Summary
- Beauty and the Beast is one of the Disney Renaissance's Most Beloved Movies.
- One enduring mystery with Beauty and the Beast involves the Beast's real name.
- To many, the Beast does have a real name while the truth makes things far more complex.
Disney's animated classic Beauty and the Beast first premiered in U.S. theaters nationwide on September 22, 1991. It was one of the last films Disney Legend and lyricist Howard Ashman worked on before he died. The film even has a dedication to Ashman embedded into the end credits: "To our friend Howard who gave a mermaid her voice and a beast his soul." Beauty and the Beast was also the first animated film nominated for Best Picture during the 64th annual Academy Awards. A category that has existed separately for all animated features since 2001.
Preceded by The Rescuers Down Under (1990), the Broadway-style musical that is Beauty and the Beast was groundbreaking for its time and further cemented Disney's comeback as a box office titan. It eventually spawned a stage musical adaptation that officially made its premiere in New York, New York, in 1994. And later merited direct-to-video sequel Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997). Despite its success, subsequent adaptations, and sequels -- the story has managed to avoid naming one of its main characters and solidifying his moniker in the Disney canon: The Beast.
The Beast Remains Nameless in Both Versions of Beauty and the Beast
Beast's backstory has been told multiple times, both onscreen and off. The original 1991 film tells the cautionary tale of his transformation into the beast after offending an enchantress in disguise in a stained-glass montage. During this, he is merely referred to as a "young prince" living in a "shining castle." The 1997 follow-up Enchanted Christmas even has flashbacks to before his fated curse and shows him as a young man behaving badly with his servants. Despite more insight into his time pre-transformation, he remains referred to as just "Master" by his staff.
The 1994 stage musical of the same name also expands parts of Beast's character. He receives a power ballad to end the first act ("If I Can't Love Her"), and there are sweet scenes between him and Belle absent from the film. During a scene in the library, it's revealed that Beast never learned to read. An activity that brings him and Belle closer together as she teaches him. Even with the additional material and runtime in this particular version, Belle still refers to him as "Beast" throughout.
Due to its success, Beauty and the Beast has been re-imagined over and over. Most recently, it was one of Disney's live-action remakes in 2017 with Dan Stevens as Beast (and his human form) and Emma Watson as Belle. Along with an all-star cast as the enchanted objects. It's almost a shot-for-shot copy of the animated version. Still, another missed opportunity for the company to gift a name to one of its most enduring characters and expand his story. He even received another new solo song written for this particular version ("Evermore") with a cover by Josh Groban.
Beast Was Never Given an Official Name by Beauty and the Beast's Creators
Since the animated film's release, rumors have swirled regarding whether Beast does, in fact, have a name. It's led to a lot of speculation in the fan community and even some misnomers about licensed Disney products. One of the earliest bits of hearsay references Disney archivist Dave Smith's book Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia. The claim was that, in the book, Beast is given the name "Adam." However, this bit of information is not actually found anywhere in the book. Smith even addressed this supposition during on a Q&A on the D23 website, denying its validity.
Another major source of confusion is the two-disc CD-ROM video game The D Show, released by Disney Interactive in 1998. Screenshots from a trivia segment in the game still exist where the Beast's name is clearly listed as: Adam. The validity of this is sticky, though, considering Disney licensed out the development of the game to a company called Cyberflix. The most quasi-official source might be an actual piece of artwork located at Disney World's Port Orleans Riverside Resort labeling Belle's prince as "Adam." Regardless, the piece of art doesn't tie directly back to the team who worked on the actual character.
Even with all the outside sources giving Beast the name "Adam," those closest to him say otherwise. Specifically, the team directly involved in his creation. On the Disney DVD and Blue-ray, the directors (Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale) and producer (Don Hahn) of the film state in the additional commentary that they "didn't realize until actually we got to it, but when Belle comes out and calls to the Beast - we said, 'He doesn't have a name.'" Supervising animator Glen Keane was adamant when asked by a fan, that he "never referred to him as anything but 'Beast.'" Hahn even said in a separate interview that if they were to give Beast a name, it would be something French and more in line with the cultural setting of the film.
As a More Complex Disney Prince and Character, the Beast Deserves a Name
As a character who seems to have more added to his backstory and depth with each passing adaptation, it's surprising he's been denied a name. Even though Keane has stated that "whatever his name was before is not important" for the audience "because they'd fallen in love with the beast," it might be time to christen this well-loved Disney hero. Especially since Disney princes have been getting more development of their own in Disney's live-action adaptations. Most recently, viewers saw Prince Eric's personality expanded in the reboot of The Little Mermaid. Not only did Eric get his own musical number in the new version, but his relationship with Ariel was given more points of interest as they shared specific commonalities.
Beast is one of the few princes who shares as great of an arc on his own as with his heroine. Belle finds the adventure she sought with Beast, and he finds the kindness and understanding he was lacking through her. In 1991, Beast was a far cry from his predecessors who fought dragons, wooed their lady fairs with song, or tracked down the love of their lives with nothing but a glass slipper as a souvenir. This may have been largely due to Ashman's ability to craft compelling characters (he was, after all, the reason the enchanted objects had unique personas). So, it might be time for Disney to dig deep and give the fans what they want -- before they pick one for him again.
Whether or not he's known as "Adam" -- the Beast has remained an enduring Disney hero since he first stepped onto the silver screen. Disney did such a good job at creating a fearsome, yet lovable, character that his film has gone on to be developed and redeveloped time and time again (thanks also to his leading lady and castle of enchanted objects). It remains to be seen if they'll honor him with a name, but the long-standing rumor that he was given one prior can at least be laid to rest.