"[50] 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.
"[21] Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman hailed Gaston as "a wonderful character",[80] while The Daily Beast lauded the character as "a triumphantly funny villain".
Evans will reprise his role in an upcoming Beauty and the Beast spin-off/prequel series for Disney+. Voiced by American actor and singer Richard White, Gaston is an arrogant hunter whose unrequited feelings for the intellectual Belle drive him to murder his adversary, the Beast, once he realizes she cares for him instead. | When the topic of a potential spin-off movie arose, one which would obviously focus on an amnesiac Gaston, White simply said "I'm waiting for the call.". Deja ultimately based Gaston's appearance on those of handsome soap opera actors in order to create a grotesque version of the Prince Charming stock character, while some of White's own operatic mannerisms were incorporated into the character. [13] 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". Gaston is a character original to Disney, as he is not present in the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont upon which the 1991 film is based. And the new castle isn't perched on a cliff side, either. [47] Extremely egotistical, Gaston appears to pride himself as the greatest at any task he attempts. "He has all the qualities that are right for Gaston but he has this other thing which comes from years of working on a stage and which is so important to have in a movie musical, and thatâs the joy of performing. [52] Ultimately, although Gaston mortally wounds the Beast, he is still unable to kill the human who continues to thrive within him. [49] Gaston represents "the difference between outward beauty and beauty of the soul," one of the film's central themes. [22] His initial audition was first recorded on audio cassette, a copy of which was then forwarded to Disney.
Heâs at the top of the pyramid and everyone else is below him," he said. He also had a section dedicated to himself in the tongue-in-cheek book Villain Files alongside the other Disney villains, with it implying that his meeting Belle was during archery practice.
Belle is the only one in town who actually dislikes Gaston for the person he is inside. ", "EMuck--Richard White (Broadway Actor and Voice of "Gaston") Invited Talk Transcript", "17 Things You Never Knew About Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast, "An Interview with Richard White of the Jekyll & Hyde National Tour", "From Beauty and the Beast to King's Quest: An Interview with Voice Actor, Richard White", "Tame `Beast` – Disney Film Falls Short Of The Classics", "Bringing the '90s to Life: An Interview with Animator Andreas Deja", "What We Learned About 'Beauty and the Beast' At Its 25th Academy Reunion", "Disney's Beauty and the Beast 25th Anniversary: The Story Behind Belle's Ball Gown and More Secrets You Never Knew", "An Inside Look at the Original – Beauty and the Beast", "8 things you never knew about 'Beauty and the Beast, "15 surprising facts about your fave disney princesses", "Ranking the Top 10 Animated Disney Villains", "Rediscovering the Beauty in Disney's 'the Beast, "The Top 15 Disney Villains Ranked From Bad to Worst", "Why Gaston Remains the Most Terrifying Disney Villain of All", "A Definitive Ranking Of 25 Classic Disney Villains", "`Beauty And The Beast` Has A Song In Its Heart", "Who Are the Top 10 Disney Villains of All Time?
[citation needed]. [27] 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. [95] Moviefone was less receptive towards the character, ranking him 25th out of 30 on their list of the "Top Disney Villains of All Time". Probably the most likely place you've spotted the 37-year-old Welsh actor recently is in 2016's The Girl on the Train, in which he played Scott Hipwell, husband of Megan, whose disappearance drives the plot. [6] Gaston, a character who does not exist in the original fairy tale,[7] was among several elements borrowed from the live-action version of the story,[6] based on a character Cocteau himself had created specifically for his film: Avenant,[6] portrayed by French actor Jean Marais who also plays the Beast in a dual role. He also had a mention in Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, and also appeared briefly as a disguise for the villain Misrabel in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion. He also appears in an expanded role in Serena Valentino's 2014 book The Beast Within: A Tale Of Beauty's Prince, which takes place prior to the start of the original film. Account active It just wasn't made quite as obvious as in the original. He's standing on an archway outside the Beast's tower, and since the updated enchantment on the castle also effects its structural integrity, Gaston's fall comes from the archway breaking — not because he loses his balance after stabbing the Beast. That culminated in three stints on London's West End, which is equivalent to Broadway here in the states: Taboo in 2002, Avenue Q in 2006, and Rent Remixed in 2009. Though you probably assumed that was the end of Gaston, the actor behind his voice is less inclined to believe so. ", Evans himself told Pop Inquirer that he found Gaston's personality an easy one to play with. [7] According to White, Gaston's early designs initially looked "much more Brutish" before the animators ultimately decided to go in a "more beautiful" direction,[22] basing the character "on a grotesque version" of the Prince Charming character. This is a role he was born to play. Filming & Production [49] 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. Instead, Gaston shoots the Beast from behind three times from afar. "[21] Deja also exaggerated Gaston's proportions to help audiences believe that the character could actually physically face the beast head-on. [66] Simon Brew of Den of Geek 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. However, she refuses his proposal when he throws a wedding party without her prior knowledge. 15 for the movie's release is that it gives you plenty of time to get to know the rest of the actors in starring roles. [52] Richard Corliss of Time 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 (1931).
In the novel, Gaston and the Beast are portrayed as childhood friends, with the curse erasing Gaston's memory of the prince.
Gaston is a fictional character who appears as the main antagonist in Walt Disney Pictures' 30th animated feature film Beauty and the Beast (1991).
"[57], Gaston is Disney's most chauvinistic villain to-date, although this trait is approached with humor, making him at times a comic relief character early on,[51] unlike Disney's previous villains. According to Beauty and the Beast director Bill Condon, Evans was made to play Gaston. Intrigued, Gaston offers to help Maurice free her as means of gaining both Maurice and Belle's favor. [citation needed]. The second time was in the fifth season, where he befriended Belle. [22] Dave Kehr of the Chicago Tribune compared White's "brash" vocal performance to that of actor Howard Keel. ", He then turned to me, and said, "You think he died? "[49] 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. [78] He has a brief cameo in the fourth Kingdom Keepers book, where he alongside Prince John and Horned King were present with the Overtakers at Tom Sawyer Island. 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. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, (based on the 1991 animated film "Beauty and the Beast" animation screenplay by), (based upon the original story revision by) (uncredited), (based upon the original tale by) (uncredited), Head Washer [31], Both Gaston's personality and physical appearance evolved dramatically during production over the course of two and a half years. "[21] The character's villainy peaks after he attempts to have Maurice incarcerated, although his transformation remains far from complete.