<P> Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg commissioned Beauty and the Beast as an animated musical with a strong heroine and hired first - time screenwriter Linda Woolverton to write it . Basing her on the heroine of Jeanne - Marie Leprince de Beaumont's fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast", Woolverton adapted Belle into a stronger and less passive character for the film . Inspired by the women's rights movement, Woolverton wanted Belle to be a unique Disney heroine different from The Little Mermaid's popular Ariel, and thus deliberately conceived the character as a feminist in an effort to avoid the criticism Disney had long been receiving due to the studio's reputation of depicting its female characters as victims . </P> <P> Belle's strength and love of reading was inspired by American actress Katharine Hepburn's performance as Jo March in the film Little Women (1933), while the writers instilled the adventure - seeking heroine with goals and aspirations beyond romance . However, the story artists and animators often disagreed with Woolverton's liberated vision for the character . Animated by James Baxter and Mark Henn, the former of whom based the character's graceful gait on those of impressionist Edgar Degas' ballerinas, Belle's European facial features were inspired by those of British actresses Vivien Leigh and Audrey Hepburn . Several additional Hollywood actresses inspired Belle's appearance, including Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, and Grace Kelly . </P> <P> Belle has garnered widespread acclaim from film critics who appreciated the character's bravery, intelligence and independence . Reception towards her feminism, however, has been more mixed, with commentators accusing the character's actions of being romance - oriented . The fifth Disney Princess, Belle is often ranked among the franchise's best . Highly regarded as one of Disney's strongest examples of a feminist character, critics agree that Belle helped spearhead a generation of independent film heroines while changing the reputation of a Disney princess . Also one of Disney's most iconic characters, Belle was the only animated heroine nominated for the American Film Institute's greatest heroes in film ranking . The character also appears in the film's several sequels and spin - offs, as well as her own live - action television series . American actress Susan Egan originated the role of Belle in the Broadway musical adaptation of the film, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical . Emma Watson plays a live - action version of the character in a 2017 live action adaptation of the original 1991 film . </P> <P> After the success of Walt Disney Productions' first feature - length animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), filmmaker Walt Disney himself made several attempts to adapt the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" by Jeanne - Marie Leprince de Beaumont into one of the studio's earliest animated feature films during the 1930s and 1950s . However, the project was continuously abandoned due to the fairy tale's "static" plot and main characters . The filmmaker was also concerned about the "unnecessary intensity" required to depict Belle imprisoned . Inspired by the unprecedented success of The Little Mermaid (1989), Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg green - lit another attempt at adapting "Beauty and the Beast" under the direction of Richard Purdum . However, Katzenberg did not approve of Purdum's dark, somber version of the fairy tale, and ultimately ordered that it be restarted from scratch in favor of creating a Broadway - style musical film starring a strong heroine, similar to The Little Mermaid . Opting instead for a "feminist twist" on the story, Katzenberg hired television writer Linda Woolverton, who had never written an animated film before, to write the film's screenplay . </P>

Who plays bell in beauty and the beast