Gaston is a fictional character and the main antagonist of
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...
'
30th animated feature film ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' (1991). Voiced by American actor and singer
Richard White, Gaston is an arrogant and aggressive though charismatic and admired hunter whose unrequited advances to the intellectual
Belle drive him to murder his adversary, the
Beast, once he realizes she cares for him instead. Gaston is not really in love with Belle, he just wants to have her as a
trophy wife
A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires sub ...
, so another "hunting-trophy" to be displayed publicly as a sign of conquest, and as the most handsome man in town he must consequently have the most beautiful girl in town as his wife. Someone who can't take a "no" as a response and whose end justifies the means, thus bringing out his dark, mean, calculating and manipulative side, despite his initial appearance. Gaston serves as a
foil
Foil may refer to:
Materials
* Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine
* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal
* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
* Tin foil, metal foil ...
personality to the Beast, who was once as vain as Gaston prior to his transformation.
Gaston is a character original to Disney, as he is not present in the ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' fairy tale by
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (; 26 April 17118 September 1780) was a French novelist who wrote the best known version of ''Beauty and the Beast''. Her third husband was the French spy Thomas Pichon (1757–1760).
Life and work
Christened Ma ...
upon which the 1991 film is based. Imagined by screenwriter
Linda Woolverton
Linda Woolverton (born December 19, 1952) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist, whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals. She is the first woman to have wr ...
, who based the character on the
ex-boyfriends she dated in her past, Gaston was developed specifically for Disney's adaptation of ''Beauty and the Beast'' because the studio felt that the film could benefit from a strong villain, who is lacking in the original fairy tale. As the character evolves from a non-threatening
aristocrat
The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
into an arrogant man relentlessly seeking Belle's hand in marriage, Gaston ultimately replaced a female relative of Belle's who the filmmakers had originally created to serve as the film's villain.
In direct contrast to his adversary the Beast, Gaston is depicted as physically handsome with an unattractive personality, both physically and emotionally embodying
hypermasculinity
Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. This term has been used ever since the research conducted by Donald L. Mosher and Ma ...
. Both Disney and supervising animator
Andreas Deja initially struggled with the concept of animating a handsome villain, which had never been attempted by the studio before. Deja ultimately based Gaston's appearance on those of handsome
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
actors in order to create a grotesque version of the
Prince Charming
Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, incl ...
stock character
A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of st ...
, while some of White's own
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
tic mannerisms were incorporated into the character.
Gaston has been generally positively received by
film critic
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...
s, although some of them dismissed the character as an inferior, less memorable villain than some of the studio's previous efforts. Considered to be one of Disney's most famous villains, Gaston is frequently ranked within the top-tens of Disney villain rankings released by several media publications.
Development
Conception and writing
Gaston is one of several elements unique to Disney's animated adaptation of the ''
Beauty and the Beast
''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' fairy tale, written by
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (; 26 April 17118 September 1780) was a French novelist who wrote the best known version of ''Beauty and the Beast''. Her third husband was the French spy Thomas Pichon (1757–1760).
Life and work
Christened Ma ...
.
Under Richard and Jill Purdum's direction, Gaston originally resembled a "foppish
aristocrat
The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
" as opposed to the strong, arrogant hunter he would ultimately be revised into;
''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' described early drafts of Gaston as "a weaselly, sort of wimpy character."
In fact, Gaston was originally intended to resemble more of an annoying than antagonistic character, while the main villainous role belonged to Belle's aunt Marguerite instead, who plotted to
force
In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a p ...
Belle into marrying Gaston.
This version of Gaston was abandoned along with much of the original
film treatment
A film treatment (or simply treatment) is a piece of prose, typically the step between scene cards (index cards) and the first draft of a screenplay for a motion picture, television program, or radio play. It is generally longer and more detailed ...
's elements, including Marguerite,
at the behest of Disney chairman
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg (; born December 21, 1950) is an American filmmaker, animator, and media proprietor. He became well known for his tenure as chairman of Walt Disney Studios from 1984 to 1994. After departing Disney, he was a co-founder and CE ...
.
![Jean Cocteau b Meurisse 1923](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Jean_Cocteau_b_Meurisse_1923.jpg)
After Katzenberg insisted that development on the film be completely overhauled, the studio ultimately decided to incorporate elements from filmmaker
Jean Cocteau
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the su ...
's
1946 film adaptation of the fairy tale into their own version of ''Beauty and the Beast''.
Gaston, a character who does not exist in the original fairy tale,
was among several elements borrowed from the live-action version of the story,
based on a character Cocteau himself had created specifically for his film: Avenant,
portrayed by French actor
Jean Marais
Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...
who also plays the Beast in a
dual role
A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...
. Similar to Cocteau's addition of Avenant, Gaston was created for the animated adaptation because Disney felt that the story could potentially benefit from a legitimate villain, which the original text lacks, in addition to instilling ''Beauty and the Beast'' with a more prominent element of danger.
With Marguerite eliminated, Gaston replaced her and ultimately became a more formidable villain.
Thomas S. Hischak, author of ''Musicals in Film: A Guide to the Genre'', observed that Gaston himself had been developed as "a new kind of Disney villain" because he is introduced as a harmless, comic individual who gradually changes and evolves into a much more sinister character as the film progresses.
With its handsome villain and liberated heroine,
both of whom had been developed into fully realized,
multi-dimensional characters,
finally established, ''Beauty and the Beast''s storyline began to solidify.
However, some filmmakers continued to contest whether or not Gaston was actually a strong enough villain.
In addition to eliminating Belle's sisters, screenwriter and creator
Linda Woolverton
Linda Woolverton (born December 19, 1952) is an American screenwriter, playwright, and novelist, whose most prominent works include the screenplays and books of several acclaimed Disney films and stage musicals. She is the first woman to have wr ...
introduced Gaston as a "blockheaded suitor" for the heroine, basing the character on
boyfriends she had dated in the past. Several darker elements originally conceived for the film were ultimately written out of the final version, among them the idea of Gaston himself first visiting the
insane asylum
The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital.
The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry ...
in which he plans on imprisoning Belle's father Maurice.
After Woolverton re-wrote Belle into a more liberated Disney heroine, the animators struggled to realize the screenwriter's vision and briefly depicted the character shoving Gaston into a closet after he proposes to her, an idea Woolverton strongly contested and fought to have written out of the film in favor of Belle rejecting her suitor's proposal in a less "bitchy" way.
During Gaston and the Beast's
climactic battle, the character was originally intended to yell "Time to die!" to his opponent, but the writers ultimately replaced this line with "Belle is mine!" in order to return some of the scene's focus to the heroine of the story, over whom the two men are fighting.
Additionally, Gaston's death was originally intended to have resulted from him being eaten alive by wolves after surviving his fall from the Beast's castle, suffering only a
broken leg
The human leg, in the general word sense, is the entire lower limb of the human body, including the foot, thigh or sometimes even the hip or gluteal region. However, the definition in human anatomy refers only to the section of the lower li ...
;
this idea was ultimately discarded and eventually resurrected for
Scar
A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a na ...
's death in ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance, it ...
'' (1994).
The writers also briefly deliberated having Gaston kill himself once he realizes that Belle will never love him, but this idea was also quickly discarded.
Small skulls were drawn in Gaston's eyes as he descends from the Beast's castle to confirm that he does, in fact, die from his fall.
Voice and animation
Disney hosted an open
casting call
In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra (acting), extra for a particular role or part in a scr ...
for the character, which several actors attended.
Among the actors who auditioned for the role was
Rupert Everett
Rupert James Hector Everett (; born 29 May 1959) is an English actor, director and producer. Everett first came to public attention in 1981 when he was cast in Julian Mitchell's play and subsequent film '' Another Country'' (1984) as a gay pupil ...
,
who Disney decided not to cast because the filmmakers felt that he did not sound arrogant enough to voice such a proud character; Everett would ultimately go on to voice
Prince Charming
Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, incl ...
, a similar character who appears in the ''
Shrek
''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenso ...
'' film series, using the critique of not sounding arrogant enough to play Gaston to secure the role, although Charming's motives and vindictive traits were more in resemblance to that of
Jafar's (as he only wanted Fiona for the throne and seized it in the same manner).
American actor and
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
singer
Richard White was selected to voice Gaston.
His initial audition was first recorded on
audio cassette
The Compact Cassette or Musicassette (MC), also commonly called the tape cassette, cassette tape, audio cassette, or simply tape or cassette, is an analog magnetic tape recording format for audio recording and playback. Invented by Lou Otten ...
, a copy of which was then forwarded to Disney.
White's feature film debut,
the actor recalled that lyricist and executive producer
Howard Ashman
Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probabl ...
guided him through discovering how he would approach voicing Gaston without telling him exactly how to do it,
describing having the opportunity to voice a character like Gaston as "freeing...
cathartic
In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that ''accelerates'' defecation. This is similar to a laxative, which is a substance that ''eases'' defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a catha ...
, in a way."
Although White did not feel like it was necessary for him to physically "become" his character in order to voice him, in retrospect, he admits that he acted much more like Gaston during recording sessions.
Dave Kehr of the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' compared White's "brash" vocal performance to that of actor
Howard Keel
Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer, known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the CBS te ...
.
Andreas Deja served as Gaston's supervising animator. The first villainous character to whom Deja had been assigned by Disney, the animator immediately recognized that Gaston was unique in terms of Disney villains because he was not designed to frighten both the film's hero and audience, as previous Disney villains had been.
In the case of Gaston, Deja stated that viewers are unable to immediately decipher whether or not the character is actually an antagonist based on his physical appearance alone.
White agreed that Gaston is "full of himself, of course, but he's not recognizably villainous" until his opinions and expectations of Belle are further explored.
Deja initially struggled with the idea of designing a "supremely handsome" villain, a specific instruction administered to him by Katzenberg, but he eventually grew to understand the concept upon studying the film's underlying themes of
not judging a book by its cover and "deceptive appearances".
Deja explained, "I understood him from a story point of view, but visually was hard", and at times argued with Katzenberg over whether or not the character was handsome enough.
Some Disney executives also shared Deja's initial hesitation over the character's appearance.
Deja ultimately overcame his deliberations about the character's appearance by modeling Gaston based on handsome
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
actors, a creative decision Katzenberg approved of, explaining to the animator "the story we're trying to tell here is don't judge a book by its cover, so Gaston has to have the opposite qualities of the Beast...no one said it was going to be easy!'".
White's casting ultimately influenced Gaston's design; the animators adjusted the character's appearance after hearing White's
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
tic singing voice for the first time, making Gaston similarly operatic in his movements, gestures and mannerisms.
According to White, Gaston's early designs initially looked "much more Brutish" before the animators ultimately decided to go in a "more beautiful" direction,
basing the character "on a
grotesque
Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...
version" of the
Prince Charming
Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, incl ...
character. Describing the design process as highly collaborative between actor and animator, White would record his lines while the animators drew his character, alternating back and forth for several months.
This process allowed the animators to incorporate White's acting performance into Gaston.
Because White continued to perform on Broadway while working on ''Beauty and the Beast'', Disney would accommodate his stage career by hiring a studio to work wherever he was located.
White recalled, "The experience is kind of like an actor's sandbox. You're in a room by yourself and are invited to be as creative as you can be. Anything you could imagine...they could draw!"
In his book ''Tradigital Animate CC: 12 Principles of Animation in Adobe Animate'', author Stephen Brooks observed that Deja's challenge "was to let
udiencesknow that Gaston is not as courageous as everyone says he is ... but also keep him a real and credible threat" since he is a villain nonetheless.
Both Gaston's personality and physical appearance evolved dramatically during production over the course of two and a half years.
Deja incorporated physical attributes of several of Disney's "classic" villains into Gaston's design, specifically the wide chest and square jawline of
Captain Hook
Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain ...
from ''
Peter Pan
Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...
'' (1953).
One particular challenge of animating a realistic-looking character like Gaston was the difficulty of having him express certain emotions that would not result in him looking too "cartoony," but at the same time trying to instill the character's performance with "life."
Gaston's expressions were exaggerated to the point of which they exceeded normalcy, essentially "
overacting
Overacting (also referred to as hamming or mugging) refers to acting that is exaggerated. Overacting can be viewed positively or negatively. It is sometimes known as "chewing the scenery".
Uses
Some roles require overly-exaggerated character acti ...
."
Deja recalled that he was constantly "walking a fine line by drawing and animating Gaston in subtle ways, yet he also had to be able to articulate emotions like arrogance, anger and evil."
To make Gaston a multi-dimensional character, Deja worked to incorporate various "expressions—the sarcasm, the broadness and the expressiveness—that the handsome leading man seldom gets to show".
According to
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
's Simon Brew, Gaston is "animated really carefully, as it would have been easy to slip, and allow us to see the less jovial, more sinister side of his character earlier."
Deja maintains "a real discipline here in holding Gaston back, to let the audience hook into him, before allowing his gradual slide."
Deja also exaggerated Gaston's proportions to help audiences believe that the character could actually physically face the beast head-on.
In terms of research, Deja sought inspiration from male Los Angeles residents who constantly adore themselves, observing them as they fix their hair and admire themselves in mirrors, explaining, "It was fun to observe them and bring some of that attitude to Gaston."
Creating the character's chest hair, which he exposes during his performance of "Gaston", was a fiercely debated subject among animators.
Deja described early renditions of the character's chest hair as "peculiar" in design because of the way in which it was combed, "from the inside out."
The final version was decided via a contest, in which the animators vied to determine who could best design Gaston's chest hair.
Colors were used to indicate characters' emotions and affiliations in the film; while Gaston is dressed in red to represent evil, Belle and the Beast wear blue to depict goodness. Following Gaston's success, Deja would develop a reputation of animating Disney villains, continuing with Jafar from ''
Aladdin
Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...
'' (1992) and Scar from ''The Lion King'' (1994).
Characteristics and themes
Inner beauty and superficiality
Gaston is depicted as a very narcissistic, self-centered and superficial individual, motivated by extreme jealousy.
Identified as the film's villain by the ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
''s Joy Boyar, Gaston is not ugly in appearance, nor does the audience realize that he is a villain until approximately midway through the film and during "
The Mob Song
"The Mob Song" is a song from the 1991 Disney animated film ''Beauty and the Beast''.
Plot
"The Mob Song" sees Gaston instill fear into the villagers about the Beast, claiming he will supposedly kill them. Gaston then proceeds to lead the angry ...
",
a
musical number he uses to convince his loyal followers to storm the Beast's castle and kill him, although traces of his villainy are first hinted after he proposes to Belle.
Simon Brew of
Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
attributes Gaston's increasing villainy to "his raging jealousy and insecurity" that ultimately "transforms him into the story's antagonist" after he finally succumbs to "circumstance
of his life."
The character's villainy peaks after he attempts to have Maurice incarcerated, although his transformation remains far from complete.
Further distinguishing Gaston from the villains in Disney's ''
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...
'' (1937) and ''
Sleeping Beauty
''Sleeping Beauty'' (french: La belle au bois dormant, or ''The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest''; german: Dornröschen, or ''Little Briar Rose''), also titled in English as ''The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods'', is a fairy tale about a princess cu ...
'' (1959), respectively, the character does not undergo a hideous
physical transformation before he dies.
Mania.com's Rob Vaux observed that Gaston is "small-minded" in comparison to other Disney villains because his ideas tend to resemble those of
school bullies, particularly one whose ego has been inflated "by the people around him," as opposed to "grand schemes;"
the character has no known desire to
conquer the world, lacking ambitions beyond simply marrying the woman he is attracted to.
The character is also void of both magical powers and political influence.
''The Huffington Post''s Lauren Duca agreed that Gaston is "more aggressively intolerable than horrifying."
Beloved by nearly every character in the film, most of whom revere him as the town's most eligible bachelor,
Decent Films film critic Steven D. Greydanus agreed that Gaston initially resembles "merely the ultimate dumb jock".
Gaston's
bodybuilder
Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses o ...
physique serves as a deliberate exaggeration upon "the stereotyped image of male beauty";
''The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast": A Handbook'' author Jerry Griswold compared the character's appearance to actors
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
and
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
,
while the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
''s
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal Siskel (January 26, 1946 – February 20, 1999) was an American film critic and journalist for the ''Chicago Tribune''. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted a series of movie review programs on television from 1975 until his d ...
described him as a "
Robert Goulet
Robert Gérard Goulet (November 26, 1933 October 30, 2007) was an American and Canadian singer and actor of French-Canadian ancestry. Goulet was born and raised in Lawrence, Massachusetts until age 13, and then spent his formative years in Cana ...
clone on steroids." ''Tradigital Animate CC: 12 Principles of Animation in Adobe Animate'' author Stephen Brooks likened Gaston's exaggerated facial expressions to the way in which people "give away their lies as they try to overcompensate."
According to Elizabeth Bell, author of ''From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture'', Gaston "functions...to contrast to the Beast", whose personality ultimately helps make the Beast a more appealing hero despite the latter character's own flaws.
While the Beast maintains "a heart of gold" despite being hideous in appearance, Gaston boasts a handsome exterior but remains "rotting on the inside";
the Beast risks becoming like Gaston on the inside if he fails to change his ways.
Gaston represents "the difference between outward beauty and beauty of the soul," one of the film's central themes.
The fact that Gaston's cruel nature is not mirrored by his handsome exterior "further emphasiz
sthe film's message about inner beauty."
A visual reference to the Beast's "half-man, half-animal" appearance, Gaston's body is temporarily attached to a pig's head when he falls into a large mud puddle upon having his marriage proposal rejected by Belle.
Ultimately, although Gaston mortally wounds the Beast, he is still unable to kill the human who continues to thrive within him.
In the end, Gaston becomes the monster the Beast was originally depicted as,
and his failure "to transform into a New Man" ultimately results in his own death. At the same time, Gaston's cowardice is demonstrated by his decision to stab the Beast in the back immediately after the reformed creature offers him a choice to walk away unharmed.
From very early during the film, audiences are led to expect that Gaston's obsession with Belle will eventually drive him to battle the Beast, Belle's love interest and protector.
Despite their obvious differences, Gaston and the Beast boast several similarities, namely their shared interest in Belle—Gaston's climactic fight with the Beast is driven by the fact that both characters are in love with the same person, albeit differently
—exaggerated musculature,
and respective goals motivated by their own insecurities.
Additionally, both characters use Belle's loyalty to her father to manipulate her.
The scene in which Gaston sits in his large chair in the village tavern is a reference to him and the Beast's similarities.
Decorated with fur and horns, Gaston's chair resembles the Beast when viewed from behind.
In his book ''The Meanings of 'Beauty and the Beast': A Handbook'', author Jerry Griswold observed that "given the dramatic contrast between Gaston and the Beast ... the title of the film may actually refer to them alone."
In her book ''Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works'', author Phyllis Frus observed that the villain's subtle, entirely non-physical transformation into a more demonic version of himself forces the character to suffer a "loss of humanity", in the end justifying his ultimate death.
By the end of the film, Gaston has essentially traded places with the Beast, the latter of whom was originally depicted as the story's antagonist.
Frus elaborated, "few viewers predict that" Gaston "will finish the film snarling like an animal ... before falling to his death", concluding that the character "does not need to magically turn into a beast at the end because, as a male, he is already 'beastly'."
Masculinity and misogyny
''Beauty and the Beast'' parodies the idea of excessive masculinity, a trait shared by both Gaston and the Beast. Obsessed with his own
virility
Virility (from the Latin ''virilitas'', manhood or virility, derived from Latin ''vir'', man) refers to any of a wide range of masculine characteristics viewed positively. Virile means "marked by strength or force". Virility is commonly associ ...
,
Gaston shares several opinions associated with "the
hyper-masculine
Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. This term has been used ever since the research conducted by Donald L. Mosher a ...
male",
boasting many "traditionally heroic" qualities and beliefs.
Representing "everything that can go wrong in the
heterosexual
Heterosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between people of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to ...
male" according to ''The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast": A Handbook'' author Jerry Griswold,
Gaston is essentially a
caricature
A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...
of
hypermasculinity
Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. This term has been used ever since the research conducted by Donald L. Mosher and Ma ...
; he proudly hunts, drinks, fights, spits, bullies and lies in addition to being shallow and ignorant, exuding what are considered to be some of the worst masculine traits.
Gaston
intimidates and threatens anyone opposed to his ideas,
and actively attends male social gatherings via which he can exercise his "
alpha male
In biology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social groups interact, creating a ranking system. A dominant higher-ranking individual is som ...
" status.
Extremely
egotistical
Egotism is defined as the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself and generally features an inflated opinion of one's personal features and importance distinguished by a person's amplified vision of one's self and self-importanc ...
, Gaston appears to pride himself as the greatest at any task he attempts.
Stephen Hunter of ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' wrote, "at the foundation of
aston
Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, England. Located immediately to the north-east of Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a ward within the metropolitan authority. It is approximately 1.5 miles from Birmingham City Centre.
History
Aston wa ...
s personality is something that is merely hinted at in conventional star personas: an overweening vanity. He's in love with the face in the mirror, and the pathology of male vanity is a very '90s idea."
Gaston is Disney's most chauvinistic villain to-date, although this trait is approached with humor, making him at times a
comic relief
Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.
Definition
Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
character early on,
unlike Disney's previous villains.
According to ''
Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies (formerly Upcoming Movies), provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yaho ...
Will Perkins, Gaston believes that "he's God's gift to women and the world."
Referred to as a
personification
Personification occurs when a thing or abstraction is represented as a person, in literature or art, as a type of anthropomorphic metaphor. The type of personification discussed here excludes passing literary effects such as "Shadows hold their b ...
of
misogyny
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced fo ...
,
Gaston is accustomed to acquiring anything he desires,
and believes he deserves to marry Belle only because she is considered to be the most beautiful girl in his hometown, and thus "the best."
According to ''Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church'' author Kenda Creasy Dean, the character "only understands love as self-fulfillment, which allows him to perpetrate domination, viciousness and violence" in pursuit of it.
Greg Garrett, author of ''The Gospel According to Hollywood'', determined that Gaston serves as "a reminder that what the world loves is not worth emulating".
Determined to win Belle as a
trophy wife
A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires sub ...
, Gaston never attains her;
the character's
ego is sorely bruised when his vision of a provincial life is threatened by Belle's rejection,
only augmenting his determination to marry her at whatever cost,
and bringing his insecurities to the forefront for the first time.
Gaston fails to understand Belle's passion for reading.
Gaston effectively uses his charm, good looks and a fabricated image of the Beast to rally the entire village against his opponent,
demonstrating his ability to convince others that he is a gentleman despite never actually having shown concern for anyone other than himself;
only Belle remains unfazed by Gaston's facade and uncovers his true nature, further highlighting the heroine's strength and independence.
Opposed to the idea of women reading, Gaston believes that he'll be able to "cure" Belle of her thirst for intellect after marrying her,
although at the same time these same passions appear to heighten his interest in her. The film makes sure that Gaston's opinions about women are viewed as little more than "boorish";
Woolverton wanted Gaston to teach young boys "how not to treat women."
As a strong leader, Gaston is able to convince a large following to do as he commands and trigger
conformity
Conformity is the act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms, politics or being like-minded. Norms are implicit, specific rules, shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with others. People often choo ...
and
bigotry
Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...
in others,
although he remains incapable of implementing such ideas on his own.
Richard Corliss
Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American film critic and magazine editor for ''Time''. He focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects.
He was the former editor-in-chief of '' Film Commen ...
of ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' observed that the character's "bigotry, for wanting to marry Belle because she's the prettiest girl in town...corrodes into malevolence when he consigns Belle's eccentric father to an asylum and leads the ignorant villagers on a torches-and-pitchforks crusade," which has been compared to scenes from the horror film ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
'' (1931).
Brett Seegmiller of
Medium
Medium may refer to:
Science and technology
Aviation
*Medium bomber, a class of war plane
*Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data
* Medium of ...
compared Gaston's leadership skills to those of German politician
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
because he combines "a call to action with the command to follow him ... after he's whetted our appetites for some action."
Additionally, author Jerry Griswold wrote in his book ''The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast": A Handbook'' that Gaston's hypermasculinity potentially "amounts to a resistance to his own homosexuality" (after all, he is in love with himself), comparing him to
Lester Burnham's homophobic neighbor in the film ''
American Beauty'' (1999).
Toying with
gender expectations, Gaston's masculinity is depicted as ridiculous, while Belle becomes drawn to the Beast's "gentle vulnerability". The Beast gifting Belle a library further emphasizes the differences between the two male characters because Gaston frowns upon reading, accusing the activity of giving women ideas and allowing them to think for themselves as opposed to solely bearing children.
Ultimately, Gaston and the Beast embody bad and good masculinity, respectively; the characters are used "to play the New Age sensitive man off against the macho man," according to ''Ways of Being Male: Representing Masculinities in Children's Literature'' author John Stephens.
Appearances
Physical Characteristics
As noted in the film, Gaston consumes five dozen (60) eggs every day. As a result, Gaston has grown very large and developed a lean and muscular frame. Gaston’s height and weight are 6’5” 285lbs respectively.
Animated portrayal
Gaston debuted in
''Beauty and the Beast'' as an arrogant hunter who is determined to marry Belle, whom he considers to be the village's most beautiful woman. However, she refuses his proposal when he throws a wedding party without her prior knowledge. Belle is the only one in town who actually dislikes Gaston for the person he is inside. Thoroughly humiliated, he sulks, but when her father
Maurice Maurice may refer to:
People
* Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
* Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
*Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
shows up saying that she has been captured by a hideous Beast, he comes up with the idea of having him thrown into an insane asylum, unless Belle agrees to marry him. His blackmail plan fails when Belle proves
the Beast does exist, and she says that he is her friend, and that he is a better person than Gaston. He becomes jealous, snaps, and decides to gather a band of villagers to kill the Beast, playing off their fears that the Beast might wreak havoc on their village.
[Lyrics: "Mob Song" from ''Beauty and the Beast''](_blank)
/ref> In the ensuing fight, he shoots the Beast with an arrow and beats him down, taunting him about his appearance, and still refusing to believe that Belle will not marry him. The Beast has no heart to fight until he sees that Belle came back for him, at which point he easily overpowers Gaston and intends to kill him. However, when Gaston begs for his life, the Beast decides to be the better man and have mercy, and climbs back up to Belle. Ungrateful and unrepentant, Gaston stabs the Beast in the back when he sees him embracing Belle, but loses his balance when the Beast swings his arm backwards at him; consequently, Gaston falls to his death.
Gaston has appeared in the television series ''Disney's House of Mouse
''Disney's House of Mouse'' (or simply ''House of Mouse'') is an American Animation, animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that originally aired for three seasons on ABC and Toon Disney from January 13, 2001, to ...
'', and was voiced again by White. The character also makes sporadic appearances in ''Sing Me a Story with Belle
''Disney's Sing Me a Story with Belle'' is an American live-action/animated television series created by Patrick Davidson and Melissa Gould. The series features Belle from the 1991 film ''Beauty and the Beast'', who now owns and manages the books ...
'', mostly acting as a comedic foil, always stating "No one (insert action) like Gaston!" while walking by, rudely interrupting people's conversations and this phrase is frequently used as rip-offs by other characters.
Live-action portrayals
''Beauty and the Beast'' (2017)
Gaston appears in the 2017 live-action remake, played by Luke Evans
Luke George Evans (born 15 April 1979) is a Welsh actor and singer. He began his career on the stage, performing in many of London's West End productions such as ''Rent'', ''Miss Saigon'', and '' Piaf'' before making his film breakthrough in ...
. In an interview with ''Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'', Evans said that Gaston would retain his hunter background, yet would also be a former soldier in the French Royal Army
The French Royal Army (french: Armée Royale Française) was the principal land force of the Kingdom of France. It served the Bourbon Dynasty from the reign of Louis XIV in the mid-17th century to that of Charles X in the 19th, with an interlude ...
. He also implied that this version of Gaston is darker than the original.[Evans’ Gaston in New ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Photo](_blank)
/ref> In the film, Gaston plays out the same role as in the animated film, though with a few differences. A Captain in the light cavalry, Gaston is a hero to the village, but he is bored with his peaceful life after returning from the war. Gaston pursues Belle, determined to marry her, as she is the most beautiful girl in the village and thus the only one good enough for him. He also finds her independence to be a thrilling challenge, and shows disdain for the Bimbettes who constantly fawn over him purely because of his appearance. When the headmaster and Clothilde catch Belle teaching a girl how to read, they rouse some of the villagers into destroying the laundry invention she made which LeFou informs Gaston about. Gaston breaks up the activity as Pére Robert helps Belle pick up her laundry. While unaware on how this transaction towards Belle started, Gaston scolds the villagers for behaving like this and orders them to go home immediately. At one point, Gaston mentions in a discussion to Belle that the headmaster did not like him at first. He accosts her at her home, subtly offering his hand in marriage for when Maurice dies, but she turns him down. Gaston sulks in the tavern until LeFou cheers him up with a song. Maurice appears, claiming that Belle has been imprisoned by the Beast. While Gaston does not believe in the Beast, he offers to help Maurice in order to find out where Belle has gone.
Unfortunately, the way to the castle is blocked, and Gaston loses his temper with Maurice, revealing that he is violent, rough, and demanding. LeFou tries to calm him down, but it is too late; his true nature is revealed and Maurice tells Gaston that he will never let him marry Belle, so Gaston ties him to a tree, leaving him to the wolves. He hopes by doing this, it would coerce Belle into marrying him, as he tells LeFou that after Maurice dies there will be no one to take care of Belle except for him. Maurice later accuses Gaston of his crime, but Gaston fools the people into thinking Maurice is mad and arranges for him to be locked up in the asylum. He privately offers to put a stop to it if he lets him marry Belle, but Maurice still refuses. When Belle turns up and proves the Beast's existence with a magic mirror, Gaston's jealousy drives him to rally the people to storm the castle and kill the Beast, but not before he orders Tom, Dick, and Stanley to lock Belle alongside her father to prevent her from warning the Beast. He confronts the Beast alone and shoots him in the back, claiming Belle sent him. However, Belle appears and the Beast fights back, holding Gaston over a chasm; Gaston begs for mercy and is spared. Instead of leaving, Gaston stands on a nearby stone bridge and shoots the Beast again, twice, this time fatally. As a result of the Beast's life fading, the castle begins to crumble and the bridge where Gaston is standing breaks into pieces, sending Gaston falling to his death. Unlike in the animated film, Gaston's demise is shown on screen.
Evans will reprise his role in an upcoming ''Beauty and the Beast'' spin-off/prequel series for Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
.
''Once Upon a Time''
A live-action version of Gaston appears in two episodes of the fantasy television series ''Once Upon a Time
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...
'', in which he is first portrayed by Sage Brocklebank
Sage Brocklebank (born January 14, 1978) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Buzz McNab, a long-standing role on the comedy-drama '' Psych''. He also produces movies and writes for theatre and film.
Career
Actor
Since 2001 Brocklebank ...
and later by Wes Brown
Wesley Michael Brown (born 13 October 1979) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender.
Brown began his career with Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, jo ...
. The first was in the first season, where he was Belle's fiancé and attempted to save Belle from Rumplestiltskin
"Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; german: Rumpelstilzchen) is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about a little imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a ...
, but got transfigured into a rose. The second time was in the fifth season, where he befriended Belle. He was depicted in a lighter manner compared to the original movie, where it is implied that his love for Belle was genuine.
Stage productions
Gaston appears in the Broadway musical adaptation of ''Beauty and the Beast'', which premiered at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, originally the Globe Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 205 West 46th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1910, the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre was designed by Carrère and Hasti ...
on April 18, 1994. The role was originated by actor Burke Moses
Burke William Moses (born December 10, 1959, New York City) is an American actor. His older brother is actor Mark Moses.
Career
Moses attended Boston University and Carnegie Mellon University.[Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...]
and won a Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway theatre, Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945 ...
. Besides the songs "Belle", "Gaston
Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to:
People
First name
*Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315)
*Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343)
*Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391)
*Gaston ...
", and "The Mob Song" (which are from the Disney film), Gaston performs "Me" (in which he selfishly proposes to Belle), "Gaston (Reprise)" (which was expanded to have Gaston and Lefou sing about his wicked plan, with Gaston also admitting he "won't feel the least bit remorseful" so long as it works), and "Maison de Lunes" (in which he recruits the asylum owner to have Maurice committed).
In the Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
stage production of the film, he was played by Hugh Jackman
Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, he landed his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2017), a role ...
. Notable actors who have played the role on Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
include Burke Moses
Burke William Moses (born December 10, 1959, New York City) is an American actor. His older brother is actor Mark Moses.
Career
Moses attended Boston University and Carnegie Mellon University.[Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch (born September 22, 1966) is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.
Early life and education
Kudisch was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Florence and Raymond Kudisch. His fami ...]
, Christopher Sieber, and Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond (born December 9, 1957) is an American singer, dancer, actor, television host, and former teen idol. He first gained fame performing with four of his elder brothers as the Osmonds, earning several top ten hits and gol ...
.
Literary portrayals
Gaston is featured in the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
serial for ''Beauty and the Beast'', taking place during Belle's stay at the castle. He generally served as comic relief and effectively the "protagonist" of the village B-stories, where he is trying to come up with some scheme to get Belle to marry him, only for the triplets to interfere and sabotage his plans in order to get him to focus on them over Belle.
He also appears in an expanded role in Serena Valentino
Serena Valentino is an American comic book writer, author, and storyteller. She created the comic book series '' Gloomcookie'' and '' Nightmares & Fairy Tales''. She also authored the ''Villain'' novels published by Disney Press, which have earned ...
's 2014 book ''The Beast Within: A Tale Of Beauty's Prince'', which takes place prior to the start of the original film. In the novel, Gaston and the Beast are portrayed as childhood friends, with the curse erasing Gaston's memory of the prince. He has a brief cameo in the fourth ''Kingdom Keepers
''Kingdom Keepers'' is a series of children's novels written by American author Ridley Pearson. The ''New York Times'' Bestselling series is published through Disney Editions and Disney Hyperion, and the first book was released on August 29, 200 ...
'' book, where he alongside Prince John and Horned King
''The Chronicles of Prydain'' is a pentalogy of children's high fantasy Bildungsroman novels written by American author Lloyd Alexander and published by Henry Holt and Company. The series includes: ''The Book of Three'' (1964), ''The Black Caul ...
were present with the Overtakers at Tom Sawyer Island. He also had a section dedicated to himself in the tongue-in-cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scott ...
book ''Villain Files'' alongside the other Disney villains, with it implying that his meeting Belle was during archery practice.
He is also in '' Descendants: Isle of the Lost'', the tie-in novel to '' Descendants'', where he has four kids. Two of whom, Twins Gaston Jr and Gaston the Third, he evidently named after himself due to his egomania. Gil his youngest son who appears in ''Descendants 2
''Descendants 2'' is an American musical fantasy television film. It premiered as a Disney Channel Original Movie on July 21, 2017, and was simulcast on Disney-owned networks ABC, Disney XD, Freeform, Lifetime, and Lifetime Movies. It is th ...
'' and ''Descendants 3
''Descendants 3'' is an American musical fantasy television film, and the third installment in the ''Descendants'' series, following '' Descendants'' and '' Descendants 2''. It is written by Sara Parriott and Josann McGibbon, and is directed ...
''. They also shared his egomania to some extent but were comparatively kinder than their father.
Video-game portrayals
He is included in the 1993 video game adaptations '' Beauty & The Beast: Belle's Quest'' and '' Beauty & The Beast: Roar of the Beast''. Although he acted as the main antagonist for both games, he also acted as an ally character in the former, using his strength to help in a task early in the game. In the ''Disney Princess
''Disney Princess'', also called the ''Princess Line'', is a media franchise and toy line owned by the Walt Disney Company. Created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney, the franchise features a lineup of female protagonists who ha ...
'' video game, he acts as the main antagonist of Belle's chapter. Like in the film, he attempts to rabblerouse the villagers into attacking the castle. This time, however, he simply tries to convince the villagers the castle was evil and of dark magic, and thus needed to be destroyed, and to that end tried to abduct Mrs. Potts, Chip, Cogsworth, and Lumiere to act as proof. However, Belle outsmarted him.
He also had a mention in '' Kinect: Disneyland Adventures'', and also appeared briefly as a disguise for the villain Mizrabel in '' Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion''. Gaston also appears as a non-playable character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster ...
in the ''Kingdom Hearts
is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square (video game company), Square). It is a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company and is under the leadership of Tetsuya ...
'' video game ''Kingdom Hearts χ
stylized as ''Kingdom Hearts χ hi', is a Japanese role-playing browser game developed by Square Enix (in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios), BitGroove and Success, and published by Square Enix for web browsers as the eighth install ...
'' as an antagonist who controls an army of Heartless. Gaston is a playable character to unlock for a limited time in ''Disney Magic Kingdoms
''Disney Magic Kingdoms'' is a 2016 city building game developed and published by Gameloft for iOS, Android, and Windows. It is themed off the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. The game was officially launched on March 17, 2016.
Storyline
The game ...
''.
Reception and legacy
Gaston has received generally favorable reviews from film critic
Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...
s. Simon Brew of Den of Geek
''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Pop music, a musical genre Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gan ...
was very receptive towards the character: "thanks to a mix of humour, believable character development, compelling motivation and the excellent voicing work of Richard White (proving you don't need a big movie star on voice duties), he's an utterly compelling antagonist, and an extremely interesting one." Writing for ''Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'', Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
hailed Gaston as "a wonderful character", while ''The Daily Beast
''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. It was founded in 2008.
It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief from 2018 to 2021. In a 20 ...
'' lauded the character as "a triumphantly funny villain". ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' Janet Maslin
Janet R. Maslin (born August 12, 1949) is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for ''The New York Times''. She served as a ''Times'' film critic from 1977 to 1999 and as a book critic from 2000 to 2015. In 2000 Maslin ...
described Gaston's "fatuousness" as "well conveyed" while praising White's performance, writing that the actor "do swonders in bringing ... Gaston to life." Writing for IndieWire
IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...
, Drew Taylor felt the fact that Gaston is "a strapping cad" as opposed to a witch or hideous creature contributes to making the film "a wholly unique experience". Reviewing the film 25 years after its original theatrical release, ''Creative Loafing
Creative Loafing is an Atlanta-based publisher of a monthly arts and culture newspaper/magazine. The company publishes a 60,000 circulation monthly publication which is distributed to in-town locations and neighborhoods on the first Thursday of ...
''s Matt Brunson admitted that he "never grow tired of watching the boorish Gaston". ''The Seattle Times
''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington (s ...
'' John Hartl called White "hilarious" as Gaston.
However, critical opinions of Gaston have been rather lackluster in comparison to those of other, more acclaimed Disney villains; reviewers generally prefer Scar
A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a na ...
, Maleficent
Maleficent ( or ) is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Productions' 16th animated feature film, ''Sleeping Beauty'' (1959). She is represented as an evil fairy and the self-proclaimed " Mistress of All Evil ...
and Jafar. While dubbing Gaston's characterization "one of the movie's cleverest touches", at the same time Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter (born March 25, 1946, Kansas City, Missouri) is an American novelist, essayist, and film critic.
Life and career
Hunter was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His father was Charles Francis Hunter, ...
of ''The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' felt that the character lacks the charisma of some of Disney's earlier female villains, namely the Evil Queen
The Evil Queen, also called the Wicked Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm; similar stories exist worldwide. Other versions of the Queen appear in subsequent ...
and Cruella de Vil
Cruella de Vil is a fictional character in British author Dodie Smith's 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. A pampered and glamorous London heiress and fashion designer, she appears in Walt Disney Productions' 17th animated feature fi ...
from ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as T ...
'' (1937) and ''One Hundred and One Dalmatians
''One Hundred and One Dalmatians'' (also simply known as ''101 Dalmatians'') is a 1961 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and based on the 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians'' by Dodie Smith. The ...
'' (1964), respectively. ''Time'''s Richard Corliss
Richard Nelson Corliss (March 6, 1944 – April 23, 2015) was an American film critic and magazine editor for ''Time''. He focused on movies, with occasional articles on other subjects.
He was the former editor-in-chief of '' Film Commen ...
called Gaston "a way-too-handsome galoot" and "Dudley Do-Right
Dudley Do-Right is a fictional character created by Alex Anderson, Chris Hayward, Allan Burns, Jay Ward, and Bill Scott, who appears as the main protagonist of "Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties", a segment on ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show.'' ...
gone wrong." Hal Hinson of ''The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' felt that Gaston was "overbearing" because "everything about him is comically exaggerated and satirized to the point that you feel as if the cleft in his chin might swallow you whole." In her book ''From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture'', author Elizabeth Bell reviewed Gaston as a "Chauvinist Pig, the kind that would turn the women of any primetime talkshow audience into beasts themselves." Similarly, ''The Media and the Models of Masculinity'' author Mark Moss accused the character of uttering "the most anachronistic
An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common type ...
nonsense heard on the screen for quite some time." JoBlo.com
The JoBlo Movie Network includes a website, JoBlo.com, which focuses on news, film reviews, and movie trailers; and YouTube channels that focus on trailers, movie clips, celebrity interviews, original content, and as film distribution.
Early da ...
reviewed Gaston as an "inferior villain", writing, "While White's performance is terrific, the character itself is ultimately basic and bland." Jaime N. Christley of ''Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
'' dismissed the character as juvenile and little more than the film "reducing every aspect of its source material to the level a kindergartner would understand". Film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
described Gaston as too "insufferable" as he "degenerates ... from a chauvinist pig to a sadistic monster", but at the same time cited White among the film's "gifted cast".
Gaston is considered to be one of Disney's "classic" villains, as well as one of the studio's most famous. Prior to Gaston's debut, virtually every Disney villain before him had been unattractive in appearance; Den of Geek writer Simon Brew holds Gaston accountable for changing the reputation of future Disney villains. The character's villainy tends to resonate with audiences more than those of other Disney villains because fans can often identify someone similar to him in real life. Medium
Medium may refer to:
Science and technology
Aviation
*Medium bomber, a class of war plane
*Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data
* Medium of ...
contributor Brett Seegmiller strongly believes that "Gaston is one of the best villains in the Disney canon" because audiences both respect and fear him, as well as the best leader in his opinion. MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
crowned Gaston "Disney's smarmiest villain", while Thomas S. Hischak, author of ''Musicals in Film: A Guide to the Genre'', dubbed him "one of Disney's most fiendish human villains". Crowning the character the "Most Terrifying Disney Villain of All", ''Bustle'''s Mary Grace Garis praised Gaston's depiction of a misogynistic villain: "because Gaston is the walking embodiment of patriarchy at its most comically aggressive, anyone ... from a 3-year-old to a 23-year-old can look at him and be like, 'THAT. That's the enemy.'," with Gaston being easier to relate to than other Disney villains due to him lacking "magic power or political influence" and being "just your everyday alpha-male trying to mansplain to you when you're just trying to live your life".
Gaston frequently appears within the top-tens of Disney villain rankings organized by various media publications; however, he is usually placed closer towards the middle of these countdown
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
s and seldom ranks number one. E! ranked the character the sixth best Disney villain. TVOvermind also ranked Gaston sixth despite his lack of magical powers "because of his overwhelming douchebaggery
A douche is a device used to introduce a stream of water into the body for medical or hygienic reasons, or the stream of water itself. Douche usually refers to vaginal irrigation, the rinsing of the vagina, but it can also refer to the rinsing ...
" whose "general intolerance makes for a terrific villain." On ''The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
''s "Definitive Ranking Of 25 Classic Disney Villains", Gaston was featured at number eight, while About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, ...
placed the character ninth on a similar list. Yahoo! Movies
Yahoo! Movies (formerly Upcoming Movies), provided by the Yahoo! network, is home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Yaho ...
included Gaston at number 11 on their ranking of "the 12 most famous Disney villains from worst to best", awarding him "points for not only being a huge jerk, but for also trying to blackmail Belle into marrying him ... and for leading a mob to kill Beast." According to the ''Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'', Gaston is the 12th-greatest Disney villain. Meanwhile, on Babble's list of "The Top 15 Disney Villains Ranked from Bad to Worst", which ranked the characters based on scariness, Gaston was placed 10th. CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
agreed that Gaston is one of "Disney's scariest villains", writing, "the only thing worse than a cocky, demanding guy who can't take a hint is a cocky, demanding guy who organizes a mob to kill your boyfriend", concluding, "He may not have looked scary, but he was obviously the movie's real beast." Featured among Collider
A collider is a type of particle accelerator which brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Colliders may either be ring accelerators or linear accelerators.
Colliders are used as a research tool in particle ...
's "9 Most Wicked Animated Villains", contributor Matt Goldberg hailed Gaston as "a delightful caricature of an idiotic jock." Facetiously, Beamly
Beamly (legally incorporated as Beamly Ltd.) was a technology company based in London, UK and New York City, United States. The company was founded in April 2011 as tBone TV, later renamed to Zeebox, by Ernesto Schmitt and Anthony Rose. It was ...
considers Gaston to be among "8 Disney villains who are better than the heroes" for catching their attention despite being an "awful and sexist" character. Moviefone
Moviefone is an American-based moving pictures listing and information service. Moviegoers can obtain local showtimes, cinema information, film reviews, and advance tickets, as well as TV content and a comprehensive search tool that allows users ...
was less receptive towards the character, ranking him 25th out of 30 on their list of the "Top Disney Villains of All Time". Oh My Disney ranked Gaston's line "The most beautiful girl in town, that makes her the best! And don't I deserve the best?" the ninth-most-sinister quote uttered by a Disney villain.
References
{{Disney Villains
Disney animated characters
Animated human characters
Beauty and the Beast (franchise) characters
Disney animated villains
Fictional bullies
Male characters in animated films
Film characters introduced in 1991
Animated characters introduced in 1991
Fictional French people
Fictional professional hunters
Fictional soldiers
Male characters in film
Video game bosses
Male film villains
Masculinity
Narcissism in fiction
Fictional knife-fighters
Fictional gunfighters
Fictional archers