Who is Belle?
Belle is the heroine of Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast. She loves books and dreams of adventure. In an enchanted castle, she gets to know the residents and learns to see who they really are behind their unusual looks.
How old is Belle? Beauty and the Beast (1991) never says how old Belle is, but the filmmakers have.
Her love of reading helps explain Belle: she wants to know what lies beyond her familiar village. In the castle, she gets to know the residents little by little, through what they say and do. After the film, pick one of those moments and talk about what changed her mind. It's a conversation about this particular story, with no ready-made “right” answer handed to your child.
About the story: Disney Princess: Belle.
Invent books for Belle's library
Our own activity ideas inspired by the story — for drawing, toys and telling stories aloud.
- Make a library for a fairy-tale castle. Draw covers for three books that don't exist yet: one about a brave teacup, one about a lost bridge and one about a garden that can listen.
- Pick a toy and give it an unusual look and three kind deeds. Tell a short story in which a new friend gets to know it better.
Talk about it together: What can you learn about someone new from the things they do? Which moment with Belle do you remember?
Let’s play!
A dollhouse castle for stories about guests
For scenes about meeting someone new and welcoming guests, try My Little Princess: Castle. Kids can move characters and objects around and make up the plot themselves. One open room is enough to start: who has come to visit, and what do the hosts want to share with them?
We picked these apps for the activity. We haven't confirmed that this heroine appears in them.
Questions about the heroine
What movie is Belle from?
Belle is the main character of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. This page covers the 1991 animated film, not the live-action version.
How old is Belle?
Beauty and the Beast (1991) never says how old Belle is, but the filmmakers have. Mark Henn, who supervised her animation, said at a 2016 anniversary screening, reported by USA Today, that she is in her early 20s and “probably the oldest” of Disney's leading ladies. We found no source for the often-repeated 17.