The Village Idiot

In my Disney writing course, we recently had to read an article entitled "Dopey's Legacy: Stereotypical Portrayals of Intellectual Disability in the Classic Animated Films" by Karen Schwartz, Zana Marie Lutfiyya, and Nancy Hansen. The authors argue that characters such as Dopey from Snow White, Gus from Cinderella, and Lefou from Beauty and the Beast perpetuate negative prejudices against mentally challenged individuals. While these women do make some valid points along the way, there were many moments while reading this article where I couldn't help but laugh. The most ridiculous part of this article was when they began to discuss Lefou's role in Beauty and the Beast. Fou in French means fool, which is certainly an accurate description of Lefou's character. However, just because he is typecast as the village idiot doesn't mean that Disney is implying that he is mentally challenged. At one point, Schwartz, Lutfiyya, and Hansen go so far as to argue that when Lefou's mouth is filled with leaves after being hit by a branch, Disney is implying that Lefou has nothing relevant or worthwhile to say. That moment is simply meant to be comic relief in an animated movie! I admit that throughout the movie Disney repeatedly implies that Lefou is less of a man than Gaston and that he is not the brightest man around, but I don't believe that Disney meant anything harmful by this. Lefou is simply meant to be an entertainingly silly character and a subtle reference to the days of slapstick comedy.