Fife is the former secondary antagonist (later a supporting protagonist) from Disney's 1997 animated film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, a midquel to the 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast. He is one of the Beast's servants who was turned into a piccolo by the Enchantress' curse.
Background
Personality
When the piccolo is introduced around the beginning of the film, he is shown to be a bit of a kiss-up to Forte the pipe organ and cheerfully applauds Forte's gloomy melodies. Fife accommodates Forte's rules, only to one day have his own music solo, which Forte had promised him. Throughout the movie, he appears more of a nuisance to the main characters as well as an idiot and a troublemaker, since he frequently botches in his attempts at sabotaging Belle and Beast's relationship based on Forte's orders. He also is shown to "fawn" over Belle from time to time. Despite his mischievous antics, Fife has a warm-hearted personality and ends up rooting for Belle and the Beast at the end, giving the Beast information on how to defeat Forte, and eventually, lives his dream of having a music solo.
Appearances
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
Fife is a resident of the castle, serving as one of the musicians. When the Enchantress curses the Beast, he is transformed into a piccolo.
He is tricked by Forte into trying to sabotage the relationship under the promise of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-flat. Fife lures Belle into Forte's room for him to tell Belle where a suitable Christmas tree is located. However, shortly after she leaves, Forte tells Fife to follow her "to make sure they don't come back". After accidentally causing the frozen lake's ice surface to break, risking to drown Belle and Chip as well as Beast angrily throwing Belle into the dungeon for the latter's "betrayal" shortly after saving her. Fife regrets this action and decides to help Belle and Beast mend their relationship. Forte decides to destroy the castle, and Fife tries to stop Forte. Forte reveals that he never intended to give him Mozart's concerto (via expelling blank note sheets). No longer loyal to Forte, Fife tells the Beast that Forte's power comes from the keyboard, and Beast uses this knowledge to kill Forte. Soon after repairing the castle's damages, Fife received a royal pardon from the Beast and was allowed to take part in the festivities.
In the ending of the movie (taking place in the present), Fife, now human once again, takes over Forte's job as the court composer of the castle and he finally gets to perform the solo he always wanted.
Trivia
- It could be indicated that Fife had a secret crush on Belle since he acted very shy to her.
- The word "fife" is another word for "flute."
- In both his piccolo and human forms, Fife also bears a physical resemblance to his own voice actor, the late Paul Reubens.
- Paul Reubens also did all the flute sound effects.
- There is a man resembling him performing with a small orchestra at the wedding of Belle and the Prince in an illustration for the Disney Princesses book Royal Weddings.
