The Daily Post – It Builds Character

Funnily enough, I’ve been thinking a great deal about characters (or les personnages Disney) of late. So when I found the prompt It Builds Character I knew this was the one for this month.

Tell us about a favorite character from film, theater, or literature, with whom you’d like to have a heart-to-heart. What would you talk about?

My favourite character is Belle from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Many love her because of that scene in the ballroom with the gold dress, but my love for Belle goes deeper than that. First, she has dark hair and is therefore a princess I feel represents me rather than the plethora of blonde princesses out there. As a child I was only interested in dolls that bore some resemblance to me and those were few and far between. Belle would have been perfect!  I know Snow White is brunette, but I’ve always found Belle to be a much stronger character – she’s feisty, independent and knows she wants “so much more than this provincial life.”

Second, Belle loves to read. She finds adventure in the pages of a book that transport her to magical lands and it fuels her innate sense of adventure. I’ve always been a bookworm so this is something else we have in common.

Finally, she’s French – La Belle et la Bête – and I frankly wish I WAS French. I love to be in France, to speak French and would perhaps even want to chat to Belle in French. I can hope!

So if I was to have a heart-to-heart with Belle these things we have in common would be the basis for the conversation. I would start by asking her about books – her favourite stories and writers, the magical tales she returns to again and again, the genres she loves. We could perhaps read some favourite passages to each other and revel in the chance to speak with a kindred spirit.

From there, we would talk about adventure. My adventures are running-related but Belle had a wondrous adventure involving an enchanted castle and a prince who had been cursed. I would tell her about the places I have travelled to, the races I have run and the adventures I still want to have. In return, I would ask her to tell me more about the Beast’s castle, the enchanted characters within and the range of emotions she experienced when around the Beast.

Finally, I would have to ask about the beautiful ballroom in the Beast’s castle, her gorgeous gold ballgown and their wonderful dance together.

I’m a MASSIVE Strictly Come Dancing (Dancing with the Stars) fan and I would be curious about how she learned to dance so beautifully and what it was like to dance with such an unusual partner. I might even share some Strictly clips where that scene was re-created.

In my head, Belle and I would soon be firm friends. And if I was really lucky, she might even let me try on her ballgown for my very own princess moment…

Which character would you like to talk to and what would you talk about?