The modernized version of the tale Beauty and the Beast, commissioned from comic book author Jul to be distributed to 800 CM000 pupils as part of the "A Book for the Holidays" campaign, will ultimately not be published by the Ministry of National Education. According to Minister Élisabeth Borne, the proposed content is not suitable for ten-year-olds without educational supervision, due to references deemed too complex or sensitive.
Among the points raised by the ministry, several illustrations depicting scenes involving alcohol, social media, or social realities such as police checks were considered problematic for a young audience. The character of Belle's father, for example, is depicted drinking, visibly drunk, which would have raised questions that would have been difficult to manage without an adult explanation. These elements led the Directorate General for School Education to withdraw the project, despite an initially laudatory preface from the minister.
Jul, creator of Silex and the City, denounced a form of "censorship," stating in a statement that the justifications put forward do not hold up to the actual content of the book, which he described as "tender and mischievous." He accused the ministry of having backed away from a more contemporary and inclusive representation of the characters, citing a fear of seeing traditional figures reinterpreted in a way that more closely reflects the current realities of students.
The ministry, for its part, insists on the educational nature of the operation: since the book was intended to be read independently during the holidays, it should be able to be understood without mediation. According to 20 Minutes and Le Figaro, teachers and parents themselves expressed their discomfort with certain scenes in the book. Printing, which was due to begin shortly after the final manuscript was received, was cancelled at the last minute.
Instead, the National Education system has chosen to reissue Homer's Odyssey, in a version adapted by Murielle Szac and illustrated by Catel. The RMN, a partner in the operation, could, however, publish Jul's book in another format, aimed at an older audience.
