses the mirror to help guide them to the castle.

How old is the Prince when he's turned into the Beast?

In the animated film, the prince is told the rose will bloom until his 21st birthday. Later, Lumiere sings a lyric in the song "Be Our Guest" where he says "ten years we've been rusting," leading viewers to believe the prince is transformed at the age of 11. 

In the live-action film, we don't learn the prince's age at transformation, but he definitely isn't 11. The prince is holding a ball for a room full of adults. Actor Dan Stevens, who plays the prince/Beast, is 34 years old in real life and plays the prince before his transformation.

It's clear from the dust and cobwebs in the castle that several years have passed between the onset of the curse and Maurice's arrival. Stevens himself guessed something like nine years have transpired. The age seems to matter less in the live-action film though since it's never said the rose will bloom until the Beast's 21st birthday.

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