LeFou from Beauty and the Beast will be portrayed as having feelings for his macho friend.
For long time children have been learning to understand gender roles under the influence of Disney’s characters. Until now, the studio has offered traditional storylines, presenting classical concepts of femininity and masculinity, where a beautiful princess meets a brave price. Disney steps into a new era and says the film Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens will feature a gay character.
It will be Lefou, who begins to explore his sexuality. LeFou doesn’t yet understand he is gay, but he asks himself about the nature of his feelings for classical macho Gaston.
In the 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast, LeFou was portrayed as a hapless kickside of Gaston, a ladies’ man who hopes to seduce Belle. The brightest scene featuring LeFou is when he sings in a pub to cheer Gaston up. Lines from the song made some suspect that the relationship between the two characters may be more than friendship. The idea will be developed in Disney’s live-action film, which will hit the screens on March 17.
It’s an important moment for the studio, which has heard attempts to convince it for several years that the portrayal of gender images on the screen should be changed. By showing same-sax attraction in a short but bright scene, Disney sends a message that being gay is normal. The message will be heard even in the countries where homosexuality is not acceptable or even banned by law.
Main character Belle gets a new interpretation, too. Emma Watson, who played Belle, says she tried to make her character more emancipate and feminist. The main storyline remains unchanged. The film focuses on a love story between Belle and the Beast. Both are not accepted by society: she for being too clever and he for his appearance. The struggle against social prejudice brings them together and makes their union not only romantically strong but also socially important.
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