Is the Beast's name really Adam?

ttalovebug

ttalovebug

Active Member
Original Poster
An obsessive Beauty and the Beast fan since I was a year old, I had always accepted the fact that the Beast didn't have a name. After all, they don't specify one in the movie. I always thought, if the filmmakers had wanted to, they would have included it. Years later, I find out that online fans have taken to calling him Adam. I never knew where people got this idea, and I personally don't think the name fits (it's not French). But I found a great video that attempts to explain the origin:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KHWmxRxrxTI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I've seen a lot of people arguing about this online- those who are told that this is a false name get really defensive, and say that Disney's inclusion of the name on select merchandise, and the placement of this name on a wall in certain princess-themed hotel rooms makes it canon. A comment on the above video even states that as an employee at BOG restaurant, they are told that Adam is indeed Beast's name.


So what do you guys think? In my opinion, I don't care how often they make this mistake- if Glen Keane, Don Hahn, Linda Woolverton, and everyone else involved in the movie didn't name him Adam, then he is NOT Adam. But I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)
 
ttalovebug

ttalovebug

Active Member
Original Poster
StarWarsGirl95 said:
According to Wikipedia, a CD-ROM game tie-in stated that yes his name is Adam. It should be interesting to see if Disney gives him a name in the upcoming live action film.
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In the video link I posted above, the CD-ROM issue is addressed. Disney had outsourced their PC games for a number of years, including the time period when this game was made. TWDC actually had nothing to do with the content of this game.

Even as early as last year's Comic-Con, if I'm not mistaken, Glen Keane himself stated that the Beast's name is not Adam, and he created the character.

As for that live-action version- how weird! Guillermo del Toro has already had one in pre-production for ages, I think it starts filming in summer, starring Emma Watson. It's going to be like last year, when we had two snow white movies within months.
 
AndyS2992

AndyS2992

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
Does that apply to "Sleeping Beauty" too?
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Not sure what you mean :confused:

Are you saying that Sleeping Beauty, Briar Rose and Aurora are interchangeable like Beast and Adam? Then given that she is called Sleeping Beauty on merchandise then yes, if you know who they are talking about then any of those names are interchangeable.
 
Monkee Girl

Monkee Girl

Well-Known Member
I hate the name of Adam for the Beast and think they should have went for a more regal French name like Louis. Unfortunately, it is 'canon' because of this picture. This is from a portrait from Disney's Port Orleans Royal Princess Rooms. So yes, Disney officially named him Adam.

01-royal-rooms-prince-21.jpg
 
DG32

DG32

New Member
It is of interest to note that the artwork depicted in the image above has been removed from display at Port Orleans, reason being that it depicts a Disney character in a way contrary to canon. That is to say, his name is NOT Adam, nor has it ever been. Disney has NOT stamped it on any official products, and they have never used it in any official capacity in animated films, theatrical productions, video games, books, theme parks or merchandise. (One use as a joke over twenty years ago in a fringe CD-ROM game not produced or sanctioned by Disney is hardly evidence.) The most interesting thing about this fan-created and -spread phenomenon is that it's not even clear how the myth was started. People talk about Disney character encyclopedias and the like, but it's always hearsay and no one actually seems to have seen the book themselves. As for me, I have both of the books that are frequently cited as listing this as his name, and neither contains ANY mention of the name Adam, in reference to the Beast, or any other character. Glen Keane, Dave Smith, and even Disney itself has come right out and said not only that he doesn't have a name, but also that his name is decidedly NOT Adam.

As has been posted above, this is a perfect explanation of this misnaming issue, and why it matters (part 2 is even more compelling, and is updated to include information about the photo above).

Yeah, I'm not sure why this is one of my biggest Disney pet peeves as a superfan, but there you go. Let it be written and known throughout all the land of Disney fandom, the Beast's/Prince's name is NOT Adam.
 
DG32

DG32

New Member
No, they haven't committed to the name Prince Adam because they've never used it in the first place. I'm pretty sure any potential confusion between He-Man and the Beast is negligible by this time. Not only is the former barely relevant anymore, but they're also completely different characters and companies, and there have always been characters with the same name (there are more Jacks in popular culture than anyone could even start to count, including several in Disney alone).
 
Wilt Dasney

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
Animaniac93-98 said:
I agree. If it's not stated in the movie or intended by its creators, it's not cannon.
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That's a tough standard for properties that are corporate-owned, though. You could use it to say that anything Walt Disney didn't explicitly state about Mickey isn't official, or anything Stan Lee and Steve Ditko didn't dream up about Spider-Man doesn't "count," no matter how many cartoons or comics produced by the companies that own those characters have made additions or changes over the years.

FWIW, I'm sympathetic to your argument, even if I don't think it's tenable. (I skipped the entire "Before Watchmen" stunt from DC because I felt like Alan Moore had told the definitive story with those characters. In my mind, his story...and only his...is the "real" Watchmen. But DC still owns the properties, so whatever crap they want to append onto it is still "canon," unfortunately.)
 
ttalovebug

ttalovebug

Active Member
Original Poster
DG32 said:
It is of interest to note that the artwork depicted in the image above has been removed from display at Port Orleans, reason being that it depicts a Disney character in a way contrary to canon. That is to say, his name is NOT Adam, nor has it ever been. Disney has NOT stamped it on any official products, and they have never used it in any official capacity in animated films, theatrical productions, video games, books, theme parks or merchandise. (One use as a joke over twenty years ago in a fringe CD-ROM game not produced or sanctioned by Disney is hardly evidence.) The most interesting thing about this fan-created and -spread phenomenon is that it's not even clear how the myth was started. People talk about Disney character encyclopedias and the like, but it's always hearsay and no one actually seems to have seen the book themselves. As for me, I have both of the books that are frequently cited as listing this as his name, and neither contains ANY mention of the name Adam, in reference to the Beast, or any other character. Glen Keane, Dave Smith, and even Disney itself has come right out and said not only that he doesn't have a name, but also that his name is decidedly NOT Adam.

As has been posted above, this is a perfect explanation of this misnaming issue, and why it matters (part 2 is even more compelling, and is updated to include information about the photo above).

Yeah, I'm not sure why this is one of my biggest Disney pet peeves as a superfan, but there you go. Let it be written and known throughout all the land of Disney fandom, the Beast's/Prince's name is NOT Adam.
Click to expand...

Yes, I heard about that and am very pleased. I feel exactly the same way as you- this bugs me waaay more than it should, but it's my favorite Disney movie. I'm defensive.

And that guy's videos are great, they explain the issue perfectly.
 
DancingPhoenix

DancingPhoenix

Active Member
Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite, and the name Adam is "eh" for me. I do get mad when people think I'm not a true fan because I don't mind his "name" being Adam, because it ISN'T specified so why not? You hardly ever see him as a human anyway, because the Beast is so much more loveable. I remember a funny comic of right after the transformation and Belle holding a knife up to the Beast/"Adam" and saying "change back."
I think his human form was just messed up to begin with. He is not a very attractive prince if I do say so myself, and he kind of loses all personality and interest when not the Beast. Hell even in movies made later he is always the Beast and never a human.
 
DancingPhoenix

DancingPhoenix

Active Member
Matt_Black said:
Umm... The framing sequence for Belle's Enchanted Christmas has him in human form.
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Yes, but just like in the original movie, it's only for a short time (as a frame). The majority of the movie has him in Beast form which is my point. I guess I should've worded it better, but I don't really consider those uses of him as human when he is still a Beast for 90% of the film.
 

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