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Is a 鈥渇eminist Disney princess鈥� an oxymoron?

鈥淥h, I鈥檓 not a princess,鈥� Belle tells a character in the new live-action version of 鈥淏eauty and the Beast.鈥� The actress playing her, Emma Watson, reportedly requested the line.

As to whether she fits the modern definition of feminism? Audiences will get to decide for themselves聽Friday, when the movie opens in theaters, but culture watchers point out that Belle's intelligence and courage in the original animated film resonated with girls in the 1990s, and marked a departure from earlier Disney heroines.

鈥淚 loved the story when it came out in the 鈥�90s, and I loved it for similar reasons that Emma Watson has been saying in her interviews, in that it was a heroine that spoke her mind, and she had some interests outside of the romance,鈥� says Lisa Swain, associate professor of cinema and media arts at Biola University, adding that the original character鈥檚 love of reading drew her to the story.聽

In the 1991 version of the film, the only animated movie to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar when only five contenders were allowed, the bookish inventor鈥檚 daughter had hobbies that went beyond singing with adorable woodland creatures and dreams that included more than waiting for her prince and settling down in a castle.

鈥� and quite modern for her time, and I think it was a case of kind of defending and protecting her original DNA,鈥� Ms. Watson told USA Today.

Interestingly, Belle鈥檚 love of books predates Disney 鈥� it was part of the character in author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve鈥檚 story, published in 1740, says Bonnie Rudner, an associate professor at Boston College who teaches courses including 鈥淒isney and the Wondertale.鈥� 鈥淭hat鈥檚 very unusual for women [at the time],鈥� Professor Rudner says.

But after 鈥淢ulan鈥� and 鈥淢oana鈥� 鈥� to say nothing of Katniss Everdeen 鈥� filmmakers say they took steps to make sure the outspoken bookworm had enough agency for modern audiences. And what about the Stockholm Syndrome question 鈥� in every version of the story, Belle is falling in love with the guy holding her captive. Efforts to address those questions head-on in the new movie range from the cosmetic to the more substantive.

Take the woman portraying her: Watson, who played Hermione Granger in the 鈥淗arry Potter鈥� films, has publicly supported issues including schooling for young girls, removing the stigma attached to feminism, and encouraging women becoming involved in politics.聽In 2014, the United Nations Goodwill ambassador spoke at the UN headquarters about HeForShe, a campaign to encourage men to become involved in discrimination against women.

She and director Bill Condon traded animated Belle鈥檚 ballet slippers for a sturdy pair of boots and ditched the corset. And this Belle has a career beyond keeping house for her absent-minded father: This time, she鈥檚 the inventor.

聽鈥淭here鈥檚 already progress from the last film,鈥� says Nancy Wang Yuen, chair of the department of sociology at Biola University, of the inventor twist.聽

And Rudner, for her part, says the movie version of the story has as much to say about masculinity as it does feminism.

鈥淒isney is really looking at masculinity,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hat makes a man? Who's a man? ... The [villain] 鈥楪aston鈥� song is, that's one kind of man. And then Beast is another kind of man and he has to learn, he has to be transformed by the love of a good woman. And then [Belle鈥檚 father] Maurice is another kind of man, he's the silly, chunky Disney laughable father, he's like a child.... It's interesting. It seems to me like the Disney movie is way more about males than females.鈥�

Rudner notes that the Beast learns how to treat Belle well, while Gaston never does.

鈥淭he problem with Gaston is that he doesn't validate anything about Belle. He doesn't appreciate her, he doesn't validate her right to be independent or free or read, as opposed to Beast, who gives her a library, who lets her go,鈥� she says. 鈥淸Belle is] so free and she goes here and she goes there,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e'll see if at the end if she has not just a library but she has her own lab.鈥澛�

Rudner says she sees more recent Disney characters as having a 鈥減seudo-rebellion.鈥� Characters like Belle are defiant, unlike the early Disney princesses such as Snow White or Cinderella, who are meek and quiet. But unlike last year鈥檚 鈥淢oana,鈥� in which the explorer heroine doesn鈥檛 have a love interest, the fairy tale happily-ever-afters typically end with a wedding.聽

聽鈥淭he resolution is still in the romance,鈥� Professor Yuen agrees. 鈥淪o I'm curious to see whether Disney will try to make it not about that ... that the resolution isn't hinged on the actual union.鈥澛�

Belle鈥檚 ability to judge people based on more than appearances also plays a role in the story鈥檚 resonance. While the Beast looks more like Dan Stevens of 鈥淒ownton Abbey鈥� after the curse is broken, 鈥渋t is significant that she falls in love with him not knowing that he is going to change to a handsome prince,鈥� Swain says.

She adds, however, that this still has its problems. 鈥淚 think that's one of the things that makes 鈥楽hrek鈥� such an appealing movie,鈥� Swain says. 鈥淚nstead of him turning into a handsome prince, she turns into an ogre.鈥�

That sends a message, says Swain. 鈥� 鈥榊ou love me, you really do see me.鈥� I wish that there was some kind of hybrid where maybe when [Belle] sees [the Beast], she sees the prince but when everyone else sees him, they still see that [Beast] appearance,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut yeah, it鈥檚 still a fairy tale in the end, right?鈥�