Belle

"You can't tell what's inside a person's heart until you truly know them."

- Belle to Rumplestiltskin

Belle is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. She débuts in the twelfth episode of the first season. She is portrayed by starring cast member Emilie de Ravin. She is the Enchanted Forest counterpart of Belle French, and the main reality version of Belle.

Belle is based on Beauty from the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast"; and on the character of the same name from the Disney film Beauty and the Beast.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Character Notes

 * She is one of the few people in the Enchanted Forest who speak highly about Rumplestiltskin.
 * Belle can read and understand Chinese and fairy languages.


 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * For the first two years on Once Upon a Time, Emilie de Ravin dyed her hair for the role. She stopped after finding it annoying.


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * When Rumplestiltskin arrives at Maurice's castle, Belle is holding a blue book, just like she does in the movie.
 * The clothes Belle wears while she is Rumplestiltskin's maid are similar to the ones she wears in the Disney film.
 * While Belle is researching, she wears a dress with embroidered roses, a reference to the film Beauty and the Beast.

Lost

 * There is a close-up of Belle's eye as she awakens from her nightmare. This is a recurring theme from Lost.


 * -|Set Notes=

Set Dressing

 * Among the numerous pictures and cut-outs pinned to the wall in Henry's room are:
 * An illustration by the English artist and book illustrator Walter Crane, from the illustrated picture book Beauty and the Beast (1874). There are two different cutouts in Henry's room.- The first one appears next to Henry's mirror in "The Thing You Love Most" and pinned to the wall at a 2 o'clock position over Henry's cuckoo clock in "We Are Both", but it is blurred and far away. It is seen more clearly in a Flickr set photo from Season Two. The other version can be seen clearly on Henry's wall in "Page 23", although Beauty has been cropped off.
 * A cover illustration from the children's picture book Beauty and the Beast (2002) by the American children's book writer and illustrator Mercer Mayer. Note that the picture can barely be seen; it is clearly seen in a Flickr set photograph for Season Two.
 * An illustration of Beauty and the Beast by the Victorian era British artist Eleanor Vere Boyle, where Beast is depicted as a saber-toothed panther. However, this Beast is obscured by another one of Henry's pictures, so only Beauty is seen.

Costume Notes

 * The shoes that Belle wears when she is Rumplestiltskin's maid in "Skin Deep" are the same shoes that Regina wears when she summons Rumplestiltskin in "We Are Both".

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.