Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg commissioned Beauty and the Beast as an animated musical with a strong heroine, for which he hired first-time screenwriter Linda Woolverton.

Animated by James Baxter and Mark Henn, the former of whom based the character's graceful gait on those of impressionist Edgar Degas' ballerinas, Belle's European facial features were inspired by those of British actresses Vivien Leigh and Audrey Hepburn.

[3] The project was repeatedly shelved due to the fairy tale's "static" main characters and plot,[4] with Walt Disney expressing particular concern over depicting Belle's imprisonment.

[5] However, Katzenberg was dissatisfied with Purdum's dark, somber interpretation,[6][7] and ultimately ordered that it be completely reworked into a musical film starring a strong heroine, similar to The Little Mermaid.

[8] Largely in retaliation to critics' negative response towards The Little Mermaid's Ariel regarding her overall character and motivations,[9] Disney opted for a "feminist twist" on the original Beauty and the Beast story,[10] with Katzenberg hiring first-time screenwriter Linda Woolverton to write its screenplay.

[7][11] Disney traditionally portrayed its female characters as victims prior to Beauty and the Beast,[12] with Belle's lack of empowerment in earlier drafts of the film proving contentious among its writers.

[22] Woolverton often argued with the more traditional story artists over Belle's role and personality,[23][24] but continued to be supported by Katzenberg and lyricist Howard Ashman, the latter of whom also lobbied for "a thinker and a reader" who "wasn't a victim".

[31] To emphasize the character's independence, Woolverton re-wrote Belle to willingly venture to the castle in search of her father, where she confronts the Beast and ultimately trades her own freedom in return for Maurice's.

[14] In addition to Katzenberg and Ashman, O'Hara's last few auditions were attended by directors Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale, producer Don Hahn, and composer Alan Menken.

[40][48] In addition to sharing Belle's love of reading,[49] O'Hara empathized with her character being ostracized by her peers due to her unconventional interests,[40] explaining, "I was into musical theater ... while people were going to Led Zeppelin concerts ...

[74] Wanting Belle to look more European than Ariel, the animators drew her with fuller lips, narrower eyes, and darker eyebrows, all of which were inspired by British actress Vivien Leigh.

[71] Belle was also inspired by actress Judy Garland's role as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Julie Andrews' performance as Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965).

[81] Henn decorated his studio using photographs of famous women for reference, specifically classic Hollywood actresses Natalie Wood, Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn.

[5] Writing for Wired.com, Matt Blum dubbed Belle "the geekiest heroine of any Disney animated film", exemplified by an opening number that demonstrates just how much she does not fit in with her peers due to her intelligence and active imagination.

"[37] In her book Sex, Love and Abuse: Discourses on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, author Sharon Hayes described Belle as "the quintessential beautiful young ingénue.

"[93] Comparing Belle's personality to that of the princess in the Brothers Grimm's fairy tale "The Frog Prince", The Meanings of "Beauty and the Beast": A Handbook author Jerry Griswold described the character as a similarly "feisty and outspoken" heroine.

[95] According to Hard Bodies: Hollywood Masculinity in the Reagan Era author Susan Jeffords, "Belle's credentials as heroine are established ... when she is the only one of the town's single women not to swoon over Gaston," while the character's love of reading is essentially manipulated "to mark her as better than the rest of the townspeople.

Susan Jeffords, author of Hard Bodies: Hollywood Masculinity in the Reagan Era, felt that although Belle appears to be the protagonist in Beaumont's original fairy tale, the character becomes "less the focus of the narrative" in Disney's adaptation and more of a "mechanism for solving the Beast's 'dilemma.

"[102] About.com's David Nusair believes that Belle belongs to a category of Disney Princesses known as "The Lady Vanishes", in which the heroines, in spite of being brave, outspoken and independent, nonetheless "are forced to behave passively as others help them achieve their respective goals.

Meanwhile, a solemn pipe organ named Forte grows determined to sabotage Belle and the Beast's burgeoning friendship because he longs to maintain his co-dependent relationship with his master.

[118][119] According to Stephen Hunter of The Baltimore Sun, Belle is "no passive fairy tale princess, but a real live girl, with a spunky personality and her own private agenda".

"[133] Describing it as an "unconventional romance", Charles Solomon of the Los Angeles Times opined, "The idea of a young woman learning to love a gentle heart hidden beneath a baleful exterior represented a major break with tradition.

"[136] One of the character's few negative reviews was written by Ethan Alter of Television Without Pity, who opined: [T]he movie ... present[ed] audiences with a willful female protagonist that was firmly in control of her romantic destiny and regularly placed reading books above chasing after boys.

[155] In his book Hearing a Film, Seeing a Sermon: Preaching and Popular Movies, author Timothy B. Cargal agreed that the character indicated Disney's "efforts to reshape their heroines for a more feminist age".

[157] Although Beauty and the Beast was initially praised for starring a forward-thinking, feminist heroine,[158] some critics agree that the film remains a romance about a girl searching for her "ideal man", despite Belle's open resentment towards Gaston.

[27] Beyond Adaptation: Essays on Radical Transformations of Original Works author Phyllis Frus said what remote feminism Beauty and the Beast had achieved via Belle was ultimately reversed by inducting her into the Disney Princess franchise.

[164] Complex's Tara Aquino described Belle as "a kinda feminist ... who's well-read, self-sufficient, and with standards high enough that she doesn't fall for the town's brain-dead pretty boy.

[205] According to the Daily Mirror, Belle is Disney's second most iconic character, behind only Mickey and Minnie Mouse, describing her as a "portrait of bravery, teaching us to look beyond appearances and stand up for what we believe in".

[17] Susan Wloszczyna of IndieWire wrote that Woolverton's Belle "set a new standard for fully fleshed-out fairy-tale heroines",[22] in turn paving the way for Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games series, and Anna and Elsa from Frozen (2013).

In the kart racing game Disney Speedstorm (2023), Belle is a playable racer who can use her enchanted mirror to a variety of effects, including summoning obstacles in front of opponents.