13 Disney Illustrations That Are Just Too Much Fun
When it comes to being a fan of Disney, it doesn't really matter how old you are, where you live, or where and when your Disney journey began. All that really matters is that you enjoy Disney as much as you need and want to in your own time.
When you find yourself in the Disney fan club you will also find yourself expanding far beyond the primary entertainment aspect of Disney: their movies. You discover TV shows, video games, podcasts, websites, and of course last but not least: fan art.
Illustrators and animators who work for Disney are some of the best in the whole world, but there are also lots of artists who don't work for Disney making beautiful Disney-themed and Disney-inspired art. Such is the case with the US-Based artist known only as "LEOstrious."
"LEOstrious" loves Disney, anime, and Babymetal (and if you're unfamiliar, Babymetal is a Japanese kawaii metal band.) They've created some vibrant, colorful, and fun-filled Disney illustrations we are excited to share with you today.
The series may be brief, with only 13 pieces, but from Moana to Rapunzel each character is worth the gander from your eyeballs. If you're a Disney fan who really does enjoy Disney fan art, you will be glad you're being introduced to "LEOstrious" today.
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1. Eilonwy & Taran (The Black Cauldron)
The animated dark fantasy adventure film The Black Cauldron was released in 1985 and was produced by Walt Disney. Interestingly, it was the studio's first film to receive a PG rating and to this day is considered one of Disney's "darkest" films.
At the same time, The Black Cauldron has a very niche fan base and many people criticize the film for not being entertaining enough. One of the biggest complaints about The Black Cauldron is that the villain, The Horned King, is unenthusiastic and uninspiring.
LEOstrious2. Princess Aurora
Some of the movies that Walt Disney adapted into films come from stories that existed long before Disney was making animated tales of princesses, evil queens, and children. Sleeping Beauty's origins date back to 1634 and the Italian poet Giambattista Basile.
Basile wrote a story called The Sun, the Moon, and Talia and it was published in his book “Pentamerone,” a collection of fairy tales. Daven Hiskey wrote that Basile "was more or less the “Brothers Grimm” of his time."
LEOstrious3. Moana
Moana is the 56th animated movie from Disney. If you wanted to watch a different animated Disney movie every week of the year to get through them all in one year, Moana would be the last movie of the year that you watched.
Moana is an incredible film with a lot of beautiful imagery and features tons of culturally significant bits of info and art throughout. The character Maui, voiced by The Rock and based on the most important mythical figure in Polynesian culture, was created mostly through computer animation (along with almost the entire film,) except for his tattoos!
Maui's tattoo animations were hand-drawn.
LEOstrious4. Merida
You may have noticed that Merida’s entire clan DunBroch wears a tartan pattern, but did you know that it's an officially registered tartan on the Scottish Registry of Tartans? While it is copyright protected, its description on the registry is eloquent and worth reading:
“Much like Scotland itself, the DunBroch Tartan is set against the ocean blue of the North Sea. The deep scarlet represents the family’s reverence for its own history, and the blood shed during battles between the clans. Deep green shows a love for Scotland’s majestic highlands, where the story of Disney Pixar’s Brave unfolds. Navy blue, and its clear central intersections, represents the forging of the clans within the DunBroch kingdom. And finally, the subtle grey imbues a sense of respect for the inner soul of the strong Scottish people.”
LEOstrious5. Cassandra (Tangled Series)
Tangled: The Series takes place between the feature-length (Tangled) film and the short (Tangled Ever After.) It ran from 2017 to 2020 and Cassandra was definitely a fan favorite.
LEOstrious6. Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty)
Was Prince Phillip inspired by the real-life namesake? According to Sleeping Beauty's IMDb page, the prince in Sleeping Beauty was given the Duke of Edinburgh's name because "he was the prince American audiences were most familiar with back in 1959."
LEOstrious
7. Alice and Sen (Spirited Away)
Based on Lewis Carol's book, Alice in Wonderland released by Disney in 1951. Interestingly, upon its initial release, Alice in Wonderland was considered a disappointment. However, when it was re-released in the early 1970's it was much more successful and has since become a beloved classic.
LEOstrious
8. Belle & Gaston
Some people believe that Gaston is one of Disney's most unconventional villains. Not only is he illustrated to appear handsome, but he isn't presented early on as anything more than vain (and misogynistic but not violently so.) If you really want to read a mind-blowing critical look at the character Gaston, check out Simon Brew's 2012 article.
LEOstrious
9. Ariel
The Little Mermaid is truly one of Disney's most popular princesses and for Millennials everywhere, she's the kind of character you go from connecting with to wanting to mother. Fanart of Ariel is always incredible, and LEOstrious's piece is no exception.
LEOstrious
10. Cinderella
In 76 countries across the world, Cinderella is ranked as everyone's "most favorite" princess. Although if you look up reviews of the classic princesses's film, you'll see mostly negativity.
It's weird how that works!
LEOstrious
11. "Good Morning, Rapunzel"
LEOstrious
12. Rapunzel
Over the years it's come to light that there was some controversy with titling Rapunzel's film: Tangled. Criticism came in the fiery form of wondering why a movie about Rapunzel had to be as gender neutral as possible.
It turns out, however, that Tangled isn't about Rapunzel. At least, not exclusively.
Tangled is a story about Eugene just as much as it's a story about Rapunzel. This is why the title doesn't reflect the story is only about Rapnuzel.
LEOstrious
13. Princess Anna (with a Keyblade!)
The artist LEOstrious says that despite the way Disney handled Frozen Fever, they were not actually prepared for how dominating the obsession truly was and that they often underplayed how intensely the unexpected popularity impacted executives and Disney parks. Either way, we love the addition in this illustration of the Keyblade, which you'll definitely recognize if you're a fan of Kingdom Hearts.
Speaking of Kingdom Hearts, have you seen an entire wedding with a Kingdom Hearts theme before? We have!
LEOstrious
Are there other ways to spend your free time than gazing at Disney fanart and reading Disney film fun facts? Sure.
Do we want to do anything else? Absolutely not.
Disney is a distinct part of our lives and we're inclined to keep it that way. If you agree, don't forget to check out the artist and share the fun with your fellow Disney fanatics!
