- “The head of the castle kitchens transformed into a teapot, Mrs. Potts takes a motherly attitude towards Belle.”
- ―Diamond Edition Website
Mrs. Potts is a supporting character in Disney's 1991 animated feature film, Beauty and the Beast. She is the castle's head housekeeper who was transformed into an enchanted teapot once the Enchantress placed her curse.
Mrs. Potts is one of Beast's staff members as the castle nanny, who was turned into a teapot at the time of the spell. She is voiced by the late Angela Lansbury in the animated cartoon and Emma Thompson in the live-action.
Background[]
Mrs. Potts was the head housekeeper of a spoiled prince's castle, and the mother of several children, the most notable being Chip, who is found by her side at almost every instant. When the prince encounters and insults a powerful enchantress, Mrs. Potts is transformed into a sentient object, a teacup, along with the rest of her colleagues, while the Prince is transformed into a monstrous beast.
Personality[]
Intelligent, level-headed, and self-righteous, Mrs. Potts is perhaps the most reliant member of the Beast's staff. Being a mother, she can be very gentle and nurturing, while also being stern and no-nonsense. Unlike Lumière and Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts lacks troublesome quirks and acts as the voice of reason amongst her colleagues. Though she fears his violent outbursts, Mrs. Potts' stern attitude also has a strong effect on the Beast, who appears to respect his head housekeeper the most out of all his servants—he has even been shown to occasionally snap out of his violent tantrums when she confronts him on his behavior. Furthermore, Mrs. Potts apparently fears the Beast the least, as she won't hesitate to disobey one of his strict orders if it means caring for someone in need, such as Belle; another example of her nurturing nature and selflessness.
Of the castle head staff, Mrs. Potts is the most sensible. With great patience, she treats the notion of "falling in love" as an extremely delicate and sensitive matter, unlike Lumière, who initially believed Belle and Beast could fall in love and break the spell in a mere few hours. Though the wilting of the rose was dire and unabating, Mrs. Potts saw it crucial that the relationship between Belle and Beast was given proper development, specifically in terms of getting the latter to obtain greater control of his temper by establishing himself as a gentleman, despite his roughish appearance. She was also highly sympathetic towards Belle; while Cogsworth was initially peeved by her reluctance to join the Beast for dinner (despite his rather ill attempt to ask politely), Mrs. Potts openly turned her frustration towards the Beast's explosive temper, feeling it was unfair to expect Belle to cooperate when the Beast allows his aggression to control his actions, on top of the fact that she had lost her father and freedom merely moments prior.